At first, Jaden Britton’s parents had one goal: to get their son baptized; and even that seemingly simple objective sometimes felt unobtainable. At the time when his parents began their pursuit, the young boy with autism could not read, could not write, and often struggled to sit still — all qualities that made typical faith formation classes difficult. Nonetheless, on Jan. 17, through the grace of God and the efforts of Jaden, his parents, and the staff of St. Joseph Catholic Parish in Richardson, the 12 year old celebrated not only his baptism but his first Communion and confirmation too.
Disabilities
Ministry leaders from five parishes gathered at St. Raphael Retreat Center June 16-18 for a time of reflection and formation as part of the official launch of the Diocese of Dallas’ Community of Disciples initiative, a multi-year effort initiated by Bishop Edward J. Burns and led by Senior Director Ministries Peter J. Ductrám, to foster a welcoming environment and sense of belonging for persons with disabilities.
Together, Vizcarra and Dávila, originally from Mexico, found the doors open to cultivate their path of service to the Church 15 years ago when they arrived at Blessed Sacrament Parish and met the Missionary Sisters of Charity, who were then serving at that parish in East Dallas.
The Xavier Society for the Blind is celebrating 125 years of helping generations of Catholics, either blind or vision-impaired, participate in worship through braille texts, large-type books, and audio books.
The Diocese of Dallas has ushered in a transformative chapter in its ministry to persons with disabilities with the appointment of Melissa Waldon as director of the Office for Persons with Disabilities.
Parents of children with disabilities are a valuable part of the community of faith and are worthy of support and accompaniment from the Church, Peter Ductrám said.