Priest to enlarge ministry to deaf

The Albany Diocese has reached all the way to India to improve its ministry to Catholics with hearing difficulties.

Although he is not hearing-impaired himself, Rev. Ronald D'Souza is a former teacher at a school for the deaf in India and a graduate of Gallaudet University in Washington, D.C., a school primarily aimed at educating people with hearing problems.

He is currently interning with Rev. James Clark, chaplain of the diocesan Catholic Deaf Apostolate and pastor of St. Jude's parish in Wynantskill. Father D'Souza is helping to implement expanded pastoral services to people who are deaf and hard of hearing.

He comes to the area after teaching at a school for the deaf in India, where at first, it was difficult for the priest, who spoke five languages, to communicate with students. He said that he "had the attitude that the deaf are disabled, that they have limitations."

His views began to shift when he met the parents of incoming students. Ninety percent of them had normal hearing -- and were unaware of the nature of deafness.

"They did not know what to do with their children," he said. "That hit me. They think they can go to the hospitals and fix them."

Disability?

In India, a nation with dozens of official and unofficial languages, deafness can be far more of a disability than it is in the U.S., the priest explained.

Because there is no official sign language in India, deaf children attend separate schools where they learn such skills as lip-reading along with regular lessons in math, science, reading and writing. There are very few interpreters, which makes mainstreaming deaf children into regular schools -- almost a given in American practice -- close to impossible. Other special services, such as transportation and sign-language interpreters at public events, are nonexistent.

Father D'Souza remembers telling fellow students at Gallaudet that they were "lucky." At Gallaudet, American Sign Language (ASL) and Signed Spoken English (SSE), two of the most popular signed languages in America, are used in classrooms and social situations.

"I said, 'You don't know how lucky you are,'" he recalled. "Life is not the same everywhere."

Different viewpoint

Gallaudet students -- and many more Americans with hearing difficulties -- do not consider themselves disabled, the priest said. Instead, they regard themselves as a minority with a distinct culture and established language. He noted that many hearing people are not aware of that view, causing "a gap in understanding" between the two parties.

In America, he added, parents are educated as to the causes and nature of deafness. Their children are mainstreamed into regular public and private schools, where interpreters are on hand to translate. Arts centers, theaters and convention halls regularly provide interpreters for plays and musical events. Television programs are closed-captioned; and, in many cases, instant-messaging and cell-phone text messages have become an important factor in how deaf teens interact with their friends.

Very little of that assistance can be found in India, said Father D'Souza.

Pitching in

Until April, when he returns to India, Father D'Souza will assist Father Clark with expanding ministry to the deaf in the Diocese, especially in areas where translated Masses and gatherings for parishioners who are deaf have never occurred.

"I would like to make the deaf feel at home in the Church and enable them to participate in Church activities," Father D'Souza said. "This is our hope. How far we will get, we don't know. It takes time."

At St. Jude's, a small deaf community comes together for Mass and social events. He hopes that can be imitated in other parts of the Diocese. Current plans include enrichment sessions, a Christmas gathering and a celebration in January to commemorate the feast of St. Francis de Sales, the patron of people who are deaf. Also, the Apostolate hopes to introduce programs on a regional level and to bring Bible study classes to rural regions.

"We need to find ways to reach the deaf in their own faith communities," Father D'Souza said. "As we get to know more and more people, we can find out what their needs are and meet them."

(Six parishes in the Albany Diocese offer Masses in ASL: St. Vincent de Paul and St. James in Albany, St. Madeleine Sophie in Guilderland, St. Paul in Schenectady, St. Jude in Wynantskill and St. Mary's in Glens Falls. For information, contact the Catholic Deaf Ministry, 283-1162. The fax/TDD number is 286-2808. Email [email protected].)

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