Parish Welcome
We offer this Parish Welcome page to guide your efforts to build a welcoming community of faith. We offer practical tips for welcoming Catholics with disabilities and drawing on their gifts.
Basic knowledge about the U.S. Bishop's Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments for Persons with Disabilities, recommended narratives for understanding disability in the Church, and practical tools for ensuring Church access can dramatically help a parish to flourish.
Resources & Toolkits
Dementia-Friendly Worship: Finding Spiritual Peace with Dementia
By Brian LeBlanc and Maureen Rulison
Pastoral Response to Persons with Mental Illness
Learn about what parishes can do to support people with mental illness, suicide prevention, mental illness and addiction, the "four legs of recovery," and the work of NCPD's Council on Mental Illness.
What Does a Dementia-Friendly Parish Look Like?
Meet Mr. J, who was very active in ministry at his Catholic parish. He can be very loud and repeats the same three phrases when you meet him, but is joyful as he sings all of the right words to each hymn in Mass. When Mr J, who is living with dementia, had issues performing his ministry duties, he was left off of the schedule without any notice.
Hospitality Ministers: Disability Etiquette
General Principles Know the accessibility features and tools available in the parish and where to find them. Have a hospitality minister at the front door to assist and verbally welcome persons upon arrival.
How to Help a Person Experiencing a Mental Illness
- Tips to help a person experiencing mental illness - Warning signs that may indicate mental illness
Interacting with People with Vision Loss
20.6 million American adults are blind or living with vision loss that is not corrected by wearing glasses or contact lenses (National Health Interview Survey 2012). The following are some tips to facilitation interaction among people with and without 20/20 vision.
A good host is a good planner
When you plan your next gathering, follow this checklist to ensure all guests feel welcome and can participate.
Did you know? Hospitality
NCPD has created a series of educational infographics and encourages dioceses and parishes to download and share them.
Did you know? Good Design Limits Barriers
NCPD has created a series of educational infographics and encourages dioceses and parishes to download and share.
Mass for All: Liturgical Access Course
Now Available! Enroll Here.
Sensory-Friendly Masses
NCPD Online Training - Sensory Friendly Mass
Meet Saint Alexander's Parish
San Alejandro, Cornelius Oregon
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