Marriage, Family, and the Gift of Grace: A Catholic Vision of Disability

Tue, 04/14/2026 - 4:00pm EDT to 5:00pm

How does Catholicism reshape the way we understand disability within family life? Join NCPD and The Institute for Human Ecology for a virtual event, as Dr. Mary O’Callaghan and Dr. John O’Callaghan share how raising a son with Down syndrome and autism has shaped their marriage, parenthood, and family vocation. They will speak about joy, sacrifice, and the ways grace works through ordinary family life — without romanticizing or minimizing the realities of disability.

The discussion will also touch on their experience supporting their son in his faith life through the sacraments, prayer, and more. They will offer practical insights for parents who have recently received a diagnosis for their child, helping families navigate faith, family life, and belonging in the Church.

Please submit any accommodation requests no later than April 1.

Mary O’Callaghan, Ph.D.

Dr. Mary O’Callaghan is a developmental psychologist and Associate Professor of the Practice in the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame, where she serves as academic advisor to the Fiat Program in Faith and Mental Health. She has previously served as a public policy fellow at Notre Dame’s de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, focusing primarily on the issue of disability-selective abortion. Mary serves on the governing board and as past chair of the Ethics and Public Policy Committee for the National Catholic Partnership on Disability. She and her husband, Dr. John O’Callaghan, have five children, including their youngest son, Tommy, who has a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism.

John O’Callaghan, Ph.D.

Dr. John O’Callaghan is an Associate Professor of Philosophy at the University of Notre Dame where is also the Director of the Jacques Maritain Center. He is a member of the Pontifical Academy of St. Thomas Aquinas, appointed by Pope Benedict XVI in 2010. His areas of scholarly interest include Medieval Philosophy, the philosophy of St. Thomas Aquinas, and Thomistic Metaphysics and Ethics.

Angela Knobel, Ph.D. - Moderator

Dr. Angela Knobel is a Professor of Philosophy at the University of Dallas. She is currently a Myser Fellow at the de Nicola Center for Ethics and Culture, where she is researching the theme of motherhood for her forthcoming book, Other Selves: Motherhood and the Moral Life. She earned her doctorate in philosophy from the University of Notre Dame in 2004. Her work focuses primarily on Aquinas’ theory of infused virtue, virtue ethics and applied ethics. She is the author of Aquinas and the Infused Moral Virtues (University of Notre Dame Press, 2021).