Dr. Dobie Moser
Episode 255
18 DEC 2023
A special episode, of sorts, he returns after having previously been on this show way back on Episode 120, more than two-and-a-half years ago. He is the Senior Director of Mission Integration, CYO, and Social Action for Catholic Charities in the Diocese of Cleveland. Earlier this year he was awarded St. Ambrose parish’s Servant Leader Award. Over two years ago he had started a parish-based mental health ministry at St. Ambrose, and, as we hear about during this conversation, back in January of THIS year CYO began training their athletic directors regarding the mental health crises of children and teens.
Notable guest quotes:
“My parish… we were seeing and hearing of some pretty significant mental health issues in families with young people.”
“I went to the pastor… and said, ‘I think we need to do a mental health ministry here in the parish.’ And talk about great pastoral leadership, his response was, ‘I love it. You have my support. What do you need’?”
“That led us to say, ‘We need to start training our (athletic directors), who are wonderful folks, and they really care about kids, but this is a different landscape than the one many of us have in our background’.”
“Catholic Charities has an ongoing support network of services, counselors, support groups, et cetera, for anybody of any age. Well, that led us to say, well what does that look like with the young people entrusted to our care in athletics? And the front-line people in that are coaches.”
“It is really problematic when individuals with good intention spiritualize mental illness in a negative light, i.e., ‘If you only had more faith.’ i.e., ‘If you prayed more.’ And I would just use the analogy to say, what parent who had a child with a broken arm would say that that is because of lack of faith?”
“Can coaches see themselves – ‘Yes, I coach basketball. I coach flag football, track and field,’ whatever the sport. Yes, we value that for the gift that it is. It is the tool and the needs, but the heart of the matter – are you as a coach willing to be a loving, caring, and trustworthy adult for kids?”
“The See, Judge, Act piece comes from our Catholic social teaching… We should look at any challenges in our world through that framework and connect it to our Catholic faith.”
“I actually think part of being a Christian is we do not look at human suffering and look away. We actually look toward it and say, ‘What is God calling me to do as a response’?”
“I like the line from St. Don Bosco. It’s, ‘Because you are young is reason enough to love you.’ Not because you score baskets or because you’re a good or bad athlete.”
“How can we give that pain and loss to God so it’s transformed into something that gives life and hope to the world?”
Related link:
How to Start a Parish Mental Health Ministry (webinar by Dr. Dobie Moser)
