“Abandon every hope, all you who enter! — The Inferno by Dante Alighieri, Canto III, Line 9 (Mark Musa translation) Even people who have never
“Suffering ceases to be suffering at the moment it finds a meaning.” ~Victor Frankl (neurologist, psychiatrist, philosopher, author, Holocaust survivor) Wim Hof, colloquially known as
Everybody gets the blues. But some people really get the blues in the form of depression. For many people depression involves brain chemistry, which means
Stewardship and sloth are two words not likely to come up in daily conversation around the kitchen table or office water cooler. Furthermore, they are
Like every virtue, hope is a grace and also a habit, but unique to hope is that its practice may be described as diving into
Loneliness can be distressing and deeply painful. I know. I have experienced it often. We all experience loneliness at times in our lives. People we
When you have a little time, please visit my website JohnCatoir.com, and scroll down past the white cross, then click on the left side under
My Lent so far has consisted of an unrelenting depression that has been getting worse for months. My mounting anxieties and a sense of hopelessness
Every January 1st, many of us decide to come clean with our personal struggles and make resolutions to better ourselves in the days ahead. In
November 11, 2017 marks the fifteenth (15th) anniversary of the shooting death of my son, Aaron Dougherty. More essentially, this date also marks the 15th
This is the second part of the hardest story I have ever told. It is my story of struggling with anxiety, panic attacks anxiety and
This is the hardest story I have ever told. It is my story of struggling with anxiety, panic attacks anxiety and depression. My story will
Recently, two great musicians passed away: Chris Cornell and Chester Bennington. Both committed suicide. Chester Bennington was a huge fan of Cornell when he was
Even St. John of the Cross experienced depression. Take a look at Dark Night of the Soul if you’ve never read it. Mother Teresa was
I left Hawaii’s extraordinary climate just before the New Year to be with my 90-year-old parents on the wintry east coast near Philadelphia. I arrived
Love is a Decision I heard a reference from one of the saints that “love is a decision”. In our culture and in Hollywood, love is
Although most respectable members of our parishes try to look healthy and content in public, mental illness is as common and invisible among the faithful as it
A Time of Reflection for All We are now in the liturgical season of Lent. This is a time of reflection and a time of change.
Everywhere I go these days, it’s cold. The official beginning of winter is less than three weeks away, and here in the Midwest the temperatures
A dangerous prayer At the beginning of this Christian journey, a blossoming new-life ethic was not overwhelming, but it was hard. It was a light
According to statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), at any given time, approximately 3 % of adults have major depression, also
I like stories. Whether it’s a program on EWTN, or a homily, or an article, I like the saga of how some Catholic figure dealt with