Bring an autistic kid to church, get arrested. Only in Minnesota.

51

There are a lot of things I will probably never understand about Minnesota. Lutefisk would be one example. I’ve spent only about three days in the state of Minnesota in my whole life. Aside from the 3M plant that seemed to cover about half of the city of St. Paul, the thing I remember most is the stereotypical hospitality and courtesy afforded me by the people there, something that’s come to be known as “Minnesota nice.”

Fr. Daniel Walz
Fr. Daniel Walz

What I’m hearing in the news this morning is not so nice. It involves an autistic child, the Church of St. Joseph in Bertha, Minnesota, and its pastor, Reverend Daniel Walz. I will be dropping the title “Reverend” in the remainder of this piece because it is a title of courtesy, and I intend none. If I had been able to find a better photograph of this worthless human being, you’d be looking at it now. If anyone has one, please send it along and I’ll post it; for various reasons, people should know what someone this ignorant and heartless looks like.

Adam Race

Carol and John Race have a son named Adam. That’s him in the photo at right. Adam is thirteen years old and severely autistic. The Races are dedicated to their son’s well-being, as all parents are, and they understand his disability. They’ve been attending the Church of St. Joseph since 1996, and have always taken care to ensure that their son’s sometimes-disruptive behavior is controlled and its impact on the other parishioners is minimized. They say they’d never had a complaint about Adam until last summer.

Daniel Walz, who has led the church for the past three years, visited the Races last summer at their home, along with another church official.

“He said that we did not discipline our son. He said that our son was physically out of control and a danger to everyone at church,” says Carol Race. “I can’t discipline him out of his autism, and I think that’s what our priest is expecting.”

Some months later, Walz followed up with a letter explicitly asking the Races to stop bringing their son to church. I don’t remember every word of the Bible, but I’m pretty sure there’s nothing in there like this:

“If thy autistic parishioner’s meltdown doth offend thee, and if his mother and his father cannot cure him, thou shalt drive him from thy church, verily, for blessed are the meek but not the autistic, and they shall inherit thy boot to thine ass.”

Daniel Walz seems to have worked that out for himself, though, without need of divine counsel. The Races, of course, dismissed the letter as having been written by a prejudicial moron (which is correct) and continued to bring their son to church. So, two weeks ago, Walz decided to up the ante and smote the Rices with a restraining order. When Adam accompanied his mother to church on Mother’s Day, the result was a citation, and a warning that if she brings Adam to the church again, she will be arrested.

If anything brings to light the problems caused by a complete lack of autism awareness in this country and probably worldwide, this is it. Autism is not a problem that you can fix through discipline. Autism is not misbehavior, it’s not recalcitrance and it’s not something to be locked away and hidden from everyone so that they’ll never understand it. Churches would never dream of turning away a man in a wheelchair or a woman who needs to be on oxygen, but a child with autism (and who reportedly is somewhat quieter in church than most of the babies in the room) is somehow a pariah and it’s okay to simply cast him out. Last time I checked, Christians didn’t deny people worship on the basis of their disabilities. It seems that no one told Daniel Walz.

The only good news here is that I’m fairly certain we’ll see a turnaround in this case soon. Daniel Walz might be stupid enough to turn an autistic child away from his church. The Catholic Church as a whole, on the other hand has just had a hard lesson in the dangers of bad press. Thanks to their coverup of the few priests who liked to play with young boys’ “rosary beads,” the church already has a black eye and has provided material for late-night comedians’ monologues for a year or more. I can’t believe they’d make the same mistake twice, and I might even expect something of a backlash. If Daniel Walz is left swinging in the wind by his superiors and winds up a disgraced layman, justice will be done.

I haven’t had time to talk about this with Allison, my fiancee’ and one of the area’s foremost authorities on the education of autistic children. I feel certain she’ll have input, and if you see a comment below from her, please give anything she might add a great deal more weight than anything you’ve read in this post.

Despite the few things I’ve managed to learn from her through osmosis, I still know nearly nothing about autism. I do know what makes me angry, and I would absolutely love to give Daniel Walz an opportunity to turn the other cheek.

[Edited 3-5-2013 to replace missing media and remove a dead link. –ksj]

51 Comments


  1. The man is an utter disgrace to the Church! Scotty, you refer to a phote of the Races, but I can’t seem to find a link to it. Is it me?


  2. Sorry about the missing photo of Adam Race. The FTP server at my hosting provider (Dreamhost) failed and would not allow me to connect and upload the file. It was just fixed, and the picture is there now.


  3. A very sorry indictment upon the church.
    Even a priest cannot be perfect. He’s human too. I hope he’s forgiven by the Races. It would be nice to think he might learn his lesson and actually remember what it means to be Christian.
    I also hope young Adam doesn’t have to turn the other cheek and go work in Walmart. In some way that could count as cutting off the nose to spite the face, methinks.


