Pastoral Relationship with People with Intellectual ... - Theses

23context. These narratives will be of an institutional, collective type, rather thanliteral, individual stories. They will strive to give faithful expression to the livesof those in question. They will detail the nature of institutional life and its effectupon the individuals and communities of people for whom the institution bearsresponsibility. In doing so, expression will be given to an alternative form ofpastoral care that seeks to foster a mutually-caring, liberating relationship.The need for the articulation of such a model of pastoral care will bebased on the fundamental need of all human beings to be affirmed for their senseof worth as those created in “the likeness of God” (Genesis 1:26). 101.3 The Extended Reflection QuestionWith these issues in mind, the fundamental extended reflection question isthis:Given the oppressive constraints imposed upon people with an intellectualdisability who live in institutional accommodation, what is the pastoral caremodel that most authentically and validly affords a mutually-enriching, liberatingform of pastoral relationship between carer and accommodated individual, andwhich most faithfully reflects the worth invested in all, created as all are in theimage of God?1.4 Justification for Extended ReflectionThere are two main reasons for pursuing this extended reflection question.Both are concerned with marginalising narratives constructed by the able-bodiedabout people with intellectual disabilities. These are narratives concerned withthe development of social norms that serve to exclude these people from fullinclusion and participation in mainstream society. By identifying these narrativesand then detailing an appropriate pastoral response, a necessary measure ofliberation is offered to a people who, both historically and contemporaneously,have been, and remain, oppressed.10 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. The Holy Bible– New Revised Standard Version, Old Testament, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson Publishers,1989), 1.