A Cooperative Effort of Catholic Charities and Catholic Education Ministries of the Diocese of St. Cloud

OPENING DOORS AWARDS

Rationale for an Accessibility Awards Program

In 1978 US Catholic Bishops published a pastoral letter calling for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in the life of the Church. This pastoral urged parishes to make liturgical adaptations promoting active participation along with providing help and services which reflect loving concern for those with serious problems. They challenged Catholics to see persons with disabilities as offering us vital experiences, instead of seeing them as persons needing assistance.

In 1990 the Americans with Disability Act became law. This landmark legislation brings to our attention the essential right all persons with disabilities have to accessible transportation, communication, accommodation in public and government buildings as well as employment settings.

Before laws and pastoral letters we have the Gospels. They too have a message concerning persons with disabilities. Mark 2: 1-12 illustrates the importance of a believing community. Here Mark tells the story of Jesus' visit to Capernaum. Under one roof many people gathered to hear Jesus. Four people arrived carrying their friend on a stretcher, but so many people were crowding around the home's door and windows that they could not get near. Undaunted, the four men opened up the roof and lowered their friend down. According to scripture scholar Barbara Reid, the paralyzed man depends completely upon the faith of his friends. Contrary to our 20th Century understanding of person as a unique individual capable of relating to others, persons of Jesus' day defined themselves by the communities to which they belonged. So it is not the faith of the man who is paralyzed that gains him access to Jesus, but rather the faith of the community to which he belongs.

As we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the U.S. Bishops' Pastoral Statement on Persons with Disabilities, Catholic Education Ministries and Catholic Charities aim to recognize those in the community of diocese who make access to Jesus possible. Our goal is to devise an innovative way to name and acclaim Catholic parishes, organizations and individuals who have stepped out and made physical and/or programmatic accessibility a living reality. The annual Opening Doors Awards program, which has been in place since the Spring of 1996, is one way in which we meet this goal.

last revised 4/98