  4. As the sister of an autistic brother and sister (yes, there were 2 in my family) I am outraged that anyone would behave such a way to a disabled child. As a Child of God I am angered that a man of God would forget the teachings of Christ and turn away those in need. Not only did Christ heal those in need he called for children to come to him saying for such is the kingdom. He would not have turned away a child with (or without) autism. God bless the Race family for their love and diligence in raising their son (I have a good idea what they are going through) and shame on this evil man who has turned them out of God’s house.


  5. I’m sure I remember someone very important said “Suffer the little children to come unto Me”, and “By their actions shall ye know them”.

    Daniel Walz is not a Christian.


  6. I think the priest is doing what he feels needs to be done for the safety of his parish. If Adam were only loud or sometimes unruly I would feel the same, but he has hit a chile and assaulted another. So it isn’t just unruliness but a danger. The priest has tried to offer other options for the family to worship but they are set,”my way or no way” I feel for both sides in this issue


  7. Amazing how the “Christian Church” acts so often in non Christian ways. GWB is a prime example. The behaviour of this priest would be illegal in the UK, let alone anti Christian


  8. This isn’t a kid just making a few noises. According to AP, “Adam struck a child during mass, nearly knocks elderly parishioners over…, spits and sometimes urinates in church and fights when he is being restrained. He also… assaulted a girl by pulling her onto his lap.” When he started two cars in the parking lot, “people could have been injured or killed.”

    The church has tried to accommodate, but the behavior has become more dangerous. It’s not the boy’s fault, but his own parents cannot always control his behavior.

    I doubt that even Jesus would condone the enabling of such dangerous and disruptive behavior — posing great risks to others and self — in the name of “acceptance”. This is sloppy agape.

    Someone can be seriously injured. The pastor has definite moral and legal responsibilities to protect everyone from harm. If some child or elderly person were injured, there would be a major lawsuit. “I was practicing inclusion” would not be a defense for reckless endangerment.

    In a perfect world, everyone would be welcomed everywhere. But if I had a highly communicable disease, say TB, I’d have no right to mingle in large crowds where I posed a serious threat. And I think Jesus would agree, notwithstanding that he loved everyone.

    My right to inclusion ends where yours rights to safety begin. Is it unreasonable to ask Adam’s parents to accommodate everyone else’s rights to public safety?


  9. Redtown, don’t believe everything you read. Adam didn’t start either of the two cars, and only revved one car which was left running and unattended. He doesn’t spit, he just makes faces that look like spitting. He has an incontinence problem and has urinated, but diapers take care of that. “People could have been injured or killed” is the church attempting — after the fact! — to justify these actions. I could have been killed by that idiot who cut me off in traffic this morning, but I wasn’t, and no one’s rushing to pull his license, either.

    The church could have made accommodations — they could have provided a secure place for Adam, they could have assigned someone to assist the parents in keeping him calm and controlling any outbursts. They didn’t want to do that. They wanted him gone.

    I understand your point of view. If, after reading all the information that’s available on the case (and I’ve seen everything the web has to offer), I thought Adam was a true danger to anyone, you wouldn’t be seeing my somewhat over-the-top tirade. You have to see both sides of the story, though, not just what the church claims.

    Readers, note: The comment above has been posted verbatim by “Redtown” on several other blogs which address this unfortunate situation.


  11. True, I’ve posted the same comments on a few blogs, but I will always return to engage if anyone responds to my points specifically.

    Well, you’ve obviously accepted the mother’s interpretation of events, but I don’t. I’ve now seen several parishioners backup the priest’s accounts, including of attempts to provide accommodation. Do you honestly think a church is going to deliberately expose itself to bad PR, knowing of the mother’s activism, unless it was the last resort?

    As a former teacher of SPED children, I’m not unsympathetic to their needs. But I’ve also seen many parents who will do anything to either deny or justify their children’s behavior. I suspect that Adam’s mother is one such parent, and that activists are all too quick to accept her version and vilify this pastor, including with snide remarks about sexual abuse.

    Please keep an open mind in the days ahead as to what the regular parishioners have to say about these events.


  12. I am 100% in support of this family. This is exactly what gives religion a bad name. However, insulting other people, such as the greeters at Wal-Mart, is demeaning and insulting to an innocent group of people. Why is this neccesary?

    [It’s not necessary, and I’m making appropriate edits. I apologize for any offense. –Scott]


  13. YOU PEOPLE HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. FR. DAN IS AN AWESOME MAN AND YOU ALL DO KNOW ANY OF THE REAL STORY!!!!!!!!!

    FR. DAN IS MY PRIEST AND I WITNESSED THE RESONS FOR THE RESTRAINING ORDER WITH MY OWN EYES!!

    I feel sorry for the kid but he has, in church soiled himself, hit people, I had thought when I was attending mass that this kid was going to punch my nephew who is only 5 years old and took a girl put her on top of him and started fondling her. He might be a kid but he is 6’2 and 250 pounds, he is built like a man.

    Father Dan has given the family every other option like he would celebrate mass at there house, set up the familys own video feed in another room of the church etc. And the family didnt want to work with the church. Now you all are so worried about this kid, what are his mothers actions really teaching him now.

    Fr. Dan after chuch told all of us to pray for this family, how much of a monster is he now!

