Dominican Missionaries bring ‘good news’ to deaf community

Dominican Missionaries bring ‘good news’ to deaf community

Patsy Pelton
Today’s Catholic

Father Tom Coughlin, OP Miss, presides at the regular deaf community Mass each Sunday at San Francesco di Paola Church.
Patsy Pelton | Today's Catholic

    SAN ANTONIO • The phrase, “preaching in sign language — a new Dominican tradition,” welcomes visitors to the Web site of the Dominican Missionaries for the Deaf Apostolate. The Dominican community, founded by Father Tom Coughlin, OP Miss, in 2004, is a Private Association of the Faithful, erected by Bishop Allen Vigneron of the Diocese of Oakland. Father Tom, ordained as the first deaf priest in North America in 1977 by Cardinal Lawrence Shehan of Baltimore, has relocated his community to San Antonio from California to serve as the director of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Ministry in the Archdiocese of San Antonio.
    Father Tom’s journey to San Antonio has taken many stops along the way. He was born deaf in Malone, N.Y. (near the Quebec border). His mother, Bertha, is deaf also. He graduated from Gallaudet University with his bachelor’s degree and earned his master’s degree in religious studies from the Catholic University of America. After his ordination, he worked four years as a home missionary priest for the International Catholic Deaf Association. In 1987 he moved to the Diocese of Honolulu and worked as a chaplain for the deaf and also obtained a nursing degree.
    In 1996, Cardinal John O’Connor called and invited him to open a House of Studies for deaf seminarians in Yonkers, N.Y. After the cardinal’s death in 2000, the program was closed, but a good friend of Cardinal O’Connor, then-Archbishop William J. Levada invited him to bring his ministry to San Francisco in 2002.

    During this time, Father Timothy Radcliffe, master of the Dominican order in England, encouraged Father Tom to start a new order for the deaf community. Father Tom recalled, “When I investigated the Dominican charism, I liked their structure, their ministry, their ideas, their call to preach.” He continued, “I also realized that for deaf men to thrive in their vocations, they needed to be in community that uses sign language and deaf culture.”

    Two years later, in 2004, the Dominican Missionaries for the Deaf Apostolate was formed and became part of the Dominican family. On Aug. 27, 2006, the community had their initial first profession of vows, and currently there are five in the community with simple vows and one novice, Brother Derrick Elkins, who made his first vows Dec. 29 at San Francesco di Paola Church. Father Tom serves as prior general.

    All who join the community do so knowing that prayers and their formation will all be done in sign language. Men have found the community through the use of the Internet as current members come from the United States, Cameroon, India, Kenya, Rwanda and Burundi. When asked about his vision for the community in the archdiocese, Father Tom replied, “We of course want to serve the local deaf community in the archdiocese as well as in other places in South Texas. We also hope to build our religious community because we need more deaf priests, or priests who can communicate easily with the deaf and hard of hearing faithful. As our patron saint, Blessed Margaret of Castello, said, ‘God created me exactly the way he wanted me.’ My spiritual director reminded me that even though I am deaf, I have heard God’s Word about my vocation. We want to help everyone ‘hear’ God’s Word too.”

    Father Tom presides at the 11:30 a.m. Mass at San Francesco di Paola Church every Sunday for the deaf community.
    The Dominican Missionaries are ready to offer their signing services for parishes as needed. Contact Father Tom and the community at their Web site, www.dominicanmissionaries.org.