Florida Catholic | A Special Need: Journey To Full Communion In The Church

A special need: journey to full communion in the church

Three people with exceptional abilities to know and love Jesus speak about their journeys of faith.

BETTY ANN WEBER | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 03.21.08

CHARLES HODGES | FC
KARIN: “I want to learn a lot more about what God is like.”

CHARLES HODGES | FC
Charles interest in Catholicism, “started when I was in church and heard about faith, that the Virgin Mary comforted me and I believed. The Eucharist is overwhelming.”

CHARLES HODGES | FC
EDEN: “God helps me to get to work on time.”

ST. CLOUD | Karin is a fervent woman who knows what she wants. “I want to learn a lot more about what God is like,” said the 39-year-old, who lives in a Christian group home for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. “I know he’s love, joy and happiness. But I want to do a lot more thinking about how God feels about me.”

Karin and fellow Bishop Grady Villas resident Charles want to become Catholics and have been preparing their hearts and minds as candidates in the journey of Christian Initiation of Adults at St. Thomas Aquinas Parish in St. Cloud.

They and other candidates from the Orlando Diocese who were baptized as Christians will enter full communion with the Catholic Church with confirmation and first Eucharist on the eve of Pentecost this year.

Bishop Grady Villas, which neighbors the parish, is the fulfilled dream of late Orlando Bishop Thomas Grady. With dignity and respect, professional staffers there assist residents in reaching their potential for personal and spiritual growth and independence.

“We learn to live with others and get along,” said Karin, a former Baptist. Her sponsor, Beth, is not only a co-resident, “She’s my best friend,” Karin joyfully announced.

As a sponsor, Beth will stand beside Karin and support her during Christian Initiation and beyond.

The residence’s executive director, Kevin Johnson, 29, noted, “Karin’s very purposeful, polite and develops strong relationships.”

“I teach others the will of God,” she said, “by doing it. I help others calm down. When they have problems, they talk it over with me.”

Karin, who makes latch-hook rugs and is an avid reader of Nancy Drew mysteries, also holds a service job at SeaWorld’s Voyagers Wood Fired Pizzas. “I love meeting people and helping others.”

“What’s important is love and kindness. But I need to work on patience. I’m learning that when people around you bicker and fight — just walk away. Ask God to help. And he will!”

Charles, 22, a Lutheran, is proud of his job at Home Depot. “I was the youngest disabled lot attendant. Now they’ve given me more responsibility and made me a captain. It’s wonderful living here. I’m learning a lot. Some day I want to be independent.”

His interest in Catholicism, “started when I was in church and heard about faith, that the Virgin Mary comforted me and I believed. The Eucharist is overwhelming.”

Charles, with myriad interests, lifts weights daily. “I can repair small things, fix iPods, and build Web sites.” His sponsor is Jose Gonzalez, “my next-door neighbor and best friend.”

“I know I’m not alone,” he stated confidently. “My family also takes care of me — especially my grandpa. And God watches over me.”

A third candidate, Eden, 22, is a former Villas’ resident hoping to return. “I love that place and my friends. I learned to have faith in God. If you can trust God, you can trust yourself.”

Both Eden and Karin were students at Morning Star School for special needs children in Orlando.

Now working at SeaWorld’s Seaport Theater, sweeping, interacting with guests, giving directions, she said, “God helps me to get to work on time.”

Accompanied by her sponsor and best friend, Villas’ resident Caitlin, candidate Eden is exhilarated about joining Karin and Charles at the reception of baptized Christians into full communion with the Catholic Church, during the Orlando Diocese Festival of Faith, May 10, at the Orange County Convention Center.

Chuck Curtis, director of Christian Initiation at St. Thomas Aquinas, said of his candidates, “They want to be in full communion with the community. They’re wonderful to be around. Their questions and insights come from a different mindset. It’s challenging.”

Bishop Grady Villas’ leader Johnson and his wife, Amanda, chose to work with disabled adults when fresh out of Calvin College in Michigan with bachelor’s degrees in psychology. He is dedicated to making the residence a home rather than an institution. “We really have so much to learn from them — their pure, basic, uncomplicated simplicity of faith. It’s a calling.”

Father Karl Bergin, parochial vicar at St. Thomas Aquinas, said, “It’s exciting to see their enthusiasm. They’re evangelizing each other at the Villas and bringing them to church. It’s an act of faith. And faith comes at every level. It’s not reserved for a special kind of person. It’s for everyone.”

Editor’s Note: The Florida Catholic identifies residents only by their first names to protect their privacy.

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