    SCOTTJ YOU AND YOUR FOLLOWERS SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES!!!!!!


  14. Let’s see. He soiled himself, you “thought” he “was going to” punch your nephew, and he grabbed a girl once (obviously with no idea what he was really doing.) Oh, and he’s large for his age. Horrors.

    I don’t have any “followers.” And I’m sorry you don’t like what you’ve read. I’m not crazy about tirades written in all caps, either. Sorry to disappoint, but I’m not a bit ashamed.


  15. So your saying that you would feel totally safe and sound sitting next to this kid in church. And you must not have any children because their safety is what the real issue here. And im sorry but not knowing what you are doing is still no excuse, to do what he did to that girl. WHERE IS THIS KIDS PARENTS?!!!!

    Know the story before you run your mouth!!


  16. So soiling yourself means you’re pariah, does it? That’s nice for all babies or elderly people with dementia, or paraplegics …. Get Thee Gone! You’re not Worthy to mix with ‘Nice People’.

    Yeah right.


  17. What Would Jesus Do?
    Simple.
    Not give up on this kid and his illness, not cast him out. Not condem him. He would understand and do everything within his power to help him and find away for him to join in worship.
    At the end of the day the Fathers actions simply don’t follow what Jesus would do. He wouldn’t give up. He didn’t, he belived we could be saved and gave us another chance.
    Our local priest welcomes anyone, he makes a point in saying if young children are being young children it’s ok. Wonderful man.


  18. Claire, you’ve hit the nail smack bang right on the head.

    What about Lepers? Jesus didn’t seem to have a problem with mixing with those guys. Why then should anyone have anything but compassion for this poor kid? Oh, I forgot; people are allowed to say who is allowed in ‘their’ own church, right? Damn, I thought we’d seen the end of that sort of behaviour with the abolishment of slavery and then the end of Apartheid.

    And I should perhaps point out that Jesus wouldn’t cast out this misguided priest, either.


  19. I saw an interview with the mother who admits that she and her husband have to sit on this kid and restrain him in church (according to her, “…it calms him…” This child is dangerous, and apparently his parents are no longer able to control him. He has assaulted and attempted to assault other parishoners. The church has tried to work with the family, but they are either in denial about their child’s condition, or perhaps they are just so bitter they don’t care about any one else’s safety! Would you sit next to this family in church? Would you allow your child to sit next to this child? Come on, people. This is not discrimination. This child is dangerous, not intentionally, but still dangerous!


  20. I can understand that the child *may*be a danger, if we explicitly ignore all his mother’s explanations and assume she is in denial. For example, if he isn’t fully toilet trained he should be wearing a pull up every time he is in public, and if she isn’t putting something on him to come to Mass, then she is contributing to the problem by not dealing with him in a manner that is realistic.

    And yet, having said that, I just cannot believe this restraining order could possibly have been the only way to deal with this situation.

    Jesus commands us to minister to those in the most need.

    What is truly disheartening to me is that reading opinions on blogs and message boards, it’s the Catholics who are the most intolerant. The only people who haven’t one kind word to say about this boy or anything at all about what Jesus would do are the Catholics. I am Catholic, and so it is disheartening that other Catholics apparently haven’t read the same gospels I have read.

    Perhaps the really Christian people are not Christians at all anymore.


  21. MG,
    I’ve noticed more than a few self-identified Catholics on both sides of this issue on several sites, including the two large Catholic sites. And many have attempted to answer “what would Jesus do?”, although not all arrive to your conclusion.

    For example, I posted above —
    “I doubt that even Jesus would condone the enabling of such dangerous and disruptive behavior — posing great risks to others and self — in the name of “acceptance”. This is sloppy agape.”


  22. I doubt the church is kicking him out for any reason. Maybe he has outbursts that are a danger. He is a large boy. If the parents can’t control the child by themself in their own home, what makes them think they can control the child in a sacred place with other people including small children and elderly.
    There are two sides two every story. And I believe the above is one sided. The church has always made an effort to bring the holy sacraments to the disabled..our church never asks for 10% of salary like other religions, so I doubt that they are asking this family to not attend for a very legitimate reason.


  23. OK here is the deal people, Ive went to church with this young man. He is very violent, I know that it isnt his fault and I do feel really bad for him. Now Jesus would probably be able to control him and cure his autism, like he did with the lepers and the blind and deaf etc. Then there wouldnt be a problem, but we cant and when people are threatened in a public place something has to be done. I got so worked up over what was said about my priest. Last night he held a Eucharistic Adoration for the family. Now for those of you that aren’t Catholic that means that he left the church and the tabernacial open and stayed up all night and prayed for the family in the church. Ive been Catholic my whole life and Ive never seen this before. He can’t answer his phone anymore because of people like SCOTTJ and the media that threaten and harass him all day and night.

    I just ask that you know the truth before you rip on someone.

    Thanks
    Ben


  24. He can’t answer his phone because of the restraining order he took out, and the resulting media backlash. He made that choice, not me.

    If he’s really being threatened or harassed, he should contact the local authorities. He obviously has their number.

