Aging and Disabilities
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yamilet-munozaustindiocese.orgAssociate Director of Social Justice & Multicultural Engagement
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As St. John Paul II reminds us in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae [The Gospel of Life], “Within the family each member is accepted, respected and honored precisely because he or she is a person; and if any family member is in greater need, the care which he or she receives is all the more intense and attentive.” As a family of faith, we must keep ever before us that God calls us to seek perfection not in appearance or abilities, but in love. Pope Francis reminds us that we can never be tone-deaf in our defense and promotion of our brothers and sisters with disabilities. Rather, we must take up the mantle of responsibility for furthering the generation and formation of the Christian life of all the baptized.
As we celebrate our gifts through the grace of God at work in our lives, we are especially mindful of our brothers and sisters with developmental disabilities. Each of them, in particular, challenges us to embrace the hope-filled message of the Gospel more authentically in our own lives. Those with developmental disabilities possess beauty, value, worth and the ability to teach us about life, love and the presence of God. Their presence makes our world much brighter, and our ability to see God at work in our lives more evident than without them!
Our committee helps us to address the special needs of the faithful with chronic debilitating diseases that affect their mobility; address the religious education needs of children and adults with disabilities by making sacramental preparation fully accessible to persons with disabilities; provide spiritual support to the faithful who live alone or in assisted living or long-term care facilities; provide liturgical and catechetical ministry opportunities for persons with disabilities; and provide access to support groups for persons dealing with specific health conditions, for family caregivers and persons dealing with grief. These are just some of the many things about which we hope this committee can provide significant input.