Holy Family Parish receives inaugural Catholics Can Award

Intermountain Catholic

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(From left) Holy Family parishioner Carol Ann Imhoff, a member of the Diocesan Commission for People with Disabilities, and Bill Hamilton, chairman of the Holy Family Parish Building Committee, accept the Catholics Can Award on behalf of their parish. Also shown the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City and Carol Ruddell, chairperson of the Diocesan Commission for people with Disabilities. IC photo/Marie Mischel

WEST JORDAN — The Catholic faith acknowledges that there are crosses to bear, trials to endure and sufferings to take on, "but even with all those realities, God is there and there’s reason for hope and joy and gratitude," said the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, during his homily for the annual Catholics Can Mass, which celebrates those with disabilities.

"Life is difficult," he added. "That’s a fact. You can’t get around it. And any human being that we encounter has struggles of one kind or another that have to be endured. But the key is for us to hold fast to our hope that is in Jesus Christ."

Bishop Wester, who concelebrated the Mass with Saint Joseph the Worker pastor Father Patrick Carley and Saint Thomas More pastor Father David Van Massenhove, also thanked those who attended the Sept. 24 celebration for reminding everyone that, despite the challenges they encounter, "God is good, God is with us….that there’s always reason to be grateful, to be joyful, and blessed."

After the Mass, which was Sept. 24 at St. Joseph the Worker Parish, Bishop Wester presented the inaugural Catholics Can Award. The award, from the diocesan Commission for People with Disabilities, is meant "to recognize either a person or an organization or parish that goes out of its way to fully integrate people with disabilities into the parish community," said Carol Ruddell, the commission’s chairperson.

Holy Family Parish in Ogden was the recipient of the award.

"They have gone totally out of their way to include people with disabilities," Ruddell said, including having a level entry that doesn’t require a ramp from the parking lot, a ramp onto the altar for lay ministers, and headsets for the sound system so that a person who is hard of hearing can listen to the Mass without background noise. All of the parish center’s classrooms have wide, easy open doors to accommodate those with physical disabilities or wheelchairs.

In addition, one of the people who nominated the parish said "‘the best part is the friendly and courteous ushers who let us take their arm,’" Ruddell said. "It sounds like they’ve gone out of their way to train their hospitality staff and ushers as well."

The commission decided to create the award as a way of recognizing the good things that are occurring at parishes. Many good things are happening, Ruddell said; for example, at the recent Diocesan Pastoral Congress workshops on how to welcome people with disabilities, they had their highest attendance ever. With all that is happening throughout the diocese to welcome those with disabilities, she is hoping for many nominations for next year’s award.