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GRACE Ministry

- God Recognizes All His Children Equally
  
  GRACE Ministry Mission Statement
  Saint Gregory the Great and the G.R.A.C.E. (God Recognizes All His Children Equally) Ministry, in fulfilling the implementation of the Pastoral Statement of the United States Catholic Bishops on Persons with Disabilities, will serve as an advocate to create an environment in our church community that fully recognizes the dignity, rights, and potential of our brothers and sisters with disabilities. We will strive for full inclusion of persons with disabilities in the life of the parish.
  
  We will fulfill our Mission Statement by:
  
  Supporting families and all those affected by disabilities through Support Groups and by offering effective catechesis.
  
  Educating all to use their God-given gifts and talents in our parish community.
  
  Providing a welcoming atmosphere through the use of adaptive materials and worship.
  
  In Romans 13: 9 Jesus calls us to love our neighbors as ourselves. He calls us to welcome and include, to reach out in charity and love to all, especially including our brothers and sisters living with a disability or a disabling condition. Recently, a small task force was formed to review how accessible our parish is for people living with disabilities and other special needs. We examined these issues from the perspective of age: children, young people, the elderly; we considered disabling conditions, injuries, and illnesses; we looked at psychological, cognitive, and physical impairments, mental illness, and addiction. We asked ourselves whether the Church of St. Gregory the Great is meeting the needs of individuals living with these kinds of challenges and brainstormed ways we might improve our efforts to ensure that our faith community is one in which we all can gather to celebrate and draw strength from God's presence in our lives.
  
  The task force identified four main areas in which action could be taken right away:
  
  Establish a Parent Support Group within the parish
  
  Create a new ministry in the parish devoted to a continual assessment of our progress in addressing Jesus' mandate to love our neighbors as ourselves.
  
  Modify one weekend Mass (beginning Pentecost 2015) to accommodate parishioners whose conditions are triggered or escalated by certain sensory elements like bright lights, loud vocals or music, the use of incense, etc.
  
  Develop a team of volunteer helpers or buddies to help students in our parish Religious Education Program who might benefit from assistance in the classroom.
  
  The Parent Support group will hereafter be called the Children Accepted, Recognized, and Educated Group or C.A.R.E. for short. The CARE Group will meets regularly on and off campus. All are welcome to attend.
  
  Moving forward, the task force will be known as GRACE Ministry, with GRACE an acronym standing for God Recognizes All His Children Equally. Grace Ministry meetings will be announced in the bulletin. All are welcome to attend.
  
  Other improvements will be made over time. Look for a "GRACE Notes" column from the Grace Ministry in the bulletin and online in the weeks to come. Please pray for the success of our CARE Group for parents, as well as for our ongoing loving concern for one another, the Body of Christ.
  
  For more information about the Ministry and how you can be involved, please contact Ceil Gallucci at otceil@optonline.net or 609-586-0635.

GRACE Ministry

GRACE Ministry Mission Statement