Serving People with Disabilities in Spiritual Dimension
Prayer:Our Father led by the hearing impaired
Good morningbrothers and sisters in Christ.
Let me begin my talk with my heartfelt thanks to the Congress organizers for inviting me to share my experience in serving people with disabilities in the spiritual dimension. Pardon me please for my broken English for I am speaking asa person with disabilities, one of which is my language skill.
The title assigned to me by the Congress is “Serving People with Disabilities in Spiritual Dimension” which seems to focus a lot on serving or service to people with disabilities. Yet, what I am about to share this morningemphasizes not so much on service, but more on the inspiration and enlightenment in the spiritual dimension that I have gained as friends and companions of the disabled.
Throughout my years as a religious, I have developed close ties with people with disabilities. After my first vow, I was sent to a School for the Deaf and had my first encounter with the hearing impaired. The then Principal reminded me, “Don’t feel proud or conceited because of your serving the deaf.” These words of wisdom have remained with me till today. I can boldly say that God has bestowed upon me abundant blessings through the disabled that have crossed my way, and I am truly grateful to all the disabled with whom I have befriended.
Indeed the disabled are my friends. More so, they are my mentors. Underneath their humble appearance, I see face to face God’s boundless mercy. I also witness the brilliant glory shine forth from the vulnerable and the broken in God’s grace. Most important, all these happen humbly and quietly, without little fanfare or arousing much attention. Just as the Bible says, “He will not shout or raise his voice or make loud speeches in the streets.” (Isaiah 42:2). From the disable-bodied, I have learned more truth and knowledge that I can ever acquire fromreligious books. Hence, I have invited somefriends with disabilities to be present here today and be part of this sharing about them. Let us now start with the “Our Father” , signed by our dear friends of hearing impaired.
Way back in the 1970s when I first got involved in education of the deaf, special education in Hong Kong was just at its infancy. There was hardly any pastoral service for the hearing impaired, not to mention religious sign language. Just imagine how difficult it was to convey to the deaf abstract religious concepts or prepare them for the sacraments they are to receive. In 1977, the Catholic Pastoral Association of the Deaf was set up with the aim to look after the spiritual needs of the hearing impaired, in particular, those who have grown up without receiving education in Catholic schools. One of the hurdles we were facing was the lack of religious sign language. In our desperation, Fr. Charlie Dittmeier from USA came to our rescue. He incorporated American Sign Language of religious terms with the local Chinese Sign language and developed religious signs well suited to the local needs. Special courses of the religious sign language developed were offered to help both the clergy and the faithful become familiar with it. With the concerted effort of the religious and the lay volunteers, the Catholic Pastoral Association for the Deaf today has become well established, functioning more or less like a parish in itself, with ministers trained for different liturgical roles and servers for various activities. Apart from the closely knitted network formed by the members in deepening their faith, the group also actively reaches out to enhance awareness of the Church of the presence and needs of the deaf among the able-bodied faithful. Regular visits are organized to different local parishes. In addition, they also form close ties with the deaf group in Macau. Fr. Cyril Axelord, one of the four deaf-blind priests in the world, used to minister the deaf both in Hong Kong and Macau. His autobiography “And the Journey Begins” has recently been translated and published inChinese. In it, the Provincial Superior of the Redemptorist Province of South Africa,Fr. Larry Kaufmann wrote the following in the preface.
It is not the idle celebrity culture of our modern day that makes this book so meaningful, in the sense that a sighted and hearing person might want to know the inside story of a deaf-blind person out of mere curiosity. Rather, it is that Cyril’s story is really our story. At a deep unconscious level, Cyril’s physical deafness speaks to our spiritual deafness. His physical blindness challenges our spiritual blindness. And he teaches us that our redemption is in feeling and touch. As we learn compassion in our hearts, and as we touch each others’ pain with healing, we too are healed and we begin a new journey. We begin a journey inwards, finding light in our own darkness. And we begin a journey of compassion towards our fellow human beings.
The more we journey within, into the sacred solitude that Cyril teaches us about , and the more we journey outwards, touching the very dignity of our brothers and sisters in the human family, the more we experience the wonder of the Living God. Ultimately it is a journey of faith. Cyril is more than qualified, through experience, to demonstrate the truth of this. He better than most of us knows the truth of the Masai prayer from Kenya: “May you see what you see through different eyes. May you hear what you hear with different ears.May you feel what you have never felt before, and go further than yourself.”
The book gives a vivid account how a ‘disabled’ in the eyes of many served the ‘disabled’ and how the ‘able’ were inspired. The distinction between the ‘able’ and ‘disabled’ has become blurred.
