CNA Staff, Nov 14, 2020 / 08:00 am (CNA).- As book titles go, the “Directory for Catechesis” is hardly the catchiest. But this volume could potentially transform the lives of thousands of people.
That is the conviction of Gail Williams, center manager at Caritas St. Joseph in Hendon, north London. When the updated directory — formerly known as the General Directory for Catechesis — was released in June, she was struck by what it said about people with disabilities.
“People with disabilities are called to the fullness of sacramental life, even in the presence of serious disturbances,” the directory said. “The sacraments are gifts of God and the liturgy, even before being rationally understood, asks to be lived: therefore, no one can deny the sacraments to people with disabilities.”
“It means so much for it actually to be printed in there,” Williams told CNA, “because the General Directory for Catechesis is the go-to for anybody that’s not really doing this work. And they’ll often say: ‘Well, is it in the General Directory for Catechesis?’”
“To be able to say ‘Yes, it is’ is just amazing, because then you have real proof and back-up that actually the Catholic Church does want to embrace everyone and does want to encompass those that are usually ignored.”
For the past 40 years, Caritas St. Joseph has supported people with intellectual disabilities, as well as their families and friends, in the English Diocese of Westminster. Formerly known as St. Joseph’s Pastoral Centre, Caritas St. Joseph wants to share its expertise far beyond the borders of Westminster diocese, which includes all of London north of the River Thames and some outlying areas.
Williams believes that some parishes are scared of catechizing those with learning disabilities. She is on a mission to persuade them that it can, in fact, be “a really joyful journey.”
Her interest in catechesis began when her oldest son, who is severely dyslexic, started his First Communion course at the age of seven.
“Nobody understood how he functioned. In those days, it was all ‘sit down and read from the book,’ and it was so difficult for him,” she recalled.
She realized that her son’s faith grew by listening to the words said at Mass, as well as through the sounds and smells at the church they attended.
In 2006, Williams attended a course called “Symbols of Faith” at St. Joseph’s. When she returned to her parish with a deeper knowledge of how to teach the faith to people with learning disabilities, she made a disturbing discovery.
She found that there were families that didn’t bring their children to church because they couldn’t cope with crowds or remain still during the quieter parts of Mass.
“To go back and find that part of my parish family was missing because of all these reasons was a real eye-opener for me,” she remembered. “That’s when I really felt quite strongly that everybody should be included.”
Williams continued: “When you’re a parent of a child or an adult with a learning disability, and you are on the phone constantly to doctors, fighting for them at school, the last thing you really need to do is to feel shut off from your faith.”
The latest catechetical directory is the third since the Second Vatican Council. The first, the General Catechetical Directory, was published in 1971. The second, the General Directory for Catechesis, was issued in 1997. The latest version updates catechetical methods for the digital age and is likely to have a profound impact on the teaching of the Catholic faith around the world.
When Williams begins catechizing a child, she takes them into an empty church and helps them to appreciate all the sensory elements: the colors, sounds and smells. She may lead them to the altar and explain why it is much more than an ordinary table.
“It’s not about long, convoluted words. It’s about showing and supporting them in making their own discoveries,” she said.
Williams urges parents of disabled children to raise the directory’s new recommendations with their pastors. If their parish doesn’t know where to begin, she advises them to contact Caritas St. Joseph or similar organizations where they live.
“We can come out and we can train people, and we can share our knowledge, expertise and resources. But once you are trained, don’t be afraid to be the voice for those people who are left on the fringes of your parish,” she said.
Williams noted that, while her work is deeply rewarding, it can be emotionally draining. At one point, she was visiting families after finishing her day job.
“Sometimes you would spend one minute with the child because he had had enough at school that day and just wasn’t interested,” she said. “But then you would spend half an hour with the mum, because she hadn’t seen anyone all week or he had had a difficult day at school and she needed to talk to someone.”
“At those times you think ‘Well, I can’t catechize today.’ But actually you’re supporting the whole family. And it’s so important that even if it seems impossible, actually it isn’t. Kindness, patience and time is the best gift.”
There are also heart-lifting breakthroughs. Williams talks about discussing transubstantiation with a child who responded by making two sign-language gestures, one meaning “change” and the other signifying “creation.”
“So then you know that actually she’s understanding that that’s the Consecration, that the bread and the wine is changing and creating the Body and Blood. You get moments like that, that absolutely clarify what you are doing,” she said.
Above all, Williams wants parents to know that, thanks to the latest directory, a new path is open to them.
“It doesn’t matter where you are or who you are. God can always be present in your life,” Williams said.
“Quite a lot of time we get the question ‘Do they really know?’ And yes, they really do. Sometimes you have to work with someone for four years, sometimes for a year. Sometimes you can support them straightaway on the Communion program.”
“Just don’t be afraid,” she concluded. “It is possible for everyone.”
