Below is a comprehensive list of NCPD's press releases from the past 10 years. These press releases are regarding topics such as awards, current events, legislative issues, Bishops documents, and more.
Washington, D.C. – The National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD), in partnership with Loyola Press, is pleased to announce San Alejandro Catholic Parish (St. Alexander) in Cornelius, Oregon, in the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon, as the recipient of the Loyola Press 2019 Opening Doors Parish Award. The parish will receive $1000 and a plaque from Loyola Press.
Washington, DC – The National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD), the organization that represents and advocates for 15 million U.S. Catholics with disabilities, announced today that it has selected Charleen Katra, MAPS, as its Executive Director, starting December 1, 2019. She succeeds outgoing Executive Director, Janice Benton, ofs, who is retiring this month after more than 37 years with NCPD.
Washington, DC – The National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD), in partnership with Loyola Press, is pleased to announce Saint Patrick Church, Providence, RI as the recipient of the Loyola Press 2018 Opening Doors Parish Award. The parish will receive from Loyola Press $1000 and a plaque.
Washington, D.C. - The National Catholic Partnership on Disability is pleased to announce the ratification of the Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities, Revised Edition, (Guidelines) by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) at their semi-annual meeting held June 14 and 15, 2017, in Indianapolis, Indiana. The Guidelines passed overwhelmingly by a vote of 180 - 1. These revised and expanded Guidelines supersede the previous version issued by the USCCB in 1995.
Washington, DC – The National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD), in partnership with Loyola Press, is pleased to announce Saint Rose of Lima Parish, Gaithersburg, Maryland as the recipient of the Loyola Press 2017 “Opening Doors” Parish Award. The parish will receive from Loyola Press $1000 and a plaque.
The National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD), in partnership with Loyola Press, is pleased to announce St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church from West Des Moines, Iowa as the winner of this year’s Loyola Press Opening Doors Parish Award. The parish will receive from Loyola Press $1000 and a plaque.
The National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD) will participate in Living Fully 2016: “Disability, Culture and Faith – A Celebration,” an international academic symposium and conference, from June 23- 26, 2016, in Rome. Patrons for the conference are the Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture, Jean Vanier, and The Kairos Forum.
The National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD), in partnership with Loyola Press, is pleased to announce St. John Chrysostom Parish in Wallingford, Pennsylvania, Archdiocese of Philadelphia, as the winner of this year’s Loyola Press Opening Doors Parish Award. The parish will receive from Loyola Press $1000 and a plaque.
WASHINGTON, DC - The Interfaith Disability Advocacy Coalition (IDAC), a program of the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD), will host From Access to Belonging, an interfaith worship service celebrating the progress and promise of the ADA on Sunday, July 26 at 3:00 p.m. at First Trinity Lutheran Church, 309 E Street, NW, Washington, D.C.
The National Catholic Partnership on Disability, in partnership with Loyola Press, is pleased to announce St. John Neumann Parish in Lilburn, Georgia as the winner of this year’s Loyola Press Parish Award. It was a difficult decision to make as all of the nominated parishes have accomplished excellent work for the greater inclusion of people with disabilities and their families. The judges want to express their gratitude to all of the applicants and to congratulate them on the strides they have made towards equality and acceptance of those with disabilities with regards to faith life.
On Friday, November 21, NCPD will be part of a panel on pastoral care for persons on the spectrum, following presentations on the causes, research and therapies for persons with the diagnosis. For NCPD and other lay leaders, pastoral care begins with the conviction that persons with disabilities, like everyone else, are created by God and born with gifts to share. Their “giftedness” enables them not only to receive the Gospel message, but to be witnesses or “agents” of that message. Going beyond inclusion, NCPD will explain that its foundational concept is belonging, referencing that, in baptism, Catholics participate in an essential belonging to the Body of Christ, equal in dignity to one another.
Dr. Nancy Thompson was awarded the Distinguished Service Award for 2014 by the National Conference for Catechetical Leadership (NCCL). Dr. Thompson, the Director of Programs and Diocesan Relations for the National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD) and a leader in disability ministry received this prestigious award at the NCCL annual convention held May 19 - 22 in St. Louis, Missouri.
The Opening Door’s Award highlights the importance of parishes recognizing the gifts and needs of persons with disabilities. Janice Benton, Executive Director of NCPD, in announcing the selection of All Saints, a large, urban parish in Dallas, Texas, said “All Saints sets a standard that other parishes should strive to achieve as they make efforts at welcoming persons with disabilities into a parish community. The parish’s willingness to embark on new initiatives to meet identified needs and to call forth the gifts of persons with disabilities captured the attention of the selection committee.”
“Cardinal DiNardo leads by example, with humor, with deep insight and with a willingness to explore new methods of reaching out to people with disabilities. He is visionary in guiding NCPD to continue to find ways to involve all people in our Church and to recognize that we are all in a marvelous partnership with God,” notes Susanna Herro, current Chair of NCPD’s Board of Directors.
Two national Catholic disability organizations, the National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD) and the National Apostolate for Inclusion Ministry (NAfIM) recently voted to forge a new bond with a renewed commitment to engaging Catholics with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the full life of the Catholic Church.