I got an email about this the other day from Aisling Redican, of the Xavier Society for the Blind.
I wrote the foreword for a book of reflections on the Holy Door by Catholic writer and editor Joan Watson. Now, it seems, the book is becoming available in braille:
Since 1900, Xavier Society for the Blind has been providing free braille, large print, and audio books to blind and visually impaired people worldwide in order for them to learn about, develop, and practice their Catholic faith.
I am writing to let you know that Opening the Holy Door: Hope-Filled Scripture Reflections from St. Peter’s Basilicawas made available in our library. One of our patrons in Wisconsin is participating in a book club at her parish, and as she reads braille, she needed the book in an accessible format. We were happy to make this available to her. We shared the attached photo on our Facebook, Instagram, and X feed; please feel free to do so as well. If you could help us publicize this, we would really appreciate it. We have been providing free books for 125 years to blind and visually impaired Catholics all over the world.
This is exciting news and very timely. Just last week, OSV did a story about the Xavier Society:
The Xavier Society for the Blind is celebrating 125 years of helping generations of Catholics, either blind or vision-impaired, participate in worship through braille texts, large-type books and audio books.
So Malachy Fallon, executive director of the society, told OSV News in a phone interview that he wants to remind people that his organization — so reliable for so many years that some may take it for granted — is still highly active and producing new products. “We want more people to be aware of it,” he said.
Based in New York City, the society functions with a full-time staff of just six, including a certified braille translator. It runs on an annual budget of $1.5 million, primarily from donations, plus a small endowment.
Fallon, the executive director for eight years, likes to describe the organization as “small, but feisty.” He took it over after a 30-year career in finance at Standard & Poor’s, the ratings agency, and is the first to lead the organization who is not a Jesuit priest.
The society’s missalettes go to about 700 worshippers a week. It has about 2,500 clients in the United States and 20 other nations, a number that has held steady for several years.
Braille is a tactile code. A cell of braille consists of six raised dots. Louis Braille first developed it in 1824 when he was 15 years old, and it was a success from the start. Born Jan. 4, 1809, Louis was blinded in one eye at age 3. Braille Literacy Month is celebrated in the U.S. in January.
The Xavier Society’s catalog has more than 1,000 braille titles. Products include books on spiritual and religious topics and catechetical textbooks.
The Propers of the Sunday Mass — the Old and New Testament readings, selected prayers and responses — are available in braille and audio in both English and Spanish. These help blind worshipers serve as lectors.
Visit the Xavier Society website to learn more about obtaining books for the blind.
