Last Sunday, the hearing-impaired faithful had their confessions heard, or rather seen, in Guadalajara’s metropolitan cathedral for the first time.
Going forward, confession in sign language will be offered to Catholics every other Sunday during the noon mass at the downtown Catedral de la Asuncion de Maria Santisima. The cathedral was chosen in part for the approximately 70 deaf people already attending service there every week, drawn by the sign language adepts who have interpreted mass every day at the hulking ecclesiastical structure for the last four years.
“It’s been made known to us by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography that about 70,000 deaf people live in Jalisco,” said Estela Evangelista Torres, an official of the diocese, adding that largest concentration resides in Guadalajara’s metropolitan area.
Heretofore, people with hearing disabilities often had to contract with an interpreter who acted as intermediary between him/herself and the priest.
“[The deaf] are like strangers in our city; they need our attention,” Torres said.
Courses in sign language will begin to be a part of seminary curriculum starting in September, laying the groundwork for the service’s longevity.