“Not exactly enlighted and not very Christian”
Eyewitness News WABC TV NY anchor when reporting on this story tonight
A heartbreaking message from the father of Anthony, an 8 year old nonverbal autistic child.
” Today Nicole and I were informed that our son Anthony would not be able to make his communion this year. As most of you know, Anthony is an autistic non-verbal child who is in his sacrament year. Father Bambrick at Saint Aloysius Church in Jackson and the Archdiocese of Trenton came to this position since Anthony is unable to determine right from wrong due to his disability they feel he is not up to the “benchmark required to make his communion.” This is very hard and upsetting to comprehend when we all are created by God and now our son is being shunned from the Catholic faith due to his inability to communicate. This is something that I hope goes viral and these parties involved get their names called out for this disgraceful and disheartening act against a child who has a disability and wouldn’t even be able to create a sin because he is one of the sweetest and innocent little boy someone would ever meet. Please help spread the word for Anthony’s peers in his spectrum so no other child or family has to deal with or feel what we have been felt with over the past couple of days since we have been made aware of this. Father Bambrick of Saint Aloysius Church and the Archdiocese of Trenton should be ashamed of themselves for this!!!”
When I saw this post which was shared at the Cherab Foundation support group, I reached out to the father who wrote this message yesterday, February 26th, 2020, and got permission to share this in hopes to raise awareness this should never have happened to Anthony or other children with special needs.
Advocacy
Just like with school advocacy, once again as parents we have to know our children’s rights in this situation.
This article states, “The Vatican and US bishops are very clear that autistic and other developmentally delayed children can receive Communion. Being autistic is definitely not an obstacle to the Eucharist. “
Also the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops‘ top 3 General Principles from the Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities
1. All human beings are equal in dignity in the sight of God. Moreover, by reason of their Baptism, all Catholics also share the same divine calling.
2. Catholics with disabilities have a right to participate in the sacraments as fully as other members of the local ecclesial community.3 “Sacred ministers cannot deny the sacraments to those who seek them at appropriate times, are properly disposed, and are not prohibited by law from receiving them.”
3. Parish sacramental celebrations should be accessible to persons with disabilities and open to their full, active, and conscious participation, according to their capacity. Pastoral ministers should not presume to know the needs of persons with disabilities, but should rather—before all else—consult with them or their advocates before making determinations about the accessibility of a parish’s facilities and the availability of its programs, policies, and ministries. Full accessibility should be the goal for every parish, and these adaptations are to be an ordinary part of the liturgical life of the parish.
Who Is To Blame?
In searching the church I found the following article which was just published tonight which implies the blame for what happened to Anthony lies with Father John Bambrick
“Whether by divine intervention or by his own self aggrandizing faults, Father John Bambrick has been a lightning rod for the majority of his priesthood, a man who has never shied away from the spotlight to advance his own agendas. Bambrick played an instrumental role in the passage of resolutions by both the Ocean County Freeholders and Lakewood Township Committee condemning Rise Up Ocean County as a group of hate filled anti-Semites. Today is no different and Bambrick finds himself at the center of a storm of controversy surrounding the denial of the sacrament of Holy Communion to an autistic Jackson boy.”
As in most cases of discrimination, it goes back to ignorance. By sharing this story and knowing the facts, as parents we can help prevent discrimination against innocent children like Anthony.
LISA GENG
Author, Mom, Founder, and President of The Cherab Foundation
Lisa Geng is an accomplished author, mother, founder, and president of the CHERAB Foundation. She is a patented inventor and creator in the fashion, toy, and film industries. After the early diagnosis of her two young children with severe apraxia, hypotonia, sensory processing disorder, ADHD, and CAPD, she dedicated her life to nonprofit work and pilot studies. Lisa is the co-author of the highly acclaimed book “The Late Talker” (St Martin’s Press 2003). She has hosted numerous conferences, including one overseen by a medical director from the NIH for her protocol using fish oils as a therapeutic intervention. Lisa currently holds four patents and patents pending on a nutritional composition. She is a co-author of a study that used her proprietary nutritional composition published in a National Institute of Health-based, peer-reviewed medical journal.
Additionally, Lisa has been serving as an AAN Immunization Panel parent advocate since 2015 and is a member of CUE through Cochrane US. Currently working on her second book, “The Late Talker Grows Up,” she also serves as an executive producer of “Late Talkers Silent Voices.” Lisa Geng lives on the Treasure Coast of Florida.