The Attends Mass program was developed in the Archdiocese of Newark to serve the needs expressed by families of loved ones who have autism who have not yet been successful at participating regularly in weekly liturgies.  We know it will also benefit individuals with other disabilities as well.  While this survey is being distributed to assess an educational program, Attends Mass, in our parishes, we would love to hear from individuals of all faiths. The Archdiocese of Newark includes Catholic parishes in Bergen, Essex, Hudson and Union Counties.  We plan to share the information that is collected with the leaders of these communities, in hopes that children and adults with autism and other disabilities of all faith backgrounds may comfortably and confidently attend liturgy.    

The survey seeks information from parents and caregivers to assess this need, and to determine if Attends Mass would be a beneficial program.   (The term parents means anyone serving in a parental role).  Your responses to this survey are confidential. We will use the results of it to seek funding for the Attends Mass program if the results indicate the program serves a need.  The survey should not take longer than 10 minutes.