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http://www.gazette.net/stories/022306/landnew205457_31940.shtml
St. Francis of Assisi Deaf Catholic Church is both alike and distinct from any other Catholic church in Prince George’s County.
The Landover Hills facility has a sanctuary and an active community that attends Mass and participates in volunteer activities. But the sanctuary is sparsely decorated, and when the Rev. Jerry Trancone celebrates the Mass, attendees follow his every move.
They have to because they are deaf or hard of hearing, and St. Francis is the only church in Prince George’s County and one of two in the Archdiocese of Washington to offer a Mass in American Sign Language, Trancone said.
Because of that distinction, church members come from around the archdiocese. Several said the church offers a community they haven’t felt elsewhere because of their disability.
West Bethesda resident William Mooney recalled being frustrated at attending his childhood church that did not follow the teachings of the Second Vatican Council about Mass. That meant the Mass was celebrated in Latin by a priest who faced the wall.
‘‘How could I read lips?” asked Mooney, who later attended deaf Masses at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, N.Y. and then at Gallaudet University.
A deaf Mass is different than one in which an interpreter signs, Trancone and several church members said.
‘‘I like Mass in sign language. It’s more clear. Interpreted Mass is OK, but there’s no communication with the priest in an interpreted liturgy,” Mooney said as Trancone interpreted.
Trancone, who has been at the helm of St. Francis since 1978, felt offering space to groups like the National Catholic Office for the Deaf and the International Deaf Catholic Association was an extension of the church’s outreach.
‘‘The NCOD and the IDCA couldn’t afford to pay their rent. It would be an embarrassment to let them go out of existence because of the wonderful work they do,” Trancone said. ‘‘I’m very proud of the fact that three major deaf organizations chose to make their home here.”
With the groups having similar focuses and needs, they frequently interact and share resources.
Established in 1971, the NCOD provides support, training and education for pastoral ministers who work with the deaf and hard of hearing, said executive director Arvilla Rank, a College Park resident who also attends Mass at St. Francis.
The IDCA was established 57 years ago to carry on the identity of deaf Catholics, said Silver Spring resident and church member Peter Noyes, a past president and board member. Trancone also is director of the Center for Deaf Ministries, which oversees anything that happens in the deaf Catholic community. That includes working with the 14 churches that have interpreted Masses and working with deaf parents whose children can hear so the parents’ needs are attended to at the children’s schools, he said.
And with St. Francis drawing from such a large area, it’s different from many parishes that have a defined geography, Trancone said.
‘‘Although we are not a canonically established parish of the archdiocese, we function as one,” he said. ‘‘According to canon law, there are three necessities to be a canonically established parish.”
Besides having a defined geography, it also needs to be self-supporting. Instead, Trancone defines the church as a special service the archdiocese offers.
Services needed
While exact numbers of deaf and hard of hearing Catholics in the archdiocese and nationwide are hard to come by, about 10 percent of the population has some hearing loss, said Rank, who has worked for the NCOD for eight years.
She and other members have strong opinions about why the church and the other groups are needed.
Many deaf and hard of hearing Catholics ‘‘are hungry for the spirit, but growing up, have poor education in the Mass. You learn from your family, so when there’s no communication, it’s not clear,” Rank said.
For that reason, more priests need to learn sign language, a skill as necessary as learning Spanish for some priests’ assignments, she said.
Trancone learned sign language after befriending a family with a deaf son at his first parish, St. Bernard of Clairvaux in Riverdale, in 1969.
When he transferred to St. John Baptist de la Salle in Chillum in 1972, the Rev. Aldo Petrini, the pastor, encouraged him to study sign language. Then when the chaplain position at Gallaudet opened after the Rev. Ray Richards transferred to Brooklyn, Petrini again helped his friend and recommended him for the job.
Trancone’s service has been a godsend, said church member Eleanor Ward of Clinton.
When a church member became sick a couple weeks ago during Mass, Trancone reassured everyone the member would be fine, she said.
‘‘He kept us calm because he told us what was going on. He happens to be very flexible,” she said.
