Persons with Disabilities

All Are Welcome

The Archdiocesan Office with Persons with Disabilities fulfills the Archdiocese’s spirit that “All Are Welcome,” most importantly, people with disabilities. The Office with Persons with Disabilities and these ministries are here to serve you as you intentionally welcome and include people of all abilities in the life of the Church in Chicago.

This Office brings together the various ministries of the Archdiocese of Chicago that provide for the participation of individuals with disabilities and their families in all aspects of parish life:

Commission on Mental Illness
Faith and Fellowship
Misericordia Home
Office of the Deaf
Spred (Special Religious Development)
Pathways.org That Every Ability May Belong (TEAM Belong)

The Office with Persons with Disabilities and these ministries are here to serve you as you intentionally welcome and include people of all abilities in the life of the Church in Chicago.

MISSION
The Catholic Office of the Deaf, part of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago, is responsible for the pastoral care of deaf and hard-of-hearing persons, as well as their families, in the Archdiocese of Chicago. This pastoral care of the deaf involves:

Sacramental ministry of the Church
Religious education of children
Advocacy
Information & referral
Spiritual guidance
Formation & training in ministerial leadership
Youth activities
Guarantee of communication access to worship and all other activities of the Catholic Church.

Fr. Joseph Mulcrone‎
Director
312.534.7899
Fax: 312.534.0394
VP: 312.957.4766
TTY: 312.534.8368
[email protected]

3525 South Lake Park Avenue
Chicago, IL 60653

Website: www.deafchurchchicago.org

The Office of the Deaf is responsible for the pastoral care of deaf and hard-of-hearing persons, as well as their families, in the Archdiocese of Chicago.

www.catholicmhm.org/chicago

Deacon Tom Lambert
[email protected]
872.260.4108

Connie Rakitan
Faith and Fellowship
[email protected]
708.383.9276

Archdiocesan Commission on Mental Illness

The Commission is part of the Chicago Archdiocesan Pastoral Network with Persons with Disabilities. Its purpose is to educate and resource parishes on the spiritual and supportive needs of persons with serious mental illnesses such as bi-polar disease, major depressive illnesses, schizophrenia, and personality disorders, among others. Since mental illness not only affects the individual with the disease but also family members, the spiritual and pastoral needs of the entire family are addressed.
In carrying out its mission of making the Church a more loving, inclusive, and supportive place for people with mental illness and their families, the Commission networks and collaborates with parishes, other diocesan agencies, the National Catholic Partnership on Disabilities/Council on Mental Illness, and a variety of public organizations.

For more information for visit the Commission’s website, www.catholicmhm.org/chicago, or contact Deacon Tom Lambert 872.260.4108 or email [email protected]

Faith and Fellowship

The mission of Faith and Fellowship is to provide opportunities for prayer and faith sharing in a format tailored to the unique needs of people living with a mental illness. Recognizing the isolation they may often experience, Faith and Fellowship strives to offer a welcoming sense of belonging through the formation of communities of faith, and by fostering inclusion in the life and activities of the parish community. Faith and Fellowship groups consist of 10 to 15 adults including approximately equal numbers of members with a mental illness and volunteers from local churches. They meet semi-weekly as partners in prayer and socialization.

For more information contact Connie Rakitan, 708.383.9276, [email protected]

www.misericordia.com

Rev. Jack Clair
Chaplain
773.973.6300
[email protected]

The mission of Misericordia Home is to support individuals with developmental disabilities in maximizing their level of independence and self-determination within an environment that fosters spirituality, dignity, respect and enhancement of quality of life.

www.spred-chicago.org

Sister Mary Therese Harrington SH
312.842.1039
[email protected]

Spred forms small communities of faith in parishes to welcome persons with developmental disabilities in order to foster participation in parish assemblies of worship.

www.teambelong.org

Joanne Meyer
Program Manager
1.800.364.1337
[email protected]

The mission of Pathways.org That Every Ability May Belong (TEAM Belong) is to create caring communities of faith where individuals of all abilities and their families know they belong as fellow missionary disciples because they are welcomed as active participants in worship, ministries, leadership roles, religious education and social events. The goal of TEAM Belong is to weave accessibility and a sense of belonging for individuals of differing abilities into the fabric of the Archdiocese of Chicago. TEAM Belong provides an online video training, educational handouts, grants of up to $1,000 to help fund projects that create belonging, TEAM Belong Month planning materials and resources to start and maintain a TEAM Belong Ministry.

TEAM Belong Month – Schools and parishes are invited to choose a month and use educational activities, special liturgies, preaching and teaching throughout the month to educate and keep hearts and minds open to intentionally welcoming people of all abilities into our communities of faith. The TEAM Belong video training, bulletin items, educational handouts, children’s activities and more are available at www.teambelong.org.
TEAM Belong Awards grants – Grants of up to $1,000 are available to support projects that welcome individuals of all abilities in Archdiocesan Offices, parishes, religious education programs and Catholic schools nationwide. Application forms and more information are available at www.teambelong.org.

www.team-w.org – Educational materials, grants, events and handouts to assist parishes and agencies of the Archdiocese of Chicago to create caring, accessible communities of faith where parishioners of all abilities and their families are welcomed and can participate in all aspects of parish life.

TEAM W Awards – The TEAM W Awards for adults and the Junior TEAM W Awards for children and youth ages 5 – 18 are grants of up to $1,000 to help parishes and schools fund projects that welcome individual of all abilities. Annual deadline is October 1st.

National Catholic Partnership on Disability

www.NCPD.org
Jan Benton, Executive Director
202.529.2933

Pastoral Statement of U.S. Bishops on People with Disabilities (Link)
Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities (Link)
Welcome and Justice for Persons with Disabilities (Link)
National Catholic Partnership on Disability (Link)

The Xavier Society for the Blind

www.Xaviersocietyfortheblind.org
Two Penn Plaza, Suite 1102
New York, NY 10121
Tel 212.473.7800 / 800.637.9193
FAX 212.473.7801
E-mail [email protected]