[…]
By illuminating the fact that The Office Of The MUNUS is “forever”, Pope Benedict illuminated the fact that “The Holy Spirit was not promised to the successors of Peter that by His revelation they might make known new doctrine, but that by His assistance they might inviolably keep and faithfully expound the Revelation, the Deposit of Faith, delivered through the Apostles”.
Pope Benedict, by maintaining The Office Of The MUNUS, The Gift Of The Holy Ghost, The Gift Of Infallibility in regards to Faith And Morals, exposed the fact that there existed within the hierarchy of The Catholic Church a counterfeit magisterium that, in denying The Unity Of The Holy Ghost, The Spirit Of Perfect Divine Eternal Love Between The Father And His Only Begotten Son, Jesus The Christ, Who Must Proceed From Both The Father And His Only Begotten Son, Jesus The Christ, In The Ordered Communion Of Perfect Divine Eternal Complementary Love, The Most Holy Blessed Trinity, Pope Benedict exposed the fact that this counterfeit magisterium, which, in denying The Divinity of The Most Holy Blessed Trinity, was attempting to subsist within The One Body Of Christ, while denying The Most Holy Blessed Trinity, In The Unity Of The Holy Ghost, Is The Author Of Love, Of Life, And Of Marriage, and thus Pope Benedict exposed the fact that this counterfeit magisterium, in essence, existed in a state of apostasy, in complete contradiction to The Deposit Of Faith.
Dear Blessed Mother Mary, Mediatrix Of All Graces, Mirror of Justice And Destroyer Of All Heresy, Who Through Your Fiat, Affirmed The Filioque, and thus the fact that There Is Only One Son Of God, One Word Of God Made Flesh, One Lamb Of God Who Can Taketh Away The Sins Of The World, Our Only Savior, Jesus The Christ, thus there can only be, One Spirit Of Perfect Divine Eternal Complementary Love Between The Father And His Only Begotten Son, Jesus The Christ, Who Must Proceed From Both The Father And His Only Begotten Son, Jesus The Christ, In The Ordered Communion Of Perfect Divine Eternal Complementary Love, The Most Holy And Undivided Blessed Trinity (Filioque), hear our Prayer that your Immaculate Heart Will Triumph soon for the sake of Christ, His Church, all who will come to believe, and all our beloved prodigal sons and daughters, who, hopefully, will return to The One Body Of Christ, which exists From The Father, Through, With, And In His Only Son, Jesus The Christ, In The Unity Of The Holy Ghost (Filioque) Amen.
Cleverly (!) maybe not quite a “counterfeit magisterium,” but rather a deceptive rupture between intact and formal teachings which are never denied outright (the Magisterium), and actual practice–a schizophrenic ploy of indirect signaling, photo-ops and insinuation–and, as wisely anticipated by St. John Paul II in his encyclical Veritatis Splendor (1993):
“A separation, or even an opposition [!], is thus established in some cases between the teaching of the precept, which is valid and general, and the norm of the individual conscience, which would in fact make the final decision [no longer a ‘moral judgment’!] about what is good and what is evil. On this basis, an attempt is made to legitimize so-called ‘pastoral’ solutions contrary to the teaching of the Magisterium, and to justify a ‘creative’ hermeneutic according to which the moral conscience is in no way obliged, in every case, by a particular negative precept [thou shalt not!]”(n. 56).
And…
“This is the first time, in fact, that the Magisterium of the Church [!] has set forth in detail the fundamental elements of this [‘moral’] teaching, and presented the principles for the pastoral discernment necessary in practical and cultural situations which are complex and even crucial” (n. 115).
And,
“The Church is no way the author or the arbiter of this [‘moral’] norm” (n. 95).
ND: there is only ONE , HOLY, CATHOLIC & APOSTOLIC CHURCH. No parallel magisterium!
Powerful words ND.
“God’s Revolution” is not over yet?
God bless,
CN
Benedict XVI was a good and holy man. He was an inspired teacher whose
sermons, books and reflections touch even ordinary non-theologians. His resignation
was a much lamented setback for the Church.
We were blessed to have two great popes in my lifetime: John Paul II and
Benedict. John Paul II has reached sainthood; hopefully, Benedict will join him.
May I live to see that. !!
In his later years as Pope I became very fond of Benedict XVI- his teaching, graciousness and gentle spirit. I would very much like the Church to begin the long process in examining his cause, and if he measures up, his eventual canonization. In the mean time I will continue to evoke his intercession. I thank God for Benedict XVI!
Please!!! I love BXVI! But enough of the “spirit of Vat II” (note the lower case “s”) led rush to canonize every Pope nowadays! It’s downright scary who is in the batters box after BXVI!!!
Here we go again. Yet another Vatican II Pope canonized. Despite the moral wreckage which they helped–by their negligence–to bring about.
Heroic Sanctity? In someone who delivered us into the hands of Bergoglio?
