By Kyle Van Frank
Executive Director of FIRE Foundation of Denver
When twins Brody and Weston were six months old, Hilary and Robert Dehn contacted St. John the Evangelist Catholic School (SJE) in Loveland about enrolling their children when they reached the appropriate age. Brody has Down syndrome, and Weston is typically developing. Brody’s diagnosis prompted the family to inquire about early enrollment.
“I really had an unexplainable draw to SJE. It wasn't because I was fed up with the public school options or ever thought Weston would go to Catholic school and Brody wouldn't because it honestly never dawned on me to think about separating them. They're a package deal, no matter what! I was simply drawn to SJE,” Hilary shared.
Unfortunately, conditions were not right at the time, and the Dehns were unable to make a plan to enroll both their children at St. John the Evangelist in the future.
But three years later, the Holy Spirit began to work spectacularly in the Dehns’ lives.
A neighbor of the family mentioned to Hilary that her child had been behind in some academics at their public school and that St. John was able to get him caught up. She encouraged Hilary to speak to the school again, this time with the new principal, Julie Rossi.
Rossi’s immediate willingness to enroll both Brody and Weston was met with the question of staffing. Who would help support academic growth for Brody?
Enter Deacon August Cordova and Mrs. Regina Cordova.
Deacon August and his wife, Regina, have been parishioners at St. John the Evangelist for many years. Regina made the decision to stay home with her children while they were young, but just before the Dehn children started Kindergarten, she discerned it might be time to return to work. Her professional background? Special education.
“Regina Cordova, I believe, was sent to guide Brody,” Hilary said.
To make the situation even better, Brody and Weston’s kindergarten teacher happened to be Regina’s sister, making collaboration in the classroom that much better.
With the school's “yes” to the Dehn family and the hiring of Mrs. Cordova, SJE made a commitment in the Fall of 2023 to open their doors to students with disabilities. With this decision, schools often discover the need for increased training and education for their faculty.
Each August, the Office of Catholic School’s Department of Student Support Services responds to that need by holding a professional development day for local paraprofessionals and the classroom teachers with whom they work. The training provides educators with important baseline information for serving students with disabilities and learning differences through the lens of Catholic education.
At the end of the training, each participating school draws a card at random with a saint on it. What these saints — St. Joseph of Cupertino, St. Bernadette and Bl. Solanus Casey, to name a few — have in common is that they are all known to have had disabilities or learning differences.
Last year, the SJE team drew a somewhat unknown holy woman — St. Agatha Kim A-gi. Though perhaps a lesser-known saint, St. Agatha Kim A-gi has an incredible story of faith, love and courage.
St. Agatha Kim A-gi was born into the Confucian faith in Korea in the 18th century. Exposed to the Catholic faith as an adult, St. Agatha deeply desired to be baptized. However, her intellectual disability made catechesis difficult, as her ability to memorize prayers and teachings was extremely limited — a prerequisite for baptism in the region at this time.
Nevertheless, St. Agatha would say over and over again, “I only know Jesus and Mary.”
She was baptized while imprisoned for her faith, and as Catholics were being martyred in Korea in the mid-1800s, it was this continuous profession that earned St. Agatha her martyrdom.
This saint’s faith and witness provide a powerful intercessor for any school working to include children with disabilities in the general education classroom. Unbeknownst to the SJE team, she was the exact saint needed for their first year of including children with significant disabilities.
St. John had never enrolled a student with Down syndrome before Brody. Still, they were determined to fulfill Hilary and Robert’s desire to have their children access a Catholic education and maintain the twin experience of growing up alongside each other.
Upon enrolling Brody, St. John learned that his language skills were not at the level of his peers. Brody could not say the prayers of our faith with his friends and brother. He couldn’t articulate his understanding of the faith the way his classmates could.
Brody has always enjoyed Mass. He doesn't like loud music or noises but has always loved to sing at Mass. His reverence in Mass goes so far that, as a young child, he would shush his great uncle — Father Tom Boyer of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City — when he was talking in a regular speaking voice in the church!
Nevertheless, Brody had never said the names of Jesus or May.
But through the work of providence beyond our understanding, St. John was given a saint to pray to in the 2023-2024 school year who knew a little something about deep faith that can’t always be expressed in perfectly articulated words.
In the first month of Brody’s enrollment at St. John, he walked out of the school's front doors and headed to his mom’s car. Then, he stopped and looked up at a statue of Jesus that stands outside the school entrance. He pointed at the statue and said, “Jesus.”
Tears erupted from Brody and Weston’s mom, Hilary. This was the first time Brody said the Most Holy Name of Jesus. This was why she wanted her sons in a Catholic school. This is why Catholic education for children of all abilities is so essential. This is why we work hard to ensure Catholic schools can serve all God’s children.
“Robert and I think a lot of pieces fell into place, with amazingly good timing, for Brody and Weston to be able to attend St. John the Evangelist,” Hilary said. “Looking back, it's pretty impossible to explain it in any other way than the work of God. The experience has exceeded our expectations."
Many years ago, when Hilary called Robert to share Brody's diagnosis, she remembers telling him that she was being told something.
“I believe God interrupted the conversation and I said to Robert, ‘I think God is telling me to tell you that we were meant for this.’ That was the first time I have ever received a clear message from him,” Hilary recalled.
The next time Hilary heard such a clear message from God was when her sons were in the NICU. Hilary says she heard God say, "He's going to be your best friend."
Inclusion of children with disabilities is not something our Catholic schools do because it makes us feel good or because it is the “nice” thing to do. Inclusion of children with disabilities in our Catholic schools ensures justice for all children to come to know, love and serve Jesus Christ, to be properly formed in their faith and to fulfill their call to be agents of the Gospel.
We do this to invite the Holy Spirit into our hearts, and through our human senses, illuminate the glory and mystery of God.
Brody’s witness at school is profound. He walks alongside his peers as they seek sainthood and scholarship. He gives and receives the gift of growing in faith, knowledge and friendship as an integral member of the Body of Christ.
On this Feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus, we are grateful for sharing Brody’s witness to speak the name of our Lord out loud, to profess he who is King of Heaven and Earth.
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