Is there anyone there?

[anjelica]

Another friend of mine in The States, not from this forum, told us to write to the Vatican. We might just do that!

 

[benedictaoo]

He will LOL. This is the husband I was going to leave !!!!

He's doing right by you in this case. Tell the bishop, Americans over here are outraged. They need to make their churches handicapped accessibly.

 

[anjelica]

Don't worry bene. We are going to fight this to the end! I am also joining in. I got no response from the priest to my letter, so I may write another, reminding him! We are really going for it!

 

[anjelica]

Don't worry bene. We are going to fight this to the end! I am also joining in. I got no response from the priest to my letter, so I may write another, reminding him! We are really going for it!

I fully intend to do that bene. We are making this BIG. We have suggested ways forward regarding Safeguarding so that it does not only apply to sexual abuse but to ANY vulnerable person. We have quoted the Vulnerable Persons Act of 2000 from the Department of Healt, stating what a vulnerable person is, and we have quoted Pope Francis's homily at his Mass for the Disabled in June, where he says that disabled people must not be pushed onto the margins. We are really going for it!

 

[anjelica]

Sorry I got my quote wrong in the above post. Eyesight. I meant to quote your words bene

 

[Michie]

You go get them girl. You can make a difference!

Don't worry bene. We are going to fight this to the end! I am also joining in. I got no response from the priest to my letter, so I may write another, reminding him! We are really going for it!

 

[anjelica]

Thanks Michie. I had run out of strength today and could not even pray. I sank into a deep depression and total inertia. But later it got a bit better. And this is where we have ended up. That letter from the Archbishop coming made all the difference.

 

[Michie]

Well having a goal and something to work towards to improve things will help you and others too.

Thanks Michie. I had run out of strength today and could not even pray. I sank into a deep depression and total inertia. But later it got a bit better. And this is where we have ended up. That letter from the Archbishop coming made all the difference.

 

[anjelica]

I sometimes don't have the strength left Michie. I get ill and exhausted. My body is not made of steel, unfortunately. I battlr just to live, just to do the basics. No one knows what it is like. So having this on top is unbearable sometimes. My body hurts all the time. And I just get very sick. My depression yesterday was partly because I got very sick and had been unable to get out of bed again. I saw my life just going. Living our lives is hellish. Wenjust don't need problems with the Church on top of it all. And also the blundnessnis almost here. It is not good. ,life is hard - VERY hard.

 

[anjelica]

Oh, and my goal was my writing, which was something I could still do, and selling my books for Lymphoma, for which I have made a lot of money. Going round Craft Zfairs, Churches, etc. And at Craft Fairs we got better treatment. Also my writing inspired people because I was told that. So that was my goal. I got too sick to do even that though! Life can be grim.

 

[anjelica]

Well, we went back to our old Church this morning and it was GREAT. We had to struggle with the doors still, in the heat, but we got in and sat at the back as I felt a bit sick.

Priest came out of the Sacristy to look up the Church to see how many were there, and hubby said that as soon as he saw us he smiled - not AT us, but jyst smiled because he was somglad we were back. I had had a barney with him about matters before we left there.

He immediately walked to the back of the Church,mbut I did not see him coming. He got to where we were and I said to hubby "Who is it?" And hubby said "It's Father." Apparently Father was all smiles. He spoke, and asked us if we would like to go to the front, as he would take a pew out for us. I said I felt a bit sick so this time we would stay at the back. He was still smiling, hubby told me afterwards. I held out my hand to him to shake his and he took it firmly, and I said "God bless you Father" and he said "God bless YOU". He then asked if we wanted him to bring Communion to the back and I said, "If you don't mind." He was lovely. We were home again. Some people welcomed us back too, and talked to us. Then as we were talking to thenorganist in the corridor, one of the black priests in the Deanery, fr G came in, and he hugged me and kissed me like there was no tomorrow LOL. He was SO glad to see me. But he is the priest of another church twenty miles away.

T We still have the door problem though, and they still cannot get a hold of the fact that I am nigh on blind. They will have to learn. We now havve to try tackling the problem of the doors again. Ugh!

But we are hme again, at our own parish churccch and not pushed out onto the margins but ccccccan sit at the front. It has made me so happy.

 

[Anhelyna]

That sounds oh so very positive . As you say the problem with the doors has to be addressed

 

[anjelica]

It does Anhelyna because they have banged back on me so many times and have ruined my power chair. We had it serviced yesterday and the man said that it was VERY battered. It cost us £1800 not too long ago. So SOMEtHING has to be done. Please could y'all pray for us that we can get somewhere with this problem

 

[Fantine]

I am so happy that the Church made you feel so welcome the last time you were at Mass. I pray that the lesson in hospitality the priests learned from your persistence and advocacy will open their eyes to the needs of every disabled parishioner who comes into their Church.

