Priest's goal is to give deaf Catholics a hearing

Some people deliberately turn a deaf ear to the Word of God while others yearn to hear it but are prevented from doing so by deafness.

Making the liturgy and the sacraments more meaningful to those with hearing problems is the goal of Rev. James Clark, chaplain of the Catholic Deaf Ministry. He is also administrator of St. Catherine's parish in Middleburgh.

Since assuming his duties with the deaf ministry last July, Father Clark has been keeping an ear to the ground, listening intently to ideas and suggestions for improving ministries to hearing-impaired parishioners in the Albany Diocese.

Among his first actions was to establish a special commission of about a dozen individuals, including those with varying degrees of deafness as well as parents, friends and advocates of deaf parishioners.

"I did not want to work in a vacuum, so I made it a point to include as many deaf individuals and spokespersons as possible," said Father Clark. "This was the only way I felt certain I'd be able to truly understand and appreciate the needs and concerns of the hearing impaired."

Those on the commission have not hesitated to give him an earful. In addition to expressing a desire for more American Sign Language (ASL) interpreted Masses, commission members have requested greater assistance in helping the hearing impaired prepare for the sacraments.

The possibility of offering Scripture-sharing sessions and retreats for the deaf has also been raised for discussion. There is interest, as well, in exploring ways of empowering deaf parishioners to take a more active role in parish life as Eucharistic ministers, lectors and catechists who specialize in serving the hearing impaired.

At the present time, ASL-interpreted Masses are celebrated at St. Vincent de Paul in Albany, St. Thomas the Apostle in Delmar, St. Pius X in Loudonville, St. James in Albany and St. Madeleine Sophie in Guilderland.

Father Clark, who has taken American Sign Language courses in Washington, D.C., and at the College of St. Rose in Albany, is optimistic that more parishes will add Masses and outreach programs to help those with hearing impairments as awareness of their special needs spreads.

"The Catholic Deaf Ministry, like everything else, has had its rises and falls over the years," he explained. "Right now, there seems to be a lot of interest, so this may well be the year when we'll see a lot of changes taking place in terms of the way the Church responds to their needs."

To better assess those needs, Father Clark and his commission have developed a survey which they are in the process of mailing to every pastor as well as to every deaf person (or advocate/guardian for a deaf person) they can identify in the Albany Diocese.

"We want to hear from as many people as possible who are either deaf or are close friends or relatives of someone who is deaf," Father Clark said. "We're networking everywhere we can so that any recommendations we make in the future will reflect the thoughts, feelings and opinions of the deaf community as a whole rather than those of just a few.

"Right now, we don't even know how many deaf people there are in the Diocese, how old they are, or where they live. We do know that there is a heavy concentration of hearing-impaired individuals in Albany and in Schenectady, but we have no idea how many deaf Catholics live in the suburbs and out in the rural areas."

Among Father Clark's hopes for the future are bringing people with hearing impairments together to have an annual interpreted Mass and retreats. In addition, he and other commission members are excited about "the possibility of empowering deaf people to minister themselves as lectors, Eucharistic ministers and catechists."

Another idea is to develop Scripture-sharing sessions that take place on an ecumenical basis -- especially in the Diocese's rural areas.

"Let's say there are only one or two deaf Catholics in a certain area," he explained. "Perhaps they could be joined by deaf Christians belonging to other churches in that area to form a group."

(04-10-97)

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