Deafest

PARTICIPANTS INSPIRED  Participants of Deafest wave candles as Christ Be Our Light is played at the 2016 Catholic Deafest held at the St. Pope John Paul II Center in Clifton April 16.

CLIFTON  The message was clear, even in American Sign Language (ASL) that “God loves everyone, no matter what challenges they have in life.” More than 100 deaf persons were inspired by that message at the 2016 Catholic Deafest held at the St. Pope John Paul II Center here April 16.

The day-long conference, themed “God’s Most Wanted: Who?,” was sponsored by the N.J. Pastoral Workers with the Deaf, which is made up of deaf ministers from the five dioceses of the state. Each year, a different diocese hosts the event and this year, was the Paterson Diocese’s turn to host it. Louise “Lulu” Lee, a deaf mentor in Wisconsin who leads deaf Catholic retreats around the country, presented the keynote address.

The participants ranged from all ages and backgrounds with two common bonds — they were deaf and they were proud Catholics. All presentations were in ASL and voice-interpreted for those participants who were accompanied by family and friends. A stenographer operating a CART (Communica­tions Access Realtime Translation) machine enabled the typed transcript’s projection onto a screen. There were also tables featuring a history of deaf ministries within the dioceses and vendors were available with information and services for the deaf. Crafts made by the deaf were also available.

The conference began with prayer featuring the song, “Christ Be Our Light.” As the song played, a group of deaf participants waved small candles in the air and then read quietly on a widescreen the lyrics of the song. After the prayer and to welcome the keynote speaker, the audience greeted her with the ASL version of applause — hands upraised and fluttered side to side.

In her talk, Lee, who is a married mother, inspired the participants to use their gifts and talents to make the world a better place. In ASL, she told them, “By the title [of the conference] ‘God’s most wanted is who?’ It’s His children. That’s all of you. We are brothers and sisters in Christ.”

During her presentation, she also talked about the Year of Mercy and said for this conference, “Every time I talk about mercy I’m going to sign the word love instead of the sign of mercy because that is what mercy essentially is, it is love.”

She also spoke about the changes within the Church and ministering to the deaf. Decades ago there weren’t Masses in sign language but now, priests around the world learn how to sign. She thanked those at the conference who minister to the deaf allowing the community to feel included in the Church.

Reminding the participants, Lee signed, “Once you recognize that you have special gifts and skills, we can go out and be a light to the world.”

Msgr. Joseph Goode, moderator for the Diocesan Catholic Deaf Society and pastor of both St. Mark the Evangelist and Our Lady of the Mountain parishes in Long Valley, was part of the team that organized the event. He learned ASL during his seminary training. “I took sign language as a class and had to meet with a deaf group as a requirement of the class,” he said. “That’s how I got into the ministry. With the conference, the whole idea of this day is to promote spirituality among the deaf community and develop deaf leadership [in the Church].”

In the Paterson Diocese, three churches offer Mass with ASL interpretation: Assumption Church in Morristown at 10 a.m. on Sundays; St. Mary Church in Pompton Lakes at 10:30 a.m. on Sundays; and St. Peter the Apostle Church in Parsippany at 10:30 a.m. on the first and third Sunday of the month. St. Peter’s also hosts a deaf adult spirituality group that meets once a month on the last Friday of the month. The ministry also provides a religious education class for deaf children every Wednesday afternoon from 3 to 4:10 p.m. On every third Sunday at 2:30 p.m., Msgr. Goode celebrates Mass in ASL for the deaf in St. Brendan/St. George Church in Clifton.

The Diocesan Catholic Deaf Society has been a presence in the diocese for 75 years. The deaf community of the Paterson Diocese actually started gathering in 1939, three years before it made their spiritual needs known to Bishop Thomas McLaughlin, who established the Catholic Deaf Society on St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, 1941. Msgr. Denis Hayes served as its first moderator, followed by Father Andrew Molnar, Msgr. Joseph Gallo and Msgr. Thomas Trapasso. Msgr. Goode’s 40 years as moderator is the longest in the 75-year history of the society

At the conference, Gloria Noll, who was part of the committee for the Deafest, used ASL to describe her thoughts with Msgr. Goode interpreting. She signed, “Today was beautiful and it’s very empowering for the deaf. I feel close to God especially through prayer.”