Welcoming the disabled
Renewing the call from U.S. bishops

A Catholic News Service article in this week's Catholic Herald (see Page 22 -- print edition only) notes that 2008 marks the 30th anniversary of the Pastoral Statement of U.S. Catholic Bishops on Persons with Disabilities. I recall that this statement challenged the Catholic Church - and society at large - to welcome and include persons with disabilities in every aspect of church and community life.

	Editor's View Mary C. Uhler

Portions of the 1978 pastoral were even read on the floor of the U.S. Senate during debate on the Americans With Disabilities Act. The pastoral was said to have influenced passage of that ground-breaking legislation.

Much has been accomplished

Much has been done over the past 30 years in both church and society to expand services to the disabled. In the Catholic Church, many parishes have remodeled buildings to make them handicapped accessible, sometimes at considerable expense.

Some parishes offer assistive listening devices, large print worship aids, and even signed Masses for the deaf and hearing impaired. There are parishioners who offer rides to church for the disabled and help them enter and leave church.

Parishes have welcomed people with disabilities as readers and extraordinary ministers of Communion. The disabled serve on parish and diocesan boards and commissions.

More needs to be done

Yet much more needs to be done. One reason is that the number of disabled persons continues to rise, perhaps due to longer life spans and better medical care. It is estimated that one person in five and one family in three is affected by some kind of disability. The U.S. Census Bureau estimates that 41.3 million Americans have some disability.

The CNS article points out that there is an "ever-increasing range of disabilities" with which ministry must be involved, including autism-spectrum disorders, celiac disease, and mental illness. And budget cuts in recent years have led to even more challenges for the disabled.

Cardinal Justin Rigali, chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Pro-Life Activities, and Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, moderator of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability, issued a letter on August 15 saying, "Today, a new generation of leaders must be recruited and trained so we can continue to advance in the 21st century our church's outreach, catechesis, advocacy, and support in the important work of disabilities ministry."

They called on all people of good will to "find new pathways, develop new partnerships, and bring new vitality to this ministry, ever mindful that we are one flock under the care of a single shepherd."

Statement still true today

Perhaps the first step would be for people to reread the 1978 Pastoral Statement of U.S. Catholic Bishops on Persons with Disabilities found on the Web site of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability at www.ncpd.org

This statement is still as true today as 30 years ago when the bishops said, "We call upon people of good will to reexamine their attitudes toward their brothers and sisters with disabilities and promote their well-being, acting with the sense of justice and the compassion that the Lord so clearly desires.

"Further, realizing the unique gifts individuals with disabilities have to offer the Church, we wish to address the need for their integration into the Christian community and their fuller participation in its life.

"At the very least, we must undertake forms of evangelization that speak to the particular needs of individuals with disabilities, make those liturgical adaptations which promote their active participation, and provide helps and services that reflect our loving concern."

I challenge people in our Catholic parishes, offices, and agencies to examine what they have done to welcome and include persons with disabilities and see what more could be done for their full inclusion in church and community life.

Mailbag

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Thanks for letters on Mass

To the editor:

Thank you for sending us your heartfelt letters in regard to what the Mass from Notre Dame and the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the Hallmark Channel has meant to you. It has been a touching experience to read so many beautiful stories.

All of us here at Notre Dame have been truly overwhelmed by the volume of mail received in the past month but have been unable to respond individually to each correspondence. We have met with several representatives from cable channels and continue to work with a leading television consulting firm in our search for distribution of the Mass on television.

To date we have nothing new to report, but we do have promising leads. I know that Internet access is not possible for all, but it remains the best option to date to continue viewing the Mass from Notre Dame. Links can be found at http://basilica.nd.edu

Please continue to pray for our success and know of my prayers for you as well.

Rev. Peter Rocca, CSC, Rector, Basilica of the Sacred Heart,
Notre Dame, South Bend, Ind.

Opportunity to evangelize

To the editor:

The 40th anniversary of Pope Paul VI's encyclical Humanae Vitae calls for not only celebration but evangelization. As people of faith we are compelled to counter the deadly contraceptive mentality with the good news of God's perfect design for His gift of human procreation.

Humanae Vitae explains that married couples are privileged to "collaborate with God in the generation and education of new lives"(8). The encyclical goes on to highlight the Church's liberating instruction that lovingly directs spouses "to conform their activity to the creative intention of God" (10).

While some birth control tragically acts as an abortifacient, the underlying evil of all forms of contraception is that the users intentionally reject the creative will of God. At Pro-Life Wisconsin, we work tirelessly to combat the deadly contraceptive mentality. We recognize, as does the Church, that birth control is at the root of the abortion holocaust.

To find out how you can celebrate, evangelize, and protect God's gift of human life (Humanae Vitae), contact Pro-Life Wisconsin at (877) GODS-WILL or visit www.prolifewisconsin.org

Peggy Hamill, State Director
Pro-Life Wisconsin, Brookfield