Faith Strong: Be Not Afraid
An Open Letter to the ICDA-US Board
May 18, 2025
Dear ICDA-US Board Members,
We, a group of current ICDA-US members, wish to express our sincere gratitude for your ongoing dedication and service to the ICDA-US community. We also shared this Open Letter with members of ICDA-US, as we believe it is essential for them to understand how they can contribute to our collective mission.
As members of ICDA-US, we are reminded that the Board exists to serve the members, and with that, we call upon the Board to ensure openness, transparency, and a commitment to our shared mission. The three foundation pillars of the ICDA are Faith, Organization and Members. This is similar to a three-legged stool (tripod). If one pillar (leg) is missing, the stool will fall apart. Faith and Membership are essential to sustaining the Organization and its objectives. In 2009, the ICDA-US Mission Statement was adopted:
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ICDA - United States Section Mission Statement The International Catholic Deaf Association - United States is an organization of chapters and members in the Catholic Deaf/hard of hearing community in the United States of America. We unite, worship, advocate, learn and evangelize in our American Sign Language culture. |
The Organizational aspect of ICDA involves the mission and goals of ICDA-US. This is a reminder that no matter the challenges we face, we must remain united and focused on improving our organization.
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"God made peace through his Son's blood on the cross and so brought back to himself all things, both on earth and in heaven" (Col 1:20). |
In the spirit of faith, we encourage you to persist in the work of improving ICDA-US, always striving to find solutions and progress. We urge you to take these challenges as an opportunity to embody the messages: "Do not give up" and "Be not afraid."
We believe the process used by the ICDA-US Board excluded critical member involvement. In this letter, we will outline our concerns and offer recommendations for moving forward.
- Lack of Member Involvement in Constitution and Bylaws Development
We wish to emphasize that this letter is not intended to disrespect the Board or any of its members. Our concern lies in the process used by the ICDA-US Board. We are concerned that members were left out due to the lack of member participation. This led to members being confused. - Communication and Transparency Issues
Our second concern pertains to communication and transparency. We acknowledge that the Board has been focused on the Constitution and Bylaws, but this has led to a neglect of other important matters, such as planning the 2025 Conference (now referred to as "ICDA-US 75 Years Anniversary Bash"). This shift in priorities seems to be in conflict with the current ICDA-US Bylaws, which calls for a biennial conference. We also note that the Board has not consistently followed the Constitution and Bylaws since 2019 and there have been several provisions that have not been adhered to.
For example, the ICDA-US President’s communications in Deaf Catholic have been insufficient and unclear. Many members were unaware that the Board was working on the Constitution and Bylaws revisions. (see the ICDA-US Board Proposals)
Moreover, the communication tools used, such as Deaf Catholic, are limited — being published only four times a year — and not all members have access to Facebook or email. We strongly believe that more effective communication channels are necessary to ensure transparency and inclusivity for all members.
Conclusion and Recommendations:
We care deeply about ICDA-US and its future. Our goal in sharing these concerns is not to criticize but to improve the transparency and communication and to ensure that the organization remains true to its mission. We respectfully offer the following recommendations:
- Revisit the process for revising the Constitution and Bylaws, ensuring that all members, Chapters, and committees are involved in the process.
- Improve communication and transparency by utilizing more frequent and accessible methods of communication, such as regular updates via website, email or virtual meetings.
We remain committed to ICDA-US and the mission of fostering a strong, unified community. We trust that the Board will take these concerns seriously and work together with the members to strengthen our organization.
Thank you for your time and consideration. On the behalf of ICDA-US members, we would like to know if the ICDA-US Board plans to respond to our concerns with a clear timetable and actions? Please kindly respond to us by May 27, 2025, 6:00 pm EST. We will share your response on our website to benefit the members who do not use social media.
We can be reached at
In Christ’s Service,
Deaf Angels Members