This semester, I had the opportunity of taking a beginner’s sign language course. At the beginning of the semester, I had some trouble keeping up with the class’s pace and learning how to study for exams. Unlike other classes, taking notes wasn’t something that was really going to help me with exams, but practicing gestures and facial expressions was. It wasn’t until my third exam that I was able to get a routine down for practicing and studying for both exams and projects. Along with constant practice, there were presentations and a “Deaf experience” assignment which, to my surprise, I really enjoyed.
For this assignment, we were required to attend an event within the Deaf community; we were expected to not only observe but participate. Then, we would have to reflect on that experience. Originally, I did not want to do this assignment, simply because I was afraid of offending anyone with the little sign language I knew and the little confidence I had in my knowledge. However, I ended up choosing to attend a Deaf Ministry Service.
I chose it not only because I was there to observe, but because I also thought I would be able to fulfill my obligation of going to Mass, which is something I have been wanting to work on since the start of the year. Additionally, I thought this experience would be more of a “just to get it done.” However, my experience was a positive one, and I would definitely repeat it.
Despite all the anxiety, I was interested to see how sign language could be implemented into Mass, seeing as readings and prayers are long. Before the service started, it was fun to see two older men conversing through sign language across the room, being so expressive when signing and showing it through their facial expressions.Â
My nerves calmed down as the Mass began, and I watched the choir, which had a small group up in the front with a soft piano playing in the background, while the singers signed the lyrics of the song. There was the priest, who both signed and spoke, and then the sign language interpreter, who only signed. Additionally, there was a volunteer who interpreted what the signers would say through speech, which really helped me engage and recognize different signs.Â
During the Mass, I was able to quickly learn a few signs due to the repetition. The first thing that I quickly caught was “Lord,” which takes an L shape, starting at the left shoulder down across to the right hip, with the thumb being the meeting point at both locations. The only sign I was able to capture was “tent,” only because it was the same sign as “camp,” which I had already learned in lecture. My favorite sign to learn was “glory.” During the readings and especially the Gospel (which I think I would say was my favorite reading), there was a lot of expression in the interpreter’s face and the way she signed. When she signed “glory,” there were two ways she signed it; during the Gospel, she signed it as if she were astonished, and her hands sprang out. The second way she signed was by taking her left hand, palm open, facing up and in front of her, and then her right hand with her middle finger and thumb touching, facing down on top of her palm, then coming in up in a squiggly kind of motion to represent a spirit. I also noticed that there were a few different ways of signing along with words like “God,” where the left hand was put on top of the right arm horizontally, the right arm was in an L shape with the palm facing to the left, all while the thumb was on the forehead.Â
Some other key points during Mass were having to do the sign of peace, which occurs right before communion. At my church, I dislike this part, just because I always awkwardly shake hands with those in front of me, then (sometimes) awkwardly turn back to shake hands. I assumed I wouldn’t get a handshake here, because I wasn’t around anyone. However, what happened next truly caught me by surprise. Instead of shaking hands, everyone just held both arms in the air with the “I love you” sign and waved their hands in the air with smiles. If you wanted to be more specific in who you wanted to give the sign to, you would just face the person. And one person did sign “peace be with you,” and although I didn’t know the signs at the time, it wasn’t hard to interpret what he was saying. I think this was my favorite part of the Mass; it felt different, with higher energy and far more inclusive.Â
The only signs I was comfortable with using were thank you, however I do wish I had known how to sign “peace be with you,” as the same person who had signed it to one person did it to me, and all I could sign was “thank you” because I was afraid I would sign the same thing incorrectly.Â
Overall, I had a lot of fun during this experience. Usually, when I go to church, it feels like I go more out of obligation. While I do enjoy the experience of going, it feels like readings and prayers are a race to get through, and if you don’t understand or know the prayer, you get left behind, leading me to feel left out or like an outsider, because, to begin with, I am already not an avid churchgoer. While attending the Deaf Ministry, I had fun not only paying attention to signs while going through readings but also being able to actually process and understand the readings and the homily made the experience much more fulfilling. For the first time in a while, I enjoyed attending Mass and liked participating in all its rituals. I do plan to attend future services and hope to also attend other experiences in the future!