April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
HOLY CROSS, MORRIS
Young Catholics with special needs receive sacraments
"Forever!"
That's how long 24-year-old Courtney Birdsall says she'd been waiting to receive her First Communion.
During Lent, she finally did something about it: While attending Mass at Holy Cross parish in Morris, she asked her uncle if she could prepare for the sacrament. He and her mother checked with the parish life director and pastor, and they enthusiastically agreed.
Ms. Birdsall has disabilities - doctors are unsure whether to call them cerebral palsy or an autism spectrum disorder - that affect her speech and behavior. She also has a degenerative eye disease that's leading to blindness. She tried to participate in faith formation classes as a child, but the lack of special education aide made it difficult for her to learn. She attended Mass throughout her life without receiving the sacraments.
To prepare her for the Eucharist, her uncle, Mike Stensland, and his nine-year-old daughter, Ivy, spent several weeks going over materials with Ms. Birdsall about the sign of the cross, the meaning of the sacrament, prayers and more.
They discussed "making good choices, [like] don't tell a lie or steal," Ms. Birdsall said. She also learned to "love God, pray [and] be caring."
Ms. Birdsall finally received communion at Easter.
"It was awesome!" she enthused. "I felt like I had Jesus in me."
The event was special for everyone.
"You could just see the joy in her," Mr. Stensland said. "Her face lit up. After that, I think she felt part of the whole community in church. It was a moving experience."
Ms. Birdsall likes to sing in church and can read along if the type is big enough. She said she prays before bed and said she likes "when the priest puts his hands up" during the consecration of the Eucharist.
"I think she really can feel the presence" of God, Mr. Stensland said.
Ms. Birdsall spends some weekends at a group home in Binghamton. She volunteers sorting clothes at a Salvation Army thrift store and cleans at her parents' eyeglasses business.
JILLIAN'S STORY
The first time Jillian Kolberg's confirmation was supposed to take place, she wasn't feeling well. The second time, there was no heat at Holy Cross parish in Morris, and the sacramental oils froze.
"The third time was a charm," said Ms. Kolberg's father, Thomas.
Ms. Kolberg, 21, was confirmed during Lent after her family waited a year for approval from the Bishop to have a priest administer the sacrament. She has autism and thrives in her small parish's environment.
On the big day, "she handled it very well," Mr. Kolberg said. "We were very elated. The community's very accepting and supportive [and they] treat her with trust, respect and love."
Ms. Kolberg had already been baptized and received her First Communion; her father said she can identify statues of Jesus and Mary when they go to Mass and knows responses.
"Her simple innocence is a witness to people without her even realizing it," Mr. Kolberg said. "We believe the effects of the sacrament are present regardless of your understanding of the theology behind it."
Ms. Kolberg did not have preparation for her confirmation because "as far as we can tell, she's incapable of sin," her father said. "She lives by simplicity and she's dependent. These are her gifts. She's as prepared as anybody to receive the gift" of the Holy Spirit.
"People like Jillian," he continued, "maybe are unable to contribute to the economy of the marketplace, but they do contribute in a unique way to the economy of salvation. A lot of people help her and they don't all know Christ. It causes them to reflect, in some cases, on their own lives. One of her caregivers joined RCIA," the program for non-Catholics who wish to join the Catholic Church.
Ms. Kolberg lives at a residence for individuals with developmental disabilities and spends weekends with her parents.[[In-content Ad]]
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