Bishop’s Annual Appeal

BUTLER  They call Sean Quinlan the perfect gentleman. He prefers wearing a button-up shirt and tie than a T-shirt and he always opens doors for ladies.

For the past two years, this charming man has been a resident at Kelleher Super­vised Apart­ments here, a group home of the Depart­ment for Persons with Disabilities (DPD), an agency of diocesan Catholic Charities. Quinlan, a 40­­-year-old man with Down syndrome and the youngest of four children, attends Mass every Sun­day and is very faith-filled. He is godfather to three of his nieces and nephews. One of his siblings is a religious sister serving in Kentucky.

The decision to move to Kelleher Supervised Apartments was greatly Quinlan’s choice. His older brother Roger Quinlan said, “After the death of our parents, he was living between myself and my sister, Judi, because we had joint custody but he always wanted his independence. We were looking for a place and a room at DPD opened up. When we went to see the place, he immediately knew one of the roommates and we knew this was the place for him. DPD treats Sean like family and they care about him.”

DPD has given hundreds of families peace of mind for their loved ones with developmental or intellectual disabilities. The agency treats those with disabilities with dignity and love allowing them to live their lives to their fullest potential. Part of the diocesan Catholic Charities network, DPD along with Catholic Family and Community Services and Straight and Narrow are recipients of the 2019 Bishop’s Annual Appeal.

For Quinlan, living at the Kelleher Apartments has been a great experience. Because of his experience, he has become an unofficial spokesperson for DPD speaking on behalf of the agency and the Bishop’s Annual Appeal at several churches around the Diocese. He said, “I’m happy living here. I have good roommates.”

He enjoys walking around the complex and during the summer, he enjoys the in-ground pool. He is known as a movie aficionado and likes WWE. During the day, he works at Employment Horizons in Cedar Knolls packaging boxes.

He keeps in touch with his family and always checks in on them. Roger Quinlan said, “We should be the ones checking up on him, but he’s always the one checking to see if we’re doing OK.”

Isabel Almonte-Marte, director of the Kelleher Apartments, said, “He is a wonderful addition here and he’s very smart. Everywhere we go, he has a personality that really connects with others. He dreams about learning how to do ballroom dance and traveling to London.”

According to DPD, “With a deeply rooted sense of family, faith and community and a commitment to excellence, the department provides residential, vocational, spiritual and social services to adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities and their families. Through competent and compassionate care, DPD empowers each person to become active, contributing and valued members of their community and to participate fully in life with dignity and respect. As a Catholic Charities agency, DPD strives to end discrimination toward people with disabilities and works for social changes by being a voice for justice and advocacy and convenes others to do the same.”

DPD fulfills its mission through residential programs; the Gruenert Center, a vocational day program on Rt. 15 in the Lake Hopatcong section of Jefferson Township; case management; weekend recreational and educational programs; religious education and specialty groups, which include a community service group, Knights of Columbus, Special Olympics and Boy Scouts of America.

Under the theme, “For I was hungry…,” the BAA will also support seminarian education; urban elementary school support; priest’s healthcare needs and Nazareth Village, the priests’ retirement residence. Parishes also benefit if they surpass their goal by receiving a parish rebate. Half of the amount received over the parish goal is returned to the parish for its own needs. Almost $650,000 was returned to parishes from last year’s Bishop’s Annual Appeal and more than $2.9 million in five years.

Last year, more than $4.376 million was raised in pledges to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal and of that amount, $1.239 million supported the work of Catholic Charities. This year, because of the massive fire that destroyed the halfway house at Straight and Narrow, 10 percent of funds raised for the 2019 BAA will be used toward the rebuilding efforts in addition to the usual allocation Catholic Charities receives each year from the Annual Appeal.

“I would like to thank you all for your pledges to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal,” said Sean Quinlan. “Your contributions help to fund the place where I live.”