Creating Access and Inclusion in Worship
BULLETIN ARTICLE ON INCLUSION AWARENESS DAY
Today we join other congregations in celebrating Inclusion Awareness Day,
an integral part of the Pathways Awareness Open Hearts, Open Minds
movement to include people of all abilities in worship and ministry. The
movement encourages us to look beyond a person?s outward appearance
and first impressions and open ourselves to his or her gifts.
Pathways Awareness Open Hearts, Open Minds began in April 1996 with a
conference on inclusion called by the late Joseph Cardinal Bernardin, then
Archbishop of Chicago. The conference was the origin of a dramatic shift in
public attitude toward including parishioners of all abilities in liturgy,
ministries, fellowship, and leadership roles in parishes in the Archdiocese
of Chicago. Today the initiative has grown into an interreligious movement
with congregations across the United States participating.
The 1996 conference featured one of the last public appearances of the
late Father Henri Nouwen, noted theologian and author. In his energized,
animated presentation, The Vulnerable Journey, Father Nouwen led
conference participants on a spiritual discovery centered on acknowledging
and embracing lessons that lie beneath the vulnerabilities in all of us. The
Vulnerable Journey laid the spiritual foundation for the Pathways
Awareness Open Hearts, Open Minds interreligious inclusion movement
that continues today. The Open Hearts, Open Minds program has awarded
over $90,000 in grants to congregations across the United States for
access and inclusion projects. The annual Pathways Awareness Inclusion
Awareness Day celebrates the progress made on creating accessible and
inclusive faith communities where all can participate. Today our faith
community joins the effort to open hearts, minds and doors so that all may
worship.
The complete keynote address, The Vulnerable Journey by Father Henri
Nouwen, is available from Pathways Awareness in DVD and CD format. To
order call 1-800-955-2445 or visit www.inclusioninworship.org.
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