Family looks to resolve stalemate at parish that barred autistic son
By Dennis Sadowski (Catholic News Service)
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The mother of an autistic boy who has been barred from attending Mass at a rural Minnesota parish said she was shocked by a judge's June 27 decision to uphold the ban and will continue working to overturn what she considers a violation of canon law.
Carol Race, whose 13-year-old son Adam was the target of a restraining order sought by St. Joseph Church in Bertha, Minn., in May, said the case should have been based on the laws of the church rather than the parish's concern over legal liability.
"I found it very depressing," Race said of Todd County District Judge Sally Ireland Robertson's decision to uphold the order keeping the Race family from parish property until May 2010 unless church officials grant permission.
Race expressed concern about the judge's reasoning for her ruling, saying that any action out of the ordinary by her son was thought to be disruptive.
"The fact that he made noise was enough for her to say a restraining order was justified," Race said July 2 in a telephone interview with Catholic News Service. "Asking Adam not to make noises is like asking you or me not to breathe."
In her decision, Robertson found that the Race family has "been unable to prevent their adult-sized minor child from repeated incidents and intrusive conduct."
The parish, which is in the St. Cloud Diocese, said it sought the order because Adam, who is more than 6 feet tall and weighs more than 225 pounds, had exhibited disruptive behavior at Mass, including striking a child, bolting unexpectedly from church and nearly knocking people over, and spitting and urinating in church.
Race contends such actions by her son are rare and are not disruptive.
"The judge's decision, that these actions were unreasonable within the church service, that shocks me because the government had no business deciding what's reasonable. Those are the things that should be decided by canon law," Race said.
Speaking on behalf of the parish, Jane Marrin, the diocese's director of pastoral planning, said Robertson's ruling does not end the search for a solution satisfactory to both the parish and the Race family.
"The mediation is continuing," she said. "That's what our focus is."
Race is considering an appeal of the decision. She promised to continue mediation with the parish, a process that began shortly after the restraining order was sought.
Janice Benton, executive director of the Washington-based National Catholic Partnership on Disability, said autism remains a condition that is not fully understood, even as more cases involving autistic children become public.
"We recognize that churches are trying and understanding they need to make accommodation to make people feel welcome and find a home in parish communities," she said.
"It's a balancing act. It calls for patience and courtesy. Patience on the part of other parishioners as well, and courtesy on the part of the family," she said.
To help promote the needs of families with autistic children, Race has started Project: Adam's Pew, a campaign to convince churches to set aside a pew for families who have a member with some kind of mental or physical disability and have felt uncomfortable attending church services.
More information can be found online at: www.project-adams-pew.org.
Meanwhile, the Race family has been attending Mass at Christ the King Parish in Browerville, about 10 miles from their home in Eagle Bend.
"So far there, it's been going just fine," Race said. "We have a reserved pew. We haven't had any problems with any of the people there so far."
Copyright (c) 2008 Catholic News Service/U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops