OC Catholic
Welcome to the OC Catholic Deaf community. Our community is composed of Orange County Catholic Deaf, Hard of Hearing, and hearing persons. Our OC Catholic Deaf community has a rich history. In the early years of our Orange County diocese the Deaf community was present. In fact, the Deaf were present in the archdiocese of Los Angeles. So, the southern California Catholic Deaf community has always had a home in Orange.
What we believe: We profess in our parishes with one familial voice in our Creed that we are One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. As the Second Vatican Council prayed, “Christ is the light of humanity; and it is, accordingly, the heart-felt desire […] that, by proclaiming his Gospel to every creature, [we] may bring to all men that light of Christ which shines out visibly from the Church,” Catechism of the Catholic Church, 748. Our mission as your local Diocese is to do just that. Learn more about our beliefs as Catholics here.
Come explore our Catholic Social Teachings by visiting our Life, Justice, and Peace webpage here.
If the Lord is calling you out of the boat and inviting you into the Catholic Church, please click here to locate a Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults (RCIA) program at your local parish.
Join our OC Catholic Deaf community today. Orange County Catholic. OC Catholic Deaf. Orange County. County of Orange. Southern California Catholic Deaf.
Tags: OC Deaf CommunityDeaf
Deaf or Hard of Hearing persons undergo a degree of hearing loss/ deafness. This deafness is not a disability. Many think it is but it is not. Most of the time Deaf person think being named disabled is an insult. But with regards to religion being called Catholic is a badge of honor at least in our diocese. Religion in our community is taken seriously because it fulfills and exceeds cultural norms.
“Deaf” and “deaf”
What is the difference?
We use the lowercase deaf when referring to the audiological condition of not hearing, and the uppercase Deaf when referring to a particular group of deaf people who share a language – American Sign Language (ASL) – and a culture. The members of this group have inherited their sign language, use it as a primary means of communication among themselves, and hold a set of beliefs about themselves and their connection to the larger society. We distinguish them from, for example, those who find themselves losing their hearing because of illness, trauma or age; although these people share the condition of not hearing, they do not have access to the knowledge, beliefs, and practices that make up the culture of Deaf people.
According to Carol Padden and Tom Humphries, in Deaf in America: Voices from a Culture (1988):
“Hard of Hearing”
“Hard-of-hearing” can denote a person with a mild-to-moderate hearing loss. Or it can denote a deaf person who doesn’t have/want any cultural affiliation with the Deaf community. Or both. The HOH dilemma: in some ways hearing, in some ways deaf, in others, neither.
Can one be hard-of-hearing and ASL-Deaf? That’s possible, too. Can one be hard-of-hearing and function as hearing? Of course. What about being hard-of-hearing and functioning as a member of both the hearing and Deaf communities? That’s a delicate tightrope-balancing act, but it too is possible.
“As for the political dimension: HOH people can be allies of the Deaf community. They can choose to join or to ignore it. They can participate in the social, cultural, political, and legal life of the community along with culturally-Deaf or live their lives completely within the parameters of the “Hearing world.” But they may have a more difficult time establishing a satisfying cultural/social identity.
Deaf Life, “For Hearing People Only” (October 1997).
One may posit that those with hearing loss are atheists, agnostic, and moral relativists. This point of view is taken from a spiritual perspective. Many believing Christians are quick to point out that they have a disability; that is, not turning to God. Failing to give back to God breaks the commandments. Particularly, one of the first three commandments.
What we do and how we give back to God is through the sacraments. Particularly in attending mass, confession, and Eucharistic adoration on a regular basis. Our community thankfully does not suffer spiritual deafness. Rather the opposite. We listen and cater our lives to God’s word. We are the salt of the earth and the light of the world.
The Catholic religion is not of disability but one of ability. It’s a faith stemming from God’s love toward us, and vice versa.
Catholic ASL
The Diocese of Orange has Catholic ASL resources at your fingertips. Search among our Christian ASL database in the links above to find what you are looking for. Catholic American Sign Language videos are posted every week. We train Christian American Sign Language ministry leaders. Our ASL Church liturgies attract many from all over the Greater Los Angeles area.
Catholic ASL
Do you know that you can find a Deaf Church near you? Catholic Churches that support the Deaf and Hard of hearing can be found in our custom directory.
The definition of the word “catholic” is universal. ASL is short for American Sign Language. You can find a church universally in sign language almost anywhere in the word. Check it out!
Those of you residing in Los Angeles, Orange County, Riverside, and San Diego you can see our mass times here. Anyone who wants to find an online Catholic Deaf church service can click here.
ASL Church
A big component of any Deaf Church is the use of American Sign Language. This includes parents of Deaf children. Family members of the Deaf are in most ways obligated to know ASL anyways. Language within any culture is cherished or sacred. It is the language that they relate to God and the manner in which they yearn to know God through.
We realize that many have relatives that are Deaf and do not yet know ASL. Attending our services, retreats, and other public gatherings increases your language receptivity skills. “Little by little” as the idiom goes. In no time our Deaf community will support you in your ASL language quest. Over a couple years you will be up-to-speed and converse fluently in Sign Language.
Catholic American Sign Language
In addition to already being fluent in ASL or if you are learning the language you will find that there are different signs for biblical terms. Yes, nearly every Christian denomination has it’s own version of biblical terms. Why? Because the signs used denotes the underlying theology. i.e. Catholic American Sign Language signs will be different than most protestant or baptist churches. Some Christian ASL signs are the same i.e. “sin”. What is more interesting is the differences between national Catholic sign languages. For example, the Catholic ASL sign for God is a bent open-B arching above the head with your dominant hand. In Italy, LIS is the sign language use there. For God, it is simply the index finger of your dominant hand pointed upward. International Catholic sign language signs are different but, underlying the same theology.
