Holy Innocents Society

~ is a diocesan not-for-profit organization dedicated to serving individuals and families who live with special needs of any kind.  HIS seeks to help anyone with special needs - children, adults and families - to take full advantage of being a part of a parish community in the Diocese of Trenton.  

A key part of full participation in a parish is, of course, the Sacraments.  Holy Innocents Society members throughout the Trenton Diocese provide and/or assist parishes to provide children and adults with special needs, intellectual, cognitive and/or developmental disabilities, who are not able to function in a regular Religious Education Program, with religious education geared to their individual learning ability. Dedicated catechists prepare their students for the reception of the Sacraments, and through programs of continuing religious education, prepare them to take an active role in the Church community. In the love of Jesus Christ for His children and in the guidance of the Holy Spirit, the catechists endeavor to foster within each student a positive self-concept, a sense of morality and participation in the Christian community.

In addition to the Sacraments, HIS Chapters provide social activities, encourage participation in the parish activities, and are working to be a resource to families in need of learning more about the special needs of their children and adult family members now and as they plan for the future.  

H.I.S has five (5) Chapters located throughout our Diocese, which encompass all our parishes.  

Office:  609-403-7139

Email:  holyinnocentssociety@
             dioceseoftrenton.org

Mailing address:  

Holy Innocents Society
Diocese of Trenton
701 Lawrenceville Road
P.O. Box 5147
Trenton, NJ 08638-0147

A healthy and whole faith community is one where all members of Christ’s Body
are in right relationship with each other. As disciples of Jesus, we commit
to companioning and learning from those who are challenged
by developmental, cognitive and/or physical disabilities.
 

Become a
"HIS PARISH ADVOCATE" 
for your parish!

To facilitate the connective/supportive efforts of the Holy Innocents Society (HIS), we are inviting every parish to have a parishioner, especially a parishioner with life experience in facing a disability, to serve as a HIS Parish Advocate on behalf of their parish.
           
            A HIS Parish Advocate would work with HIS to:

• identify the needs of their parish that may warrant attention in order to enable more full participation in parish life for all parishioners with developmental, cognitive and/or physical challenges,
• alert the pastor and the parish to resources available that may meet those identified needs,   
• participate in the local HIS chapter meetings to keep informed,
• contribute to creative solutions to identified parish needs, and
• have access to other HIS members and resources to address questions about their parish’s needs.  

 We hope the Holy Spirit will inspire someone in each parish to become 
 the HIS Parish Advocate for their parish
to work with us to enable full inclusion in the life of all our parish communities for those facing challenges. 

         
The Holy Innocents Society 
is a nonprofit tax-exempt organization created by a Bishop of Trenton to serve the community members in our parishes and beyond who daily face special challenges and to be a resource for special needs children, adults and families. 

Our mission is to:
 
1.  Promote and provide spiritual, educational, recreational, social and cultural services.
 
2.  Provide religious education programs including sacramental preparation.
 
3.  Guide, provide referrals, and counsel to address their ongoing and changing needs.
 
4. Advocate for ongoing/improved rehabilitative, vocational, and educational programs.
 
5. Explore, advocate for, and support the establishment of appropriate residences and respite care options.
 

We support parishes as they work to bring all parishioners with developmental, cognitive
and/or physical challenges into
full participation in parish life!

         Challenges that may be related to:  
                             ¨ Academic difficulties               ¨ Auditory loss
                             ¨ Developmental delays             ¨ Learning obstacles
                             ¨ Physical limitations                 ¨ Speech impediments
                                                                ¨ Visual impairments 

The Diocese of Trenton is an Affiliate Diocese with the National Catholic Partnership on Disability (NCPD), which enables us to benefit from a variety of resources.  For more information about resources, feel free to send us your request at holyinnocentssociety@dioceseoftrenton.org. 

• Guidelines for the Celebration of the Sacraments with Persons with Disabilities
• Ideas and Recommendations for Families with Children who have Diverse Learning Needs.