From the Minneapolis – St. Paul Star Tribune: After warning, family of autistic teen attends different church

The mother of a 13-year-old autistic boy who was banned by a court order from attending services at a Roman Catholic church in Bertha, Minn., woke up Sunday determined to take her son to mass.

But Carol Race changed her mind when Todd County Sheriff Pete Mikkelson met her at the end of her driveway Sunday and told her she would be arrested if she brought her son, Adam, into the Church of St. Joseph.

Instead, Race took Adam and her four other children to mass at Christ the King Church in nearby Browerville, Minn. “It occurred to me that if I step foot in [St. Joseph], they will arrest me and I won’t end up going to mass anyway,” she said.

A court hearing on the matter has been continued until June 2 so that Race can hire an attorney.

The dispute has drawn attention to what Race and advocates for the disabled say is a lack of education and understanding about autism. Race said that even though her son, who is home-schooled, sometimes acts up in church, the experience benefits him.

…

The Rev. Daniel Walz, who did not return calls left at the Church of St. Joseph parish office, wrote in court documents that Adam’s behavior was “extremely disruptive and dangerous.” He alleged that Adam, who is more than 6 feet tall and weighs over 225 pounds, spits and urinates in church and has nearly injured children and elderly people.

In an affidavit, Walz wrote: “The parish members and I have been very patient and understanding. I have made repeated efforts through Catholic Education Ministries, Caritas Family Services, and most recently, sought to try and mediate the matter with the family to ask them to voluntarily not bring Adam to church, but it has been to no avail.” The Diocese of St. Cloud said in a statement that the restraining order, issued May 9, was “a last resort…”

I’ve been following this for a few days, since it showed up on ABC. In reflecting on this my gut instinct, and the reason this gives scandal, is that the parties involved have lost sight of their Christian witness as outlined by St. Paul:

And now there remain faith, hope, and charity, these three: but the greatest of these is charity. — 1 Corinthians 13:13 (Douay-Rheims)

The priest is relying on a legal approach – one of the great problems among some R.C. clergy. The family is relying on its needs, and knowing the struggle of families dealing with autism I know it is hard to see beyond the immediacy of the struggle. Both need to to step back and pray for the gift of charity. Both need to act in charity toward the other. Both need to look to what builds up the Christian community, not just the parish or family, but the whole of the community. I begrudge neither. I just pray that they witness together – in mutual charity.