By Jay Sorgi / Correspondent
Catherine Gonzalez admits her faith was tested more than 20 years ago when she and her husband first discovered their sons had autism.
“We didn’t know what autism was. We were a young couple,” Gonzalez said, reflecting on her sons’ diagnosis. “We felt that God was gone, like He disappeared from our life. But in the midst of all that, we became more faithful.”
That faith in God was something the Gonzalezes also wanted for their sons, Gabriel and Jory, who are now ages 22 and 21, respectively.
“As a parent, you really want for your kid to get to know God,” she said, “and I always wondered if they would.”
That prayer was answered this spring when Gabriel and Jory received the Sacraments of Confirmation and First Communion.
“Little miracles happen throughout your life. God places a person in your life, and you don’t even know the great meaning,” said Gonzalez, of Saint Katharine Drexel Parish in Egg Harbor Township.
Her “little miracle” was Chris Devaney, a member of Saint Damien Parish in Ocean City. He has 48 years of experience working in the field of developmental disabilities, including with the State of New Jersey.
“Eighty percent of people with disabilities, especially ones with more significant needs, never made any of the sacraments,” Devaney said. To help lower that statistic, he has made it a mission to help Catholics with developmental disabilities come fully into the Catholic Church.
“I want them to be included, respected and full members of the Church,” he said. “This is a ministry. God’s setting this plan in place, and the Holy Spirit is running the show.”
To that end, he was on hand in early May when five people with special needs received the Sacrament of Confirmation at Saint Augustine Church, Saint Damien Parish, as well as later that month for a Communion Service. The parish is one of two that hosts a Mass of Welcome and Inclusion during April, Autism Awareness Month, with the support of VITALity Catholic HealthCare Services of the Diocese of Camden.
From sensory-friendly Masses to assistance with religious education and the sacraments, Devaney works with special-needs Catholics from various parishes – all with the help of Father Thomas Newton, Saint Damien’s pastor.
Gonzalez vividly remembers when Devaney first approached her about her sons’ sacraments. “He said, ‘You want your boys to do their First Communion and Confirmation? I’m like, ‘Are you kidding me? We can still do this?’ He said, ‘We can do it.’ He was so excited.’”
As for her sons: “They knew something special was happening. They knew that it was all about them and God,” Gonzalez said. “It was just joyous. Everyone was on common ground.”
John Torcasio of Saint Damien Parish can relate. His son, Michael, who is autistic and nonverbal, was baptized as a baby. “But I didn’t think anything would happen as far as other sacraments were concerned.”
“Devaney, many years later, had spoken to us about the possibility of Michael receiving more sacraments,” he continued. “I was concerned about Confession, but … they had me go back through Michael’s life and jot down things that Michael did. Father Tom went over this. I saw him put his hands on Michael’s shoulders, and he absolved Michael from his sins.”
Amy Beattie’s 24-year-old daughter, Grace, has apraxia of speech and limb. Seeing her younger sister going to religious education upset Grace, as she wanted an opportunity to grow in her faith, too.
Then Devaney entered their lives. “Mr. Chris jumped right in and said, ‘Let’s fix it.’ Grace was confirmed and received First Holy Communion and Reconciliation in a very short period of time,” Beattie said.
“The most beautiful thing of all of it is how welcome and included we all feel,” she added.
Included is how Joanie Tyrrell, 36, felt when she was able to continue her sacraments journey. When Joanie was making her First Communion about 30 years ago, her parish didn’t have religious education classes for people with special needs, explained her mother, Jeannie. The family is from Saint Maximilian Kolbe Parish, Marmora.
Devaney had been working with Joanie to ensure she would be able to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in the spring from Bishop Joseph Williams – or as she calls him, “that man with the red hat.”
“I was crying in my heart. I was so happy that I became a full Catholic [that night],” said Joanie, who had a stroke at birth. “It’s a blessing.”
Nicole Keefer, executive director of Vitality Catholic Healthcare Services, was present at that Confirmation in early May.
“I have been to many a Confirmation,” she said. “I don’t know that I’ve ever been to one that was as moving as that. I know how important it is for you to feel included and not judged, and that doesn’t always happen when you bring together families with special needs. It was just a testament to faith for me.”
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