The Body of Christ is called to be a faithful witness to the Gospel, with each member having a crucial personal mission.

To this end, the Catholic bishops have revised and expanded their Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities to help assure that people with disabilities are able to participate in the sacramental life of the Church and share their own gifts as missionary disciples.

Use these guidelines to:

• Review how parish and diocesan policies and practices affect persons with physical or intellectual disabilities, especially regarding the reception of the sacraments.
• Identify material accommodations that can help parishioners with disabilities be fully engaged in parish sacramental life.
• Implement good pastoral policies to form a parish community that supports all its members.

Pastors, parish pastoral staff, and lay volunteers who work in evangelization, catechesis, and sacramental preparation, as well as diocesan staff, will find these guidelines helpful as they continue to work to strengthen their communities.