Father Walsh ministered to the whole family, not just disabled

While they move forward, Celia Méndez and Aurora Martínez could use some help from their brothers and sisters in Christ.

On Sunday, Aug. 2, at 11 a.m., the Office of Ministry and Life Enrichment for the Disabled is hosting a “Celebration of Life” in memory of Father Walsh. Bishop Michael Mulvey will celebrate Mass at the Immaculate Conception Chapel on the campus of St. John Paul II High School, followed by a program at the school’s Cafetorium.

Father Walsh was renowned in the national Catholic community for his pioneering work with the deaf. He was called “a fiery advocate on behalf of Catholics who were deaf or hearing impaired.” For more than half a century—until his death in 2005 at the age of 85—he served the deaf and disabled. For 33 years, from 1947 to 1980, he headed programs for the deaf in the Archdioceses of New Orleans, Detroit and Chicago and several national organizations for the deaf.

Father David Walsh signs with deaf children. Photo courtesy of Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi and colorized by Mary Cottingham, South Texas Catholic

It was Father Walsh who founded the National Catholic Office for the Deaf in 1971. The organization annually awards the “Rev. David Walsh Pastoral Worker of the Year Award” to individuals, organizations or companies that have contributed significant dedication, support and assistance to deaf Catholics.

Before coming to Corpus Christi he had conducted programs for the deaf in five continents, every state of the United States and every province in Canada. Father Walsh arrived in Corpus Christi on Sept. 3, 1980 in response to Bishop Thomas J. Drury’s interest in establishing an office for the deaf. A community of Redemptorist priests was established in the diocese at Our Lady of Perpetual Help and had hosted the first “interpreted Mass” for the deaf on Feb. 3, 1980.

A fellow Redemptorist, Father Walsh accepted the invitation from Bishop Drury to come to Corpus Christi to become coordinator of the Diocesan Program for the Deaf sponsored by the Knights of Columbus. He saw it as an opportunity to “get back to person-to-person ministry.”

Father Walsh estimated that there were some 300 families in the diocese with deaf family members and set out to find them. Once he identified them he enlisted their help in developing a “practical ministry.” His approach was centered on families and involved one-to-one outreach.

“He was very strong about getting the whole family involved,” said Méndez, who is the current director of the Office of Ministry and Life Enrichment for the Disabled and who was mentored by Father Walsh from a young age. She said Father Walsh would take the needed time with home visits, ministering to the needs of the entire family.

It was not long before he was teaching the deaf about the sacraments and holding communion and confirmation celebrations for them. “He brought religion to people who didn’t know God and on their level. He brought God to their lives,” Méndez said.

Father Walsh often said that the Church needed to follow the example of Christ when ministering to the deaf and disabled. He impressed on the deaf and disabled that God loved them and that they were “unique,” there was no one else like them.

Not long after arriving in Corpus Christi, Father Walsh proposed to Bishop Drury the establishment of an Office for the Handicap, but due to budgetary constraints the idea was put on hold. In 1983, Bishop Rene Gracida established the Diocesan Office for the Disabled and asked Father Walsh to run it, to which he readily agreed. In addition to the commitment from the Knights, Father Walsh secured the support of the Order of the Alhambra, a fraternity of Catholic men serving the developmentally disabled.

Father David Walsh celebrates Mass with deaf children at Immaculate Conception Chapel. Photo courtesy of Catholic Charities of Corpus Christi

He soon took his program to every corner of the diocese, establishing programs in Beeville, Kingsville, Sinton, Taft, Falfurrias, Alice and Mathis. A strong believer in providing transportation for the deaf and disabled he and his staff were often on the road making home visits and transporting people to classes, picnics, etc.

The Office for the Disabled began offering classes on religious education, Masses, a Cursillo for the deaf, a “Living and Learning” program, summer camps, picnics and an annual “Spiritual Olympics.”

Méndez and Martínez, both trained by Father Walsh, today staff the office serving the deaf and disabled, which is under the auspices of Catholic Charities. Martínez works part time although both are quick to point out that serving the deaf and disabled in not a “part time job.” They rely on the help of a handful of volunteers.

As the years passed, after Father Walsh’s retirement in 2003, the demands on the office increased but the staff decreased. As a consequence reaching out to the outer regions of the diocese has proved challenging and sustaining all the programs has not been possible. One program that is no longer around is the Spiritual Olympics, but Méndez hopes to bring it back.

Father Patrick Higgins, chaplain for the deaf and disabled, celebrates Mass every Sunday at the Immaculate Conception Chapel. He, however, is not assigned fulltime to the program, as was Father Walsh.

Méndez and Martinez prepare the deaf and disabled for first communion and confirmation, which are conferred at Immaculate Conception Chapel and registered at nearby Most Precious Blood parish. They can serve the deaf and disabled and their immediate families (brothers and sister) but not their extended family (cousins), which are referred back to their home parish.

“We need to be in a parish,” Méndez said. “We cannot baptize the extended family, even though they attend Mass at Immaculate Conception with their families. It is important for us to belong to a parish.”

The focus must be on the sacraments, Méndez said. “Many parents don’t realize that their children can receive the sacraments because they (the children) cannot understand. But they can,” Méndez said. “A lot of people are not aware but they can take communion classes.”

“This ministry can really grow. The need is there. There are a lot of people that are homebound. We get calls all the time,” Méndez said.

Anyone wishing to volunteer with the Office of Ministry and Life Enrichment for the Disabled should call Méndez at (361) 884-0651, ext. 1226, or email her at [email protected].