In Communion: Advancing the Full Participation of Persons with Disabilities in the Church
A Webinar Series on Disability, Belonging, and the Church
Thursdays: March 7, 14, 21, April 11, 18, 25. All sessions will take place from 3:00 - 4:30 ET
The McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame and the National Catholic Partnership on Disability will offer education in the form of six online seminars to Church leadership in relation to the new pastoral statement being written by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, Committee on Laity, Marriage, Family Life, and Youth, on disability, belonging, and the Church.
Seminar 1: A New Pastoral Statement on Disability - March 7
Session 1 - What is a pastoral statement?
Presenter: Siobahn Verbeek, JCL, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
Session 2 - Analysis of the existing pastoral statement
Presenter: Sr. Kathleen Schipani, IHM, Archdiocese of Philadelphia
Session 3 - The possibilities of a new pastoral statement
Presenter: Charleen Katra, M.A., National Catholic Partnership on Disability
Session 4: Developing the pastoral statement: Hopes and challenges
Panelists: Sr. Kathleen Schipani, IHM, Charleen Katra, M.A.
Seminar 2: Understanding Disability - March 14
Session 1 - Understanding the concept of disability generally
Presenter: Michael Waddell, Ph.D., St. Mary’s College
Session 2 - Understanding the concept of persons with disabilities generally
Presenter: Jana Bennett, Ph.D. , University of Dayton
Session 3 - Understanding persons with disabilities personally
Panelists: Katie, Aracelly, John & Michele
Session 4 - A synthesis of learning about disability
Presenter: JD Flynn, JCL, Pillar Catholic
Seminar 3: The Church and a Vision for Full Participation - March 21
Session 1 - The Church and Disability
Presenter: Susan Windley-Daoust, Ph.D., Diocese of Winona-Rochester
Session 2 - The Church as One Body
Presenter: Archbishop Emeritus Joseph E. Kurtz, D.D.
Session 3 - A vision for Inclusion within the Church: Catholic Social Teaching
Presenter: David Cloutier, Ph.D., The Catholic University of America
Seminar 4: The Participation of Church Members with Disabilities: Learning from Exemplars - April 11
Session 1 - Case Study #1: Nick Becker
Discussant – Shawn Storer, M.Div., Holy Cross College
Session 2 - Case Study #2: Fr. Paul Zirimenya, Diocese of Sacramento
Discussant – Mary O’Meara, Archdiocese of Washington, D.C.
Session 3 - Case Study #3: Lorna DesRoses, M.A., Archdiocese of Boston
Discussant – Bob Furtado
Seminar 5: Toward the Full Participation of Persons with Disabilities in the Church - April 18
Session 1 - The role of listening in inclusion
Presenter: Clare Kilbane, Ph.D., McGrath Institute, University of Notre Dame
Session 2 - Inclusion and belonging as a step toward communion
Presenters: Charleen Katra, M.A. Julia Whitney, M.A., National Catholic Partnership on Disability, Miguel Romero, Th.D., St. Louis University
Session 3 - Addressing barriers to full participation with creativity
Presenters: Peg Kolm, Archdiocese of Washington; Tom Welch, Rosaria Communities
Session 4 - Inclusion: What it takes to get it right
Panelists: Michael Waddell, Ph.D., Jana Bennett, Ph.D., Lorna DesRosas, M.A.
Seminar 6: The Church and its Role in the Culture - April 25
Session 1 - Mental Health – Special considerations with disability
Presenter: Beth Hlabse, M.A., LMHCA, McGrath Institute, University of Notre Dame
Session 2: Advocating for a culture of life: a focus on before birth and in medicine and at the end of life
Presenter: Mary O’Callaghan, Ph.D., , McGrath Institute, University of Notre Dame, Marie Hilliard, M.S., M.A., JCL, Ph.D., R.N., D.M., National Catholic Center for Bioethics
Session 3 - Advocating for a culture of life: Advocacy for persons with disabilities after birth
Presenter: Elizabeth Schiltz, J.D., University of St. Thomas
Session 4 - Looking back and moving forward: The pastoral statement and beyond
Presenter: Bishop Robert Barron, Diocese of Winona-Rochester