The Catholic Pastoral Association for the Deaf is the first group formed by the disabled in the local diocese. What about the faithful with other disabilities? Back in the 60s, the Canossian sisters had been involved in education for the visually impaired. In fact, the deaf school that I served was located right next to a school for the blind. Teaching the blind abstract concepts of the Catholic faith poses less of a problem but the real challenge comes when the blind faithful graduated from the school and had to attend mass at the local parish. Unfamiliar with the church environment, with no one leading them up for Communion, unable to join church activities, the blind found it difficult, if not possible, to integrate with the parish. The situation was even worse for the handicapped on wheelchair. Most churches at that time were not equipped with facilities that cater for the needs of the physically handicapped. With no elevator, the flight of stairs, a path taken by the ableto get close to God, was a hurdle barring the wheelchair bound from the Church, depriving them of the spiritual nourishment they desperately need. Isn’t it true that the disabled with all physical impediments they are facing and the emotional pains they are undergoinghave a greater need for God than the rest of us? I earnestly felt that I should do something for them but I did not know how. Yet such wish remained with me all along and would only be fulfilled years later.
In 1987, I was sent to study theology in Rome and I was so lucky to run into the 40th anniversary celebration of the Silent Workers of the Cross, a group formed by people with disabilities. The disabled members were all gathered in the St Peter’s Square joining in the Way of the Cross ministered by the late Pope John Paul II. Right before my very eyes were thousands of disabled faithfuland zealous volunteers who accompanied them and helped them participate in this event. The Way of the Cross was composed and read out by the disabled. I was so impressed and touched, and kept wondering when the disabled in Hong Kong could enjoy such privilege?
In the following year, I was forced to suspend my studies and returned to Hong Kong for medical reasons. The doctor advised against my working, studying, or getting involved in any important assignments. That way, I got relieved from my busy teaching duties. To others, that must be a total defeat; but to me, that was a blessing in disguise. I got more leisure and time for prayer and Eucharistic adoration, during which the scene of the disabled at St. Peter’s Square kept resurfacing in my mind. Relying on prayer, guided by the Holy Spirit and under the support of my Mother Superior, I took the humble initial step to form the Volunteers of Suffering, despite the lack of human or financial resources. The Volunteers of Suffering gathered people of different disabilities, and we recruited young volunteers for a monthly gathering. The venue was rented each time with careful deliberation with the needs of the disabled well catered for. In those days, many of the handicapped were not only wheelchair bound but also under ‘house arrest’. Why? They were living in resettlement housing with no elevator. Hence, for them to come out of their ‘cocoon’ and join our gathering, the volunteers had to carry them and their wheelchairs up and down the flights of stairs. Yet, the difficulty and problems we encountered and we overcame drawn the disabled members and the able volunteers closer in relationship. Among the young volunteers, many were non-Catholics, and those who were, had been staggering in their faith; while many were losers in studies with low self-image and no self-confidence. Through their service to the disabled, they re-discovered their potential and regained their confidence. In turn, their life changed thanks to the inspiration sparked off by the disabled. Almost all non-Catholics eventually joined the Church and remained steadfast in their faith.
When the Journey of Faith, the first pilgrimage of the disabled, set off in May 1990, it was like a dream come true. Most of the participants were first-time travellers to foreign lands, many, due to physical handicap, had been mostly confined to their house and restricted much in their mobility. Many hadnever been to Macau, not to mentionItaly and France; many had not even taken the train or MRT, not to mention the aeroplane. Yet, they were on a pilgrimage to Rome and Lourdes, received and blessed by the Holy Father. Miraculously we were not only able to raise fund to subsidise their expenses, we were blessed with two accompanying priests, several medical professionals, and two volunteers for each disabled participant. Everyone returned with abundant blessings and amazing grace, with faith deepened and strengthened. Last year marked the sixth of such pilgrimage for the handicapped, one in every three years. Volunteers not only have to pay in full their own expenses but also spend their own holidays for this worthy cause. To them, I salute with the greatest respect. I deliberately avoid the word ‘sacrifice’ since in the hearts of the volunteers, they do not feel any loss but bountiful gain in offering their companionship and service to the disabled. Well, whoever choose to walk with the disabled will be richly blessed by God, just as Jesus said, “Whatever you did for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.”
