Parish offers adapted catechesis, special Mass for those with disabilities

This is the second in a series of stories about supporting individuals with disabilities in the Catholic Church.

Tara Mattingly, the children’s formation coordinator at St. Margaret Mary Church, said she believes there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to welcoming individuals with disabilities. 

“It is all about flexibility and adapting to each individual’s needs,” she said. 

Mattingly helps prepare children with disabilities to receive the sacraments. While the majority of children in the parish receive sacramental preparation through religious education classes each Sunday or through the school, some children with disabilities benefit from different approaches, she explained.

Adapted Catechesis

Each child is different, Mattingly said. Some children with disabilities can benefit from traditional religious education classes with parental guidance. Others benefit from attending the parish’s adapted catechetical program for children with disabilities, which meets monthly. 

The adapted program, taught by a special education teacher, can be modified for each child’s needs, she explained. The lights can be turned off for a child with sensory problems, or an active child can walk around the room during the lesson. 

Still, others benefit from working one-on-one with the parish using adapted catechetical resource kits from Loyola Press. The kits include faith formation tools designed to meet the needs of individuals with autism and other special needs. 

The parish works in cooperation with the parents, who know their child best and are the primary catechists of their children, Mattingly noted. 

Some children with disabilities will need more time to prepare for the reception of the sacraments, she noted. “There’s not a timeline,” she said.

Rachel Williamson, a parent of a child with autism, said in a recent interview, “I always thought my son would make first Communion with his class.” 

But when her son was unable to participate in traditional sacramental preparation classes at another parish, she questioned if he would be able to receive first reconciliation and first Communion. That was before she heard of St. Margaret Mary’s adapted catechetical program. 

Williamson’s family now attends St. Margaret Mary, where her son had one-on-one preparation with the parish’s Adaptive Reconciliation Kit and First Eucharist Preparation Kit. He has since made his first holy Communion and reconciliation.

“There was a longing in my heart for him to make these sacraments and I didn’t really know if he would get to go through the process,” she said, with emotion. 

Special Disciples of Jesus Mass

St. Margaret Mary also hosts a Special Disciples of Jesus Mass. The shortened Mass is intended for families of children with disabilities. During the mass, the lights are turned down, the music is minimal and incense is not used.

Many elements of the Mass can be difficult for some children with disabilities — the smell of incense, the sprinkling of holy water, the size of the crowd, or the volume or pitch of the music — to name a few, explained Williamson.

Families travel from surrounding areas, such as Bardstown, Ky., and Mount Washington, Ky., to attend the Mass, said Mattingly, who organizes the monthly liturgy. 

The special Mass “lets them (parents) know that the Church community is here to support them,” Mattingly said.

On the other weekends of the month, families are encouraged to attend Mass at their home parishes, she noted. Mattingly said two families from another parish have connected at the special Mass and are now attending Sunday Masses together at their parish. 

“It’s leading them back to their parishes; they are creating a support network,” said Mattingly.

“There was a longing in my heart for him to make these sacraments and I didn’t really know if he would get to go through the process” 

— Rachel Williamson, parent

Congregants are also getting involved in the Mass. Some individuals with disabilities have served in the liturgy as altar servers, readers, gift bearers and musicians. 

Lisa Reid, a mother of two boys — her oldest was diagnosed with autism — said her family has previously struggled with Mass attendance.

Before she found the Special Disciples of Jesus Mass, she said Mass with her entire family felt unattainable. 

“Going together as a family was a real challenge,” she said.

The family often split up for weekend Masses, as she or her husband would stay home with their oldest. When they tried to attend together, much of the Mass was spent in the cry room or outside with their son to avoid disruptions, she noted.

“We always felt different from the families we were surrounded by in the pews,” Reid said.

But when they found the adapted Mass, Reid explained that the family “felt instantly connected.” Reid said her family can relax and her son is free to be himself. 

“I feel like the other families understand that. They are used to similar behaviors from their child,” she said.

Now, Reid is able to attend Mass with her husband and children. “It’s strengthened our ability to talk about our faith” as a family, she said, as they can now discuss what they learned at Mass — now that they all hear the same homily, at the same parish, from the same priest. 

Ask questions

Encouraging other parishes to adopt similar programs, Mattingly suggested that parish leaders let go of “the fear of messing up.” 

“I don’t have a special education background,” she noted. For those in her shoes, one needs only to “ask the right questions, talk to the parents and do your research.” 

The Special Disciples of Jesus Mass grew from just such a conversation with St. Margaret Mary parishioner Mary Graham.

Graham encourages parents to “just ask.” 

“Ask your parishes. Come with ideas. You’ll figure it out together,” she said.

For additional resources and information, visit the website of the National Catholic Partnership on Disabilities, www.ncpd.org. The partnership is dedicated to “Promoting the meaningful participation of persons with disabilities in church and society,” its website explains.