St. Francis of Assisi Deaf Catholic Church is both alike and distinct from any other Catholic church in Prince George’s County.
The Landover Hills facility has a sanctuary and an active community that attends Mass and participates in volunteer activities. But the sanctuary is sparsely decorated, and when the Rev. Jerry Trancone celebrates the Mass, attendees follow his every move.
They have to because they are deaf or hard of hearing, and St. Francis is the only church in Prince George’s County and one of two in the Archdiocese of Washington to offer a Mass in American Sign Language, Trancone said.
Because of that distinction, church members come from around the archdiocese. Several said the church offers a community they haven’t felt elsewhere because of their disability.
West Bethesda resident William Mooney recalled being frustrated at attending his childhood church that did not follow the teachings of the Second Vatican Council about Mass. That meant the Mass was celebrated in Latin by a priest who faced the wall.
‘‘How could I read lips?” asked Mooney, who later attended deaf Masses at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf in Rochester, N.Y. and then at Gallaudet University.
A deaf Mass is different than one in which an interpreter signs, Trancone and several church members said.
‘‘I like Mass in sign language. It’s more clear. Interpreted Mass is OK, but there’s no communication with the priest in an interpreted liturgy,” Mooney said as Trancone interpreted.
Trancone, who has been at the helm of St. Francis since 1978, felt offering space to groups like the National Catholic Office for the Deaf and the International Deaf Catholic Association was an extension of the church’s outreach.
‘‘The NCOD and the IDCA couldn’t afford to pay their rent. It would be an embarrassment to let them go out of existence because of the wonderful work they do,” Trancone said. ‘‘I’m very proud of the fact that three major deaf organizations chose to make their home here.”
With the groups having similar focuses and needs, they frequently interact and share resources.
Established in 1971, the NCOD provides support, training and education for pastoral ministers who work with the deaf and hard of hearing, said executive director Arvilla Rank, a College Park resident who also attends Mass at St. Francis.
The IDCA was established 57 years ago to carry on the identity of deaf Catholics, said Silver Spring resident and church member Peter Noyes, a past president and board member. Trancone also is director of the Center for Deaf Ministries, which oversees anything that happens in the deaf Catholic community. That includes working with the 14 churches that have interpreted Masses and working with deaf parents whose children can hear so the parents’ needs are attended to at the children’s schools, he said.
And with St. Francis drawing from such a large area, it’s different from many parishes that have a defined geography, Trancone said.
‘‘Although we are not a canonically established parish of the archdiocese, we function as one,” he said. ‘‘According to canon law, there are three necessities to be a canonically established parish.”
Besides having a defined geography, it also needs to be self-supporting. Instead, Trancone defines the church as a special service the archdiocese offers.
Services needed
While exact numbers of deaf and hard of hearing Catholics in the archdiocese and nationwide are hard to come by, about 10 percent of the population has some hearing loss, said Rank, who has worked for the NCOD for eight years.
She and other members have strong opinions about why the church and the other groups are needed.
Many deaf and hard of hearing Catholics ‘‘are hungry for the spirit, but growing up, have poor education in the Mass. You learn from your family, so when there’s no communication, it’s not clear,” Rank said.
For that reason, more priests need to learn sign language, a skill as necessary as learning Spanish for some priests’ assignments, she said.
Trancone learned sign language after befriending a family with a deaf son at his first parish, St. Bernard of Clairvaux in Riverdale, in 1969.
When he transferred to St. John Baptist de la Salle in Chillum in 1972, the Rev. Aldo Petrini, the pastor, encouraged him to study sign language. Then when the chaplain position at Gallaudet opened after the Rev. Ray Richards transferred to Brooklyn, Petrini again helped his friend and recommended him for the job.
Trancone’s service has been a godsend, said church member Eleanor Ward of Clinton.
When a church member became sick a couple weeks ago during Mass, Trancone reassured everyone the member would be fine, she said.
‘‘He kept us calm because he told us what was going on. He happens to be very flexible,” she said.