CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) – A Cedar Rapids church is continuing a tradition of holding an annual Mass for those impacted by mental illness.

The people in St. Patrick Church prayed and sang Sunday afternoon, and for some of them, the time spent in the pews was a way to strengthen themselves to face everything else in life.

“I, myself…have struggled with mental health issues for a number of years,” said Di Kovarik, a longtime member of the planning committee for the Mental Illness Awareness Mass. Kovarik traveled from Cresco, Iowa, about two hours away, to make it to the event and share her own journey with mental illness.

“I did have two voluntary admissions in the psychiatric facility, and then my last was an involuntary,” said Kovarik.

This was the 15th year for the Mass, organized by St. Patrick Parish and the Linn County chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI).

According to NAMI, one in five American adults experience some kind of mental illness. NAMI says for people who live in a rural area, like Kovarik, access to treatment is “severely limited,” with people having to travel twice as far to get to their nearest hospital.

“We’ve all been struggling with different tragedies and challenges,” said Mona McCalley-Whitters, another member of the planning committee for the Mass as well as a representative of NAMI Linn County.

McCalley-Whitters said mental illness is something people discuss more openly than they used to, but the stigma is still there.

“We just want to break down those barriers so everybody can get treatment, no matter your socio-economic status, your race, your background,” she said.

McCalley-Whitters said NAMI offers resources for those who need them and added the Mass was a spiritual offering, one she said some people use to be more resilient.

For Kovarik, at least, it works.

“This has really given me strength, and I come back each year,” said Kovarik.

Copyright 2023 KCRG. All rights reserved.