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Who Do You Say That I Am? Masters, A.M.
2020
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Masters, A. M. (2020). Who Do You Say That I Am? Overcoming the Marginalization of Persons with Intellectual
and Developmental Disabilities in the US Catholic Church.
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Table of Contents
Acknowledgements ... vi
Ecclesial Documents ... xiii
I. Introduction to the Problem ... 1
A. Rupture Between Theology and Pastoral Practice ... 1
B. Lex Credendi, Lex Agendi ... 4
C. Catholic Social Teaching ... 5
D. Who Do You Say That I Am? ... 8
1. Stories and Narratives ... 9
E. Note on Definitions, Models and Language ... 13
F. Methodology ... 17
The US Catholic Church at the Intersection of Theology, Disability and Pastoral Practice ... 21
A. Vatican II: The Dawning of a World Church and Framework for Catholic Social Teaching ... 22
1. Human Dignity ... 24
B. Beginning of a National Ministry – Preparing for the Pastoral ... 28
1. Movements Coming Together ... 29
2. Getting Started ... 32
3. Normalization Principle and Institutions ... 39
C. Pastoral Statement of the U.S. Catholic Bishops on Persons with Disabilities 44 1. Human Dignity and Responsibility ... 45
2. Prejudice and Attitudes ... 47
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D. The Gospel in Shadow ... 53
1. Some Disappointments ... 54
E. Going Forward ... 60
1. Structural Challenges ... 60
2. Light Overcome By Shadow ... 62
III. Shadow Narrative Eclipses The Light ... 64
A. The Shadow Narrative and Its Five Threads ... 65
1. Forever Children – Holy Innocent – Simple – Loving ... 70
2. Provide Opportunities for Service and “Charity” ... 74
3. Disability and the Cross, Special Relationship with Jesus ... 76
4. The Slippery Slope of Idealism ... 82
5. Otherness ... 84
B. Shadow Narrative Marginalizes People... 85
C. Marginalization Creates A Space Called ‘On the Margins’ (OTM) ... 91
D. Henri Nouwen and the Shadow Narrative: The Sphere of Sentimentalism ... 94
E. Some Thoughts on the Shadow Narrative ... 99
IV. What Happened to Charity? ... 104
A. The Complaint About Charity ... 106
B. Exploring Charity ... 108
1. Jewish-Christian Charity ... 108
2. Diaspora and Greco-Roman Influences ... 109
3. The Rule of St. Benedict ... 110
4. The Holy Roman Empire ... 115
a. Increasing Rigidity ... 116
b. Latin Became Language of the Monks ... 117
c. Expanding Institutionalization ... 117
C. Dependence vs. Flourishing ... 121
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2. What About Rights? ... 127
D. Does Charity Have a Future? ... 129
V. Who Do We Say We Are? ... 135
A. We Are the Body of Christ ... 140
B. Individual Gifts or Manifestations of the Spirit ... 144
C. The Body of Christ: Unity in Diversity or Diversity in Unity? ... 147
D. Who are the “Weak” ... 154
E. Manifestations, Diversity, Weakness: Interdependence ... 158
VI. Exposing the Shadow Narrative with Social Role Valorization... 163
A. Social Role Valorization and the Growing End of Human Dignity ... 166
1. Person-Centered... 169
2. Ten Basic Themes Help Access the Good Things in Life ... 171
a. Analyze: Unconscious Mindsets & Symbolic Imagery ... 172
b. Construct: Interpersonal Identification, Personal, Positive Compensation, Valued Social Roles, Expectations ... 173
c. Test: Developmental, Imitation Power, Coherency ... 174
B. The Hermeneutics of Devaluation ... 175
1. Identity in Community – Roles vs. Gifts ... 178
a. Social Roles and Identity ... 179
b. Modeling – Practice – Cascading Roles ... 180
c. Presence ... 181
2. Living Within the Shadow Narrative ... 184
a. Wounds and Legacy of Low Expectations... 186
C. Criticisms of SRV ... 190
1. Happier With Others Like Themselves ... 190
a. Better Together ... 191
2. Devaluation by Denying Choice ... 193
a. Respect and Assume Ability ... 193
b. Effectiveness With Individuals ... 196
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VII. Extinguishing the Shadow Narrative with Social Role Valorization ... 199
A. Diminishing Shadow Narrative and Countering Devaluation ... 200
1. Relationships – Essence of Being Church ... 201
a. Physical Proximity and Relationship ... 204
b. Strengths vs. Deficits ... 205
B. Principles for Guiding Choices ... 205
1. Typical and Ordinary Ways – Culturally Valued Analogue ... 205
2. Conservativism Corollary ... 210
3. Natural and Smaller Over Efficient and Larger ... 211
3. Model (Pastoral) Coherency ... 213
4. Preparing the Community ... 215
5. Implications of Choices ... 216
C. Narratives About the Human Person in the Body of Christ ... 219
1. Some Enduring Tentacles of Shadow Narrative that Influence Catholic Social Teaching ... 220
2. Some Thoughts for a Renewed Theological Anthropology ... 222
D. Moving Beyond the Shadow Narrative with SRV ... 225
1. The Object of SRV: Counteracting the Process of Devaluation and Marginalization ... 225
2. Making a Decision ... 227
VIII. Becoming a Church Rooted in Human Dignity ... 230
A. Details of a Plan ... 233
1. Ecclesial Support ... 235
2. Involve the Community ... 236
3. Culture Respecting Dignity ... 237
4. Empathy – Compassion a Critical Social Norm... 237
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6. Individual, Small, ‘Natural or Typical’ ... 238
7. Utilizing SRV to Increase Access to Meaningful Roles ... 239
8. Some Cautions ... 239
B. Future Considerations ... 239
IX. Appendix ... 241
A. Pastoral Statement of U.S. Catholic Bishops on People with Disabilities ... 241
B. House Churches and the Eucharist Diagrams from Jerome Murphy O’Conner ... 250
