Catholics with and without disabilities participate in a Dream Team Bible study at Our Lady of Victory Parish in Davenport in 2024.
By Lindsay Steele
The Catholic Messenger
(October is Respect Life Month.)
The Diocese of Davenport’s new disability ministry aims to help parishes recognize and respond to the unique needs of their communities. “Our hope is to help parishes take a closer look at who is in their pews, who may not be able to fully participate, and what small or larger changes might help people feel that they truly belong,” said Lisa Willows, disability ministry coordinator for the Diocese of Davenport.
The Office of Faith Formation recently launched a webpage with resources for faith communities. It offers a starting point for adapting faith formation, communicating with individuals with different needs, or supporting families who may have felt overlooked in the past. “We want to make resources easier to find and help parishes know that they don’t have to figure this out alone,” Willows said.
Disability inclusion supports people with physical, sensory, intellectual, developmental, learning and other disabilities, as well as their loved ones. “Families can sometimes encounter barriers that others never have to think about,” Willows said. Barriers include sensory challenges, communication differences, accessibility issues, difficulty finding appropriate faith formation, or simply the fear of being judged or misunderstood.
Inclusion, she emphasized, isn’t just about addressing these needs. It’s also about recognizing that each person has gifts to share with the Church. “That is really at the heart of this effort: we aren’t creating a place for people with disabilities in the Church — they already have a place. We’re working to make sure they know it, experience it, and have opportunities to share their gifts.”
The diocese is choosing to offer support as opposed to a one-size-fits-all program for parishes, since each community has unique needs. The ministry is about equipping parishes with awareness, resources, ideas and support so they can respond to the people God has already placed in their communities, Willows said. “We want to learn what works, what resources parishes need, what questions arise, and how we can build a sustainable model of support that can eventually be shared with other parishes.”
A brochure on the new website offers faith communities the following steps for getting started:
- Enlist a parish advocate for inclusion.
- Incorporate inclusive offerings into your events promotions or bulletins (accessibility features, signing/ASL Masses, large-print, hearing devices, etc.)
- Create a welcoming parish with an accessible livestream Mass, use platforms like YouTube Live for built-in automatic captions.
- Work to eliminate barriers to attending, participating in, serving at, and otherwise being part of Masses, events, and all parish activities. Designate greeters for your ramp entrances to assist persons with disabilities.
- Educate parishioners on disability issues with inserts/segments in your parish bulletin.
- Recruit volunteers to assist persons with special needs in religious education programs.
- Pray for persons with disabilities in your General Intercessions at Mass.
“The important thing is to start somewhere,” Willows said. “Inclusion doesn’t have to be elaborate. Often, it is the small, thoughtful things that communicate, ‘You belong here. We are glad you are here.’” Parish representatives who have or love someone with a disability expressed that sentiment over and over again during a diocesan disability inclusion workshop in August.
SPRED — a faith formation model designed to help people with intellectual and developmental disabilities develop a deeper relationship with God and a greater sense of belonging within the Church — is one resource for faith communities to consider. The diocese recently received a grant from Catholic Extension Society to participate in SPRED training. Willows will attend an intensive training week in Chicago later this month. Our Lady of Victory Parish in Davenport will serve as the pilot parish for the rollout of this ministry.
SPRED may be a good fit for some parishes, while other parishes may need different approaches or accommodations. “The larger goal is disability inclusion — to help parishes recognize the gifts and needs of people with disabilities and find meaningful ways to welcome, include, support, and accompany them,” Willows said. “Inclusion doesn’t have to begin with a large program or significant investment; sometimes it begins with a Bible study, an interpreter, a retreat, a relationship, or simply asking, ‘What would help you participate more fully?’”
When people with disabilities are fully included, “the parish community itself is enriched,” she said.
Visit the Diocese of Davenport’s disability inclusion webpage at https://www.davenportdiocese.org/belonging-disability-inclusion-ministry. For more information contact Willows at willows@davenportdiocese.org 563-888-4242.
