In May 2023, the Office of Lifelong Fatih Formation (OLFF) received a grant from the Lay Continuing Education & Formation Endowment of the Catholic Foundation of Maine, to launch an Inclusion Initiative with the goal of creating a unifying, comprehensive framework to help parishes in our diocese grow in awareness and inclusion of persons with disabilities. Inclusion is at the heart of our role as a faith formation entity.

A grounding question for this initiative is: How do we enlarge the area for our church ‘tents’ to enable the entire body of Christ to enter? Serving persons with disabilities will ultimately be beneficial to all persons and groups in parish communities and beyond. Our work toward a framework is so that ALL households/families see themselves in God’s tent.

To help guide us toward a framework, we are working with the National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD) of which our diocese is an affiliate.

A statewide diocesan steering team has been formed, under the leadership of the OLFF staff; this group’s primary role is to assist the OLFF in creating a common framework of inclusion for parishes.

Forum Events planned for April 2024

As one focus of the Inclusion Initiative, OLFF will direct and lead three, in-person, regional gatherings: encounters where information, ideas, and collaboration will surface for long-term impact in parishes. The keynote presenter will be Charleen Katra, executive director of the National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD), assisted by the OLFF staff.

Southern Maine Gathering - Wednesday, April 10, 11:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Holy Martyrs of North America Church, Falmouth (Parish of the Holy Eucharist)

Central Maine Gathering - Thursday, April 11, 12:00 p.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Immaculate Conception Catholic Church, Calais (St. Kateri Tekakwitha Parish)

Northern Maine Gathering - Friday, April 12, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Holy Rosary Parish Center, Caribou (Parish of the Precious Blood)