| Mission and History |
In 1978, the US Bishops issued a Pastoral docu
Recognizing that each person is created in God’s image, the
Church is called to value the gifts each person offers the community and
advocate for the protection of rights that enable individuals with disabilities
to achieve the fullest measure of personal development
These documents challenge the Church to transform
its attitude; to see itself as a community of persons – all gifted and limited.
The Bishops call for an understanding love that
affirms our common humanity, forming the kind of community that seeks to
discover one another’s gifts and serve each other’s needs.
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“The parish is the door to
participation for people with disabilities.”
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The Bishops
recommend Dioceses to establish offices to assist parishes in their efforts to
be more inclusive, to advocate with people with disabilities in areas of public
policy, to support education and training for pastoral leaders to ensure
inclusive catechetical programs and accessible liturgical celebrations with
those accommodations that enable full participation in the life of the Church.
In
1980, the Archdiocese of
See Link to full text of
The Pastoral Statement of the US Catholic Bishops On Persons with
Disabilities and
Welcome and Justice for Persons with Disabilities.
