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Office for Persons with Disabilities

“We are a single flock under the care of a single shepherd. There can be no separate Church for persons with disabilities.” (Welcome & Justice, par.1)

Past Events, Seminars & Workshops

November, 2011, Building a Culture of Life Workshop on five life-affirming Initiatives

October 30, 2011, First Annual White Mass in the Richmond Diocese

October 9, 2011, Affirming Life

March 6, 2010, Catholic Social Teaching

June 15, 2008, Inclusion Sunday


 

November, 2011, Building a Culture of Life Workshop on five life-affirming Initiatives

Within a week or two after the White Masses, four Life Affirming Ministry/Initiatives workshops, Building a Culture of Life were held at four different locations.  The  workshops the color green to designate hope and life, which is what the following ministries/initiatives bring to people with disabilities: Be Not Afraid Ministry; Christian Formation Support; Christian Support Groups/Social Groups Initiative; Disability Awareness Youth Initiative; Mental Health Awareness Initiative.

For more information, click here.

 

October 30, 2011, First Annual White Mass in the Richmond Diocese

The First Annual White Mass in the Diocese of Richmond was held on October 30th at four churches, Our Lady of Lourdes, Richmond, Church of the Resurrection, Portsmouth, Star of the Sea, Virginia Beach, and Our Lady of Nazareth, Roanoke    

The Masses brought together Catholics of good will who have special needs and those who work to support them.  The Masses had the designation of white, because of that color’s connection to Baptism.  The USCCB based its Sacramental Guidelines for Persons with Disabilities on this primary foundation:  “By reason of their baptism, all Catholics are equal in dignity in the sight of God and have the same divine calling.”(#1)

Click here, to read the Catholic Virginian, White Mass recognizes gifts of those with disabilities. 

For White Mass flyer, click here.

October 9, 2010, Affirming Life: Making a Difference Workshop was well attended.  The goals of the workshop were to:

  • Recognize that all are created in God’s image and have value, dignity, and gifts to share with their church communities
  • Raise awareness on the abortion rate of babies with disabilities and begin to establish a ministry to support parents who are receiving poor prenatal diagnoses
  • Provide resources and inspire others wishing to start affirming life ministries in their parishes
  • Encourage attendees to set goals that would affirm the lives of people with disabilities

Keynote Speaker was Fr. Mike Joly, Pastor of St. Joan of Arc, Yorktown, who has been blind since age five, used his musical gifts to perform on the keyboard while delivering his talk, “Full Response.” During his talk, there were scripture quotes and interpretations, and church documents regarding persons with disabilities. One of the memorable quotes from Fr. Joly’s keynote was “Is it possible the Gospel could be proclaimed to the well-bodied by the broken?”
The luncheon speaker was Nancy Mayer-Whittington. Nancy spoke on her experience of being told her unborn child had a lethal condition and her decision to carry to term. She shared how abortion was not an option and how her Catholic faith sustained her during her pregnancy, birth and death of her child. Eventually after much grieving, she wrote a book, For Love of Angela, and eventually decided she needed to Make a Difference. She and another woman with a similar experience started Isaiah’s Promise, a ministry that provides support for parents continuing their pregnancy after a poor or fatal diagnosis.

The workshop consisted of many ministry displays where the attendees could gather information and talk with the parish coordinators of these ministries. The afternoon session consisted of table sharing and discernment on what was needed in their individual parishes that would affirm all lives and make a difference. To read about the Workshop, click here.


 

The Diocesan Office of Persons with Disabilities hosted a seminar, Catholic Social Teaching (CST) - A Day of Learning, Reflection and Transformation on Saturday, March 6, 2011

The seminar presentation included The Three Priniciples of CST: Human Dignity, Solidarity, and Subsidiarity.

The presenters were Robert Nalewajek – President, Centesimus Annus Pro Pontific (CAPP) USA, and a Director of the Foundation at the Vatican and Dr. Karen Wright – Director of The Catholic University of America – CAPP CST Certificate Program.

CAPP is a lay-led, pontifical foundation established by Pope John Paul II that is headquartered at the Vatican.  CAPP is the vehicle for lay education and evangelization of Catholic Social Doctrine. What will be presented is true to the teaching of the magesterium and can reliably be  represented as true teaching of the Church. 


 

 


 

Inclusion Sunday

On June 15, 2008, the churches in the Diocese of Richmond celebrated the 30th anniversary of the U.S. Catholic bishops' 1978 Pastoral Statement on Persons with Disabilities by recognizing the gifts and talents that individuals with disabilities bring to their faith communities.

Catholic Virginian Article on Inclusion Sunday

Inclusion Sunday Resources