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Madison's journey to Christ
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October 31, 2022Rev. Mr. Davis Ahimbisibwe, who is a fourth year theology student at Notre Dame Seminary in New Orleans scheduled to be ordained to the priesthood in 2023, has been working with Madison Babin, a 10 year old student in St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School's GRACE (Giving Respect and Acceptance to Children with Exceptionalities) program. Madison, who has Down’s Syndrome, started her sixth year at St. Joseph in Thibodaux this school year.
Rev. Mr. Ahimbisibwe has been working with Madison on sacramental preparation since August, more specifically preparing Madison for her first Communion. “The first thing I wanted to do is help Madison feel Christ’s love and have experiences where she feels like she is part of the community of Christ’s love and she is able to recognize and know the people in that community,” says Rev. Mr. Ahimbisibwe. “I also wanted to help her recognize who a priest is and feel comfortable with him. The way I go about sacramental preparation is different for her than for others.”
The second thing he says he wanted was for Madison to recognize the difference between secular signs and sacred signs. For example, could she tell the difference between a cross and Jesus on the crucifix? He taught her to make the sign of the cross and helped her to do that every morning before he taught her to pray the Our Father, by saying it and having her repeat it after him.
The goal in sacramental preparation is to have the person encounter the love of Christ in the sacrament, says Rev. Mr. Ahimbisibwe. “So, my job is to unfold the mystery of God's love for her so that she knows she is loved by him. And I also have to help her understand the difference between the Eucharist and ordinary food so that ultimately she understands that the Jesus she has come to know and love and who loves her, is present in the Eucharist.”
Rev. Mr. Ahimbisibwe says that he has always enjoyed working with people who have special needs. He explains that in the Scriptures it says that God loves everyone. “But you kind of see that God has a preferential love for certain persons. And I have a preferential love for persons such as Madison, also. I haveto be the face of Christ’s love for her. I think about how she is going to come to see the face of Christ and I want to be that for her.”
Working with Madison means a great deal to Rev. Mr. Ahimbisibwe. “Ultimately, in everything I do I have to be the human face of God’s love, because for me that is the context in which everything is done. God’s salvation and God’s love is for everyone. People like Madison have to experience God’s love and I want to bring God’s love to them. Christ is inviting me to encounter him in her.”
Madison’s mother Molly Babin says she receives photos of Rev. Mr. Ahimbisibwe and Madison together at school. “When Madison gets home from school and I show the photos to her, she recognizes him. Sometimes she puts her hands together as if she is going to pray … she knows he prays with her.”
When Molly found out that her child might have Down’s Syndrome, she just prayed that God would give her the strength to handle it. “It was scary. We didn’t know what to do because we didn’t know anything about Down’s Syndrome. I just asked God to please put me around people, and put her around people, who would support her. And it seems like every time I had those fears God would put someone in my life to let me know that it was going to be okay. You can’t explain it any other way other except that it is the grace of God.”
She says Madison’s sister went to St. Francis de Sales Cathedral School and graduated from Vandebilt Catholic High School in Houma, but the Catholic schools in Houma were unable to accommodate a child with Madison’s special needs.
Molly says the year they had to make a decision about school for Madison was the year they went to a meeting at Vandebilt with someone who put them in touch with people who were starting a program at E.D. White Catholic High School in Thibodaux. At that time there were also families who were interested in starting similar something at St. Joseph. She was sure it was a sign from God because they had no connections with anyone in Thibodaux.
“Just the fact that I could bring my non-verbal child to this place … I never thought she would ever be able to have an opportunity to have a Catholic education … was such a blessing. I see her working in so many children’s lives here and I know this is exactly the plan God had for us. She is exactly where she is meant to be. As a parent, that’s all you can ask for your children. And we are extremely grateful to everyone here.”
Hannah Arceneaux, religious coordinator at St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School, says “(transitional) Deacon Davis has been the hands, feet and face of Jesus to our entire student body and especially to the students in our GRACE program. He has formed a special bond with Madison, praying with her and preparing her to receive the holy Eucharist. He is a beautiful gift. His presence, his radiant smile, and his desire to bring Jesus to our students has been a tremendous blessing to St. Joseph. He has prayed with our students, and he has played with them. We are so happy for his journey to priesthood. We know he will touch many more lives, and we will be praying for him as he continues to seek Jesus and spread his love.”
Rev. Mr. Ahimbisibwe says everything God gives us is a gift because he loves us. “Many parents of children with special needs don’t realize them as a gift from God, so they are treated differently. They are hidden away. If we really accept these children as a gift from God and if the family embraces this gift, there are very many fruits that can come out of it. Madison brings such joy to the school. If I go outside for recess alone, I am the superstar … if Madison comes, she steals the spotlight! She has a lot of gifts to give. How I wish all families of children with special needs would embrace them as gifts from God, because I want all of these children to experience God’s love and his grace.”