Ministries Deaf actor finds his place in the
church
By ARTHUR JONES
NCR Staff
Abstract ideas of catechetical
content challenge all people not familiar with them, not just deaf
people, said Patrick Graybill, Catholic deacon -- and an actor with
teaching in his blood.
Graybill, who was born deaf, was talking about the discoveries
that can come as new deaf/hearing impaired pastoral ministries scholars apply
their knowledge in the world of evangelization and catechesis.
Theres no knowing where such developments can lead.
Same has been true with Graybill, now 61, for 10 years an actor
with the National Theater for the Deaf who, internationally and nationally,
enjoyed being exposed to the world, meeting deaf people everywhere.
But the stage wasnt quite where he wanted to be.
That became obvious again during the eighth touring year when
Graybill, a native of Overland Park, Kan., made an eight-day silent Jesuit
retreat. The earlier tug to minister in the Catholic church still pulled at the
former seminarian.
In 1982 Graybill studied for the permanent diaconate at Colgate
Divinity School in Rochester, N.Y. He is a deacon at Rochesters Emmanuel
Church for the Deaf and teaches Themes and Symbols in Literature in the
National Technical Institute for the Deafs Department of Cultural and
Creative Studies. For fun, he still translates plays from English
into American Sign Language.
Currently, Graybill is also one of the curriculum advisers and
team-teachers at St. Thomas University in Miami. The university offers an
imaginative new masters of arts in pastoral ministry with the deaf, run
in conjunction with the Miami archdioceses Schott Center for the Deaf and
Disabled.
Thats where NCR reached Graybill for a telephone
interview -- speaking through interpreter Mary Chute-Un. Graybill, who grew up
in a family with hearing parents, three deaf sisters and one deaf brother,
attended the residential Kansas School for the Deaf in Olathe. He learned to
sign from his two older sisters who went to the same school.
At Gallaudet University, where he earned a bachelors degree
in English and a masters in deaf education, he wanted to be a teacher
like his mother. Id also been really inspired by several deaf
teachers at the Kansas School, he said.
After graduation he taught at the Kendall School for the Deaf on
the Gallaudet campus, but became disillusioned. The school really was
focused on English as a first language instead of American Sign Language,
he said, and they had the idea that deaf teachers were better off
teaching deaf students who were slower.
That wasnt my idea at all, said Graybill.
I wanted to use ASL to teach literature, theater, English to deaf
students. But I was never given that opportunity. (For a further
explanation of the difference between signing English and using American Sign
Language, please see preceding story.)
The big change for the U.S. deaf community, he said, came 30 years
ago when ASL was recognized as a legitimate language. Deaf people felt
empowered. A second breakthrough came in the 1980s when Gallaudet
students demanded -- and got -- a deaf president at the university for the
deaf.
After teaching at Kendall, Graybill entered the seminary.
The barriers in the seminary were hearing people who did not understand
the deaf culture, he said. They had their ideas of what to do with
us without ever bothering to check with us what we wished ourselves.
Not bothering to check with us has been a recurring
problem throughout the churchs contacts with the deaf community, he said.
Nonetheless, studying alone in his bedroom most of the time because the
classrooms did not have interpreters, he maintained a good B
average. After two years, exhausted and burned out, he left. And
went on tour.
Barriers continue to the present day, said Graybill.
The stigma does continue. For example, deaf people are resistant to the
medical perception of deafness. The medical establishment finds different ways
to fix us, while we ourselves are happy with ourselves, our deafness, and enjoy
our sign language.
As a boy, young Patrick Graybill attended the pre-Vatican II Mass.
It was a mystery in more ways than one, for the priest had his back to the
people. His mother taught Patrick to read early so he could follow along
through the missal. But I wanted greater access to the church.
Later, he met priests who could sign and was impressed. Indeed, as
a 10-year-old he and his sister taught Kansas City, Kan., diocesan priest Fr.
William Finnerty how to sign. Finnerty was for many years the director of
diocesan social services.
Vatican II liturgical changes, with the priest facing the people,
did not make much difference to a deaf congregation. Maybe we could lip
read a little, Graybill explained, perhaps catch 30 to 50 percent.
But theres a lot of guesswork involved. I would prefer priests who can
sign.
One of his skills, he said, is translating. The National Catholic
Office for the Deaf held its annual Pastoral Week in Austin, Texas,
Jan. 13-17. Graybill often attends to give keynote talks and workshops.
Two years ago I taught how to translate the Mass into sign
language, he said.
The Vatican has not given approval to ASL as a liturgical
language.
Does that bother Graybill? Yes and no, he replied.
Although we express in sign language, we still refer to the English
grammar. I would prefer that Rome leave us room to experiment, allowing deaf
people to take an active part in the translation. Its too early for a
fixed translation, he said.
His mind is on other things, such as St. Thomas University
masters program. The target audience is the deaf who have bachelor
degrees, he said, admittedly a small group. Not long ago the dean
of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf spoke of the time when the
deaf couldnt teach because they didnt have advanced degrees. They
couldnt teach the next generation.
Same with deaf ministry, Graybill said. Some
need to get a masters, some need Ph.Ds. We will be educating for
leadership.
By encouraging more deaf people to become spiritual
leaders, he said, we dont have to rely so much on hearing
people all the time. We deaf are skilled enough and intelligent enough to be
spiritual leaders in the Catholic church ourselves.
As for the new generation of leaders St. Thomas will help prepare,
my hallmark for them is that they will know where they stand as
Gods servants without worrying if they are doing right in the presence of
hearing authorities.
As the interview ended, still the actor/artist, Graybill agreed to
sign for the NCR front-page headline.
National Catholic Reporter, January 19,
2001
|