In your most difficult moments, try to think of the difference you have made, not only for you and your husband but for others in similar circumstances. Remember how you have helped us all become more aware, and remember how your book helped people with lymphoma and their caregivers, family and friends.

The forgiveness you show your husband is such a beautiful inspiration to me and, I'm sure, everyone who reads your posts. I am glad that he seems to have come to the understanding that you are both in this together and, no matter how understandably frustrated he gets, kindness is what God is calling him to practice.

Praying for you, today, and offering a prayer of gratitude for your courage and goodness.

 

[anjelica]

Thankyou so much Fantine, for your lovely post.

It still is far from satisfactory I am afraid. The doors still pose a terrible problem. I feel that much more work needs doing there. And at the moment I personally am unable to do it.

But, the priest at my old Church treated me with respect yesterday. We have not been to Mass today because we went last night. But as we were leaving last night, a lady from the Church and her hysnand were selling tickets for a Quiz Night, and the lady saw us (i could not see either her or her husband even though they were only about two feet away from me) and turnrf to her husband with a HUGE smile of delight, my husband tells me, and exclaimed with great pleasure, and delight, "It's L and B".

The battle is nowhere near won yetthough Fantine. Nothing has actually changed regarding how they treat the disabled. Still, thenpriest at the Church we had started going to, refuses to budge on anything. The PPC man obviously got nowhere with him, or he would have rung us. So nothing at all has changed there.

We can only wait and see what happens in our own parish now. Certainly we have our seats at the front and that will NEVER change, even for High Masses, but getting in and out of the doors is still a desperate problem. Thankfully, there is a disabled toilet at our own parsh church which is of paramount importance.

I have to say that today I have been very down and in deep grief again. This is because my blindness is much worse and all I can see are black shapes and sometimes not even that. I cannot see people, which isolates me and cuts me out of conversation because they do not talk to me and I cannot see them. I am SO lonely it is unbelievable. Being both blind AND in a whellchair AND in constant pain is no joke, I can tell you. I need a lit of support, but mostly I am on my own with it all.

The one thing that my old parish priest said thenother day when we made contact again was, "CRY if you need/want to." He understood the sheer grief of losing your sight and being in a wheelchair.

Today I have been in SUCH grief. So plese please keep praying for me and being there for me. You are all the very best.

 

[Fantine]

Praying for you and your husband, Angelica.

I'd like to share British composer Bernadette Farrell's hymn today:

Christ, Be Our Light

 

[Fantine]

I was going through my emails and discovered one from Librivox (free audio books in the public domain) that is read by George Clooney. It's "The Story of My Life" by Helen Keller, an inspiring American woman who became blind and deaf after suffering a serious illness as a one or two year old. (Oh, darn, it's not "the" George Clooney, but this George Clooney is quite a good reader.

Learning how she dealt with difficulties that would be difficult for most of us to imagine and how she became a world-known speaker and writer would be amazing.

I'm going to download and listen, too. I hope you enjoy it!

https://librivox.org/the-story-of-my-life-by-helen-keller-2/

Praying for you and your husband.

 

[benedictaoo]

Thankyou so much Fantine, for your lovely post.

It still is far from satisfactory I am afraid. The doors still pose a terrible problem. I feel that much more work needs doing there. And at the moment I personally am unable to do it.

But, the priest at my old Church treated me with respect yesterday. We have not been to Mass today because we went last night. But as we were leaving last night, a lady from the Church and her hysnand were selling tickets for a Quiz Night, and the lady saw us (i could not see either her or her husband even though they were only about two feet away from me) and turnrf to her husband with a HUGE smile of delight, my husband tells me, and exclaimed with great pleasure, and delight, "It's L and B".

The battle is nowhere near won yetthough Fantine. Nothing has actually changed regarding how they treat the disabled. Still, thenpriest at the Church we had started going to, refuses to budge on anything. The PPC man obviously got nowhere with him, or he would have rung us. So nothing at all has changed there.

We can only wait and see what happens in our own parish now. Certainly we have our seats at the front and that will NEVER change, even for High Masses, but getting in and out of the doors is still a desperate problem. Thankfully, there is a disabled toilet at our own parsh church which is of paramount importance.

I have to say that today I have been very down and in deep grief again. This is because my blindness is much worse and all I can see are black shapes and sometimes not even that. I cannot see people, which isolates me and cuts me out of conversation because they do not talk to me and I cannot see them. I am SO lonely it is unbelievable. Being both blind AND in a whellchair AND in constant pain is no joke, I can tell you. I need a lit of support, but mostly I am on my own with it all.

The one thing that my old parish priest said thenother day when we made contact again was, "CRY if you need/want to." He understood the sheer grief of losing your sight and being in a wheelchair.

Today I have been in SUCH grief. So plese please keep praying for me and being there for me. You are all the very best.

You don't suffer alone. I really pray you have peace.

 

[anjelica]

Bene, thankyou.

 

[Winter]

Still keeping you in my prayers Anjelica. I pray for you every day. Please don't lose hope.