Aging and Disabilities

The Committee on Aging and Disabilities endeavors to streamline the efforts of our diocese for two very important groups of people in our parochial communities — the aging and the disabled. While aging is a natural stage in the beautiful progression of life that carries special gifts, there are sometimes significant health issues that transpire in the life of an elderly person which demands our careful attention. In addition, we have a responsibility to increase awareness and inclusion of individuals with disabilities in parishes by opening doors through universal access to parish facilities, opening minds through awareness of what all people need to belong and grow in faith, and opening hearts by enabling all people have a place in the ministry and mission of the church.

As St. John Paul II reminds us in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae [The Gospel of Life], “Within the family each member is accepted, respected and honored precisely because he or she is a person; and if any family member is in greater need, the care which he or she receives is all the more intense and attentive.” As a family of faith, we must keep ever before us that God calls us to seek perfection not in appearance or abilities, but in love. Pope Francis reminds us that we can never be tone-deaf in our defense and promotion of our brothers and sisters with disabilities. Rather, we must take up the mantle of responsibility for furthering the generation and formation of the Christian life of all the baptized. 

As we celebrate our gifts through the grace of God at work in our lives, we are especially mindful of our brothers and sisters with developmental disabilities. Each of them, in particular, challenges us to embrace the hope-filled message of the Gospel more authentically in our own lives. Those with developmental disabilities possess beauty, value, worth and the ability to teach us about life, love and the presence of God. Their presence makes our world much brighter, and our ability to see God at work in our lives more evident than without them!

Our committee helps us to address the special needs of the faithful with chronic debilitating diseases that affect their mobility such as Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, et cetera; address the religious education needs of children and adults with disabilities by making sacramental preparation fully accessible to persons with disabilities; provide spiritual support to the faithful who live alone or in assisted living or long-term care facilities; provide liturgical and catechetical ministry opportunities for persons with disabilities; and provide access to support groups for persons dealing with specific health conditions, for family caregivers and persons dealing with grief. These are just some of the many things about which we hope this committee can provide significant input.

There are a variety of organizations nationwide that provide support and resources based on an individual's mental or physical disability. If you do not see one here that aligns with what you are looking for please email [email protected] or call (512) 949-2493 and someone will personally assist you. 

• Catechetical Resources for Persons with Disabilities
• National Catholic Partnership on Disability
• National Catholic Office for the Deaf
• Deaf Apostolate of Austin
• Xavier Society for the Blind