SPRED
Special Religious Development
John M. Brodarick, Chairperson for St. Joseph Parish
847-362-6787
brodarick727@comcast.net
SPRED is a program with the archdiocese of Chicago designed to work with the parish to welcome persons with developmental and intellectual challenges and other special needs into full participation among our faith communtiy.
Seventeen persons living in our parish are participating in SPRED communities of faith in local parishes. Six of these persons live at home with their families and eleven live at the Lambs residence.
The goal of SPRED is to help the children and adults with disabilities develop:
- an awareness of God in their lives
- an awareness of themselves as an integral part of the parish community and of the entire church.
This is accomplished through meaningful one-on-one relationships within a small group.
The volunteer catechist/sponsor serves as a model for the friend with disabilities throughout a session. The catechist/sponsor invites the friend to find meaningful "work," in a special SPRED environment, such as: painting, working with clay, water or sand, etc. as a means of getting focused and ready to hear the Word of God. This preparation is followed by symbolic catechesis. Each member tells or is assisted in telling stories from everyday life, in which, the presence of God is discovered. The leader catechist leads the group through a liturgical evocation and a reading from scripture, and then presents a message for each session. The celebration time closes with a song accompanied by gestures, silence and the sharing of food. Sessions are designed to meet a friend at his or her level and invite the fullest participation and sense of belonging through which the friends learn to know God.
SPRED invites and trains volunteers to prepare a special place for our Friends. Volunteer helper catechists develop rewarding relationships and often discover that their faith experience is enhanced and nurtured in the process. For more information or to volunteer, contact John Brodarick at the phone or email address above.
_____________________________________
There are several parish centers where SPRED is offered for different age groups. St. Joseph Parishioners who would like more information for your child or adult with special needs should contact John Brodarick directly for referral to other sites. His contact information is given above.
Local parish communities that have SPRED Centers are:
- Santa Maria Del Popolo, Friends ages 22+
- St. Francis de Sales, Lake Zurich, Friends ages 6-10 & 11-16
- St. Gilbert, Grays Lake, Friends ages 6-10 & 11-16
- St. Patrick, Wadsworth, Friends ages 6-10
- St. Paul the Apostle, Gurnee, Friends ages 11-16
- St. Joseph, Libertyville, Friends ages 22+
- St. Mary, Lake Forest, Friends ages 22+
- Transfiguration, Wauconda, Friends ages 17-21
Our SPRED program is always open to volunteers. If you are interested in becoming part of this very important ministry, please contact John Brodarick for more information.
To learn more about SPRED, visit the Archdiocese of Chicago website at www.spred.org.