WCCO reported Saturday that a Bertha, Minn. church has a restraining order against a family with an autistic son. In it, the reports says the church tried to make accommodations with the parents of a 13-year-old severely autistic boy who is disruptive during church services even at times urinating and hitting others.
The WCCO article writes, “Father Daniel Walz consulted a parish lawyer first, before deciding to file for a restraining order on May 9. In the petition, he wrote that Adam has “struck a child” in mass. He “spits,” and he has “urinated” in Church. It takes up to three adults to restrain him,” and sometimes his behavior is so disruptive, his parents “bind his feet and his hands.” The Parish priest also wrote that “Adam’s continued presence on parish grounds not only endangers the parishioners, it is disruptive to the devout celebration of the Eucharist.” Church leaders said they’ve exhausted all efforts to find a solution to this. They’ve suggested the family go to a different mass or sit somewhere else during mass, and they even suggested getting a mediator involved.
It’s hard to pay attention in church when there is a crying baby (that’s why they make crying rooms), but this seems a little different to the point in which parishioners feared him. Churches have private services; pastors even come to the house. What do you think the church/family should do to resolve this issue?
To read the full story wcco.com/local/autistic.son.family.2.726391.html.
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