When Deacon Ernie Martinez took on his role as director of deacons for the Archdiocese of Denver three years ago, he brought with him an insight few clergy possess: 40 years of experience with the Denver Police Department, where he witnessed firsthand how peer support could save lives.

During this Jubilee Year of Hope, the Church calls for all of us to be “tangible signs of hope for those of our brothers and sisters who experience hardships of any kind” (Spes Non Confundit, 10). Finding reasons for hope and sharing that hope with others is part of our vocation as Christians. Perhaps one of the greatest areas where the hope of Jesus Christ is needed here in the United States is mental health.

My favorite of this celestial company was St. Dympha . . . I found a frame for [her holy card] . . . and for many decades, it sat on my desk in Whitehall, to the amusement or consternation of my colleagues. I had the private enjoyment of knowing, alone among all who labour within the Foreign Office, that St. Dympha is the patroness of those afflicted with nervous disorders. In my profession I will accept all available assistance (Excerpted from “Enter the Lion: A Posthumous Memoir of Mycroft Holmes,” Hawthorn Books, 1979).

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and this year’s mental health awareness theme is “From Awareness to Action.” Many Catholic dioceses across the United States are taking action to support the mental health of their parishioners.