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It was the most unusual Mass I have ever attended.
Two young men with Down syndrome, dressed in albs, stood at the altar on either side of the priest. Two more men with other developmental disabilities were playing guitars in the background. One guitar had no strings, but that did not keep the would-be musician from swaying back and forth with great gusto as he strummed the air. A woman read the gospel with a helper at her side to pronounce the difficult words. There was a jumble of singing and laughter, spasms and groans, excitement and upset. A grinning young man sat down next to me and promptly put his head on my shoulder. I didn’t know him. It didn’t matter.
This chaotic but moving liturgy was my first encounter with L’Arche Emmaus in South Bend, Indiana, and in this community of faith and hugs, welcome is…
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