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DEAF MINISTRY

St. Barnabas of the Deaf

St. Barnabas of the Deaf serves as the center of ministries to d/Deaf people in the Episcopal Diocese of Washington and beyond. Along with holding weekly worship services, St. Barnabas acts as a resource for all congregations in the diocese with members who are d/Deaf, deafblind, or experiencing other sensory loss. We also serve the Episcopal chaplaincy in the Office of Campus Ministries at Gallaudet University.

Our congregation worships in American Sign Language and all services are fully signed. We practice full communion access, which means that all signing is also voiced in English, and voicers are interpreted in sign. Protactile communication can be arranged with advanced notice. Services are held weekly in the white chapel at Church of the Ascension in Gaithersburg, MD.

Our support of other Episcopal ministries in the Diocese of Washington includes:

  • Consulting with congregations on welcoming and serving those with sensory and communication disabilities, especially on ways to establish accessible worship with full communion access
  • Sharing information and guidelines for working with or hiring ASL interpreters
  • Facilitating the inclusion of Gallaudet students in parish and community outreach projects

St. Barnabas is the second-oldest Episcopal Mission to the Deaf in the Episcopal Church. The members of St. Barnabas seek to serve and participate in the church community and the Deaf community through our presence, witness, service and support.

Please contact The Rev. Elizabeth Bagioni, the St. Barnabas Priest-in-Charge, if you have any questions.