Ministry
Ministry in the Deaf Catholic-Christian world is wanting. You do not have to be an ordained minister to be someone of leadership. Approach your pastor and work out a pastoral plan. Fluency or competency in American Sign Language is a must because language is sacred.
Proclaiming Jesus Christ in (ASL) Sign Language is a way to heaven. Connecting with the Deaf and Hard of Hearing community is an open market. Awareness of the lack of Deaf leadership leading other to Christ is one thing. Doing something about it is another. Hand yourself over to our Lord. His bride the church needs more workers in the vineyard.
You can support others spiritually. Attending mass, bible studies, and church events broadens your education. So, free your calendar and go to a ministry event. Sketch together a program with your pastor and see to it that it is on the parish calendar. “Build it and they will come” is an outreach motto. Today, ministry is live, online, and in-person. Whatever it takes to win a soul for Christ is mission at-hand.
Ministry
Seeing the field as it were involves getting out and knowing the community. ASL socials, potlucks, or meetups is required. This is the social fabric of the Deaf community. Other event listings involve Deaf expo’s and conferences. These are key because it reveals what people are flocking toward.
People come out of the wood-work to see and experience what they feel they want. Sadly, what they are looking for is Jesus. Time and time again we humans are disappointed when we turn toward something material to satisfy a spiritual craving. The harvest is here. IT is time to form small and large groups to discuss life with God.
Smell like the sheep
The best Catholic-Christian solution to experience God is in the mass. All of salvation history is revealed in the mass. It is all there. Doubt this? Every action and word spoken or signed within the mass ties to a past, present, and future reality. The mass is an unbloody Calvary, an unbloody sacrifice.
In your present or future ministry small group when you spend much of your time talking about the mass, you are almost there. Moreover, when your flock is so interested and want to know more and more about the mass, you are doing something right. Why? because they are being fed on how to receive grace. They are being filled with knowledge and love that God wants to give them. You are being you and an interpreter of sorts.
Our Lord in his sovereign plan to gather all unto him bestows gifts to us so that we can be his instruments. Being a minister formally or informally is part of his pastoral plan. Consult your diocesan and parish pastor to come up with a way forward. Pastoral plans today involves working together with leadership to suit the faithful and the said minister.
Tags: ASL Catholic, OC Deaf
