The parents of an autistic eight-year-old boy from New Jersey who was allegedly denied first communion because of his disability have lashed out at Saint Aloysius Catholic Church, accusing its leaders of misrepresenting the situation in the face of a public outcry.
The story was first reported last week, when Jimmy LaCugna posted a message on his Facebook page, which has since gone viral, claiming that the Rev. John Bambrick at Saint Aloysius Parish in Jackson Township has informed him and his wife that their son, Anthony, who is non-verbal, could not participate in the religious milestone because his disability leaves him ‘unable to determine right from wrong.’
The church responded to the LaCugna family’s charge by releasing a statement on Facebook saying that ‘new information’ has come to light allowing the leadership of Saint Aloysius to revise it guidelines pertaining to the reception of sacraments by disabled children.
Antony LaCugna (pictured) was told he couldn’t participate in First Communion because he’s autistic, and cannot differentiate between right and wrong, his parents said
Jimmy LaCugna (left) and Nicole LaCugna (right) said they are disheartened by the priest’s decision, calling it discrimination against Anthony
After the church allegedly backtracked and released a statement saying it has revised its guideline concerning sacraments for disabled children and has informed the LaCugna family, Jimmy LaCugna took to Facebook again, accusing Saint Aloysius of painting them as ‘liars’
The post further stated that the family of the autistic boy, who was not mentioned by name, has been informed of this change, but Anthony’s parents insist that it is not so.
‘Although we have yet to be reached out to by Father Bambrick we are beyond devastated to have stumbled upon the newest statement found on the FB page of the church,’ Jimmy LaCugna wrote on Friday. ‘To add to our devastation we are being painted not as the special needs parents advocating for our child, but instead as liars.’
According to the father, he and wife Nicole were previously told in no uncertain terms that their son would not be able to make his first communion this year. But he claims since the story has become public knowledge, the church has changed the narrative.
‘Thank you to the entire community for your continued outpouring support and we are horrified how this story has been twisted,’ he continued, adding that the family will stay strong in their faith but will find ‘another loving Catholic church who accepts all.’
In an interview with NBC News on Monday, Nicole LaCugna reiterated that contrary to the church’s statement on its Facebook page, which has since been deleted, neither she nor her husband has ever spoken to the Rev Bambrick.
Saint Aloysius Church has since posted on its official website another statement from Father Bambrick, who blamed what he characterized as a ‘misunderstanding’ on ‘an unfortunate breakdown in communication.’
The cleric argued that there was never any talk of denying communion to the disabled boy, but rather delaying the sacrament until he is ready to receive it.
Saint Aloysius Parish (pictured) and other religious institutions are not required to adhere to ADA regulations
‘With the guidance and support of Bishop David O’Connell, we were able to discern a way for the child to receive First Holy Communion without any delay,’ Rev Bambrick stated. ‘We have made the family aware of this development and hope to be able to meet with them to discuss it.
‘Their child continues to be welcome in our program, and will be able to receive First Holy Communion this year.’
The Rev. John Bambrick (pictured) released a statement saying there was never any talk of denying communion to Anthony, but rather delaying the sacrament until he is ready
The priest expressed regret and acknowledged that the matter ‘could have been handled differently.’
‘It is extremely unfortunate that, as a result of this controversy, there are families with special needs children who may now doubt the Church’s commitment to welcome all children into their religious education programs. Nothing could be further from the truth; special needs children and adults are welcomed and ministered to in parishes across this Diocese, and throughout the Church, including this Parish.’
Jimmy and Nicole LaCugna have pushed back against Father Bambrick’s version of events, denying that their conflict with Saint Aloysius came down to a ‘misunderstanding,’ and accusing the church of reversing its earlier decision because of the outrage it has generated.
‘It’s very hard to misunderstand someone when they literally say, “Your child cannot make First Communion,”‘ Anthony’s mother told NBC. ‘That’s pretty straightforward and clear.’
Jimmy LaCugna shared the first Facebook post about the incident last Tuesday and it has since gone viral
![Nicole: '[Communion] is supposed to be a blessed day, not a day of not thinking my son doesn’t belong. This is discrimination against my child'](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2020/02/27/20/25288206-8052815-image-m-56_1582834317700.jpg)
Nicole: ‘[Communion] is supposed to be a blessed day, not a day of not thinking my son doesn’t belong. This is discrimination against my child’
Nicole LaCugna said that both sides of the family have been raised Catholic and continuing the faith through Anthony is important to them.
The family started the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine process, or religious education classes, two years ago for Anthony at their home in preparation.
Nicole said church leaders agreed to the schooling and Anthony planned on receiving First Communion in April.
