At Emmaus Support Mental Health Ministries, we believe in the strength and comfort that can come from peers walking with, praying with, and supporting peers.
Emmaus spiritual peer support groups are open to men and women currently living with mental health challenges, as well as friends, family members, and loved ones who offer accompaniment and support.
Our groups do not provide counselling services and are not intended to replace professional counselling, medications or therapies.
Spiritual peer support focuses on shared prayer, learning building resiliency, walking together, moving forward towards a healthier life for ourselves and those whom we care for, and discovering Jesus Christ walking with us in the midst of it all.
We currently have four Emmaus Support Groups operating within the province of Saskatchewan Including:
Emmaus Support for Caregivers
These groups are open to anyone offering accompaniment and support to others living with mental heath challenges. Emmaus caregiver support groups focus on building resiliency in caregivers so that they are better equipped to walk with those they love in their struggles.
We currently have two groups operating in the province of Saskatchewan.
- Our Regina group meets once a month from September to June. This group also offers remote access through Zoom for those outside of Regina or otherwise unable to attend in person.
- Our Saskatoon group meets once a month for in-person meetings in Saskatoon.
For information on meeting frequency, days and times, for either of these groups, please contact us using the form below.
Emmaus Women’s Support
Emmaus Women’s support offers a friendly, compassionate space for women living with mental health challenges. This group, located at Holy Rosary Cathedral in Regina, meets bi-weekly. For information on meeting frequency, days and times, please contact us using the form below.
Emmaus Men’s Support
Our Emmaus Men’s support group operates in Regina and provides a safe space to know God’s love and discover lasting peace for men who live with a variety of mental health challenges including depression, anxiety, religious scrupulosity, OCD and more. For information on meeting frequency, days and times, please contact us using the form below.
Companions In Hope Virtual Prayer Gatherings
Our Emmaus Companions in Hope virtual prayer gatherings take place on the second Thursday of every month. These gatherings are for those living with mental health challenges and the allies who accompany them. This is a sacred space of safety, acceptance, and healing, where we come together in prayer and reflection, offering support to one another on our journey toward hope.
Through the practice of Lectio Divina and other traditional contemplative prayers, reflect on God’s healing presence and our need for grace, in ways that foster peace, consolation, and connection. Whether you’re seeking comfort in your mental health challenges or encouragement as you accompany and support loved ones, you will find a quiet, peaceful community of prayer and support.
Gatherings are held over Zoom from 7:00pm – 8:00pm. Use the following link or our contact form below to register and receive a link to join us on this journey of healing and hope:
https://emmausfamilysupport.flocknote.com/signup/184691
Emmaus Spiritual Peer Support groups are an exclusively peer-led ministry made up of individuals who experience mental health challenges as well as those who accompany and support them. Our groups do not offer and are not a replacement for professional counselling, therapy or clinical advice.
If you would like more information on our groups and whether our peer support gatherings might be helpful in your particular situation, or, if you are interested in starting an Emmaus Mental Health Ministry in your parish, deanery or pastoral area for specific needs, please contact us using the form below:
I would like information on joining an Emmaus Peer Support Group
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What happens at an Emmaus support meeting?
Emmaus meetings opperate using a strengths-based spiritual peer support model of shared facilitation, learning, support, and prayer. The following is meant to provide you with a short outline of what you can expect when you meet new companions at an Emmaus meeting.
All participants agree to follow the following guidlines to ensure a safe, judgement-free space is accessible for all: Emmaus Group Guidelines
Prayer: Meetings begin with prayer led by one of our support group members.
10-second Check: After prayer, we do what we call our ’10-second check’. This is a quick round-table where participants share what kind of spiritual, mental, and physical state they are bringing with them as the meeting starts. Participants may be invited to evaluate their need for sharing that evening using a 1-5 scale with 1 = to feeling well and little need to share and 5 = to experiencing a high need for sharing and support. This allows the group to balance sharing needs for the evening.
Introduce New members: We take a small bit of time to introduce any new participants for the evening.
Shared Learning: or Prayer We then introduce a topic of shared prayer, learning or discussion. This may involve a member sharing a new resource, shared group discussion on a previously agreed-upon topic, a guest speaker, or various methods of contemplative prayer. We will generally allow up to 30 mins for this segment of the meeting.
Group Sharing: After the shared learning segment has been completed, we allow time for participants to share about a situation or experience they feel they need to share. Other participants are committed to listening without judgment to whatever is shared (and frankly, as we often remark on, given our own lived experiences, it would be a challenge to scandalize anyone!). Other participants will not seek to offer advice or try to ‘fix’ any issues. What we can do is offer each other a non-judgemental listening ear, and share our own lived experiences; what worked and what did not, for us.
Prayer Intentions: As the meeting draws to a close, participants share particular prayer needs for the coming month. members commit to praying for these intentions in the weeks between meetings. Prayer intentions are gathered and emailed out to the rest of the support group. This includes those who were unable to attend so that they also have an opportunity to request prayers as well as pray for others.
Prayer for Next Meeting: Participants volunteer to lead either opening or closing prayers for the next meeting.
Closing prayer: Is led by one of the meeting participants.
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