What is even more odd or confusing is to find non-denominational churches using the same signs other non-American Catholic countries are using. For example, non-denominational Christian American Sign Language for a term may be the index finger pointed upward like the Catholics in Italy do. But the question remains as to whether their notion or understanding of the triune God is the same. Interesting huh? Welcome to the Church! At any rate we welcome you to our ASL Church.
Tags: Catholic Deaf Community, Catholic Faith for the Deaf, Orange County ASLEucharistic Miracles Scala Italy
Al Alvord shares with us the Eucharistic Miracles Scala Italy edition. These Catholic Christian Deaf videos are in American Sign Language for everyone to enjoy.
“The miracle occurred in Scala, Italy. Sr Maria Celeste Crostarosa and Fr. Alphonsus Maria Liguori founded the Monastery named Most Holy Redeemer. On September 11 1732, Fr Alphonsus placed the Blessed Sacrament with the Host and it was exposed to public for three months. Every Thursday, they noticed Christ’s face appeared in the Host. The other nuns and people were witnesses. Christ’s face in the Host appeared only every Thursday, not other days for three months in row.”-Al Alvord Youtube page.
Sunday Hope Vlog Palm Sunday
Deaf Catholic Philly shares the Sunday Hope Vlog Palm Sunday with us. We pray that you make an exceptional Holy Week this year.
April Mass Schedule
Blessings to you and your family –
I pray that you and your loved ones are all doing well. You are cordially invited to gather together as the Catholic Deaf Community for a Deaf Mass. Fr. Joe Robillard pastor of Christ Our Savior has allowed us to have a Deaf Mass for the month of April. Christ Our Savior Catholic Church is located at 2000 W. Alton Ave., Santa Ana, 92704. Please see the schedule below of the upcoming Masses
SUNDAY, APRIL 3RD AT 12:00PM NOON WITH FR. STEVE CORREZ
SUNDAY, APRIL 10TH AT 12:00PM NOON WITH FR. DAVID ROBINSON – PALM SUNDAY
THURSDAY, APRIL 14TH AT 7:00PM WITH FR. JOE ROBILLARD IN THE NEW CHURCH – HOLY THURSDAY
FRIDAY, APRIL 15TH AT 7:00PM WITH FR. JOE ROBILLARD IN THE NEW CHURCH – GOOD FRIDAY
SATURDAY, APRIL 16TH AT 8:00PM WITH FR. JOE ROBILLARD IN THE NEW CHURCH – EASTER VIGIL
SUNDAY, APRIL 17TH AT 12:00PM NOON WITH FR. DAVID ROBINSON – EASTER SUNDAY
SUNDAY, APRIL 24TH AT 12:00PM NOON WITH FR. KERRY BEAULIEU
I hope you will consider joining us for Mass. Please let me know if you have any questions and also spread the word and let others know about these special events.
Our Sunday Hope Vlog: March 20, 2022
In this edition of Our Sunday Hope Vlog: March 20, 2022, “In today’s Gospel Jesus and his followers are talking about the meaning of current events that are very upsetting to them. In this current time for us when war is being waged the Gospel has a message of true peace and freedom.”-Deaf Catholic Philly Youtube post
Eucharistic Miracle ASL
Eucharistic Miracle Retold in ASL- St. Peter Damian, Italy. “This miracle happened in St Peter Damian, Italy in 1050. A witch gave a horrible suggestion to a woman and asked her to get a consecrated Host from church and take it home to use it for sorcery. The woman went to get communion and she hid the Host in her hand but the priest noticed her walking away and he went and stopped her. He asked her to show him. He took the Host in the white linen cloth away from her. He went back to his church and when he opened the cloth and was surprised that half of the Host now was visible of Christ’s Body (flesh) and the other half looked normal. God wanted to win over an unbeliever who refused to accept the Real Presence of Christ, the Eucharistic mystery.”
Follow Al Alvord’s channel by subscribing here.
This Eucharistic Miracle Retold in ASL is one that all Deaf Catholic confirmation students ought to watch. These videos beneficially help students and RCIA candidates discern their confirmation saints name.
More videos like this is found on Al Alvord’s youtube channel or click on the Eucharistic Miracles page.
If you would like to start and make Deaf Catholic ministry videos, let us know. We all like Eucharistic Miracle Retold in ASL. What can you offer?
The Sorrowful Mysteries prayed in American Sign Language
The Sorrowful Mysteries prayed in American Sign Language | Deaf Catholic by ASL Catholic Media. The Rosary prayed in American Sign Language. To follow ASL Catholic Media on Facebook click here.
ASL Catholic Media is one of the best Deaf ministry outlets on the internet. This Deaf ministry respects American Sign Language and Deaf cultural norms. The grammar, syntax, prosidy, facial expressions, and role shifting are all present and done well.
ASL students and interpreters are to greatly benefit from ASL C.M. The prayers, the mass, the Catholic signs are provided for all to memorize and use at church and elsewhere. Take for example, today’s post “The Sorrowful Mysteries prayed in American Sign Language | Deaf Catholic.” You learn the Apostles creed in ASL, the Our Father in ASL, the Glory Be in ASL, the Hail Mary in ASL, and the closing prayers in American Sign Language. This is a great resource.
The Rosary prayed in American Sign Language is traditionally said on Tuesdays and Fridays. During this interesting and dangerous time please learn and share this resource so that more and more can pray in ASL.
Please share and subscribe to ASL Catholic Media’s youtube and Facebook pages.
