He knows special joy of a disabled child
By NADIA MARIA SMITH
CS&T Staff Writer
Joseph McGrath believes that a child with a disability creates genuine
joy by bringing out the best in people, especially the child’s parents.
He knows. His 8-year-old daughter, Maura, has Down syndrome.
Maura is nonverbal, yet she has a gift for connecting with people and
communicating in other ways.
“We have been blessed through Maura’s heroes,” McGrath
said. “If it weren’t for having a daughter with disabilities,
we wouldn’t have met so many good people.”
He and his wife, Rita, parishioners of Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish
in Philadelphia, found out their first child would be born with Down syndrome
during Rita’s pregnancy, so they were able to prepare some for Maura’s
arrival.
The support system they developed helped them get through the dark, early
days after her birth, when they thought they would lose her, and it has
continued to assist them in caring for her throughout her young life.
That support includes family, friends, and service providers for children
with disabilities.
At the same time, McGrath knows there are many families struggling to
make ends meet and to care for their children because they are unaware
of what is available to them.
“It’s not what you know that will hurt you, it’s what
you don’t know,” said McGrath, who is also his parish contact
for the Department for Pastoral Care for Persons with Disabilities in
the archdiocesan Respect Life Office.
“Having a family member with a disability, you have to learn the
laws and know about the programs. … For every person that signs
up for a program, there are two [who] are not signed up because they just
don’t know about these things,” he said.
For Maura, such support includes financial help through archdiocesan Catholic
Charities that enables her to attend St. Katherine Day School —
in fact, she was the first poster child for the Catholic Charities Appeal
in 2005.
“I feel blessed that our family has been lucky enough to find out
about these services,” McGrath said.
“There is so much … out there that many families don’t
know,” he added.
McGrath is trying to rectify that with a special, two-hour information
fair beginning at noon on Saturday, May 3 at his parish.
With the support of his pastor, Msgr. Joseph McGeown, McGrath will bring
together information about resources, as well as service providers, families,
caretakers, parishioners and members of the community in Father Sullivan
hall, just behind Immaculate Heart of Mary School.
He took on the project in order to empower families and change lives,
he said.
McGrath also has a 7-year-old daughter, Michelle, who is already an advocate
for individuals with disabilities, he said.
He explained with a story: One day while he and his daughters were at
a mall, they paused to rest near a water fountain. Meanwhile, at a pet
store across from them, an employee was standing outside with a puppy.
He and his daughters watched as a boy in a wheelchair approached the woman
and asked to pet the puppy. The woman ignored the boy.
“Michele, only 4 at the time, saw that, got up, and went to the
lady, and asked, ‘Can you put that puppy on the boy’s lap?’
The lady did,” he said.
“If Michelle was able to be an advocate at age 4, what stops the
rest of us?” he added. “People with disabilities will make
you better despite yourself. …”
CS&T staff writer Nadia Maria Smith can be reached at npozo@adphila.org
or (215) 965-4614.
Information fair
When: Noon to 2 p.m., Saturday May 3
Where: Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Father Sullivan Hall (behind parish
school) 819 Cathedral Road, Philadelphia, PA 19128
Contact Joseph and Rita McGrath at 215-487-7651.