Dozens of People suffering from Disabilities graduate in Catholic Institution in Swaziland

The diocese of Manzini in Swaziland was blessed last week with the graduation of over a dozen disabled people at Ekululameni vocational school. They included the Blind, the deaf, the crippled and the lame.They graduated in different courses including carpentry, sewing, crafts and cookery. The graduation ceremony was organised under the motto disability is not inability. The Catholic Bishop of Manzini, the Rt. Rev. Luis Ponce de Leone attended the ceremony. He said on Sunday that it was a gathering not about speeches but about showing how much God has blessed the disabled with different gifts. He noted that the graduands sang and presented a drama in which they showed how much their families struggle to accept them, and how much society believes that they are of little help to themselves and to the community.  Bishop Ponce de Leone said one of the most moving moments was when one of the disabled without arms, sliced a potato with her feet. In his homily during a thanksgiving mass, Bishop de Ponce reflected on the passage from the gospel of Matthew chapter 15 verses 29 to 31 which narrates Jesus curing people with disabilities. He told the graduands, their families and the rest of the faithful that they were witnesses to the work of Ekululameni vocational school which was giving to people with disabilities back their dignity.  He wondered why Christians talk so much about love, loving each other as Jesus loved us and yet do little to empower our brothers and sisters who suffer from disabilities. He thanked the leadership of the school for the wonderful work, and promised that the diocese would continue to help not only the disabled but also their families so that they understand that disability is not inability.