PROSPECT HEIGHTS — Pope Francis’ prayer intention for December is for persons with disabilities, and he has called for the Catholic Church to be inclusive and welcoming, to ensure that each person “feels encouraged to do his or her part for the good of the entire ecclesial body and for the good of society as a whole.” 

The pope has said that such charitable behavior would include ensuring that those who have disabilities are given equal access to the fullness of Catholic life. 

Religious entities in the U.S. are exempt from the laws implemented by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), meaning it is up to an individual parish to determine whether it has sufficient resources to build a ramp or install an elevator in the church. 

With some churches in the Diocese of Brooklyn over 100 years old, it would be very expensive to make them wheelchair accessible. 

But to wheelchair and scooter user Anna Maria Walsh, cost should not be an object when it comes to making a Catholic church accessible. A bout with polio forced her to rely on a wheelchair, and she uses a scooter to travel distances.

To attend Mass, Walsh, 66, goes to one of three churches: Most Precious Blood Church in Bath Beach, St. Athanasius/St. Dominic Church in Bensonhurst, or Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Astoria. 

All of them are accessible for the disabled, and Walsh believes that every church in the diocese should follow suit. 

“These churches [she attends] have done whatever was possible in order to make sure that the disabled have the opportunity to enjoy the same spiritual experiences that everyone else can,” Walsh says. 

At St. Anthony-St. Alphonsus in Greenpoint, the process of building an elevator in the church has gone on for years — and it has proven extremely costly. Father Sebastian Augustine, the pastor, said according to the most recent estimates, it’s going to cost anywhere between $300,000 and $500,000 to install the elevator. He said he joined the parish in 2020, and the project was underway well before then. 

There is a large senior citizen population at St. Anthony-St. Alphonsus, Father Augustine said, which was a motivating factor in the decision to install an elevator, which must have the approval of the Diocese of Brooklyn.

“Some of them [parishioners] have already left the parish looking for a place they could get to that’s accessible,” Father Augustine said, adding that of those who stayed, “we need to help them. We need to support them.” 

According to the Diocese of Brooklyn, St. Robert Bellarmine Church in Bayside also has an elevator installation proposal that is in its development phase. 

In the United States, around 13% of the civilian non-institutionalized population has disabilities, according to the Pew Research Center. This includes people with hearing, vision, walking, self-care, or cognitive disabilities. 

Some churches have made accessibility for everyone a priority. St. Charles Borromeo Church in Brooklyn Heights has a ramped entrance and an elevator to accommodate wheelchair access to the main sanctuary, and a chapel that is also disabled accessible. 

The ushers at the church wear larger nameplates to assist the visually impaired, and the speaker system is louder for those who are hearing impaired, according to their website. 

In addition, St. Charles Borromeo has accessible meeting spaces, something that Walsh noted was equally important, stressing that more than just attending Mass or worship services, wheelchair users should be able to go to church dinners, raffles, and other events with similar ease. She quoted Pope Benedict XVI, who said, “Let us invite the disabled to the table.” 

“Everyone deserves the right to feel close to God and be an active member of the parish community. In today’s world, with our many advances, there is no reason for any community building not to be accessible to all,” Walsh said. 

The map on this page shows churches that the Diocese of Brooklyn says are ramp or elevator accessible. If you have an additional parish that has a ramp or elevator that is not listed, contact aventer@desalesmedia.org to include in a list on thetablet.org.