The Diocese of Parramatta is deeply committed to fostering disability inclusion, a commitment reinforced by the Diocese’s new Pastoral Plan to build a warm, welcoming and inclusive Church. The plan emphasises the importance of listening to and supporting the vulnerable, highlighting the need to pay attention to those whose voices are often silenced, including people with disabilities, among others.
We cannot be indifferent to suffering; we cannot allow anyone to go through life as an outcast. Instead, we should feel indignant, challenged to emerge from our comfortable isolation and to be changed by our contact with human suffering. That is the meaning of dignity.
Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti, no. 68.
The Diocese of Parramatta’s Pastoral Plan states:
“The Word of God, constantly calls us to notice, to listen, to attend to stories of the vulnerable and those who suffer, often invisible, and whose voices are easily silenced and dismissed, such as the unborn, victims of sexual and domestic violence, those with a disability, the sick, the dispossessed, the frail, aged, refugees, people seeking asylum, and those suffering mental ill-health.”
Each year on 3 December, in observance of International Day for People with Disabilities, the Diocese raises awareness about the needs of people living with disabilities and their families. This initiative is highlighted in the Diocesan Pastoral Plan.
The Ephpeta Centre provides support for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, and hearing loops are available at selected parishes. A ‘table talk’ in 2024 hosted in collaboration with House of Welcome, Jesuit Refugee Service Australia, and the Multicultural Disability Advocacy Association of NSW brought more than 30 people together across the Diocese in Blacktown about social topics including disability.
A special needs support group for children at The Good Shepherd Parish Plumpton is fostering community and disability awareness through fun, friendship and prayer.
There is always more to be done, and the Diocese of Parramatta continues to encourage and support initiatives for disability inclusion in the Catholic Church.