Parish Advocates Welcome Everyone

July 18, 2025

By Ann Pierson

Author and disability rights activist Judy Heumann once said, “Disability is a natural aspect of the human condition... We should accept it. Plan for it. Build our society around it.”

That “building” is happening in eight parishes that are in the process of introducing Parish Advocates, a program first brought to the Diocese in 2024.

A parish advocate serves as a liaison on behalf of people with permanent or temporary disabilities to promote full participation of people with disabilities in their parish.

The work of the advocate is helping to build a network to support people with disabilities, especially by forming relationships, and intentionally welcoming those with disabilities into a parish, said Patty Origer, diocesan coordinator of Persons with Disability Ministry.

The parish advocate fosters a welcoming presence in their parish for all people to share their unique gifts in four ways.

Two of the ways are collaborating: assisting the pastor in his ministry and working alongside other parish advocates in the community.

Lisa Arechavaleta is a parish advocate at her parish, Ss. John and Paul in Altoona. She became a parish advocate because of her passion for helping people who struggle silently, calling on her experience of advocating for her son with autism when he was a child. She says collaboration is essential.

She meets with a group at her parish, which includes a staff member from the parish, and they work and share ideas with one another. A parish advocate’s work is always done within the context of a parish, and working with the pastor is an essential element. “It’s never an island,” Arechavaleta said.

The Diocese also hosts quarterly meetings where parish advocates from different parishes meet and share their experiences, said Patty Origer, Persons with Disability Ministry Coordinator.

The parish advocate also works to welcome people with disabilities and their families and evaluates the needs of their parish communities.

Mary Clarke is a parish advocate at her parish, St. Boniface, in Waukee. She became a parish advocate because of her empathy for those who struggle with different challenges, especially challenges that seem hidden to others. Clarke draws from her own experience with blindness to better empathize and minister to other people’s needs.

Clarke emphasized the importance of creating a welcoming culture for people to share their needs. “Unless we know the needs, we have a hard time addressing the situation,” Clarke said.

The work of advocacy is important in two ways – for building and educating a community, she said. Her parish puts these two fundamentals into practice by hosting listening sessions. There, individuals have a space to share their needs, like the need for accessible pews for those with wheelchairs.

The mission of a parish advocate is to listen to the needs of their parishioners and help meet them rather than meeting a certain number of criteria.

“Be open to receiving the call to hear people where they are,” Arechavaleta said. “[Ask] what else can we do to make sure people feel like they are involved here too?”

Clarke also emphasized the need for love and compassion in the ministry, as Jesus taught, and not lose the “heart” of being a parish advocate by focusing solely on an agenda.

“Jesus gave us his example … He showed what it means to be inclusive,” she said.

By living that example, parish advocates can deepen their faith and the faith of others.

“Building relationships with others builds relationships with Jesus, and that’s what we want,” Origer said. 

Legacy gift continues donor support

You can support the Church’s effort to promote full participation of people with disabilities in our parishes with a gift to the Diocese’s Disabilities Ministry Fund, created in honor of Jeanine L. Rothermel. It serves Disability Ministry in perpetuity in her honor.

To learn more about the Rothermel fund, make a gift to this endowment, or learn how you can leave a legacy gift that continues the mission of your parish, Catholic school, or the Diocese you can visit cfswia.org or contact the Catholic Foundation of Southwest Iowa at contact@cfswia.org