Restraining order keeps autistic 13-year-old out of Minnesota church

Published: 2008-05-22

BERTHA, Minn. (CNS) -- An Eagle Bend mother has been cited with violating a May 9 temporary restraining order that prohibits her and her husband from bringing their autistic 13-year-old son onto the property of St. Joseph Church in Bertha. Carol Race received a citation from a Todd County sheriff's deputy May 15, four days after she and her family were at Mass at the parish. She appeared in court May 19 to answer the charge but received a continuance in the case until June 2 so she could hire an attorney. The restraining order came as a surprise, Race said. "I'm just a mom with a kid who wants to go to church on Sunday," she said. "The Mass is the source and summit of Christian life," she added. "This is about implementing church teaching." Father Daniel Walz, St. Joseph's pastor, sought the order in Todd County District Court, according to a May 16 statement from the parish, "as a last resort out of a growing concern for the safety of parishioners and other community members due to disruptive and violent behavior" on the part of Adam Race, the son of St. Joseph parishioners John and Carol Race. Jane Marrin, parish spokeswoman, said that Adam's behavior in the church and his parents' inability to control it, not his disability, prompted the court action.

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