‘I’ve been very transparent with the church about Anthony from the beginning. I knew my son wouldn’t be able to sit still,’ she said.
They’re not sure how Bambrick came to the decision to exclude Anthony, since he’s never contacted them directly or even met their son.
‘We’ve never had any communication with him, never, not once. He doesn’t even know my son,’ Nicole said.
Anthony’s father expressed his disappointment about the church’s ‘disgraceful and disheartening’ actions in a Facebook post last Tuesday.
He wrote: ‘Father Bambrick at Saint Aloysis Church in Jackson and the Archdiocese of Trenton came to this position since Anthony is unable to determine right from wrong due to his disability they feel he is not up to the “benchmark required to make his communion.
‘This is very hard and upsetting to comprehend when we all are created by God and now our son is being shunned from the Catholic faith due to his inability to communicate.
‘Father Bambric (sic) of Saint Aloysis Church and the Archdiocese of Trenton should be ashamed of themselves.’
Saint Aloysius Parish then responded on Facebook with a statement that said ‘new information has come to light’ allowing them to reconsider the move.
They wrote: ‘Since Monday we have been researching how we could best assist the most profoundly disabled in a better way.
‘New information has come to light which allows us to by-pass previous Diocesan Guidelines to better serve this subset population’.
The parish further clarified that a new protocol mandates that children in these situations be considered to have a ‘inner spiritual’ relationship with God.
‘The basic concept is the child should be presumed to have an inner spiritual relationship with God and this would be sufficient in these particular cases, thus this is a development of our guidelines based on the latest understanding’.
Saint Aloysius Parish in New Jersey released a statement on Facebook saying ‘new information has come to light’ that allows them to bypass previous guidelines
Although the statement said the LaCugna family has been contacted about the shift in policy, Jimmy said the statement doesn’t make any promises regarding their son.
Jimmy said: ‘It doesn’t say Anthony can do his communion this year. It doesn’t say they will work with us’.
According to the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, religious entities are exempt from public accommodations under Title III.
‘Religious entities are completely exempt from Title III of the ADA. All of their facilities, programs, and activities, whether they are religious or secular in nature, are exempt,’ the website said.
Although Saint Aloysius Parish and other religious institutions are not required by law to accommodate special needs people, many people on social media found the action reprehensible.
‘This is just absolutely not What Jesus Would Do. It’s disgraceful and the Priests should be ashamed of themselves and seek the Lord for forgiveness,’ one person wrote on Facebook.
Another said: ‘This child is special and made by God. He deserves to make his communion. Go to another priest’.
One woman commented that incidents like this are among reasons that people are leaving the Catholic Church.
‘I am so sorry. He is a child of God and innocent. No wonder people are leaving the church. This is only one example,’ she said.
According to the Pew Research Center in 2018, the Catholic Church has faced a decline in membership over recent decades.
They report that Catholicism ‘has experienced a greater net loss due to religious switching’ than any other religion in the U.S.
Thirteen percent of all U.S. adults are former Catholics and, in contrast, only two percent of this cohort has converted to Catholicism.
‘This means that there are 6.5 former Catholics in the U.S. for every convert to the faith. No other religious group analyzed in the 2014 Religious Landscape Study has experienced anything close to this ratio of losses to gains via religious switching,’ they wrote.
Additionally, the percentage of Catholic baptisms in the U.S. has dropped from 35 percent in 1965 to 18 percent in 2014.
The number of former Catholics rose to 25 million in 2015, the Wall Street Journal reports.
This is not the fist time the church has faced public backlash over its policies and procedures.
In 2017, a 13-year-old boy claimed he was kicked out of CCD classes because he was openly gay. The church denied the allegations.
Other parishes have made headlines for refusing communion over the years.
In early February, a Rhode Island Catholic priest sparked outrage for saying ‘pedophilia doesn’t kill anyone, abortion does’ after banning 44 politicians from receiving communion because they’re pro choice.
Presidential hopeful Joe Biden was denied Holy Communion during a 9am mass in South Carolina because the priest said he advocated for abortion.
Joe Biden was reportedly denied Holy Communion in a South Carolina church because of his stance on abortion
Father Robert E. Morey, the priest who refused Biden, said he would pray for him.
Cady Mansell of St. John, Indiana, was barred from attending her First Communion because she wore a white suit instead of a dress.
The nine-year-old’s mother took to Facebook and said the suit made her daughter feel ‘beautiful’.
Cady’s father said when he took her to a practice for First Communion, a pastor told him that they were raising the young girl ‘wrong’.
An in a similar 2012 case, an eight-year-old boy with Down Syndrome was banned from participating in First Communion.