About Us
This ministry is a partnership inviting persons with disabilities along with non-disabled to work collaboratively to serve on three levels:
- Local parish — Develop and implement ministries for and with persons with disabilities within each parish community.
- Form a regional-archdiocese network — Serve as a channel of communication and assistance to pastoral efforts ministering to persons with disabilities and their families forging a cooperative network of people helping people and transforming our communities in response to the Gospel.
- Community connections — Assemble coalitions (lighthouses) of religious, government, and other organizations in order to provide and maintain resources on: information, programs, policies, practices and people dedicated to improving the quality of life for all persons. We seek to emphasize human potentialities and abilities (not a focus on our disabilities).
Fact Sheet
Who?
Initiated in 2002 by Bishop Listecki, Fr. Ed Salmon, and Deacon Don Grossnickle
Why?
We envision that... Christ and the Gospel call us to our stewardship and evangelical responsibility to form a vibrant community-oriented Church that includes all persons, and ministers to unmet human and spiritual opportunities.
What?
Mission: We are a ministry partnership of Vicariate I that helps to empower, strengthen and guide the spiritual and human needs of persons with disabilities through positive interaction of caring, sharing and training. Inspired by the healing and caring ministry of Jesus Christ, we envision building church communities of loving service and mutual respect, fostering joy, hope and dignity for every person.
- Support local pastors and parish advocates responsible to meet spiritual and human needs
- Support one-on-one outreach partnering in parishes to pursue mutual benefits
- Offer disability worship and retreat opportunities-via vicariate community
- Refer partners to affiliates
- Empower persons with disabilities to participate in all aspects of
the church community
- Conduct parish needs assessments when invited
- Provide architectural expertise when requested
- Connect with government and other organizations to locate and provide
resources
- Provide educational and training activities
- Be a voice of advocacy and inclusion
How?
By doing the following:
- Provide coordination and leadership
- Phone hotline and ombudsman for referral to meet spiritual and human
needs
- Form a vicariate ministry advisory team of experts to help guide the
ministry (Meeting quarterly)
- Activate 54 advocates (one at each parish) (Meeting Monthly)
- Affiliate with Archdiocese Offices and Deanery Ministerial Commissions
- Communicate with partners and community via website, newsletter
- Offer retreats and workshops
- Utilize Bishop's Guidelines/Pastoral Statement on Disabilities
- Implement a Speaker's Bureau to increase awareness
- Develop a long-range and annual strategic action plan in order to
meet goals
- Pursue development for needed funds and grant opportunities
Our Logo
Our logo was created by artist Wendy Mattison from Saint Alphonsus Parish.
The logo symbol has three intertwined hearts representing God, disability partners, and the larger church community, all of which are connected.
The uplifted hands represent outreach to support a bridge connecting God's love and an embrace among all who need spiritual and human need support.
The cross represents the passion, suffering and sacrificing of Jesus. Jesus unites us as Christian believers of faith, no matter what physical challenges we face here on earth.
The universal sign for handicap accessibility represents the challenge set before us to be a church community that is inclusive and inviting, and empowering and seeks to establish a focus on ABLE-ilties, not DIS-abilities.
Please read the Bishop's statement on people with disabilities.
"Inclusion begins in our hearts. It begins with affirmation. We should open our hearts to one another and recognize the strengths of every person... When we open our hearts and our community to the gifts each person brings, we are all strengthened."
Joseph Cardinal Bernardin