I’m a huge fan of Ratzinger-Benedict and when I met him in 2003, he was humble and other oriented—not selfish. He might be a future doctor. But let’s hold off. Wisdom says don’t rush, no? Saint Therese took longer. Francis Xavier took far longer. Joan of Arc far longer. The Church thinks and acts in centuries, we used to hear. In my private prayer for nearly 3 years I’ve both prayed for his repose and beseeched his intercession. Give it the required time and trust with hope. Full investigation into his life, transparency. Abandonment.
I am convinced of Joseph Ratzinger/Pope Benedict XIV’s personal sanctity. His entire life will be carefully scrutinized, in order to ascertain heroic virtue. This man was a holy genius. Holy geniuses are few and far between.
Before he became pope, I was a so-so Catholic. As soon as he stepped out on the balcony of St.Peter’s Basilica on the day of his election, I was infused with a love for Jesus Christ and for the papacy. That’s the moment I delved into my Catholic faith with a sincere commitment. Not only did I read as much as I could of his writings, but I read the entire Bible, and entire Catechism of the Catholic Church, in order to be informed and educated about my own faith. This was the “Benedict effect” for me.
I was privileged to scratch the the surface of his opus: thirty-two books of his, and counting. His “Introduction to Christianity” is a recognized masterpiece. He leaves behind him a treasury of Catholic teaching, for generations of theologians to dissect, including all of his homilies and speeches. In fact, his musings on Good Friday, 2005, just before John Paul II’s death, clearly demonstrate that Ratzinger was nothing short of a prophet (reminiscent of St.Pope Paul VI’s prophetic voice in Humanae Vitae), discussing the filth that was in the Church and his comments about the “Dictatorship of Relativism” in his pre-conclave homily before his election as pope.
His quiet and humble demeanor was just one of his personal traits. When my beloved mother, who truly loved and respected him, died, I wrote him a five-page letter, in French (his mastery of French was exquisite, by the way). He wrote me back; I still have his letter (what a gift for me!). His sweet words and compassionate understanding touched me deeply.
I thank God for giving us this Holy Pope. I have no doubt that he will be declared a Doctor of the Church eventually.
Marie Brousseau: Catholic author, essayist, biologist and teacher
Author of “Defending Human Dignity: Catholic Answers to Gender, Abortion and Relativism
mariebrousseau.com
This business with Francis declaring that Benedict supported him and the “legalizing of homosexuality because it is not a heresy” -has to come to a reckoning, it seems to me.
Also to re-emphasize, it is bearing down on Pope Leo.
See references in my comments in the CWR news report on the removal of Bishop Strickland.
https://www.catholicworldreport.com/2023/11/11/breaking-pope-francis-relieves-strickland-of-his-duties-as-bishop-of-tyler/
Marie Brosseau above (5:09 p.m.) – Ditto. During JPII’s time, I swallowed the MSM’s slanderous portrayal of Ratzinger/Benedict. How could I have been such a sucker?
Eight days left on the Catechism in a Year!
Cleo above (4:21 am) – I understand exactly what you’re talking about. Secular media set the tone by their subjective narrative. They negatively, and falsely, influenced a lot of people.
They did the same thing with Pope Pius XII. It is essential to get informed through proper sources. For Pius XII, the Jewish community has exonerated him, thanks to numerous documentation of his heroic actions, such as hiding thousands of Rome’s Jewish men, women and children, in convents around the eternal city, and at Castel Gandolfo.
For Benedict, the whole episode of his being enrolled in the “Hitler Youth” was a pernicious attempt to smear his good name. I discuss this very aspect of the subjectivity of MSM, in my essay called “The insidiousness of subjectivity”. I also devote space about Ratzinger’s views on the dictatorship of relativism in my book (Defending Human Dignity).
I have reviewed two of Ratzinger’s works, “The Spirit of the Liturgy” and his timeless “Introduction to Christianity”, on Goodreads (I am also a Goodreads author). I will soon be reviewing another of his masterpieces, “Jesus of Nazareth”, the first in his trilogy on Jesus, which he wrote as Pope Benedict XVI.
I highly recommend all of his writings to everyone: if you want to know this man’s mind, heart and soul, read his books. His autobiography, “Milestone”, was published in 1998:he recounts the first fifty years of his life, covering his childhood in Nazi Germany, forced service in Hitler Youth and the army, his calling to the priesthood, his theological studies, experiences at Vatican II, professorship, and rise in the Church up to 1977, offering deep personal insights into his formation and faith. Another gem is “The Ratzinger Report” (1985), in which he frankly discussed the state of the Church. His interviews with journalist Peter Sewald are also very insightful, especially “Salt of the Earth” (1997).
For insights into the bias of secular media,and other topics, such as “Lying by Omission” and the use of language to distort the truth (“Truth and Language”), you can read my essays which are posted on my Blog page, on my website (mariebrousseau.com), anytime.