Are you a catechist for diverse learners or have a family member with a disability?
This course is designed to help catechists, parents, and siblings of persons with disabilities be more effective in their efforts of formation. It is based upon the General Directory for Catechesis and the National Directory for Catechesis which serve as the model for Christian life for ALL disciples.
It draws upon the decades of the presenters' personal and professional experiences as catechists, parents, and siblings of persons with disabilities.
Enroll and gain access to this valuable course!
Presenter, Tasks 1 & 2:
Barbara Kielaszek
Secretary of the CIDD and Chairperson at St. Matthew the Evangelist Parish, Ministry with Persons with Disabilities.
Barbara is a retired special education teacher from Houston. She worked in the public school system for thirty years. Barbara also coordinated disability ministry initiatives at her parish for six years.
Barbara is a member of the NCPD Council on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities.
Presenter, Task 3:
Kelsey Bell
Chair Council on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (CIDD)
Kelsey has served as the Coordinator of the Office for People with Disabilities for the Archdiocese of Portland in Oregon since the fall of 2016. She strives to help parishes become places of belonging where all can actively participate. Kelsey holds a BA in Social Work and Spanish and a MA in Pastoral Ministry, both from the University of Portland. One of the biggest influences in Kelsey’s life is her younger sister Gina, who has Down syndrome. Kelsey and her husband have a three-year old son.
Presenter, Task 4
Leo Zanchettin
NCPD Board Liaison
Editor, The Word Among Us
Leo Zanchettin is editorial director for The Word Among Us magazine, a monthly Catholic devotional, and NCPD Board member. Zanchettin serves on the NCPD Council on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities and is an associate member of the Catholic Biblical Association. He has written extensively about his life as the father of six children, all of whom are on the autism spectrum. He is active in his parish as an officer in the pastoral council, a member of the adult faith formation team, and a youth minister and catechist.
Presenter, Task 5
Erin Jeffries
Coordinator of Ministry to
Persons with Special Needs
for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis
Erin Jeffries has been the Coordinator of Ministry to Persons with Special Needs for the Archdiocese of Indianapolis since 2014. Jeffries has served on the NCPD Council on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities since 2015, and has served as secretary and co-chair of the Council.
If asked, she’ll tell you one of her greatest joys, and her greatest motivation in her work is her younger sister, Mary, who has multiple disabilities stemming from illness followed by a stroke when she was very young.
Task One: We Believe
(Know the Faith)
Task Two - We Celebrate
(Liturgy and Sacraments)
Task Three: We Live a Christian (Moral) Life
Task Four: We Pray
(for Self and Others)
Task Five: We Live with Others (Communal Life)
Example Curriculum
- Introduction (1:08)
- Scriptural Foundation (1:22)
- Community is Integral (3:04)
- Made for Relationships (2:34)
- Building Blocks of Community (2:29)
- Liturgy: The Spiritual Tie that Binds Us (1:43)
- Developing the Sense of Belonging (3:21)
- Ecclesial Communion (3:56)
- Forming Believers (3:02)
- Conclusion (3:29)
