A vital document—just sixty-six pages—from the National Catechetical Office, and one that many have been waiting for: parents, educators, catechists, priests, all those who care deeply about welcoming people with disabilities (especially intellectual disabilities) fully into the life of the Church. The kind of welcome that makes the communion of the Church truly whole.
Our readers will find it invaluable for their own work, and we urge them to share it with parish priests and catechists who still feel uncertain or awkward about receiving someone with particular needs for concrete support.
The document is brief, but it takes on the various challenges that have surfaced over the years.
It is thorough and offers clear direction for celebrating the sacraments of Christian initiation even for those with profound disabilities.
We welcome this small work of "affective theology," where in our relationship with God, the heart comes before the mind.
M.B., 2005