This Saturday evening Churches in the Dublin Diocese will take part in a unique award ceremony, marking their effort to adapt their space to enable people with a disability to fully participate in liturgy, ministry and social activities of the parish community.
The Cedar Award Liturgical celebration takes place in the Church of SS Peter and Paul in Balbriggan on Saturday evening, December 1st at 6.30pm with Archbishop Diarmuid Martin.
The Cedar Programme is part of the work of Crosscare’s Disability Awareness Programme.
The is the first time an event like this has been held in the Diocese and 11 Churches will be presented with awards for their efforts in providing better physical access and for encouraging people with a disability to play a greater part in Church life. Their efforts include providing ramps, platform lifts, wheelchair bays, and automatic entrance doors, loop systems for hearing aid users as well as books and notices in large print for people with a visual impairment.
The result is that the churches concerned are not only more accessible to those with a disability, but also to the elderly and families with young children. These improvements are to the benefit of all parishioners.
The date of the ceremony was chosen to coincide with UN Day for the Disabled which takes place on 3rd December.