    I’m satisfied we know the truth. The parents are talking. Others are talking. From Walz, we have not heard (pardon the pun) a single blessed word, and that too is his choice.


  25. Ben has a point of view that although narrow minded is his own and he has a right to defend it. I am a lifelong Catholic with a son who is on the Autism Spectrum and no where near the level of Adam. His parents, in my opinion, are brave to even have attempted to continue to bring him to church, I cannot say I am that brave, my community too is a small minded obviously perfect group of people. I venture into church only on some of the high holy days.
    If this young man is so frightening why then sit in a pew near him? is your church so crowded? Or are you all so pious? Is there only one mass each Sunday? Why should Adam and his family be denied th right to sit inside the church (not in a rectory with a video feed)? Why not find a different mass, have Adam enter from a different door than”regular” parishioners (by the way, I find this term regular to be offensive)? Scott is correct the priest opened himself up to the phone calls and ridicule and press by creating a legal issue out of what should have been kept as an issue within the Diocese .
    This is just another way of taking the less than perfect members of our communities and hiding them.
    Also, if his Autism is as bad as you and your priest portend then it is extrodinarily improbable that Adam was in any way “fondling” a girl. He may have been touching her but the likelyhood of it being what you describe that it is almost laughable. Where were her parents if he is so frightening? Why would she be permitted so close to him? Again, I ask the question, why would anyone sit in a pew with, in front of or behind him, if he is such a horrible human being.
    God bless Adam’s parent for sticking up for his rights as a Catholic and a person. And shame on the rest of you for casting your horrible thoughts as being one of his. You should probably go to confession with your priest.


  26. Bobbi shame on you for judging me. That is my point, I told you all that he had the option of a video feed in the church, I told you all that Father Dan would personnally comoe to there house every Sunday and do church just for them. You all just take what you know about the story and make up what you think happened. Bobbi you bening Catholic should know that the church will do everything in there power for someone to go to church. And besides how am I narrow minded, I told you all the truth.

    SHAME ON YOU ALL, you are the problem in America you are all disrespecting, hipocrates. I cant believe I wasted my time trying to tell all you narrow minded nimrods the truth. Ill will pray for you all and I for give you.


  27. And Scott if I were you I would think about your words and how it effects people before you write it. Im really scared for your soul. Your not just making fun of some regular joe, your messing with an employee of GOD!


  28. I did not (illiterate much?) said they SHOULD watch a video feed in fact I said that excluding them from the actual church should not be permitted. Should you venture down from your soapbox you may see that the judgemental one is in fact, you.

    I am comfortable in my Christianity and in Christ’s love for me and mine. Apparently, you feel above us all.

    I see you don’t address the question of avoiding sitting nearby Adam. Boggles the mind. Afraid of a 13 year old boy with a serious illness… Go to a different mass. Do you need me to repeat this in Latin?

    How is it that you are scared for the soul of a person who has done nothing but express his own opinion in an open format? Which by the way you have done numerous times right here (the Lord only knows how many other places you’ve chosen to spew your hatemongering). Good day and again I suggest you go to church and confess your horrid behavior and judgemental, hateful words as you are in some serious need of forgiveness. Not from me.

    Good day. God bless Adam and his family and may he be permitted into his house of worship soon. You should meditate on that.

    Don’t address me again, I won’t respond, you’re not worth my time.


  29. See this is my exact point, if you would have read what I wrote before you would have seen that I have sat next to him, he almost punched my 5 year old nephew. It isnt this kids fault (like I also said eariler). Im trying to stick up for my priest. And if you are a Catholic you would also understand that priests get ripped on and blamed for being terrible people all the time, and Im sick of it. i have prayed for this family not like that is any of your business any way. I hope the kid has a good life, and I wish he didnt have autism. I invite all of you people to come up and visit our wonderful churches and the you will know the truth.


  30. Ben, give it a rest. Your comments are bordering on abuse now. For example, you say, “SHAME ON YOU ALL, you are the problem in America you are all disrespecting, hipocrates.”

    I have not disrespected Hippocrates in any way, nor do I see what the father of medicine has to do with the father of restraining orders.

    “I cant believe I wasted my time trying to tell all you narrow minded nimrods the truth.” I can’t believe it, either, Ben, since your truth carries no more weight than the truth of others who have spoken out. Incidentally, as a Catholic, you might remember who Nimrod was. I’m not at all offended to be so compared to “the mighty hunter before the Lord.”

    As for the “employee of GOD” to whom you refer, I offer only this. God is perfect. His employees are not. They’re human and they make mistakes as we all do. The difference is that when you use “effect” where “affect” belongs, or “there” where “their” belongs, or “your” where “you’re” belongs, no one really cares beyond a chuckle or two. When Walz shuts an autistic child out of his church, he sets a precedent that’s wrong and unfair. That sort of mistake needs to be addressed and corrected.

    If Mr. Walz feels there’s some information that’s been unfairly omitted from all the news reports, blogs, and interviews, he’s been more than free to correct that, and he hasn’t. Anytime he’d like to speak up, I’ll devote a special blog entry to his response alone; I believe in fairness.

