Sign of support sought

That gives a taste of how Helene and Alfred Anderson live. She is hard of hearing; he is deaf. They are one of approximately 500 families in the Albany Diocese with a member who is deaf.

The Evangelist spoke to the Andersons and their daughter, Bernadette Johnson (who also served as interpreter for the interview) about the frustrations of being deaf and Catholic in the Albany Diocese.

Finding services

ASL is not a word-for-word translation of speech; it is an official language all its own. According to the Andersons, there are only seven priests in the country who know it.

Many years ago, the Andersons said, a priest assigned to Holy Cross parish in Schenectady could sign the liturgy. Deaf and hard-of-hearing Catholics came from all over to attend Mass and socialize there. But when he left the priesthood, the Diocese's ministry to the deaf fell apart.

Stop-gap measures

The Andersons weren't among them. Even though they couldn't understand what was said at Mass without an interpreter, they continued to attend. Eventually, St. Brigid's parish in Watervliet began using a group of volunteer interpreters, and the Andersons trooped there each weekend. But not many deaf Catholics attended, and the interpreters gradually dropped out.

For a while, Bishop Howard J. Hubbard paid a priest from Syracuse who could sign to travel here each weekend and celebrate a Mass, but the Andersons said that only lasted about a year.

Filling the role

The Andersons applaud the priest's efforts. "We used to feel alone, but our parish makes us feel comfortable now," Mrs. Anderson remarked.

The couple trained to be Eucharistic ministers, although they admitted that it was hard to understand the training, since no interpreter was provided.

However, they said, Father Clark has a parish and school to run, and ministry to the deaf can only be part of his extremely busy schedule. The Andersons wished for a priest fluent in ASL who could serve deaf and hard-of-hearing Catholics full-time.

Difficult subject

Interpreters are the "second-best thing," said Mr. Anderson. But one problem with interpreters, the trio said, is that while the priest stands behind the altar at Mass, the interpreter has to stand off to the side. Deaf Catholics watching the interpreter -- St. James parish in Albany and St. Madeleine Sophie in Schenectady use this method -- often miss the priest's actions.

Besides, the Andersons said, the deaf need more than just an interpreter at Mass: Children need religious education; couples need marriage preparation or counseling; the sick need solace; the grieving need funeral Masses for loved ones led by a celebrant who can console them in their own language.

Wish

The Andersons have a simpler wish: that when a priest learns some ASL, he stays in the same parish so that the deaf community learns he's there and eventually begins to gather there.

"Try to keep the priests, not take them out of the parish," Mrs. Anderson urged. "After they learn sign language [and then are reassigned], you have to start all over again."

Besides, the trio said, having one parish where the deaf can get together helps them feel less alone.

"One church," Mr. Anderson signed emphatically. When that happens, he said, "you feel part of one community, rather than one deaf and all hearing."

(Contact the diocesan Catholic Deaf Ministry by email at [email protected], by fax/TDD at 286-2808 or by writing Rev. James Clark, St. Jude the Apostle parish, PO Box 347, Wynantskill, NY 12198-0347.)

(06-13-02) [[In-content Ad]]