Prayers
A Prayer for Alejandro Ripley
One Life Uprooted
Dear God the Father, Almighty, Creator of Heaven and Earth,
Your love loves each life into being, both fragile and firm,
Each beautiful, both burgeoning but inheriting a blemish,
Just as your love acts in the union out of which we spring,
So you enrich us with the many helps that, together,
Strengthen, colour and enhance our gift of life
Swelling, growing, expressing what is hidden –
Receive the sprouting seed, the seedling, the young plant,
Prematurely plucked from the soil that nourished it,
Tragically uprooted, not transplanted, withered not watered.
Dear Lord, Only Son of the Father, Merciful Redeemer of All,
You know the plight of parents, their struggles and strife,
The long hours and lonely difficulties that blight our lives,
You know both the delights and the temptations that would
Turn us back from the beginning that you planned and planted
Between us, as delicate as a fledgling plant, too helpless
To roam far and wide, too young to leave, too needy to be left –
Forgive the suppressing suffocation of the help we did not seek,
The terrible turning from the turn towards you to complete
What you began and wanted to flourish in the fullness of life.
Oh, Holy Spirit and Lord of Life, Gift from Gift and Help of All,
Turn us all to the help of each and everyone who lives:
Turn parents back to their children’s nurture and neediness,
Turn mother’s back from being lost in labyrinthine ways,
Turn father’s back to loving their wives and helping in the home,
Turn children back to discovering their good gifts, freely given,
Turn the family back to fostering the good of all.
Dear Jesus, Son of Mary and Child in the Care of St. Joseph,
You lived through the childhood of children,
Silently but significantly present, inviting us to remember
Your presence among us at all times and in any place –
Walk with us through all our joys and sorrows and
Show us, in ways unique to you, how to heal broken wounds
And accompany those untimely taken to the Father’s heart;
Dear Mary, Mother of the Lord and Spouse of Joseph,
You passed in the midst of many and profound sufferings,
You know the hardship of fleeing violence, struggling with little,
Opening your home to others and being with your dying son –
Make your presence known to us in the daily difficulties of life,
Bringing consolation, hope, and inspiration to pass-through
the impassable problems, whether obvious or hidden;
Dear St. Joseph, Guardian of the Child Jesus and Spouse of Mary,
You experienced the trials of poverty and persecution,
Protecting your family and trading in uncertain times,
Opening your skills and talents to those around you –
Lead us in recovering our neglect as husbands and fathers,
Guiding us in our work, recreation and choice of companions,
Enabling us to bridge home and work, faithful to all.
Oh Blessed Trinity, Origin of Creation and all that is good,
Cause of the people of God and the mystery of the Holy Family,
Be present in our daily life, ever drawing us out of our resistance
To calling on you each and every day on the path that pulls
Us through the vortex of time, drawing ever more people
Heavenward, while multiplying the cultivation of the earth
Through which we pass, as pilgrims, bequeathing ever greater
Benefits to those who remain and raising a song of praise,
Ever resounding, ever-mounting the reasons for thanksgiving.
Amen.
by Francis Etheredge Profiles in Catholicism
Interviews
Television Reviews and Commentaries
The Speed Cubers Reviewed by Kerry Magro Autism Speaks
Articles/Commentaries
Pope praises Sunshine project for children with ASD by Independent Catholic News
A Quick Blog Interview on Autism by Father Matthew Schneider Patheos
Welcoming Autistics at Mass (Podcast with Cincinnati Archdiocese) by Fr. Matthew P. Schneider LC Patheos
Community mourns death of boy with autism allegedly killed by mother by Alex Browning and Marisela Burgos 7NewsMiaimi
Pope calls autistic teen who ‘corrected’ him on Sign of Peace by Elise Ann Allen Crux
We Should Treat Autistics Like Jesus Treated Lazarus by Fr. Matthew P. Schbeider, LC Patheos
CDC estimate on autism prevalence increases by nearly 10 percent, to 1 in 54 children in the U.S. by Autism Speaks
Autism and Communion: Textbook social-media clash between parents, press and church by Terry Mattingly Get Religion
An autistic boy was denied First Communion because he can’t tell right from wrong, his family says by Antonia Noori Farzan Washington Post
DNA Damage Linked to Brain Overgrowth in Autism by Abby Olena The Scientist
Researchers Find 102 Genes Linked to Autism in One of the Largest Studies of Its Kind to Date by Alice Park Time
Meet “Autism With Attitude” — the dance group celebrating differences by Cerith Gardiner Aleteia
Christians-Should Embrace Neurodiversity by Fr. Matthew Schneider Patheos
No, Father Valanmanal, Autism is Not a Punishment by Mary Pezzulo Patheos
Study: Autistic Kids Struggle in the Catholic Church by Fr. Matthew Schneider , LC Patheos
Dad steps up and takes daughter with autism to prom by Cerith Gardiner Aleteia
Autistics Should Be Welcome in Church (Re: Evensong at Cambridge) by Fr. Matthew Schneider Patheos
Confirmation for the Developmentally Disabled by Father Kenneth Doyle Echoes
What Is It Like Being an Autistic Priest? by Matthew Schneider Patheos
Autistic Children Should Receive First Communion! by Matthew Schneider Patheos
Priest who went public with autism dreams of doing ‘great things’ by Elise Harris Crux
Yes, I am Autistic - by Matthew Schneider. LC Patheos
Catholic school awarded for implementing “full inclusion” for people with Down syndrome and autism by Cerith Gardiner Aleteia
Is the church doing enough to welcome its neurodiverse members? by Amanda Hendler-Voss US Catholic
Some Remarks on Autism and Catholicism by Michael L. Ortiz Dappled Things
Autism Spectrum Disorder by National Catholic Partnership on Disability
Teaching Children with Autism and Other Disabilities to Attend Mass by Archdiocese of Newark
Pope Francis offers solidarity to people with autism by Paolo Lucariello Associated Press/USA Today
Book Reviews/Commentaries
The Child with Autism Learns the Faith by Kathy Labosh Reviewed by Eileen Quinn Knight, Ph.D.. Profiles in Catholicism
Videos
A 10 year-old autistic and blind boy singing. His voice shocked everyone.
Including Autistics in Worship and Small Groups
Study: Autistic Kids Struggle in the Catholic Church
Kathy Labosh The Child with Autism Learns about Faith
Autistic Children Should Receive First Communion
TCWA Sleeping Tips For Children With Autism
Fr. Matthew P. Schneider, LC: Big Announcement, "I'm Autistic"
Pope: Let's get rid of the stigma often associated with autism
10 Early Signs of Autism