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Franciscan at Home

Forming those who form others

Catechesis for Persons with Disabilities: Adults with Disabilities

In this series of articles concerning catechesis for persons with disabilities, we have been looking to St. Paul who told us that our attitude must be that of Christ (cf. Phil 2:5). In this last article of the series,[i] we will look at a wide variety of disabling conditions that may be affecting adults we catechize or with whom we share a pew at Mass. The key response in every circumstance is continuing, authentic, and heart-felt respect.

Pope Francis says, “In an age when care for one’s body has become an obsession and a big business, anything imperfect has to be hidden away, since it threatens the happiness and serenity of the privileged few and endangers the dominant model.” He opposes the idea that persons with disabilities “cannot be happy, since they cannot live the lifestyle held up by the culture of pleasure and entertainment.”[ii]

So what does this mean for us on a practical level? Initially, we must remember that a person is a person, no matter the age, condition, or disability. Then we must take into consideration the disability itself, as well as the age of onset and the cause of the disability, and what the future may hold for the person.

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Sr. M. Johanna Paruch, FSGM, Ph.D, a member of the Sisters of St. Francis of the Martyr St. George, holds a BA in Theology and Elementary Education from St. Louis University, a Pontifical Catechetical Diploma, an MA in Religious Education from the Angelicum, and a PhD in Theology from Maryvale Institute, Birmingham, England. Sister has been involved in Religious Education for over twenty-five years. She currently serves as an Assistant Professor of Theology at the Franciscan University of Steubenville, specializing in Catechetics, and offers catechetical workshops in both the US and her native Canada. In 2013 she published her first book Mentors for the New Evangelization: Catechetical Saints of North America.

This article is from The Catechetical Review (Online Edition ISSN 2379-6324) and may be copied for catechetical purposes only. It may not be reprinted in another published work without the permission of The Catechetical Review by contacting [email protected]

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