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Christopher Doyle was a freshman at Cardinal Hayes High School in the Bronx when he first volunteered to assist developmentally disabled persons through an organization that bears the school’s name.
What hooked Doyle to the Hayes Center for the Exceptional, a place that provides religious instruction and recreation for those who are developmentally disabled, was the opportunity to provide outreach to persons in need.
That was 40 years ago. Now Doyle serves as the Hayes Center’s co-director, a post he assumed in 2005.
“The Church has opened their doors, opened their arms, to God’s special children,” Doyle said of the center, housed at Cardinal Hayes High School. “You can’t get any more innocent or Christ-like than these individuals.”
“After I graduated from Hayes, I just loved the program so much that I kept going back, year after year,” said Doyle, a 1978 alumnus of Cardinal Hayes.
Cardinal Dolan celebrated the organization’s 50th anniversary Mass May 11 in the auditorium of Hayes High.
The program, offered two Sundays a month, averages 45 participants, although the roster logs more than 90 members who range in age from 13 to the mid-60s.
“I’ve seen them walk in with the biggest smiles on their faces and when they walk out, their smile is even bigger because they’ve had such a good day,” said Doyle, who is also a special education teacher in the South Bronx for the New York City Department of Education.
A familial atmosphere at the Hayes Center is apparent, as participants eagerly greet the volunteers, Doyle included, by name.
“I couldn’t imagine my life without being part of the program,” Doyle said. “My faith may not be as deep as it is now.”
The day at Hayes begins with Mass. Among the priests who regularly celebrate the liturgy at the Hayes Center are Father Joseph Tierney, president of Cardinal Hayes High School and Father Harry Burke, a priest on staff of Cardinal Hayes.
The program’s catechetical component helps prepare Catholic participants for the sacraments of baptism, First Holy Communion and confirmation.
Special Olympics training sessions, which include basketball and track, are part of the offerings, as are dance, general exercise, arts and crafts and more. Even time spent in the cafeteria is a teachable moment, as participants learn how to line up in an orderly fashion, order and carry their lunch, and socialize.
Regina McEneaney, who was also named co-director in 2005, has assisted at the Hayes Center for 49 years. A 1967 alumna of Mount St. Ursula Academy in the Bronx, Mrs. McEneaney, née Roth, began volunteering with the organization her junior year in high school. “I’ve seen so many clients blossom, socially,” she said.
She recalled the happiness she felt the first time she helped a child prepare for First Holy Communion. Mrs. McEneaney instructed the 9-year-old boy, who was autistic and never spoke, that he could nod in assent when the priest gave him Holy Communion.
“I was fully expecting a nod. The day of his Communion, he walked up, the priest said, ‘Body of Christ’ and he screamed, ‘Amen.’
“I knew he understood. I was hooked. I’ve been with the program ever since,” Mrs. McEneaney said. “I was in tears. Every time I tell the story I am in tears.”
Reflecting on the five decades of the Hayes Center, Mrs. McEneaney, a retired college librarian, said, “I hope it goes strong for another 50 years.
“It’s a program that gives the clients something to do on Sunday,” she said. “This gives them an outing; they love to be with people.”
Bridget O’Shea, 39, of St. Barnabas parish in the Bronx, has been coming to the Hayes Center since she was 10 years old.
“She’s made a lot of friends,” said her mother, Betty O’Shea. “She’s more outgoing now.”
Activities Bridget enjoys through the Hayes Center include track and field, basketball, dance, general exercise and arts and crafts, according to her mother. Bridget is also an altar server and a gift bearer at Mass.
“It’s wonderful that she’s coming along and that she’s speaking better and understanding better,” Mrs. O’Shea said.
As does any parent, Mrs. O’Shea wants her daughter to be happy and to progress to the best of her ability.
When Bridget asks about the Hayes Center, such as, “‘When is the program going to be on again? When are we going?’” it makes her mother smile.
