14.11.2013
Disability Sunday to be Marked in St Werburgh’s and All Saints’ Grangegorman
Next Sunday, November 17 2013, has been designated “Disability Sunday” and parishes have been asked to recognise the plight of those who are deaf or hard of hearing. In St Werburgh’s Church (10.00am) and again in All Saints’ Grangegorman (11.30am) the preacher will be Helen Gorman who is Parish Reader in the Christ Church Cathedral group of parishes.
While Helen is neither deaf nor hard of hearing, she has a permanent tracheostomy for over 20 years and such has difficulty on occasions having her voice heard! Helen will highlight the need for everyone to be included in church life regardless of their personal disability with emphasis on the deaf and hard of hearing community.
Helen Gorman states, in relation to her lay ministry within the Church “If I can encourage people to look beyond their ‘disability’ and think well if she can do it maybe I can, then I will have achieved something worthwhile”.
In her sermon, Helen goes on to say, “we are being encouraged to think of how we can help deaf people to participate fully in parish life and worship and as well as in day to day things. Just over a month ago Archbishop Jackson highlighted the need for inclusion of everyone in all parishes in these united dioceses. The Christian message has always been one of inclusion and it is at the very heart of everything Christ has taught us. St Paul in his Epistle to the Thessalonians tells them and us to follow the example of Christ, during his earthly life and ministry. He saw each person as being worthy of His love regardless of their disabilities. He himself knew what it was like to live on the outskirts of a community, he gathered those around Him those who were not socially acceptable. He made the deaf to hear. I like to think that He did this so that they could hear the word of God, although the deaf hear with their eyes and listen with their hearts, they know of the love of God, they see it all around them in this wonderful world He has created. God does not make any difference in His love for them and us. He welcomes each and every one to receive Him at the altar in the Eucharist, and that is the greatest example of inclusion for us to follow”.
Part of Helen’s sermon will be signed (BSL) by Karen Pierpoint (working as a genetic counsellor in Belfast), who began learning sign language just 18 months ago.