Religious and consecrated men and women from across Southern Africa gathered in Pretoria to reflect on mental health, self-care and the challenges affecting community life.

Mental health cannot be treated as a luxury but must become part of the Church’s care for those who serve and live the Gospel. This was one of the central messages emerging from the Inter-regional Meeting of the Bishops of Southern Africa (IMBISA) workshop on ‘Mental Health and Self-Care’ for religious and consecrated persons, held at the Padre Pio Retreat and Conference Centre from 31 August to 4 September 2026.

The five-days’ workshop brought together 29 participants from 22 religious congregations from across the six episcopal conferences from across the IMBISA, namely: Angola and São Tomé e Príncipe (CEAST), Lesotho (LCBC), Mozambique (CEM), Namibia (NCBC), South Africa, Botswana and Eswatini (SACBC), and Zimbabwe (ZCBC).

Mental Health is not a luxury

For the IMBISA Director Fr Enrico Parry of Oudtshoorn Diocese, the gathering was an opportunity for religious men and women to begin a deeper journey of understanding mental health, first in their own lives, then within their communities and congregations, and ultimately in the people they serve.

Fr Parry highlighted the seriousness of the issue, saying the participants recognised that mental health “is not a luxury,” but something that requires urgent attention. He identified a particular challenge in religious life – the pressure to live according to an ideal image of what a religious person is expected to be. Trying constantly to meet those expectations, he explained, can prevent a person from living authentically and may eventually contribute to anxiety and other difficulties.

A changing society and its impact on religious life

Nigerian mental-health clinician and researcher specialising in trauma Dr Anthonia Bisola Otunla who facilitated the sessions alongside psychotherapist and formator Fr Agostinho Maholele from Mozambique, placed the discussion within the wider reality of contemporary society. She described mental health as the ability to cope with the stresses of life without reaching a breakdown. One of the major changes she identified is the weaking of traditional community support.

The extended family, she noted, once provided spaces where people could seek advice, share responsibilities and receive support during difficult moments. Today, people are increasingly individualistic and, despite being highly connected through social media, can experience loneliness and isolation.

According to Dr Ontula these changes also affect religious communities. Living under the same roof, Dr Ontula observed, does not necessarily mean that people are truly loving in community. Religious men and women may eat and work together while still finding it difficult to share their burdens, listen to one another or create spaces of trust.

For Dr Ontula, community life requires a renewed ability to listen, show empathy and accompany one another.

We need each other

At the end of the workshop participants gave testimony to the importance of the sessions. Br. George Mathebeng, a member of the Brothers of the Sacred Hear from LCBC said he had gained a greater awareness of the need to care for mental health and intended to take what he had learned back to his community.

For Sr Teresita Schiavon, a member of the Congregation of the Mantellate Sisters, Servants of Mary (MSM), the subject of mental health is “old and ever new.” Although the difficulties have existed for many years, she said, they have often remained a taboo and were not openly named.

Sr Schiavon expressed hope that the workshop would lead to continued action and follow-up, particularly by creating spaces where religious can speak openly and access appropriate support.

From awareness to action

Participants expressed their commitment to put the learning experience into action. They called for greater awareness and further opportunities for religious brothers and sisters to come together, speak openly and address mental-health concerns.

According to Fr Parry, the way forward is to help each of the six IMBISA bishops’ conferences strengthen the mental-health initiatives already present in the region. He envisaged the experience being taken from the regional level to conferences, dioceses, parishes and religious communities, with greater access to specialists and resources.