Office
for People with Disabilities
|
Awareness
Acceptance
Accessibility
Advocacy
|
|
Mission
We seek
to meet the religious needs of persons with disabilities by:
- Advocating
for and with persons with disabilities for their rights within
the Diocesan Church.
- Assisting
and enabling persons with disabilities to participate in the
life and in the ministry of the church as fully as possible.
- Organizing,
implementing and/or supporting programs of religious education
and Christian fellowship for persons with disabilities and their
families, catechists and caregivers.
- Offering
professional services and resource material pertaining to our
mission to individuals, groups and parishes of the Archdiocese
of Hartford.
Our
Ministries
- Encourage
and support parishes to welcome individuals with disabilities
into full participation into all aspects of parish life.
- Promote
awareness of the gifts and talents of people with disabilities.
- Network
on the diocesan level in providing necessary information to
ensure that new or renovated parish facilities are architecturally
accessible.
- Sponsor
annual Faith and Sharing Retreat for people with and without
disabilities to grow spiritually with God.
- Co-sponsor
ecumenical day and weekend retreats with various groups.
- Ministry
for Mental Wellness - a bimonthly support group for people with
psychiatric disabilities.
- Broadcast
bimonthly radio program on WJMJ sharing the stories with people
with disabilities and their achievements and contributions to
parish life.
- Co-sponsor
the Aledor J. Gengras Lecture with St. Joseph College to heighten
the awareness to social justice needs.
- Sponsor
various fund raising events to further the ministries of our
office.
Staff
Director:
George Ducharme
Staff:
Mary McGrath, Colleen Scott
Spiritual Advisor: Reverend John E. Cockayne
Volunteers: David Scott, WJMJ Producer; Deb Deptula, Ministry
of Wellness; Kay Maloney, Representative from New Haven
To contact
the Office for People with Disabilities:
Office
for People with Disabilities
467 Bloomfield Avenue
Bloomfield, CT 06002
Telephone: 860-242-3304
Fax: 860-242-4886
Email: mmek2@aol.com