    You’ve made your point, Ben, and been a faithful apologist. Enough.


  31. I appreciate you finding my spelling and grammer funny. Thanks for the personnal jabs.

    But I give you credit in the fact that you will defend Fr. Dan if his statement comes out. But that isn’t going to happen, he told us this out of respect for the 13 year old boy and his family.

    It is very hard to tell you all the feelings that were going through me during this time. I’ve never been so angry about what the media has done. But this was like someone making up stuff about a family member, and ruining their name. It hurts really bad and I hope that none of you have to go through anything like this.

    Im sorry if I got angry, and yes my spelling sucks, but I just wanted to help Fr. Dan.

    Last night I prayed and realized that fighting with people that don’t want to know the truth is point less. All I can do is pray. I thank you SCOTTJ for letting me post my opinion.

    GOD BLESS to you all
    Ben


  32. I have refrained from posting even though my beloved ScottJ has specifically requested my input. Now it is time to express my sentiments.

    As usual there have been intelligent, thoughtful comments, flaming, accusatory comments and everything from immature name calling to open minded forgiveness. This is to be expected in such an emotional situation. Scott has been generous in not censoring comments as is his right.

    My youngest son is autistic. When first diagnosed I was told to institutionalize him. My friendly neighborhood church, which had so eagerly welcomed my other two children, began to complain about my youngest son. When he went from the undemanding cuddling and adoration of the infant room to the more structured activities of the toddler room, he could not make the transition. He was confused and did not understand. He was functionally nonverbal and quite insistent on being left to his own world. When he had an outburst (which they escalated by having four teachers circle around him all trying to entertain him simultaneously) they panicked. They called me to come get him. I thought they meant for me to pick him up for the day to calm him. Not only did my church tell me I was to take him home. They told me he was not to return. They didn’t understand his condition and they didn’t want to understand. They simply did not want to deal with him. Then they took it a step further and tried to accuse me of being an abusive parent. After all, what besides abuse could make a child act like that? I told them to do what they felt necessary and that I would try to understand their irrational responses so that I could forgive them. I never heard another word from them and none of my children ever attended their day care again.

    To have your church betray you is beyond words. There are ways to help stabilize this boy in church. I can think of a half dozen strategies without straining. If the church really wanted to assist these parents they would be gaining training in autism, not just for Adam but for all the others yet to come. They will come.

    Strategic seating, placement of key people around the boy, assistance in escorting him to and from his seat, visual cues for behavior, reward systems for remaining quiet are all options which require little more than a few volunteers.

    Here is a hint; keep the nephews and little girls at the other end of the pew. Have the priest bring communion to Adam just as they do for the elderly. Have a seat cover for Adam to use in case he overwhelms his diaper.

    I do not usually quote scripture but the following seems applicable. I borrowed it from a speech given by Mother Teresa. I dare anyone to question her credentials as an employee of God.

    On the last day, Jesus will say to those on His right hand, “Come, enter the Kingdom. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was sick and you visited me.” Then Jesus will turn to those on His left hand and say, “Depart from me because I was hungry and you did not feed me, I was thirsty and you did not give me to drink, I was sick and you did not visit me.” These will ask Him, “When did we see You hungry, or thirsty or sick and did not come to Your help?” And Jesus will answer them, “Whatever you neglected to do unto one of these least of these, you neglected to do unto Me!” (Mother Teresa of Calcutta – Given at the National Prayer Breakfast in Washington DC Thur, 3 Feb 94.)

    I have given my life to the care and education of my three children, all three with special needs. I have given my adult life to the care and education of hundreds of students who have graced me with their presence over my career as an educator. Many of those students were autistic. Some had emotional/behavioral disorders. Others had learning disabilities and were so hurt by an unforgiving world that a manageable disability had become an insurmountable obstacle.

    Can you imagine the unquenched thirst of those parents for interaction with people outside their home? Can you imagine the isolation of the life they have accepted because they place their child above all else? Can you imagine the pain of burying for once and forever all the dreams that parents have for their children because your child is so incredibly different? Can you then imagine the one place that has always been a source of comfort and healing reject you because you upset someone’s experience? For one hour on a Sunday morning some people have to face what you are immersed in with relentless regularity every moment of your life since the birth of your child.

    I say that the congregation should go to the Races and ask forgiveness. I say that they should organize a care circle to allow the Races to have an hour or an afternoon to remember life outside of their world with Adam. I say those volunteers should learn the sides of Adam that can inspire love as only the simplicity of an uncorrupted mind can.

    I say the priest and all those willing to cast Adam aside should first be Adam’s advocates and face his world so that they know the full impact of their actions. Then we will see what brings them a more spiritual experience, the love and appreciation of a single child or the communal head bobbing of a crowded congregation. I find God more surely and with greater purity in the eyes of my children than in any hymnal, prayerbook or sermon. God gave them life, man tries in vain to express that miracle in words. Go to the miracle and thank God you are not forced to make the decisions and face the intolerance the Race family does.

