Indispensable
Indispensable
A Catholic Guide to Welcoming Persons with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities
Edited by Mark Bradford
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There are approximately two million Catholics with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) living in America today. For every hundred individuals on a parish registry, there should be at least two or three with IDDs in the pews. Yet they are noticeably absent from our churches. Do these members of the Church and their families feel like they belong in our parish communities? Do they even feel welcome at all?
Indispensable, edited by Mark Bradford, is a groundbreaking exploration of how Catholic parishes can prepare to spiritually form and serve people with IDDs and their families. This inspiring collection features essays from a variety of disability experts and advocates, who offer insights from Church guidance, academic research, and their own extensive experience. It also examines a wide range of issues related to the intersection of parish life and IDDs, including chapters on prenatal diagnosis, perinatal loss, the sacraments, the liturgy, education, relationships, and more.
St. Paul teaches us that “the members of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable” (1 Cor. 12:22). For a vulnerable population like those with IDDs, the importance of the Church in creating a place of belonging can’t be overstated. The Body of Christ should shine as a welcoming and supportive community for all its members. This vital parish resource will assist readers of all backgrounds—pastors, parents, and all those who work in disability ministry at any level or who are eager to support it—in drawing those with IDDs more fully into the communion of the Church.
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What People are Saying
“Perhaps the most joyful Mass I celebrate each year is on Pentecost Sunday, when I am privileged to administer the sacrament of Confirmation to young men and women with a variety of intellectual and developmental disabilities. I am grateful to Mark Bradford and the authors whose essays make up Indispensable for their valuable reminder that Jesus instructs us to go and make disciples of all people, and that we need to take that instruction seriously, including for those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
—Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York
“One of the great blessings of my life as a bishop has been the witness of families who treasure their children with disabilities. Their love reminds the world that human beings, including the weakest and most compromised, are more than creatures of acquisition, consumption, and competition. We have a higher dignity. We were made for love, and the child with a disability is God’s invitation to all of us to become the people of hope and meaning he created us to be. Mark Bradford’s Indispensable speaks with uncommon skill and comprehensive detail to the importance of our parishes welcoming the disabled. It’s a marvelous, practical, immensely valuable read.”
—Archbishop Charles J. Chaput, OFM Cap., Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia
“Through Baptism, we are called to build a Church where all are invited, welcomed, valued, and included. The Church’s mission is to reflect the inclusive love of Christ and to elevate the nature, dignity, and destiny of each human being as created in the image of God. This significant work by Mark Bradford and contributors is a vital step toward ensuring that those with intellectual and developmental disabilities find not only a place in shared worship but a true sense of integration into communities of faith. It is a book that offers essential guidance for creating parishes that embrace every member of the Body of Christ, in all its diversity.”
—Archbishop Peter A. Comensoli, Archbishop of Melbourne, Australia
“Expand your pastoral appreciation and discover the concrete steps to enhance your parish as a place of belonging for persons with disabilities. These essays raise specific aspects rarely considered for a parish to welcome the gifts of persons with disabilities and uncover their indispensable gift from God.”
—Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz, Archbishop Emeritus of Louisville
“This volume offers a rich variety of expertise, experiences, and best practices aimed at the beautiful goal of including, engaging, and serving individuals with disabilities. I pray that everyone who reads and uses this book in pastoral ministry will continue to treat all persons, no matter their condition of life, with profound respect and love, helping them always to feel fully welcomed and cherished in the Church. That is the way it should be, and with the help of God’s grace, that is the way it will be.”
—Bishop Michael F. Burbidge, from the foreword
“As the father of a son with Down syndrome, I read Indispensable with a special sense of gratitude. Mark Bradford has edited a terrific, life-affirming book. It deserves the widest possible readership in our parishes.”
—Francis X. Maier, Senior Fellow, Catholic Studies, Ethics and Public Policy Center
“This insightful collection reminds us that our churches are incomplete without the presence, gifts, friendship, and faith of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Moreover, it equips us to welcome and embrace every member of the Body more faithfully and fully.”
—Erik Carter, Luther Sweet Endowed Chair in Disabilities, Baylor University
