Oct 14, 2012 / 12:07 pm
Matt Wellendorf's favorite prayer is the Chaplet of Divine Mercy in song. During the Liturgy of the Eucharist at Mass, he becomes reverent. And he won't go to sleep before his mother prays with him.
Despite a chromosomal abnormality that left him unable to walk or talk, the 27-year-old has a sense of spirituality, said his parents, David and Regina Wellendorf.
Most people think those with developmental or mental disabilities have no faith life because they can't understand religion, David said. "But they're human beings."
Members of St. Wenceslaus Parish in Iowa City, he and his wife have worked to help Matt encounter the richness of Catholicism and enjoy other life experiences that people without disabilities do.
Matt attends Mass at St. Wenceslaus and belongs to the Knights of Columbus there. With help, he played Little League baseball as a child. And he graduated from Clear Creek Amana High School at age 21.