REPORT OF : Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
23 Feb 2012
Each morning, Stephen Lawlor, Director of the Archdiocese of Sydney's Ephpheta Centre roars up the streets of Punchbowl to work on his super-powerful Yamaha XJR 1300 motorbike. But from tomorrow when in Rome he has permission to use another type of transport enabling him not only to ride a horse into St Peter's Square but into the Vatican itself.
In a special ceremony hosted by the Archbishop of Sydney at Cathedral House on Friday, Stephen and four other outstanding Sydney Catholics will receive Papal awards in recognition of their faith and their significant contributions to the city and to the Church.
Created a Papal Knight of the Equestrian Order of St Sylvester in honour of his ongoing commitment, dedication and pastoral care to Sydney's 500-strong deaf community, Stephen has discovered the honour the award brings - not to mention the permission to ride his horse into the Vatican.
However while it is unlikely he will saddle up and canter into the Vatican, Stephen nevertheless is making history as the world's first non hearing Catholic to receive a Papal knighthood.
"As far as we can find out, Stephen is the first profoundly deaf Catholic to be honoured by the Holy Father with a Papal award," says Nicole Clark, hearing interpreter and assistant to the director of the Ephpheta Centre.
However this is not the first time Ephpheta's tall, charismatic chief with a passion for big motor bikes and a keen sense of humour has made history.
Appointed Director of the Centre in 2005 by an intuitive and far-sighted Cardinal Pell, Stephen became the first non hearing man or woman worldwide to head up a Catholic organisation for the deaf.
"His Eminence had quite a lot of experience with the deaf through his involvement with the John Pierce Centre for the Deaf Ministry during his time as Archbishop of Melbourne and appointing me director of the Centre was due to his understanding of the Sydney's deaf community's need for self determination," he says speaking via Nicole and using Auslan (Australian sign language).
An active member of the Church since childhood, Stephen has always made time to help members of Sydney's deaf community, particularly non hearing parents with hearing children or hearing parents with a deaf child. But it wasn't until his retirement from the printing industry 11 years ago that he became involved with the Ephpheta Centre full time.
Then six and a half years ago he took over as director.
Chosen as 2008's Deaf Professional of the Year by the NSW Association of the Deaf, Stephen says while he has come across "a couple of deaf priests overseas and a deacon in Germany who is deaf, and a few from South Africa," so far he has not come across a non hearing person who is also head of a ministry.
Profoundly deaf since the age of three, but still unsure what caused his deafness, Stephen refuses to see his loss of hearing as a disability.
"As deaf people we see ourselves through a cultural perspective rather than a medical one," he insists and points out that just like other cultural minorities, Sydney's deaf community has its own language (AUSLAN), marry one another and live in what he describes as a "world within a world."
Rather than deafness, he explains, it is the lack of spoken language that can present difficulties.
For many years Stephen has worked to ensure the deaf have proper access to the Mass as well as hymns and different liturgies through the use of interpreters. As a member of the chaplaincy team at Ephpheta he also gives support and pastoral care to members of Sydney's deaf community during times of deep sorrow as well as times of happiness such as the birth of a child or a wedding.
Describing his role at Ephpheta as "the middle man" between the Catholic ministry and Sydney's deaf community, he would like to see more resources and materials for the world's non-hearing Catholics produced in their own language and in the context of a world without the spoken language the rest of us enjoy.
But as he points out when it comes to the Lord there are no difficulties for the deaf or hard of hearing. "God communicates with us as well as He does with anyone, and His great love overcomes all language barriers."
Stephen was notified of his Papal Knighthood ahead of the ceremony and admits his first reaction was one of disbelief. "The letter arrived on a teeming wet Friday and tired from work, I put it aside didn't grasp what a great honour I had been given until I finally read it on Sunday."
Nola, Stephen's wife of 40 years is also deaf although the couple's two sons and two daughters were born able to hear, as were their six grandchildren.
Thrilled and excited at the honour given to her husband, Nola will be at the ceremony tomorrow, as will the couple's sons and their wives, their daughters and their husbands, as well as Steve's brother Gary and his sister, Carol is flying down from Brisbane specially for the event.
"I was told we were each allowed to bring 10 family and guests to the ceremony but with a family the size of ours, His Eminence gave us permission to bring the whole family, all 15 of us," he says.
The other leading Catholics honoured with Papal Awards are Dominican priest and former parish priest at St Benedict's, Fr John Neill, OP who is being recognised for his services to education; Stanilaus Anthony (Tony) Carroll for his contribution to education and the law; Mrs Rosemary Flannery for her longstanding and dedicated contribution to the Parish of St Mary's North Sydney; and Mrs Patricia Martin, who is also being recognised for her outstanding service to the Archdiocese through her active involvement with the Parish of St Mary's.
