WARWICK — Inclusion has become a buzzword today – inclusion of race, gender, age; inclusion in workspaces, churches, schools. For centuries, the Catholic Church has practiced inclusivity, prioritizing care of the poor and the marginalized. One group can sometimes still be overlooked, especially in Catholic education: those with disabilities. Some strides have been made recently, however.
For 16 years, young men with developmental disabilities have had the ability to attend a Catholic high school through the Brother Thomas Leto Options Program at Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick. The Options program began due to the efforts of Martha Murray, a devoted mother and dedicated member of the Bishop Hendricken community.
Giving students Options
From grade school through college, Murray and her husband Michael both received a Catholic education, and expected the same for their two sons. Older son Michael had no issues, but younger son Philip struggled developmentally. So the family decided to move Philip from Our Lady of Mercy School in East Greenwich to public school for additional special needs programming. But after a handful of “very challenging” years in public school, Philip was welcomed back to Our Lady of Mercy School thanks to the kindness of Sister Jeanne Barry, RSM, principal at the time.
With the right support and tutors, Philip returned for fifth grade and thrived for the next few years. Wanting to follow his brother into Bishop Hendricken, however, proved difficult. At the end of Philip’s freshman year, things did not look promising. On Memorial Day weekend, Murray and her oldest son attended Mass at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul, “and Michael was very forlorn,” Murray reported. He asked his mother to pray for his brother and suddenly Bishop Thomas F. Hendricken, who built the cathedral, came to her mind.
A conversation with a friend the very next day secured funding to start an Options program at Bishop Hendricken, modeled after other Catholic schools, notably Paul VI in Chantilly, Virginia. Philip was one of its first two students.
“And it’s a successful, beautiful program,” Murray stated. “These students are now learning in Catholic schools, they’re motivated students with intellectual and developmental disabilities.”
Though it came too late for her own son’s continuing education, Murray toyed with the idea of Catholic colleges for students like Philip.
Higher education
While serving as director of development for Bishop Hendricken, Murray met Tom Murphy, PC ’63, at an event at Providence College. She shared her vision of a Catholic post-secondary, residential life skills program for students with IDD. He arranged a meeting, and Murray and Joe Adamec, Bishop Hendricken’s college counselor, began working with Providence College to start a program in 2013. Tom Murphy, a successful businessman, grew tired of waiting for things to progress for these students. He shared that he would fund the program when Murray and Adamec found a Catholic college willing to undertake such a venture. Along with his commitment to Catholic education, he hired Murray as head of the Tom and Terri Murphy Foundation, established four years ago to “promulgate inclusion from preschool to Catholic college,” according to Murray.
After many trips and visits to Catholic college campus ministry and admissions offices and years of studying the success of programs in the public world, Bishop Hendricken alum and Villanova graduate Michael Morris ‘12 recommended Murray try Villanova University
“We said, ‘They’re not going to listen.’ Well, they did,” Murray remarked.
There, the Foundation may have accomplished what no other Catholic community in the country has – building a bridge from Catholic high school to Catholic college for students with disabilities.
Molly Shawhan, interim director of the VUnited Scholars Program, spoke with Rhode Island Catholic about the two-year program, which falls under the College of Professional Studies. Shawhan explained that four pillars make up the program: academic knowledge, social and psychological well-being, vocational development and independent living.
Students take academic classes like finance and theology and participate in internships relating to their career interests, but also learn how to live on their own after graduation. They have the same on-campus opportunities as their peers and are required to participate in community activities. For example, one group traveled to Rome to sing at the Vatican while others played pickleball or became cheerleaders.
These students are recognized in a special way at graduation, when the College of Professional Studies hosts “An Evening of Celebration.” The university president speaks at the event and the students’ achievements are celebrated once again. One of Shawhan’s favorite stories comes from graduation, when a peer mentor graduated with her VUnited student and the mentor and her father both cried at how meaningful the experience was.
“This has been life-changing for the students, and also just as life-changing for the peer mentors and Villanova as a whole,” Shawhan remarked.
“The university is living out its mission. We are a microcosm for the world. Fifteen percent of the global population has a disability,” she continued, noting that both the neurotypical and neurodivergent students greatly affect each other.
She credits the Foundation in helping establish the VUnited Scholars, saying it “planted the seed and gave us what we needed to get the program running. I’m beyond grateful.”
Shawhan has a future goal, though — and Murray attests to this as well — in looking to extend the program to three and four years. Fourteen students will begin the program in the fall, and 11 have already graduated from it in the first two cohorts. One of these came through the Brother Leto Options Program (see article on next page).
Murray praises the university for its inclusion, saying, “Villanova has walked the walk in the last five years, and it took almost five to get it started. This has been a 30-year Catholic passion of mine and now I’m so honored and humbled to be sharing this journey and getting this pathway to independence continued and what’s next.”
Continuing efforts
Villanova’s acceptance of students with disabilities is a big step toward universal inclusion, but Murray has more work to do. Archbishop-elect Richard G. Henning gave his support to the Foundation and since that meeting last October, Murray proudly reports one, possibly two, elementary school(s) coming onboard, as well as two high schools preparing to start their own programs.
And should Providence College start a program like Villanova’s, the Diocese of Providence would be the first in the country to embrace inclusion for students with disabilities from preschool all the way through college.
“Imagine being able to … say to parents, ‘We got you from preschool to college,’” she marveled.
Murray calls herself a one-woman shop in her work with the Foundation, combining her passion for advocating for young people with disabilities with her fundraising skills.
“I don’t want to stop. … I now feel like I have nothing to lose but some people saying yes to me, and you have to say yes to me for these students. The program works,” she said.
“In the early years I was sad and would think ‘Why can’t these doors be opened?’”
Now, her attitude has changed, and she is determined to push open those doors and promote educational opportunities for all students. The students bring such joy to the schools that have welcomed them, and “our gifts from the heavens” deserve a seat at the table, she said.
To learn more about inclusion in our Catholic schools, visit www.tmurphyfoundation.org.
