SEEK 26 Powerful Keynote Talk by Sister Josephine Garrett Touching on Mental Health and Our Relationship with God!

At the SEEK 26 conference, Sister Josephine Garrett—a mental health counselor and sister of the Holy Family of Nazareth—delivered a powerful message that bridged the gap between the science of the brain and the deep longings of the soul. With her characteristic blend of Southern warmth and clinical expertise, she challenged the thousands in attendance to reconsider what, exactly, they were made for.

Sr. Josephine Garrett, CSFN, is a Catholic religious sister, licensed counselor, and national speaker who powerfully bridges the worlds of faith, psychology, and healing. In this compelling talk, Sr. Josephine addresses mental health through a Catholic lens, offering hope, clarity, and practical wisdom rooted in both clinical experience and the teachings of the Church.  SEEK26, one of the largest Catholic conferences in the United States, gathering tens of thousands of Catholics for worship, formation, and mission.

Wired for Love: What Our "Instruction Manual" Says About Connection

Here are the key takeaways from her talk on neurobiology, the "great pause" of creation, and why we are more than just "in" a relationship with God.

The Instruction Manual and the Coffee Maker

Sister Josephine began with a story about a Bible study she leads for teen girls. One day, she brought in a coffee maker and announced she was going to make orange juice. The girls looked at her like she’d lost her mind.

"You can't make orange juice," they told her. "The instruction manual says it's for coffee."

This launched a deeper conversation: What does your human instruction manual say? If we know a machine has a specific purpose based on its design, we must also recognize that we have a design. Sister Josephine noted that while many of us have questions or doubts about Scripture and the Church, being a "questioning body of Christ" is actually a position of strength—it makes us a receptive body of Christ, ready for the answers God provides.

The Mirror in Our Brains

As a counselor, Sister Josephine is fascinated by neurobiology. She shared a profound truth: Our brains are essentially relational. We are equipped with a "mirroring system" that causes us to subconsciously mimic those in front of us. This is why when one person yawns, another follows (a struggle Sister Josephine admitted to having in the convent chapel!). It’s also why, if you watch someone rub their hands together to stay warm, your own hands might begin to tingle.

Biologically and neurologically, we are hardwired for connection. We literally do not make sense in isolation.

The Epidemic of Loneliness

This biological reality makes the current "epidemic of loneliness" in the United States particularly devastating. Sister Josephine referenced the Surgeon General’s warning that isolation is making us physically ill.

Quoting Pope Benedict XVI, she reminded us: "No one lives alone. No one sins alone. No one is saved alone." Our lives continually spill over into one another—for better or for worse. Because we mirror those we are with, we must ask ourselves: When I stand before another person, am I shaping them for the better? Or am I a revelation of the lies of the enemy?

The "Great Pause" of Your Creation

To understand our worth, Sister Josephine looked back to the creation of humanity. Quoting St. John Paul II, she described the "Great Pause." Unlike the rest of creation, which happened in a natural succession, God seemed to halt before making man.

The Trinity entered "back into themselves" to make a decision. In Latin, the root of decision is related to incision—to cut away or slay. In deciding to create you, God slayed every other option. He chose you with an intensity that is hard to fathom.

"I AM a Relationship with God"

Sister Josephine offered a radical correction to how we view our faith. We often say, "I have a relationship with God." But she suggested a deeper truth: "I AM a relationship with God."

Our very existence is a dialogue of love. The breath you just took was sustained by the fact that you are being considered and loved by the Creator at this very moment.

However, she clarified one point: We aren't just made for any relationship. We are made for Love. We are made for relationships that strive for "perfect charity"—not necessarily relationships where everyone is perfect, but where everyone is striving to bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit.

The "Little Man" in God’s Eye

Closing with a beautiful linguistic insight, Sister Josephine shared that the "apple of God's eye" is more accurately translated from Hebrew as the "little man in God's eye." When you look into someone's eye, you see a tiny reflection of yourself. God is so fixed on you, so set on you, that you are a constant reflection in His eye.

The takeaway?

• You cannot earn this love, which means you cannot lose it.

• Some things in our lives need to be "cut away" (decided against) to make room for the love we were designed for.

• Awe can be overwhelming because it reveals our brokenness, but it also reveals our Father.

As Sister Josephine reminded the youth at SEEK: "You are not abandoned. It is not hell that has been opened beneath our feet... it is heaven."