Embracing all of God’s Children

BEDFORD — There is something different about the Mass held on the third Monday of every month at St. Michael Parish in Bedford.

 

Acolytes process to the altar before the priest; a pianist and bassist play with fervor as a small choir accompanies their tunes with sung prayer; lectors carefully measure out their words to deliver the readings and the Gospel; ushers warmly welcome faithful to process to the altar for Communion; the holy Eucharist is received — these things remain the same.

 

Look about and discover many parishioners wearing the same shirt, with the same logo, but in different colors. Lean in and see a strong bond of fellowship and fond familiarity among all present. Join the dinner after Mass and find everyone has filed in and is celebrating with joy and laughter — all together. 

 

This is the God’s Own Children Ministry Mass and fellowship. The Bedford parish’s special needs ministry is made up of upwards of 70 members and facilitators, all of whom are looking to celebrate their faith and each other.

 

At a diocesan Special Needs Workshop in May, Jason Whitehead, diocesan director of catechesis, applauded the God’s Own Children Ministry in its efforts to address a “forgotten population” — those with disabilities who are too old for early intervention but who still need support.           

The ministry, he said, goes “far beyond merely teaching … it is about fully initiating all people of all ages with all special needs into parish life.”

 

 

An outsider looking in will immediately notice how the St. Michael Parish community extends God’s love, attention, and inclusion of a unique population no longer forgotten but embraced and sought after. Differences and similarities in disability and ability are acknowledged and celebrated as qualities, gifts, and talents provided to each of God’s children.

 

“For us, it’s all interchangeable,” the founding facilitator for the ministry, Sandy Steves, said. “We are all different but the same. The same but different.”

 

It took several years — and key leaders — to get the ministry up and running, Steves said. But once it started, it flourished more than she could ever have imagined. 

 

“The first thing we realized is that our ministry wasn’t for the adults — it was the members’ ministry: the people with special needs. That’s the one thing we want to focus on the most,” Steves said. “It wasn’t about us; we [parents] are the facilitators, and we are there to help our members with this ministry.”

 

The mother of two described how at one of the early meetings, a small group of eight adult high-functioning members, including Steves’ 25-year-old daughter with Down syndrome, met and discussed their plans for the time together. 

 

“They wanted to have friends; everybody wants to have friends. They wanted to have activities and go to places where they’d seen their brothers and sisters going — out on dates, going out to have fun,” she explained. 

 

“They wanted to be part of that community and be part of the Church,” Steves continued. “So we talked about Mass in general and what they thought about the Mass, and they wanted to help out but they didn’t know how.”

 

The conversation led to the facilitators communicating with then parish pastor, Father Balaji Boyalla, SAC, who not only approved the Mass but also named the ministry.   

 

“So that was the first thing that we came up with, having our own Mass,” Steves said. “Now every third Monday, we have this God’s Own Children Mass. It is specifically for them, and it's specifically run by them. They are the altar servers, they are the ushers, they are lectors, they are the cantors.”

 

With time and the warm support from the parish staff and community, the ministry’s Mass attendance has grown as have its activities. Participating in Bible study and ASL classes, distributing care kits to the hungry and homeless, and helping with school supply drives — the ministry members work to serve and grow closer to Christ in as many ways as will accept their help.

 

“These young people are just absolutely amazing when you give them the ability and the goal, the support, which is what we as facilitators do. They can do it,” Steves said.

 

 

 

The pianist and lector at the ministry Mass, member Anthony Trojcak, 45, explained why he considers himself a Catholic: “I go to church at St. Michael's, and I was baptized here, so I am purely Catholic,” Trojcak said. “Yes, Catholic Christian. And I believe in the Bible; I believe in the Scriptures; I believe in the rosary; I believe in the saints and angels; I believe in God and Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit; I believe in the Holy Trinity; I believe in the Eucharist, and I am Catholic.”

 

“Receiving the body of Christ and being spiritually fed” during Communion is Christopher Bourg’s favorite part of Mass. The 28-year-old said he found a newfound love for his faith after experiencing a vision of Christ while attending the Pines Summer Camp at the age of 15. 

 

“I had a vision of the Passion and God said, ‘I can give you a new life by extending the Gospel today. Just listen to me, and I’ll give you a future with more friends and family than you could ever imagine,’” he said.

 

Joining the group of Catholic youths has been life-changing for many of the members. 

 

“Before this ministry, I had no friends. I was dealing with issues. And now, this one right here? [pointing to Bourg] We've been best friends for a year now,” member Tanya Davis, 38, said. “These people just rescued me and everything, and I enjoy spending time with them. … It's been a very emotional year for me.”

 

“It helps me with being me because I don't feel sad anymore, I feel I can open up and help people and become closer with my mom, too,” member Samantha Steves, 25, added. “I feel happy being here, and I love my friends.”

 

 

 

Holy Family Parish in Fort Worth also celebrates a monthly Special Needs Mass every second Saturday of each month at 6:30 pm.

 

“There is sometimes a stigma or a pressure of attending a typical Mass whereas, in these instances, their children can stim or do what they need to do in an environment that's welcoming to that,” said Meg Ruhter, coordinator of children’s formation at Holy Family.

 

When given the opportunity to gather together without reservation or fear of judgment, the youth and adult members alike are free to show their fervor and joy for their faith.  

 

“The first time I noticed was during a Bible study. They would pray some of the prayers, and you just, you will get goosebumps because you just know that the Holy Spirit is right there as they're talking,” Steves said. “It's amazing. But when they pray, I believe it.”