In December 2019, Bishop Conley writes, “I was granted permission by the Holy Father to take a leave of absence to attend to my mental health. It was humbling to admit that I didn’t know how long my healing would take – or if I would even return – but I wanted to combat the cultural stigma around mental health issues (and my shame) by sharing my suffering openly. The outpouring of support and prayer I received from the good people of the Diocese of Lincoln was beyond what I could’ve imagined. I would need all that grace since the hardest part of my journey was still ahead.”