Disability Awareness Days Calendar

The items listed below are annual disability-related events or days of focus with links to resources for prayers, education, and other resources.

January

• Pro-Life Month and Birth Defects Awareness Month

  • Prenatal and Postnatal Support

  • Physician Assisted Suicide

February

• Rare Disease Day (Feb 28 or 29)

  • Prayers of the Faithful and Resources

March

• Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month

  • Bulletin inserts, prayers of the faithful, prayers, and a fact sheet

• World Down Syndrome Day (March 21)

  • A Life Like Yours: Maddie's Story
  • A Perfect Gift: Parenting a Child with Down Syndrome
  • Prenatal Diagnoses and the Future of Down Syndrome

April

• Autism Awareness Month

  • Prayers of the Faithful

  • Parish Bulletin Announcement

  • Awareness Prayer

  • Sample Autism Pew Cards

May

• Mental Health Awareness Month

  • Prayers of the Faithful

  • Article on supporting persons with mental illness

  • Quotations by Pope Francis about mental illness

June

• Alzheimer's and Brain Awareness Month

  • What does a dementia-friendly parish look like?

  • Dementia-Friendly Worship: Finding Spiritual Peace with Dementia

  • Peace with Dementia Rosary

July

• Minority Mental Health Month

  • Minority Mental Health Month Resources

August

 

September

• Deaf Awareness Month

  • Bulletin insert, prayers of the faithful, prayers in ASL, stories, and a fact sheet

• National Suicide Prevention Awareness Month

  • Prayers of the Faithful

  • Suicide Prevention Resources

• Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders Awareness Month

  • Prayers and Resources

October

• National Depression Education and Awareness Month

  • He wore a crown of thorns: Anxiety and depression from Catholic, clinical, and personal perspectives

  • Dust in the Blood: Theological resources for life with depression

• Mental Illness Awareness Week (1st full week in October)

  • Prayers of the Faithful

  • Mental illness-related homilies

November

• National Family Caregivers Month

  • CatholicCaregivers.com for educational information, prayers of intercession, and resources for parishes in supporting caregivers

  • NourishForCaregivers.com and ThePeaceInTheStormProject.com are programs built to help parishes support caregivers.

December

• International Day of Persons with Disabilities (Dec 3)

  • Pope Francis' message from December 3, 2021