Let's talk about welcoming people with disabilities to Mass in our parishes. Experiences vary widely—especially depending on the nature of each person's handicap, and also depending on whether they come as a group or as a single family joining the Sunday assembly. For some of these people, participation presents no major challenges. But consider those with intellectual disabilities that make it hard to sit quietly, those whose behavior might create a disturbance. We must begin with this conviction: beyond the handicap is a person whom God wants to encounter, a person to whom we must communicate that God loves them as they are. How many young people miss the chance to discover the unconditional welcome of Christ, who came to seek out each one of us—especially the rejected, the despised, the poorest?
Despite real progress toward including people with disabilities in society and in the Church, it remains wishful thinking to pretend that certain behaviors cause no disruption. Sometimes they are a genuine obstacle, particularly when unexpected.
Here, then, are some practical steps we can share and put into practice so that no one feels rejected.
If you know a family hesitating to come to Mass because their child's behavior might be difficult, do everything you can to express genuine desire for them to come, and make it easier however you can—for example, by volunteering yourself to intervene if needed.
People with Disabilities in the Church CommunityFor a copy of the Italian Bishops' Conference document from May 2003, "Promoting the Presence of People with Disabilities in the Church Community," prepared by Bishop Francesco Lambiasi (Bishop President of the Episcopal Commission for Doctrine, Proclamation and Catechesis), contact Ombre e Luci by phone or fax (06 633402) or email (ombre.luci@libero.it).
When a group of people with disabilities attends the liturgy, perhaps with friends accompanying them, it helps greatly to inform both the celebrant and the assembly in advance of your presence, and to invite their openness to any possible disruption. Only in exceptional cases should a companion escort someone out during the homily if they are having real difficulty remaining in church.
To make the liturgy something concretely and actively participated in, there are several roles that can be given to many young people with intellectual disabilities, either on their own or with a companion if necessary: collecting the offertory; serving Mass as an acolyte; carrying candles that flank the reading of the Gospel or the cross during processions; distributing missalettes or hymn sheets. For a prayer reading—and if the young person has difficulty speaking, it is more respectful for them to be accompanied by a friend who will read the intention prepared together, while the young person concludes by saying, "We ask this of you."
To help focus attention on God's Word, it can be helpful to prepare simple drawings based on two or three passages from the Gospel and show them to the assembly during the reading. For everyone to sing well, choose hymns with short, easy verses and refrains.
Finally, certain categories of disability deserve special mention—the blind, the deaf, and those with physical handicaps, whom we rarely see at Sunday services in our parishes. Don't forget: a blind person can sing, play music, or even read a lesson written in braille. In at least one parish in the diocese, the homily could be interpreted in sign language; and by removing some architectural barriers, we can make it easier for someone in a wheelchair to participate.
Cristina Tersigni, 2003