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SPRED:
Special Religious Education
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PURPOSE
SPRED is a parish small faith community that
provides spiritual enrichment for persons with developmental
disabilities and their inclusion in the life of the parish.
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The Community:
The SPRED community is very respectful of each other and witnesses
to the world the value and dignity of each and every person. SPRED
benefits not only our special friends, but also the catchiest.
Each SPRED community is composed of persons with
developmental disabilities (no more than six) and their individual
helper catechist/friend (six). There is also a core team that
consists of a Leader catechist, and Activity catechist and a Core
chairperson. The diocesan SPRED office provides training for the
roles in a SPRED community. Catechists meet once a week for a
preparation session. The special friends join the community every
other week from October through May.
ROLES IN A SPRED COMMUNITY
The leader catechist relates to all members of the
community and leads the catechisis in the liturgical celebration
room.
The activity catechist relates to all members and
accepts responsibility for the preparation time that helps everyone
become quiet,centered and ready to hear the Good News in the celebration
room. She/he orgainizes the continuation of the celebration of
joy in the Lord (a sacred act) at Agape. We do this through the
experience of sharing food together.
The core chairperson agrees to help set up a space
for SPRED on church property and keeps everyone uip to date on
the institutional concerns of the community. The chairperson is
also a helper catechist to a special friend
Helper catechists make up the majority of the catechists.
Helpers are primarily friends to persons with developmental disabilities.
They relate specially to one person in the community.
The SPRED rooms are located on the first floor of the rededicatedMonsignor
McNamara Building, historically known as The Convent.
The space where the SPRED community meets is simple and presents
a welcoming atmosphere and tone.
SPRED the SPecial Religious
EDucation program at St. Philip started with one
community 1991. We now have four communities meeting on Monday,
Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday nights, serving our special friends
ages 6-10, 11-16k, and 22+.
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For more information about the SPRED program, please call
Marianne Jasinski
Director of Religious Education at 949-0330, Barbara Hamel,
Parish Chairperson for SPRED or Colleen Touchette,
Administrator for the SPRED program in the Diocese of Providence
at 278-4630.
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