Mr Carroll will be created a Knight Commander of the Order of St Gregory the Great. Ms Flannery will become Dame Commander of the Order of St Sylvester with Ms Martin created a Dame of the Order of St Gregory the Great. Fr Neill will receive the Papal Croce Pro Ecclesia et Pontiface.
23 Feb 2012
Stephen Lawlor rides a powerful
motorbike and as a Papal Knight will have
permission to ride a horse into the Vatican
In a special ceremony hosted by the Archbishop of Sydney at Cathedral House on Friday, Stephen and four other outstanding Sydney Catholics will receive Papal awards in recognition of their faith and their significant contributions to the city and to the Church.
Created a Papal Knight of the Equestrian Order of St Sylvester in honour of his ongoing commitment, dedication and pastoral care to Sydney's 500-strong deaf community, Stephen has discovered the honour the award brings - not to mention the permission to ride his horse into the Vatican.
However while it is unlikely he will saddle up and canter into the Vatican, Stephen nevertheless is making history as the world's first non hearing Catholic to receive a Papal knighthood.
"As far as we can find out, Stephen is the first profoundly deaf Catholic to be honoured by the Holy Father with a Papal award," says Nicole Clark, hearing interpreter and assistant to the director of the Ephpheta Centre.
However this is not the first time Ephpheta's tall, charismatic chief with a passion for big motor bikes and a keen sense of humour has made history.
Appointed Director of the Centre in 2005 by an intuitive and far-sighted Cardinal Pell, Stephen became the first non hearing man or woman worldwide to head up a Catholic organisation for the deaf.
"His Eminence had quite a lot of experience with the deaf through his involvement with the John Pierce Centre for the Deaf Ministry during his time as Archbishop of Melbourne and appointing me director of the Centre was due to his understanding of the Sydney's deaf community's need for self determination," he says speaking via Nicole and using Auslan (Australian sign language).
Stephen Lawlor and Nola his wife of 40 years
with four of their six grandchildren
Then six and a half years ago he took over as director.
Chosen as 2008's Deaf Professional of the Year by the NSW Association of the Deaf, Stephen says while he has come across "a couple of deaf priests overseas and a deacon in Germany who is deaf, and a few from South Africa," so far he has not come across a non hearing person who is also head of a ministry.
Profoundly deaf since the age of three, but still unsure what caused his deafness, Stephen refuses to see his loss of hearing as a disability.
"As deaf people we see ourselves through a cultural perspective rather than a medical one," he insists and points out that just like other cultural minorities, Sydney's deaf community has its own language (AUSLAN), marry one another and live in what he describes as a "world within a world."
Rather than deafness, he explains, it is the lack of spoken language that can present difficulties.
For many years Stephen has worked to ensure the deaf have proper access to the Mass as well as hymns and different liturgies through the use of interpreters. As a member of the chaplaincy team at Ephpheta he also gives support and pastoral care to members of Sydney's deaf community during times of deep sorrow as well as times of happiness such as the birth of a child or a wedding.
Cardinal Pell understood Sydney's Catholic deaf
community needed self determination
But as he points out when it comes to the Lord there are no difficulties for the deaf or hard of hearing. "God communicates with us as well as He does with anyone, and His great love overcomes all language barriers."
Stephen was notified of his Papal Knighthood ahead of the ceremony and admits his first reaction was one of disbelief. "The letter arrived on a teeming wet Friday and tired from work, I put it aside didn't grasp what a great honour I had been given until I finally read it on Sunday."
Nola, Stephen's wife of 40 years is also deaf although the couple's two sons and two daughters were born able to hear, as were their six grandchildren.
Thrilled and excited at the honour given to her husband, Nola will be at the ceremony tomorrow, as will the couple's sons and their wives, their daughters and their husbands, as well as Steve's brother Gary and his sister, Carol is flying down from Brisbane specially for the event.
"I was told we were each allowed to bring 10 family and guests to the ceremony but with a family the size of ours, His Eminence gave us permission to bring the whole family, all 15 of us," he says.
The other leading Catholics honoured with Papal Awards are Dominican priest and former parish priest at St Benedict's, Fr John Neill, OP who is being recognised for his services to education; Stanilaus Anthony (Tony) Carroll for his contribution to education and the law; Mrs Rosemary Flannery for her longstanding and dedicated contribution to the Parish of St Mary's North Sydney; and Mrs Patricia Martin, who is also being recognised for her outstanding service to the Archdiocese through her active involvement with the Parish of St Mary's.
Mr Carroll will be created a Knight Commander of the Order of St Gregory the Great. Ms Flannery will become Dame Commander of the Order of St Sylvester with Ms Martin created a Dame of the Order of St Gregory the Great. Fr Neill will receive the Papal Croce Pro Ecclesia et Pontiface.
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