    Stop. Look beyond the misunderstood acts of an infant’s mind in a man’s body. Imagine the immense achievement of nurturing him to this point. Become educated in ways to assist rather than condemn.

    The divinity you seek in the walls and words of a church can be found in the heart of a child, if you only stop to look.


  33. Allie, all I can say is WOW. Sometimes I forget there are other parents/people who understand some of what I go through. Then I read things like your response. I can only say; Thank you for reminding me I’m not alone.


  34. Listen, I’m on on the families side of this debate but please STOP SAYING THESE NEGATIVE, AWFUL THINGS ABOUT THE PRIEST”.

    And please stop saying awful things about Adam.

    Just pray for the family, the church and all the other families of autistic children who have been turned away by their church.


  35. I think a lot of you are missing the point, everybody knows its not his or his parents fault the condition he’s in, but its what he is capable of doing, regardless of who is at fault. I think there are way too many self-righteous people that think they are more compassionate than others because they say he should be allowed to attend mass no matter what he does in church.

    If there is any truth to the reports that say when he loses control and has a tantrum or a seizure, that both parents have to sit on him and tie his hands and feet, then I can see why some people consider this a threat to the safety of others. And also if there is any truth to the report that this priest is willing to conduct a private mass in the home of Adam and his family every Sunday, how can you say this is not a caring and compassionate human being. Isn’t it obvious that HE is the one making the sacrifice to try to accommodate all?

    It seems that people are saying because Adam is mentally handicapped his family has no obligation to show that they also care for a safe and peaceful mass. I have seen what concessions the church has made, to try to help solve this problem, but I have not seen what the parents have offered. Are they just saying, “Adam is autistic and he is going to have outbursts in church that you are all going to have to accept.”

    Ask yourselves some questions. Why would the parents not accept the offer to have a private mass in their home? Are they the ones that are carrying this to this level? Why would they not even try to co-operate with the church? Are they really trying to show their family the importance of faith and religion or are they on a defiant crusade to show that they are victims of this “terrible” priest?


  36. Dan,

    The answer to your question is that everything the church has offered excludes the family, not just Adam from services. There are intermediary steps that could have been but have not been tried. By seeking to become educated about Adam’s condition and ways to constructively allow his presence with minimal disruption to others, the priest would serve not only Adam but all the others to follow. The narrow view that this is about one child implies that his condition is extraordinarily rare. It is not. The church will have to find ways to serve others with significant disabilities. Why not start with him?

    As to why they are carrying the situation to this level, no one but the Races and the priest know for sure how their discussions have gone. My impression from statements made in articles is that the priest had a reaction like many who do not understand autism. He told the Races they needed to discipline their son more strictly. The truth is that discipline is not the issue as much as training Adam in replacement behaviors that are more socially acceptable.

    You cannot forbid an individual with autism from seeking necessary neurological stimulation (called self stim in edubabble). You can modify the self stim behaviors so that they are not as dramatic or frightening to those who don’t understand. The child will still jostle feet or flap hands but flapping hands is nothing compared to flapping arms or windmilling (turning in large circles).

    From your comments I suspect you know about as much about autism as the priest. The point is not to say everyone has to accept Adam no matter his behavior. The point is to ask how can the priest, church staff and volunteers from the congregation work together with the family to enable Adam to be a more acceptable member of the congregation.

    As I posted in other places ( I am losing track), I have served as a consultant on a volunteer basis. If I were in their geographical area I would be right up front offering to train anyone interested in strategies to assist both the church and the family. I am not unique. there are others like me. If the church would seek proper assistance, they would find that there are ways to help this family that do not involve expulsion.

    As for feet binding and sitting on him, you would have to understand autism to know why that is sometimes done even when there isn’t a crisis. Deep pressure sensations help many individuals with autism remain calm.

    Ask yourself, if they allow the church to discriminate in this way without attempting any resolution other than expulsion aren’t they teaching their children that they are somehow not worthy of advocacy?

    The Romans delivered food to the valley of the lepers to keep them from coming into the cities. Christ bade them come.

    The Priet wishes to deliver mass to the home of the autistic to keep them from coming to the church. Christ bids them come.

    Find a way to help them come.


  37. Deepest respect to you Allison. You are truely amazing.


  39. Dan has it right. Do you go to church there Allie? Is Fr. Dan your priest too?


  40. Ben, we’re not going to suppress (or amplify) any opinions here based on whether or not the writer is a member of Father Restraining Order’s flock.

    Dan wrote, “Are they just saying, ‘Adam is autistic and he is going to have outbursts in church that you are all going to have to accept?'”

    I hope so. That’s the point. Accept it or try to help alleviate it, but don’t shove a worshipper out the door because he’s too inconvenient to accommodate.

    Who has the problem here? The church is God’s house. If Adam’s happy to be there, and God’s happy to have him there, it sounds like the problem lies with the rest of the congregation.


  41. Ben,

    Do you consider it your job to attack people for their opinions? If you read my comment carefully rather than dismissing it as you appear to have done, you would know that I am not in their geographical area. Since your question was answered before you asked, what is your point?

