Parishes

This service SUPPORTS deaf people in parishes and signers for masses, meetings and events especially for the sacraments of the Church. Priests can communicate with deaf people effectively if they understand what this service is about.

The service provides means to allow deaf people to be made to feel welcome into the Catholic Church through various communication skills like sign language and spoken English with hard of hearing people although they are still deaf when receptive.

Deaf and hard of hearing people still struggle to pick up what priests are saying during masses due to faulty loop systems or amplifiers and no signing. There's no quick solution to this problem as the Church is sound based.

Some deaf people prefer to keep a low profile and just agree with what was said so that there's no complication or embarrassment. Sadly, this leads to difficulties later. During Mass deaf people need to focus on the altar to know what is happening and it is therefore impossible for them to follow the missal or hymn book at the same time.

Microphones on the reading stand could be too high and block readers' mouths making it difficult to lip-read and large plants near the altar prevent priests from being seen. The service would suggest visual solutions but they are forgotten afterward.

Priests would prefer deaf people to be in parishes, which is good but they still need some insight to communicate with them.

When priests try to teach deaf people what they mean is different from deaf descriptive meaning.

Deaf people have their own way of life and want to be accepted as they are rather than to be fixed or cured.

The best way would be to allow deaf people to be taught the catechism, prayers and responses for mass, using either sign language and lip-reading through courses provided by this service at places where there are signed masses. This gives opportunities for deaf people to be empowered and through trained signers, can ask their parish priests to make simple adjustments for access to the sacraments and the Word of God with ease.

Please contact us when you are aware of someone or a family in your parish in need of baptism, confession, first Holy Communion, confirmation, marriage and funerals, so that the service can improve relationship between priests, parishes, deaf and hard of hearing people.

(It is essential to understand the visual intellect of the 'eye' people to make progress in life)