OFFICE FOR SOCIAL MINISTRY
“People with disabilities are a gift for the family and an opportunity to grow in love, mutual aid and unity.” (Pope Francis, March 19, 2016)
It has been almost 20 years since I first signed up as a volunteer with Special Olympics Hawaii State Summer Games at the University of Hawaii-Manoa. The mission of Special Olympics is to provide year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities. Aside from developing physical fitness, being a participant teaches athletes to be courageous and to experience joy by sharing their gifts, skills and friendship with their families, with other athletes and the community.
Well, 19 years and two months later, our ministry is most definitely part of the community and personally, I have become hanai ohana to some of the athletes! Meet Katie, daughter of Scott and Valery O’Brien and a member of Central Honolulu’s Mighty Ducks delegation.
Kathryn “Katie” Kuualoha O’Brien was born on March 26, 1984, a tiny 4 pounds and 12 ounces. As with all parents, Scott and Val hoped for a healthy baby, but as the weeks passed, they found out she was special. Katie was born with congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV) resulting in deafness, delayed mental development, cerebral palsy and seizures.
Katie began participating in Special Olympics when she was 9. She is a proud member of the Mighty Ducks. Over the years, she has participated in basketball, track, softball and swimming and now trains year-round to compete in power lifting, bowling and soccer. Katie is an avid athlete!
Her disabilities, although unique, have never stopped her from doing many things. Katie loves to do the hula in sign language and is also an artist. She expresses herself through her beautiful paintings that she donates to fundraisers for programs that promote people with special needs. Mom Valerie also transforms Katie’s artwork into notecards which you might find for sale at local craft fair events.
“Special Olympics has given us a family support network, especially since my husband’s death,” said Valery. “They give support through the Ohana Task Force where you meet other families and can share what you are going through.”
Valery credits Katie’s participation in Special Olympics in helping her to develop self-esteem and improve her socialization skills. Being a Special Olympics athlete made Katie a more responsible student while attending the Hawaii School for the Deaf and Blind and today as a working adult in our community. Katie is a good example of the Special Olympics poster encouraging all participants to say, “Let me win. But if I cannot win, let me be brave in the attempt.”
Katie and Valery are parishioners at Sts. Peter and Paul Church on Kaheka Street where Katie received her sacraments of communion and confirmation. More than 30 years ago, the O’Brien ohana had its beginnings at Sts. Peter and Paul, the parish where Scott and Valery were married. Mother and daughter are active in the parish’s Deaf Ministry and Ohana Mass Community. Their story is one example of a special social ministry which brings the community together as one ohana, just as Pope Francis calls us to do in our witness to Jesus: “If the family, in the light of the faith, accepts the presence of persons with special needs, they will be able to recognize and ensure the quality and value of every human life, with its proper needs, rights and opportunities.”
Mahalo,
Your friends at the Office for Social Ministry
