As
we begin the second year of Mustard Seed Ministry, excitement is building. We
now have five Bible Study centers, four in Louisiana and one in Mississippi,
with a total of eighty people participating. The deaf communities are really
into studying their bibles! A grant from the Christian Brothers covered the cost
of special bibles adapted for people who know English as a second language.
There are enough for each deaf student to have one. They in turn are elated to
get bibles written with a simple English translation.
A new element that I have introduced into the program is to
teach the sessions in the role of a "biblical character." Simple
costumes were improvised out of material purchased from a local fabric store.
The first "dress rehearsal" took place two weeks ago in Lake Charles.
I dressed up like an Egyptian, Joseph's wife. When I put a black wig on, the
deaf community howled with enjoyment. They loved the idea of my teaching in
character, and sure enough, participated more when they felt more relaxed. The
atmosphere changed from that of a classroom to that of an engaging drama. And
isn't that how we preach the Word effectively, getting caught up in the divine
drama of God's saving love?
Now that we have bibles that are easier to read, I have
introduced the element of "homework." The participants are assigned
passages to read on their own to prepare for my next visit to each location.
Thank you for your interest and support in this vital
ministry. Your prayers are a big help.
Hearing the call, breaking the silence
What would you do if you opened the Bible and could not
understand the language? How would you learn about Jesus' life and message?
Would the Psalms mean anything to you?
"I wish I could read the Bible," Sarah signed to me
one day in her native language, American Sign Language.
H a v i n g worked with the Catholic Deaf Community in Baton
Rouge for eight years and the community here in New Orleans for another ten, 1
understood what she meant. For people for whom English is a second language,
reading the Scriptures is a daunting task.
Three years ago, I decided to create a program to train deaf
Catholics to understand the Scriptures. Mustard Seed Ministry was born. Just as
a sower plants the tiny seeds and waits for them to yield their growth, so I
envisioned traveling to various Catholic Deaf Centers throughout Louisiana and
Mississippi to show deaf Catholics how to understand what they read in the
Bible.
The five communities were delighted to have someone who was
fluent in sign language open the Word for them, About eighty adults throughout
the five communities now participate in the monthly gatherings, and I have put
about 40,000 miles on my little red Chevy.
COMPLETING OUR third year next month, we will have studied an
overview of most of the Old Testament. Deaf adult Catholics in Lake Charles,
Lafayette, Baton Rouge, New Orleans and Gulfport, Miss., can now locate any
chapter and verse of any book in the Bible. They can read the selected passages
and discuss among themselves what it means and how it relates to their
lives.
As we begin our fourth year this August with the study of the
New Testament, we will look upon the "face of Jesus," described to us
by Mark. Jesus, using parables to teach God's message in ways the people could
understand, likened the reign of God to a mustard seed which when planted grew
so large that the birds of the air built their nests in its branches.
Just so, our deaf brothers and sisters need to have the Good
News proclaimed to them in ways they can understand. Now, I think this is no
ordinary, garden-variety mustard plant, but one that grew to Guinness Book
proportions!
Our little Mustard Seed Ministry has borne fruit. May its
efforts continue to grow! May God invite new "sowers" to learn this
beautiful and wonderfully expressive language to proclaim the Good News to those
who long to see it.
(Dominican Sister Shirley Bodisch has been a member of St.
Mary's Dominican Sisters since 1963 and has worked in deaf ministry for 18
years. As the director of Mustard Seed Ministry, she not only trains deaf
Catholics to read the Bible, but also teaches American Sign Language to
seminarians interested in learning how to sign the Mass. Anyone interested in
learning sign language for the purpose of assisting with the Mustard Seed
Program may contact Sister Shirley through the Department of Religious and its
executive director, Marianite of Holy Cross Sister Suellen Tennyson, at
861-6281.)
Reprinted from Clarion Herlald, x/x/2000
Sr. Shirley Bodisch, O.P. shirlbop@aol.com