    If you read carefully I provided possible solutions to address the concerns of the congregation/priest/church. Why are you so bent on having the child thrown out without attempting interventions? God forbid you should suffer some debilitating injury that makes you difficult to encounter in public only to be cast out by your church. So Ben, how many autistic children have you raised? How much effort have you put into assisting a disabled person attend services? Are you really so elevated that you can pass judgment on others? I propose a compromise for church and family and you won’t have anything other than complete rejection of the child. It has to be your way or nothing.

    I hope God is more compassionate with you when you are being judged. You certainly have no compassion for the Races.


  42. Thank you for covering this story in the manner you have.

    I have read Redtown’s comments on numerous sites. They are always the same. I am frankly concerned for the welfare of any special ed students this person may be in contact with, as they say they are a spec ed teacher. It may be time for them to stop teaching.

    Thank you for addressing Adam’s incontinence/diaper use, etc. SOMEONE who knew the other side of the story had to speak out publicly, and I am grateful you have done so.


  43. Ben,
    I am a Catholic. My brother is autistic. (For those of you who care, we did have to switch churches when he was little b/c the place we were going was closed-minded.) Have you ever heard of ACTS? Adoration, Community, Theology, & Service. (Yes, there are other words, but that’s what I’m familiar with.) I will always be Catholic, but the reason I love my church is the community, my church family. How can Adam’s family have a real Christian experience without community? It does not have to be either he participates in church like a “normal” boy his age OR he must be isolated. Others have detailed the “in between” so I won’t go into it.
    Love your neighbor.

    I know it’s hard when you feel like someone you’re close to is being attacked. I almost yelled at a teacher over my brother (I was in 5th grade; standing up to a teacher was a big deal). Please be aware, you can typically get away with one outburst, but after that you have to at least come across as calm & in-control, otherwise you will not be taken seriously. I’m sorry, but that’s how most people work. (IF you feel the need to respond to this, please take a deep breath every once in a while.)

    Shalom.

    NB: I hate the word normal. What does it even mean…


  44. It’s way too obvious that this article is full of bias and flaws, just like any other media attempt to sway the opinions of the masses. I may be late in doing this, and I apologize for the redundancy , but I feel the need to be vocal about certain parts of this case that aren’t at all mentioned in this article.

    First of all, I used to attend the church of St. Edwards in Henning, MN (in which there are several members with down syndrome and other mental handicaps), where Dan Walz held mass for many years (at the time he was priest for St. Edwards and St. Josephs), and I learned a lot from the guy, although I am no longer a Catholic (or claim to be). In my opinion he was a decent, intelligent, level-headed person, among many outlandish-extremist priests. He seemed to have a good sense of ethics, and tried to live day-to-day with good intentions and positive motives. Very relaxed and tolerant towards people.

    Now, I’ve been to mass many times at St. Josephs in Bertha, and have witnessed this victim of autism in person. Although he can’t exactly help his situation, this kid was a straight-up disturbance, a violent one at that. He made many people feel uncomfortable; yelling, urination, and spitting during mass, acting out violently toward other parishioners, intruding vehicles, inappropriate sexual behavior towards women of the parish, to name a few acts. Dan Walz was approached by many in his congregation about the boy, being asked for alternatives to putting up with behaviors during mass. And being a small, tight-nit community, they cared for Adam and the Race family, and wanted the best for them. This is why Dan Walz first approached the Races.

    Do you think he did this to somehow benefit himself? Out of selfish intentions? You think he wanted to deny this poor kid of his religious rights?

    IN FACT (now you seemed to have missed this very important piece of information) when he first approached the family, he not only explained to them the circumstances surrounding their son, but OFFERED TO GIVE THIS FAMILY A PRIVATE SERMON EVERY SUNDAY after his mass at St. Josephs as a compromise to the congregation and the family. The Race family found this to be an absolute abomination for whatever reason, denied his offer and later were known to be critical to the priest as well as purposefully discouraging and putting down him and his services (which eventually resulted in a restraining order).

    FATHER Dan Walz clearly meant no harm to Adam or his family, just trying to do what he could for his church and the family in need, although this situation could have gone over much more smoothly. I sincerely believe you have been extremely misinformed or are just completely ignorant on purpose, ScottJ. You’ve abused your powers as a writer.

    And for the rest of you posting on here, I am equally disappointed in your ability to blindly believe whatever you are told, and react in an emotional, judgemental manner. Who are any of you to criticize??

    just another example of how people can be so easily manipulated……


  45. Seriously, Lars? Abused my powers? My misinformation is SO POWERFUL that it took you five years to find it? 🙂

    If there were an alternate story, another side to this, there were ample opportunities five years ago to put it forth. My information came from numerous, independent sources. I’m satisfied that I adequately researched what I’ve written.


