May Is Mental Health Awareness Month

“All roads lead to mental health” Jeannie Ritter former first spouse of Colorado

May is Mental Health Awareness Month, an annual observance founded by Mental Health America in 1949 to highlight the importance of mental wellbeing, educate the public, reduce stigma and promote support for those affected by mental health conditions.

The facts:

• 1 in 5 U.S. adults experience mental illness each year.
• 1 in 20 U.S. adults experience serious mental illness each year.
• 1 in 6 U.S. youth have a mental health condition, but only half receive treatment.

Do you know someone or perhaps yourself, needing some support? You dont need to walk alone, there is help available. Here are a few resources:

WellPower https://www.wellpower.org/ is a Denver hub for recovery, resilience and well-being, and a model for innovative and effective community behavioral health care.

National Crisis Line 988

Metro Crisis Line 888.885.1222

You don’t have to be in crisis to make the call. Start healing today. Flyers with Mental Health ideas are located in the back of church.

Gun Violence Awareness Month | Wear Orange | June 6-8

Wear Orange originated on June 2, 2015—what would have been Hadiya Pendleton’s 18th birthday. Hadiya, was shot and killed on a Chicago playground. Soon after this tragedy, Hadiya’s friends commemorated her life by wearing orange, the color hunters wear in the woods to protect themselves and others. Today, National Gun Violence Awareness Day takes place on the first Friday in June and marks the beginning of Wear Orange Weekend. The 11th National Gun Violence Awareness Day is June 6, 2025.Every day in the U.S., 125 people are shot and killed, and hundreds more are wounded or traumatized. Wear Orange with us on June 6-8, 2025, to honor survivors and build community with those working to end gun violence.

Thank You For Your Generosity | A Very Successful Hygiene Supply Drive

Thank you to all who donated various hygiene supplies. The number of items donated was over the top and they went out the door so quickly that we weren’t able to get an accurate count. Thanks to the team of volunteers who sorted and displayed the items.  Our neighbors in need both at “Hope Has No Borders” and “Sacred Heart House Denver” were thrilled to be able to access these products. “Hope Has No Borders” provides humanitarian relief and community support as neighbors transition from crisis to hope. https://www.hopehasnoborders.org/ They were recently featured on 9 News “Next”. “Sacred Heart House of Denver” https://sacredhearthouse.com/  helps homeless families and single women through a continuum of services provided through the In-House Stabilization, Follow-Up and Transitional Housing Programs which enables clients to move to stable housing and achieve and maintain self-sufficiency. Once again, the Holy Family Community has lifted the most vulnerable through your generosity.

Sunflower Seeds Ukraine | Seeds Are Still Available

If you missed picking up seeds, you can still obtain seeds and make a donation. We have seed packets available in the back of church, along with stickers, ribbons and prayer cards. You can make an online donation at Sunflower Seeds Ukraine: https://www.sunflowerseedsukraine.org/ Thank you for your support for the people of Ukraine.

Volunteer with Catholic Charities | Mulroy Senior Center

The Mulroy Day Center for seniors located at 3550 W. 13th Denver needs volunteers who are interested in helping seniors thrive. Be it exercise, serving meals, offering companionship, performing music, teaching art, storytelling, maintaining a clean and safe physical space, or simply tending to seniors’ needs, there is much to offer to them at our center! If you are interested or have questions, please reach out to Rodrigo Araya at RAraya@ccdenver.org

Parkinson’s – You Can Make a Difference

About 90,000 people in the U.S. are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease every year. Perhaps you or a loved one journeys with this disease. A loss of smell can be an early sign of Parkinson’s.

A parishioner, who has been impacted by the disease, shared this easy way to help research. Here is a link for the PPMI (Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative) which is trying to establish how and when people lose their sense of smell and why that might relate to Parkinson’s. https://www.michaeljfox.org/ppmi Click on the blue banner on the top and you can get a free smell test sent to you. The smell test is a little thing that anyone can do and it helps a worldwide community. She was hoping Holy Family Parish could spread the word and become a beacon of light to the PD community.

Remembering Pope Francis

“I am praying for the children and adults who were killed, and for their families. It is time to say enough to the indiscriminate trafficking of arms,” Pope Francis after the shooting in Uvalde Texas, 2022.

Do you have a gun in your home? If so, is it safely stored and locked?

Caring Cards | Cards from Holy Family to Those Who Might Need a Lift

Thank you to the Caring Cards Team and Barb Frodin for their work in sending out cards to those who need to know we care. It might be a card for someone who is ill, recovering or perhaps lonely. In order to simplify the process for requesting a card be sent, all you need to do is contact Barb Frodin bfrodin@gmail.com. She will be sure your card makes it to the neighbor in need.

Thomas Merton Conference | Regis University | June 19-22

The International Thomas Merton Society invites all to its 19^th biennial Conference at Regis University in Denver this coming June 19-22, 2025. Scholars and presenters will offer insights into Thomas Merton’s contributions on such topics as prayer, ecology, social commitment, Indigenous wisdom, photography and art. The theme of the conference is “Thomas Merton and the Spirit of Place: The Calligraphy of Snow, Rock and Sky.”  Pope Francis in his 2015 address to Congress said that “Merton was above all a man of prayer, a thinker who challenged the certitudes of his time and opened new horizons for souls and for the Church. He was a man of dialogue, a promoter of peace between peoples and religions”. Further information on the program and registration can be found on the web at merton.org/2025.