Dear Friend,
My name is Bill. I’m a lifelong Catholic, a Knight of Columbus, and a father of a son with Down syndrome. When Scott was born, our community simply didn’t know what to say. At our parish, the welcome was hesitant at best. When we inquired about enrolling our son in Catholic school, the principal gently—but unmistakably—counseled us out. The message was clear: this school isn’t for your child.
It broke our hearts.
We had five children. That decision meant the school lost out on 45 tuitions: five kids, nine years each. But what hurt far more was hearing, Sunday after Sunday, “Send your kids to our school,” knowing the invitation did not extend to our family.
We tried another parish. My wife walked in hopeful—and walked out with a similar feeling of being misunderstood and overlooked after hearing a homily using outdated, hurtful language about Down syndrome. She gently corrected the priest after Mass, but the pain lingered.
Still, we kept trying. When we signed Scott up for faith formation, we heard the familiar phrase: “Of course he’s welcome…you’ll be teaching him, right?” And so began 24 years of volunteering. We pushed through roadblocks in our parish so that Scott could become an altar server. We coached baseball, soccer, and led Boy Scouts. We did everything we could so our son could belong—because belonging never came automatically.
Scott is now 40. With love, patience, and the right support, seeds planted decades ago have grown and he has found community and belonging in the Church. Our local Knights of Columbus council has been a home for him which I am grateful for.
I give to NCPD because they are training ministry leaders to welcome persons like my son Scott without hesitation. When ministry leaders attend an NCPD conference, take a course, or join the mentorship initiative they are saying, Scott is my responsibility too.
Please help NCPD reach a $15,000 matching gift by the end of the year so that families like mine don’t have to fight for decades to belong. You can give at NCPD.org/support.
With your help, more parents will walk into their parish hearing not a hesitant welcome, but a confident one:
“Your family belongs here. And we are ready.”
With gratitude,
Bill Bonn
Knight of Columbus & Father
