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Gualandi Mission for the Deaf PDF Print E-mail
Written by Admin   
Tuesday, 08 December 2009 13:32
The Gualandi Mission for the Deaf was founded by Fr. Giuseppe Gualandi in Bologna, Italy and was officially established in 1872 as a religious congregation of Priests, Sisters, Brothers, Deaf Sisters, and Deaf Brothers. From Italy, the Mission spread to Brazil in December 1973 and to the Philippines in 1988. The presence of the Mission in the Philippines has been complemented by the Sisters of the Little Mission for the Deaf in the cities of Manila, Naga, and Cebu in the apostolate of educating and evangelizing the Deaf.

The members of the Congregation, called the Gualandians whose mission is to enable the Deaf to grow and develop as independent, integrated, fully human and empowered citizens in the hearing society and in the Church, have established the Gualandi Social Center for Deaf to meet the socio-economic, educational, and psycho-spiritual needs of the Deaf. Part of the program is the Gualandi Volunteer Service Programme whose raison d'être is to train and form volunteers and/or Lay Missionaries so as to augment human resources for the delivery of service to the Deaf Community.

Their mission is to enable the Deaf to grow and develop as independent, integrated, fully human and empowered citizens in the hearing society and in the Church through volunteering efforts. Likewise it is to establish a pool of volunteers who are able to discern, internalize, and articulate his/her response to God from a free decision to total personal commitment as volunteers of the Gualandi Mission for the Deaf.

The Services they offer are the following:
  1. Catechism classes for the Deaf in the schools on weekdays during the school year
  2. Interpretation in Sign Language of the Sunday Mass in the parishes
  3. Retreats, recollections, and other religious activities for the Deaf
  4. Social activities with the Deaf on Sundays at the Center
  5. Collaboration with teachers and volunteers in programs (e.g. interpreting service and celebration of sacraments) for the Deaf
  6. Participation in and organizing of deaf awareness activities (e.g. Shatter Silence Week and Deaf Awareness Week)
  7. Medical assistance for the deaf through volunteer doctors and dentists
  8. Sponsorship program for deaf students
  9. Social assistance (e.g. job placement and legal assistance) for the deaf with collaborating agencies (e.g. Quota and DSWD)