Suicide Prevention and Awareness

From Silence to Support: Suicide Prevention & Awareness Program for Clergy and Religious Leadership

Hosted and facilitated by Saint John Vianney Center

Many dioceses and religious communities have felt the deep pain of suicide. Out of this shared experience came a desire from leaders to learn how to foster hope and healing and prevent suicide in our brothers and sisters in Church ministry.

As a result, Saint John Vianney Center is offering the first-ever Suicide Prevention and Awareness Program specifically for Clergy and Religious leadership.

A one-day complimentary program will be offered in many cities across the country, all made possible by the generosity of donors to the Good Shepherd Campaign.

This program focuses on three vital areas:

Fostering a culture of suicide prevention
Recognizing the signs of risk
Responding with compassion, care, and hope

This interactive program is to equip leadership with the knowledge, skills, and tools to recognize warning signs of suicide and how to respond quickly and compassionately. It covers clinical and experiential case studies, practical resources including guides, videos, and referral materials, and offers an opportunity to make a difference in saving lives and vocations.

Please note: This program is an invitation only event for Clergy and Religious Leadership.

The Pope’s Prayer

“Let us pray that those who are struggling with suicidal thoughts might find the support, care, and love they need in their community, and be open to the beauty of life.

For people silently carrying suicidal thoughts – that someone will reach out today with compassion and hope.

Merciful Father, we pray for those who feel trapped in despair and burdened by silent suffering.

Let Your love reach into the darkest corners of their hearts. Send kind and caring souls to offer compassion, understanding, and hope.

May every act of love remind them that life is a precious gift, and that Your grace is greater than any pain.

Through Christ our Lord. Amen.”.

Lord Jesus, who invites those who are weary and burdened to come and rest in your Heart: Today we come to ask for those who struggle with suicidal thoughts.

May they find in our communities places of welcome, listening, and understanding. May we know how to be close to them, offering support, care, and love, helping them rediscover the beauty of life and a reliable hope that helps them face pain and even death with a confident outlook on their future.

May we be able to give them the necessary psychological and spiritual support to heal their emotional and spiritual wounds and to open up to the beauty of life, recognizing it as a precious gift from God, thus renewing their hope and finding meaning even in the midst of suffering.

Help us to take the hand of the men and women of today when they have lost their sense of dignity and destiny, so they can discover the loving fatherhood of God, His good plan for them, and ways to build a more humane world.

Amen.

Monthly Note

This past year may have been tough. But you grew a lot. You learned what strength means. Be sure to carry that through in the year ahead. Remind yourself that vulnerability and softness are strong too. And that self-compassion can be your super-power. Take one step at a time. Darkness may come again, and if it does, know that you’ve healed battle wounds before that you didn’t believe you could. Know that you can get through anything that comes your way in 2026 too.

And be sure to find moments to laugh and feel joy. You can also experience lightness in these next 365 days of life. Stay hopeful.

Peace and blessings,

Deacon Tim Lynch

Program Dates and Locations:

January 21, 2026 – San Francisco, CA
January 22, 2026 – Marina del Rey, CA
February 4, 2026 – Phoenix, AZ
February 11, 2026 – Boca Raton, FL
February 12, 2026 – Atlanta, GA
February 26, 2026 – New Orleans, LA
March 25, 2026 – Naperville, IL
March 26, 2026 – Indianapolis, IN

April 29, 2026 – Worcester, MA
May 6, 2026 – New York, NY
May 27, 2026 – Bethesda, MD
September 30, 2026 – Cleveland, OH
October 8, 2026 – Omaha NE
October 28, 2026 – Malvern, PA
More dates and locations to be announced shortly.

The program will be led by Deacon Tim Lynch, M.S., Suicide Education and Prevention Manager at SJVC. Deacon Tim brings the unique gifts of his clinical expertise as a psychotherapist and certified traumatologist in suicidality, his pastoral wisdom, and his profound compassion for those carrying heavy burdens. To connect with Deacon Tim Lynch or to register, click here.

Program Testimonials

“This was a solid program. It exceeded my expectations.”

Overview of Program

The overall suicide rate in the United States 14.12 per 100,000
Men die by suicide almost four times the rate of women.
White males accounted for 68.13% of suicide deaths
Firearms accounted for 55.36% of all suicide deaths.

(2023 CDC statistics)

“Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide. We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to Him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance.”

(CCC 2282–2283)