A special Mass for those with special challenges!

Special Catholic Mass featuring those with disabilities . wwltv.com
Posted on October 7

Bill Capo / Action Report

NEW ORLEANS -- They are planning a special Mass Sunday morning at 11 a.m. at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church in Metairie, featuring at least 15 people with disabilities in active roles.

"It's very important that everyone, that the church is available to everybody, and that everybody feels welcome in our church as well," said Monsignor Harry Bugler of St. Philip Neri.

"So we have ministers of hospitality, we have lectors, we have a cantor, we have people bringing up the gifts, the offertory, so all of those different ministries that you would see in a normal Sunday Mass will be covered by people with disabilities," pointed out Deacon Tommy Lotz.

Janet Pesce lost her sight 30 years ago, and at one point wondered what her role in church life could be. So did Kristen Cipriani after she had a stroke 10 years ago.

"This is really important. It's a way that, there's a lot of my friends now that don't get to go to Mass," said Cipriani, who will be a Minister of Hospitality at the Mass.

"I know of one woman who was also without any sight at all in another parish, and she asked to participate, and they told her yeah, yeah, they'd think about what they could do for her, and they never got back to her," said Pesce, who will be the cantor at the Mass.

So they helped form the Archdiocesan Commission for Persons with Disabilities, and the mass featuring them in key positions is a first step with two goals.

"One is to really incorporate the disabled, the physically disabled into our liturgy, but also to make them aware of the many gifts that they have, and how they can be used in their parish church," said Deacon Drea Capaci of the New Orleans Archdiocese Family Life Apostolate.

They say they used to hold Mass for people with disabilities every year before Katrina, but this is the first one since the storm. Now, though they say they plan to hold them quarterly, first here at St. Philip Neri, then at churches in Metairie.

"I want them to know that we're here to support them, and if I can do it, they can do it," said Cipriani

>>>This is so beautiful as the Church strives to do a better job of letting all know that She is for all God's people!  I look forward to some video from this event.