Developmentally disabled individuals and their families often feel unwelcome in formal settings, including houses of worship. Unusual behaviors and sensory integration problems which stem from disorders such as autism may strike uninformed people as rude or disruptive.

St. Jude Catholic Church on Education Hill offers respite to those who feel excluded because of their special needs. Once a month, Pastor Dave Rogerson celebrates a Mass which is adapted for the comfort of special needs guests and their families. The next one is at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 11.

This is the only ongoing special needs Mass in the greater Seattle area, said Thomas Wagner, assistant director for pastoral care services, Office of the Vicar for Clergy at the Archdiocese of Seattle. It is regularly scheduled at 11 a.m. on the second Saturday of the month.

Wagner described St. Jude as “one of our model parishes in understanding how to minister to those with special needs. It is something we desire to copy in other parishes throughout the Archdiocese.”

Even non-Catholics are flocking to these all-inclusive Masses, traveling from as far north as Everett and as far south as Algona, according to Mary Kellison, a pastoral assistant for Faith Formation (religious education) at St. Jude.

When Kellison joined the staff at St. Jude, almost two years ago, several special needs families approached her, worried about how their children might be able to receive the sacrament of the Eucharist (Holy Communion).

“I talked to Father Dave and started individualized programs for six boys, all different ages and adapted the curriculum to work with them,” said Kellison.

“All God’s Children — Religious Formation for Children with Special Needs” is now an established program at St. Jude, which “is not age or ability based, but assists children of all abilities in developing a closer relationship with God.”

According to Wagner, St. Joseph Church in Issaquah has also created a specialized faith formation program for children with intellectual disabilities and the Options Program at Eastside Catholic High School in Sammamish accommodates a limited number of special needs students.

St. Jude added its special needs Mass over a year ago, after an awkward incident at a regular weekend Mass.

“A little boy was shouting, ‘I want some, I want some,’ and people didn’t understand,” Kellison explained.

It’s hurtful enough to get disapproving stares in a restaurant or grocery store. But imagine being criticized at a worship service, because your developmentally disabled child spoke out of turn, fidgeted too much or became distressed by an unfamiliar face. The special needs Masses at St. Jude are designed to be sensitive to issues that the general public might not recognize.

A pastoral statement by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, first issued in November 1978 and revised in 1989, has said that “to exclude members of the parish from these celebrations of the life of the Church, even by passive omission, is to deny the reality of that community. Accessibility involves far more than physical alterations to parish buildings.”

Said Kellison, “Father Dave has been so supportive in providing options for those with special needs. This whole endeavor would not be possible without him.”

She said the special needs Masses at St. Jude are “very informal.”

“Father Dave asks someone to carry a cross or other things to include them. It’s not just children but teens or adults. Sometimes parents do the readings or we’ve had a lady in a wheelchair. We use quiet music, a pianist and a cantor. Father Dave uses a children’s lectionary to make things simpler and tries to talk about things that are easy for all to understand. Around Mother’s Day, he talked about Jesus’ mother and how she interacted with him.”

The ultimate goal of the special needs Masses is to educate the entire community that those with disabilities are also “children of God” and deserving of acceptance, said Kellison: “This is a step toward inclusion. Many of our regular parish community have come, because of that.”

Each special needs Mass at St. Jude is followed by a light luncheon, a craft project and networking.

St. Jude Catholic Church is located at 10526 166th Ave. NE in Redmond. For information about the special needs Masses and “All God’s Children” programs, contact Mary Kellison at MaryK@stjude-redmond.org or (425) 883-7685 extension 121.