The Deacon's Bench
It’s Louisville’s Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, whose has first-hand knowledge of Down syndrome. He wrote a response to this video for Crux:
I know that parents facing a prenatal diagnosis of Down Syndrome are frightened, and I can’t take away the fear and concern. But I can share with you my own experience of my brother, George, who was born with Down Syndrome.
My engagement with my brother Georgie was not distant. When our mother died in 1989, I became his legal guardian, and at the age of 48, he came to live with me in the parish rectory in Pennsylvania and later moved with me when I was appointed Bishop of Knoxville, Tennessee.
I remember well how George contributed to the life of the parish I was serving. He was a community builder par excellence. Two weeks had not gone by before he had given each person on the rectory staff a nickname.
In the Old Testament, God gave Abram a new name to claim him as his own, and so Georgie quickly claimed us as part of his family.
At the rectory, Georgie contributed in countless ways. Through a playful “boo,” an occasional hug, and a pat on the back, Georgie brought to the rectory an ease that became infectious. He became a valued co-worker and was greatly missed whenever he would take a vacation.
He was a friend in the evening, and I learned the television schedules for most evenings after 9:30 p.m. His gentle presence forced me to take the time to stop, pause, and enjoy.
I quickly learned how much he was giving to me and to all he encountered. He comforted me after a tough day, responded to my grief at the death of our mother, and helped me to keep things in perspective.
Giving and receiving are intertwined, and we never do one exclusively. In the case of my relating to my brother, it is not a cliché to say I received much more than I ever gave. The gift of my brother overflowed with a cornucopia of concrete acts of love and because of him, I am a better person.
Photo: Archdiocese of Louisville
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