ROCKFORD—In the empty lobby of the Diocesan Administration Center at the end of the day on July 8, Msgr. Glenn Nelson recited the Declaration of Independence to an online audience that grew over time to 1,600 views.
Not one word was spoken. The reading was done uniquely in silence, all recited in American Sign Language for the Deaf community. Msgr. Nelson, moderator of the Curia, serves members of the Deaf community as the director of the Diocesan Deaf Apostolate.
The ASL recitation gave viewers the opportunity to join in “Sharing the Spirit of America,” a program which commemorated the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence done on July 8, 1776. Simultaneous readings united attendees at locations both national and international.
The ASL livestream audience came from the Diocese of Rockford — DeKalb, Freeport, Sandwich, Sugar Grove — and beyond. People listed New York City; Seattle; Yorktown, Va.; and Lakewood, Ohio.
And one special commentor came from beyond the mainland: the Hawai’i America250 Commission wrote, “Thank you for doing this. Aloha from the Islands.”
