4 North Jersey Churches Resume Mass For People With Disabilities

NEWARK, NJ — Four parishes in the Archdiocese of Newark have resumed their “inclusive family Masses” for people with disabilities, spokespeople announced Wednesday.

The archdiocese, which serves 1.3 million Catholic residents of Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union counties, said Wednesday that its inclusive, monthly Masses have resumed.

Archdiocese spokespeople released the following details about the specially adapted Masses:

“Though parishioners with disabilities are welcome and encouraged to attend their local parish Masses every week, these Inclusive Family Masses are offered to accommodate anyone who feels uncomfortable at the prospect of their loved one with a disability making noise or moving around at inopportune moments. The Masses are shorter, and some do not have music because some individuals with disabilities find it unpleasant. Above all, the hope is that Inclusive Family Masses foster a sense of acceptance and solidarity among families impacted by disability and also facilitate comfort participating in their parish’s regularly scheduled Masses and life.”

“Celebrating the Eucharist is an essential part of our Catholic faith, but many individuals with disabilities and those who love them don’t attend Mass because they may have had a bad experience,” said Anne Masters, director of the Department for Pastoral Ministry with Persons with Disabilities.

“We offer the Inclusive Family Masses so they don’t have to worry about making extra noises or the need to move around,” Masters added.

The full 2021-22 Inclusive Family Mass schedule includes:

Here’s how the Masses got started, archdiocese spokespeople said:

“The Inclusive Family Masses, which are offered annually from September through June, originated in 2006 as an initiative of the Church of the Nativity in Midland Park. After seeing the parish’s success connecting with congregation members with disabilities, the Archdiocese brought the Masses to several of its other parishes in 2008. The goal of the Inclusive Family Masses is to encourage parishioners with disabilities to feel comfortable with the liturgy’s format so they can resume attending regularly scheduled Masses in their parish weekly.”

It isn’t just people with disabilities and their families who stand to benefit from the program, Masters pointed out.

“Once persons with disabilities feel comfortable attending their regular parish Mass after attending the Inclusive Family Mass, the rest of the parish community can get to know them and know that all should be equally valued and welcomed,” Masters said.

“Some of our parish communities may need help with practicing this,” Masters added.

To learn more about Inclusive Family Masses and other services offered by the Department for Pastoral Ministry with Persons with Disabilities, visit www.rcan.org/disabilities.

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