Then what about those disabled who could not join the pilgrimage? Could there be something for them? My plead for the Church’s attention to the spiritual needs of people with disabilities was finally answered by the Diocese with the inauguration of the “Diocesan Commission for Pastoral Services to the Disabled”教區傷殘人士牧民委員會in 1993. In November that same year, the opening of the“Diocesan Pastoral Centre for the Disabled”教區傷殘人士牧民中心meant that the disabled finally have a place of their own for worship. Though small, the Centre is well equipped with facilities that cater for the disabled, who can come and pray at any time they like without the need for assistance from volunteers. More important, the disabled finda place of their own in the worship itself. Often not being able to serve as ministers in a regular parish, the disabled participating in the liturgical celebrations at the Centre can play more active roles serving as organist and lectors. There are bibles and song books in Braille, tapes on spiritual formation for the visually impaired and prepared by the blind. Limitations imposed by their physical disabilities do not dampen their zeal to serve, their dedication and sincerity in service often moved me to tears.
A survey conducted by the Diocese back in 1977 revealed that many parishes were not aware of the presence of disabled parishioners and were under the impression that there were NO faithful with disabilities. As a matter of fact, disabled parishioners did and do exist, but most parishes were ‘blind’ to their presence, ‘deaf’ to their pleas, and ‘handicapped’ in making changes to meet their needs. They were neglected or totally forgotten by the parishes.
Back in those years, church buildings were not easily accessible to disabled faithful. Often the long flight of stairs added to the absence of lifts or ramps, and the small cramped toilets had deterred those handicapped in mobility or on wheelchairs from joining liturgical celebrations. In the same way, the visually impaired had difficulty getting around inside the church with no Braillesigns. Even when their presence is known and seen, many able parishioners have no idea how to help or guide them. Blind parishioners often feel lost, left out or neglectedamid the crowd of faithful in church. Without designated seats for them, they have no sense of direction and face problem when wanting to receive communion or the sacrament of reconciliation. While the hearing impaired have no hurdles to overcome getting to and getting around in a church, they have difficulty following what is going on, in particular, the homily and the announcements. Though they can lipread, the dim light or being seated too far from the altar pose problems. As for the mentally retarded or the autistic, queer looks from other parishioners or the distance kept from them make them feel unwelcome. Gradually, regular church attendance and active parish life becomes a ‘mission impossible’ for people with disabilities, both physical and mental.
Thank God and under His guidance, the Commission attempted to turn the tide, to do the ‘undoable’. We published the「Pastoral Guide-line for Disabled傷殘人士牧民指引」and arranged visits to parishes with exhibits that help enhance the awareness of parishes toward faithful with disabilities. We also offered advice and suggestions on how to cater for the needs of the disabled and how to integrate them in regular church life. With God’s blessing, these efforts borne fruits and we do see changes in parishes and among parishioners. Yet, we should keep working on that.
The Guide-line「傷殘人士牧民指引」begins with the Beatitudes of the disabled, which I want to share with you:
Blessed are churches with those who sing using signs
for they are lively and full of life.
Blessed are churches with those who sing using Braille songbooks
for their singing are beautiful and sublime.
Blessed are churches with facilities for the disabled
for they arecaring and accepting.
Blessed are churches that welcome the mentally retarded
for they are warm and receiving.
Blessed are churches with integration of the ableand the disabled
for they live out true communion in Christ
Blessed are churches with pastoral services for the disabled
for they are kind and considerate
Blessed are churches using theGuide-line for Pastoral Service for Disabled
for they are open to changes and challenges
Blessedare churches developing pastoral services for the disabled
for they are foresighted and visionary
Despite the changes that cater for the needs of the physically handicapped, the mentally retarded and their parents still face great hurdles. All along, the groupFaith & Light「信和光」with their spiritual director Fr. Bonzi is looking after the spiritual needs of the mentally retarded and the autistic in our diocese, but only few parishes have such groups formed and not many parents with mentally retarded children are aware of their service. Very often, the clergy think that the mentally retarded though baptized cannot and need not receive communion, not to mention there are very few catechism classes or Sunday Schools willing to enrol them. Under the support ofour beloved Cardinal Zen, we began another tough battle. We started offering catechism classes for the mentally retarded and the autistic, beginning first in our Centre. Thanks to the zealous help from volunteers, the classes then spread to many other parishes all over Hong Kong, Kowloon and the NewTerritories, and the attendance climbed the initial 10 to over 20. Since then, every year we have mentally retarded and autistic children receiving First Communion and Confirmation. Driven by the love of Christ, volunteers put extra effort in preparing for classes and making teaching aids to suit the special needs of our ‘special’students; and this in turn, touches and moves many of the parents. Seeing the changes in their children, many parents who are non-believers become converted to our faith. Despite his busy schedule, Cardinal Zen is kind enough to come every year to celebrate the First Communion and Confirmation of our mentally retarded and autisticchildren, for in his eyes, they are like angels on earth.