SPRED

spred

Special Religious Education Development (SPRED)

The fundamental premise of the program is that the Church, the Sacraments, and the Love of God are here for all of us.

IN NEED OF FRIENDS - 2023

The St. Edna Parish SPRED (Special Religious Development) community has been welcoming 6-10 year old children with developmental disabilities for over 15 years. The goal of SPRED is to welcome persons with developmental disabilities into participation in the liturgical life of their parish. SPRED participants are identified as “Friends” in the community setting. SPRED communities in parishes throughout the archdiocese accommodate Friends into adulthood so there is continuity in their participation in liturgical life.

The St. Edna SPRED community needs catechists so that we may welcome new Friends in the Fall of 2023. Every Friend needs a catechist to participate in the SPRED community. Currently we cannot welcome any more Friends until more catechists are available. The commitment involves one evening a month with an adult preparation session and one Saturday morning a month for the Total Community session with Friends and Catechists. Training and preparation for participation in SPRED for catechists is provided in the program. (The minimum age for catechists is 21.)

If you are interested in hearing more about joining the SPRED community, please come to the Community Room on Tuesday, August 29 at 7:00pm for a SPRED Information session. The SPRED catechists will be there to explain the program and answer questions.

If you are interested but unable to attend the Information session, please leave contact information with the volunteer at the Hospitality Table in the Narthex and you will be contacted.

The fundamental premise SPRED is that the Church, the Sacraments, and the Love of God are here for all of us. Every man, woman and child has a right to come into the Church and live her liturgy, experience her rich history and traditions, and feel the presence of God in their lives. It is our obligation as Christians to help as we can to make that right a reality for those with physical, mental, emotional, and intellectual challenges.

Mission

The mission of the Saint Edna SPRED Program is to assist in sharing the Word and the Love of God with people (ages 6 through adulthood) who have developmental disabilities.

Age Group

The SPRED Program at Saint Edna ministers to children ages 6-10. We will seek placement for persons age 11 through adulthood in the nearest age appropriate parish SPRED Program.

Meeting

SPRED meets monthly on Saturday morning from 9:30-11:30.

If you have a child or know of someone with special challenges who would benefit from a SPRED Program, please contact Elena Grzenia through our Parish Office at 847-398-3362.

Volunteers

If you are interested in participating as an adult volunteer in our community, please call our St. Edna office. No prior experience is needed. Training and observation is offered throughout the year.

From the Perspective of a Helper Catechist

Being a Helper Catechist in the SPRED Program for two years, I have grown in my appreciation for the way God's Word is taught to the children who need a little extra help learning about Jesus and His abundant love for them. Guiding, leading by example, and encouraging the 6-10 year old participants in the St. Edna SPRED program continues to be a satisfying and enriching experience for me. The support and camaraderie of my fellow catechists reinforces my desire to make a positive contribution to the spiritual growth of the children. "Blessed are the pure of heart: For they shall see God."

Participation in the SPRED Ministry is a gentle reminder to me of the Church's mission to help all enter, one day, the Kingdom of Heaven. Let us truly be one, holy, Catholic and apostolic Church.

Linda Hoskins

SPRED Catechist

SPRED is Blessed

St. Edna's SPRED community was very happy to have Tarry Hoskins (pictured behind the cabinet) join us for agape at one of our sessions. We invited Tarry to visit us so we could thank him for the two cabinets he built for SPRED.

Since we need to set up and tear down every time we meet, we needed cabinets that did double duty as shelving for all our activities as well as closed storage. The cost to purchase a ready-made cabinet is prohibitive, so Tarry came to our rescue. He built the first cabinet when SPRED began here in the spring of 2008. When we needed more space, Tarry agreed to build us another.

We thank the Women of St. Edna for providing the building materials through their generous donation. And our thanks to Tarry for the wonderful gift of his time and talents. SPRED is blessed to have such angels.