Adaptive Sacramental Preparation Kits — including materials for First Eucharist, Reconciliation and Confirmation — use visual, tactile and interactive tools to help autistic and other special needs children participate more fully in the Church’s sacramental life. (Submitted photo)
Two of Ann Marie Gonzalez Sein’s children are autistic. Julie Witt’s daughter has Down syndrome.
They each struggled to find open paths for the Church to bring their children into the sacramental life, but a new tool for Milwaukee-area Catholic parishes called Adaptive Sacramental Preparation Kits has opened the door for entering First Reconciliation, First Communion and Confirmation.
“The acceptance is amazing,” said Witt, who attends St. James the Less in Mukwonago. “It’s so wonderful that the Catholic Church is providing support and helping children with special needs.”
Gonzalez Sein said she had not yet been hired as director of evangelization and formation for St. Barnabas in West Allis but was attending an archdiocese catechetical conference when she heard a presentation by Anh Clausen, the Archdiocese of Milwaukee’s associate director for child formation.
Clausen gave Gonzalez Sein a way to help young people with special needs prepare for sacraments of initiation in presenting these kits.
“One of (my kids) has been on a waiting list for three years just to get religious education in general, so I was like, ‘Oh, my God, this is something!’” Gonzalez Sein said.
Julie Witt’s daughter poses in her parish church. Her family and catechists used adaptive sacramental preparation materials to help her prepare for First Reconciliation. (Submitted photo)
Clausen said her fire for empowering children with special needs to receive sacraments came from her time directing formation at the Family of Four Parishes in Milwaukee’s downtown and East Side neighborhoods. After joining the archdiocesan staff, she received $100,000 in grant money to receive the kits.
“I realized that there was a gap in helping neurodivergent kids, or kids on the autism spectrum, who are desiring to grow in their faith and prepare for the sacraments, as well as just be integrated into the faith formation programs,” Clausen said.
The funding, part of a Faith in Our Future grant, has provided Clausen the ability to distribute Adaptive Sacramental Preparation Kits throughout the archdiocese, helping parishes address a need previously met by only a limited number of formation programs specifically adapted for students with disabilities.
“One box is for Reconciliation, another box of the kit is for First Communion, and another box is for Confirmation,” Clausen said. “The way that parish leaders can use it is very flexible. If you have a child who just needs a little bit extra instruction, a leader could provide this kit and give it to the parent to go over at home.”
“It’s visual and image based. The image for Jesus is always the same, and his name is there. There’s always an element where the individual is moving or touching things. We want to help them to learn with their body,” she added.
“One of the resources is a board, and it says ‘Communion is not the same as food,’ and there’s a little symbol for Communion with a picture (of) chalice and the host, and you have to move it to where it says ‘Jesus’, so communion is Jesus. Even if a child is nonverbal or has very few language skills, if you ask this question, they have the ability to show that they understand.”
First Reconciliation catechists, Megan and Rich Fedor, took advantage of this tool for Witt’s daughter with Witt joining in as a teacher.
“If they’re unable to verbalize anything that they’ve identified as one of their sins, they can actually draw a picture of their sin, hold up that picture and then hold up the ‘I’m sorry’ card,” said Rich Fedor, director of Respect Life Ministry for the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.
“Having that kit for the couple of weeks leading up to First Reconciliation just seemed to really boost Fiona’s confidence.”
Clausen estimates that at least 100 of these kits have gone to various parishes including St. James in Menomonee Falls.
“We’ve had a number of families in the last three years in our program who have come to me with different kinds of special needs,” said Kristin Kebis, Coordinator of Child Ministry at St. James who has utilized these kits with great success. “One of the activities that when we started (used) a mirror, and the lesson was that God made us as his image. When they all looked at themselves in the mirror, they were so happy.”
“I can see the change of the kids when they started,” Gonzalez Sein added about her own children and the others she catechizes with the kits. “When we’re at the end, how they answer, they feel so welcomed.”
“I’m tearing up because this is so very important for us as a family,” said Witt, “and the fact that our Church is willing to work
