Deacon Bernie Terrien, inspired by Fiat Program on Faith and Mental Health, led the organization of the new parish ministry
Story and photography by Benjamin Wideman | For On Mission
GREEN BAY, WI — Everyone faces mental health challenges at one time or another.
In an effort to educate, raise awareness and ignite conversations about mental health, Deacon Bernie Terrien of St. Bernard Parish in Green Bay and his friend and fellow parishioner, Brian Karnopp, are leading the Sanctuary Course for Catholics.
The eight-week mental health series begins today, January 8, and will be held every Thursday through February 26, from 6-7:30 p.m., at St. Bernard Parish’s Bishop Hall, 2040 Hillside Lane, Green Bay. Each gathering features an informative 30-minute video, made possible via Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries, followed by one hour of small-group discussions.
The Sanctuary Course for Catholics is open to everyone. Registering at stbernardgb.org indicates a commitment to attend the entire series. Each session features a different topic — mental health, mental illness, stigma, recovery, companionship and self-care; in addition, there is an introductory session in week one and a concluding session in week eight. Each topic will be approached from social, theological and psychological perspectives.
“This series is really for anyone interested in the topic of mental health,” Deacon Terrien said. “It’s not just for people who are struggling with mental health. This series aims to educate and raise awareness for everyone. And we hope this will then start more conversations in our parish and other parishes regarding mental health.”
Deacon Terrien added that everyone experiences both physical and mental health illnesses.
“Due to internal and external influences, we occasionally experience acute physical illnesses, and for the same reasons, we occasionally experience acute mental illnesses,” he said. “We also recognize that just as some people experience chronic physical illness, some people experience chronic mental illness. Mental illness should elicit no more stigma than physical illness.”
Deacon Terrien admittedly hadn’t given much thought to mental health over the years. That changed several months ago.
“It all started when I was invited by the Diocese of Green Bay to participate in the Fiat Program on Faith and Mental Health, which was through the McGrath Institute for Church Life,” Deacon Terrien said. “That was really the catalyst for me with the mental health ministry.”
The Fiat Program, created in 2022, aims to “foster parishes where mental health is spoken of openly, where no one feels alone, and where every person knows they are beloved by God.”
The program strengthens Catholic leaders with education, practical tools and ongoing support networks to help them build and sustain communities of faith that more effectively accompany those affected by mental illness.
“That program was back in February,” Deacon Terrien said. “And after that, I continued to keep hearing about mental health — from the bishops, from Pope Leo XIV, from the diocese, from the diaconate community, from our parishioners. I kept hearing a lot about it. … There are many influences in the Church today telling us to pay attention to mental health.”
Spurred to action, Deacon Terrien met with Karnopp in October about starting a program at St. Bernard Parish that could positively impact parishioners and the community beyond. They shared a mutual interest in mental health and immediately began figuring out how to get the program started.
“There are many places in the community where you could go and hear a session about mental health,” Karnopp said. “But what makes this series different is that it’s tied specifically to the Catholic Church and how the Church views some of these things and how the Church supports people.”
It is important to note the Sanctuary Course for Catholics is not a support group — it is not diagnostic or therapeutic. Participants won’t be discussing specifically what’s going on with themselves. The course is designed to educate and raise awareness.
Deacon Terrien and Karnopp intend for the Sanctuary Course for Catholics to then evolve into a mental health support ministry at St. Bernard Parish — perhaps starting in May, which is Mental Health Awareness Month.
“That mental health ministry would be directed at people who wrestle with their mental health and want to be accompanied by their congregation — make them feel comfortable and accompanied in their parish family,” Deacon Terrien said.