Coalition for Persons with Disabilities plans Masses to celebrate giftedness of all people

By KATIE LEFEBVRE, Globe staff reporter
September 23, 2004

In connection with Respect Life Month, the Coalition for Persons with Disabilities will sponsor two Masses for persons with disabilities to celebrate the giftedness of all persons.

Catholics with disabilities, their families and all interested persons are invited to attend the liturgies.

The first Mass will be held at 5 p.m. on Oct. 9 at Immaculate Conception Church, 709 W. Cedar, in Cherokee. The second Mass will be at 9:30 a.m. on Oct. 10 at Corpus Christi Church, 408 N. 8th Street, in Fort Dodge. There are handicap entrances and parking available at both locations.

This will be the fifth year that the Masses for persons with disabilities will be held. The first Mass was held in the jubilee year when there was a day designated for persons with disabilities.

"We have found through a survey that we did last year with all the parishes and people with disabilities that there still is a need to raise awareness that people with disabilities do have gifts that they can offer the parishes and are able to serve the parish," said Bev Hurni, director of family ministries for the Diocese of Sioux City.

The survey reflected that people with disabilities requested to participate more fully in church life and to feel like they belong to their parish.

At the two Masses, persons with disabilities will be invited to participate as lectors, Eucharistic ministers, gift bearers, ushers, altar servers, greeters or musicians. According to Hurni, it is hoped that persons with disabilities will continue to serve in different capacities in the parishes.

"Sometimes they need to be invited," said Hurni. "They might be reluctant to come forward and volunteer because maybe they can't do something as perfectly as someone else. Maybe their speech is slower or they walk slower. They see other people doing it so well that they are reluctant to volunteer. This is an avenue for inviting people to serve in ministries and hopefully they will continue them after that."

Hurni hopes that people participating in the Masses come out of them with "a deeper appreciation for the giftedness and uniqueness of all of us and a recognition of people within a parish that need to have someone reach out to them. We are not only raising awareness about the giftedness of people, but we are praying for the people with disabilities."

"Sometimes we don't intentionally exclude people, but we don't recognize the need until we experience even a short term disability ourselves," said Hurni. "Maybe because of an accident we have to wear a cast for a while so we realize suddenly how hard it is to get into a certain church. We don't realize the need until we have it ourselves."

The mission for the Coalition for Persons with Disabilities is to serve the needs of people with disabilities especially as they relate to faith to make sure that they have opportunities for faith formation. The coalition also wants to educate the general public and raise awareness.

"I think it is an opportunity for us to broaden the definition of respect life," said Hurni about holding the Masses during Respect Life Month. "We are not talking about just respecting the life of an unborn life, but we are talking about respecting life from womb to tomb."