By Paula Day

The lector signed the readings. An “interpreter” for the hearing stood at the side and read aloud the words. The celebrant simultaneously signed and voiced the liturgy’s words.

These adjustments made the point at a recent Mass that “you don’t minister to deaf persons, you minister with them,” a point Father Rene Robert, OFM, tries to emphasize.

The priest representative for the Southeast from the National Catholic Office for the Deaf celebrated Masses at Transfiguration and Corpus Christi parishes April 22. In an afternoon meeting he shared ideas abut deaf ministry with an estimated 30 people interested in the ministry in the archdiocese.

The Washington-based Franciscan later met with Archbishop Eugene A. Marino, SSJ. Atlanta is one of the 13 diocese in the region he has visited since his appointment last fall as regional representative for the NCOD.

“Of all the places I’ve visited so fare,” he noted, “Atlanta is the most organized and has the greatest number of volunteers really interested in this ministry.”

Among the needs for ministry with the deaf in the archdiocese voiced by the group is someone to coordinate the organizations and volunteers already working, Father Robert explained. This person could also act as liaison between the archdiocese and the NCOD. Hearing impaired persons should be in leadership roles in the ministry, he added.

The group also expressed the need for a specifically assigned priest to minister spiritually to the hearing impaired.

Father Bill Hoffman, pastor of St. Michael’s parish in Gainesville, has been available for several months to celebrate the sacrament of reconciliation with the hearing impaired. He plans again to take American Sign Language courses this summer to improve his signing abilities.

“The group who brainstormed with Father Robert has to pick up the ball,” Father Hoffman said, “and continue to get together as well as take their ideas to church leaders.”

“A tremendous communication gap exists,” Father Hoffman explained, making it necessary to plan activities and events for the hearing impaired well in advance because it is to hard to get information to them.

The priest sees value in having a specific person designated to represent the deaf Catholic community, “someone vested in their cause in whom they can have confidence.”

Those who met with Father Robert suggested that educational and spiritual opportunities be offered in American Sign Language. ASL is considered “their” language by the deaf. These opportunities could include leadership workshops, retreats and Cursillos.

One area “that has not been touched,” according to Father Robert, is religious education for the deaf. In addition to young people mainstreamed in Georgia’s public and private schools, the deaf population in the Georgia School for the Deaf in Cave Springs and the Atlanta Area School for the Deaf in Stone Mountain have formal religious education program. Jane Connelly Goodwin, ASL interpreter for the Church of St. Ann, believes Corpus Christi is the only parish in the archdiocese with religious education classes for deaf children.

Ideally each parish would also have an advocate for the deaf, Father Robert said.

Father Robert has worked for 25 years with the hearing impaired, first as a Franciscan brother, then as a deacon, and since last spring as priest. His involvement has included being religious education coordinator for the West Pennsylvania School for the Deaf in Pittsburgh and teacher at St. John’s School for the Deaf in Milwaukee. In 1975-76 he served on a steering committee to develop plans for the National Catholic Office for the Deaf. He was a presenter in 1985 at a regional three-day workshop for the deaf held at Corpus Christi.