Saint Luke Institute (SLI), an independent, international Catholic mental health treatment center for priests, deacons, and religious, is pleased to announce a new name for its signature, holistic, long-term therapeutic care program. The five-day-a-week mental health treatment and spiritual care program, which has successfully treated hundreds of ministers, is now named the Emmaus Program at Saint Luke Institute.
Formerly known as the Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP), the six-month long program treats the psychological and spiritual wellbeing of clergy, women and men religious, and others who serve the Church. The Emmaus Program, based out of SLI’s Silver Spring, Maryland location, remains the same professional, clinically- and spiritually-focused, therapeutic program that it has been for decades, now with a name that highlights a spiritual connection to the journey to wholeness presented in the Emmaus encounter (Luke 24:13-35).
“The Emmaus story forms the pattern of healing and care that is at the heart of the mission of Saint Luke Institute,” said Rev. Quinn Conners, O.Carm., Ph.D., Interim President & CEO of SLI. “It is thus very appropriate that our day-treatment program now bears the name of this holy encounter.” He noted that many of the religious women and men, priests, deacons and others who enter SLI’s treatment programs struggle with significant mental health needs such as addiction, depression, or burnout.
“Like the disciples on the road to Emmaus, they encounter the healing presence of Christ in the dedicated clinicians and spiritual caregivers at SLI who carefully, lovingly, bring them back to their true selves,” Rev. Conners continued. “They are given therapeutic care, new skills, and renewed hope. The mental and spiritual healing they experience helps rekindle their faith and their ministerial hearts. They return to their work in the Church having discovered that healing and new hope are possible.”
“Together with the recent expansion of DC-area dedicated community housing options for participants in the Emmaus Program, SLI continues to grow its mission to offer high quality mental health and spiritual care in a Catholic context,” Rev. Conners added.
Find out more details about the program at SLI.org/Emmaus.