  46. Even if only 10 people see this article, a small amount of influence is still a powerful tool. I don’t doubt that you did your fair amount of research, you seem like a capable journalist/blogger of sorts, but it seems to me that your main purpose of writing this was to bash a priest, and make him the villain of your story, like many of the reports on ABCnews and so forth. You insist that he is a heartless and ignorant person, yet all you truly know about him is the information you’ve gathered on one incident in his lifetime…

    5 years ago I was only 14 years old, I didn’t even have internet in my home until I started living on my own, so I didn’t have the means to find articles like these, or to express my own personal experience with the situation. And it wasn’t until a few days ago that I was reminded of this….so I was curious to see what I could find, and I was obviously a bit pissed at what I came across.

    I apologize for arguing about an outdated subject, and for singling you out, but seriously dude, everything I’ve read about this case is taken far out of context, and is the biggest blown-out-of-proportion bullshit I could hope to see. Even worse is that people eat it up like cake


  47. Nope, sorry, Lars, that angle won’t work either. If a plumber had done this, I’d be bashing plumbers. He’s the villain of my story because of what he did, not because of his chosen profession.

    I really only know of one incident in quite a few lifetimes. I’m sure Ted Kaczynski, Susan Smith, and Charles Whitman were all nice people if you knew them socially, and probably had some redeeming characteristics. The incident is what’s at hand for discussion.

    Bullshit? This must be that “Minnesota Nice” people talk about. If there’s anything factually incorrect (as opposed to at variance with your views) in the piece, please point it out. I don’t care to compare opinions.


  48. Well, at this point there is not much I can say, as it seems you can’t swallow your pride enough to make room for rational thought, or to even consider for a second that Adam’s autism was irrelevant for his dismissal from the church service, but I’ll say it anyway. What do you think, that this priest has an agenda to discriminate against all people with mental disabilities? Or do you think his motive was to personally insult this family, for no purpose? Several members of his congregation in fact had multiple forms of autism, down syndrome and other mental handicaps, and he had no problem not only giving them mass and communion like everybody else, but interacted with them on a daily basis, knew them on a personal level. And guess what, they were treated fairly despite their conditions…..how horrible!! This is just another hate-mongering article like any other, and it’s seriously hilarious to watch your average Joe simply buy into it, and stand back as their mind is molded by the news channel they watch or what they read on the web .

    Nobody thinks for themselves, and I am slowly losing my faith in humanity.

    I’m sorry for expressing my angst and forcing you, as opposed to many others, to deal with my rants, but I am not sorry one bit for challenging a case that I see as skewed and offering my perspective, a fresh point of view.


  49. Lars, you make a lot of really insupportable points, not the least of which is that pride is involved here. As a non-Catholic, pride is not the deadly sin to me as it is to you, so your insult falls short of the mark, but in any case, I’m interested in truth, not pride. Otherwise I wouldn’t have asked you to point out any factual errors in my text, which it seems you could not do.

    Adam was dismissed from the church service because of his behavior. His behavior was caused by his autism. Yet you somehow conclude that his autism is irrelevant to his dismissal? I’ve studied formal logic, and that conclusion boggles my mind.

    And no, I don’t think the priest had an agenda beyond wanting a mass free of noise and disruptions. He wanted that so badly, though, that he was willing to involve the police. Last time I checked, Revelation 22:17 didn’t include any language similar to “Unless thou art noisy or disruptive.”

    Somehow you’ve also concluded that my wish that Adam be tolerated, accepted, and loved the way others are amounts to hate-mongering. I don’t think “hate-mongering” means what you think it means.

    No apologies are necessary here. I’m being entertained as well, because for all the odd logic and insults you’re throwing, what this really amounts to is that you don’t like what I wrote because it reveals unsavory facts. The facts, which are not in dispute anywhere, are that:

    1. Adam Race was barred from mass because of his behavior.
    2. Adam’s behavior is due to his autism and can’t be helped.
    3. Daniel Walz asked the Races to stop bringing their son to church.
    4. Daniel Walz involved the police and actually got a restraining order against the Races.
    5. Daniel Walz further pursued that restraining order in the courts.

    This is the first in a series of about three articles I wrote in connection with the Adam Race story, and apparently is the only one you’ve read. However, even on this one, if you check the comments above, you will find that I posted this some years ago:

    “If Mr. Walz feels there’s some information that’s been unfairly omitted from all the news reports, blogs, and interviews, he’s been more than free to correct that, and he hasn’t. Anytime he’d like to speak up, I’ll devote a special blog entry to his response alone; I believe in fairness.”

    The only reason I have not devoted a special entry to your responses is that I don’t feel that Daniel Walz necessarily appointed you as his personal defender. He’s had ample opportunity to rebut anything I’ve said, and after five years, he hasn’t.

    However, your comments have definitely let me know that there’s still interest, and that it was wrong to let the story simply die out. Perhaps I will contact Adam Race’s family for a follow-up and find out how this all turned out for them.


  50. You’re right. Dan Walz is a terrible, selfish person who hates noisy churches, especially crying infants and kids with disabilities. And he’ll arrest every single one em! An abomination to christianity and religion. I can’t believe my tiny brain every allowed a second thought other than how evil and full of hatred this man is. You’ve convinced me, thank you for righting my wrongs, for I can see clearly now.

    Yours truly, Bobby Murray.

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