SPRED
SPECIAL RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT
Archdiocese of Chicago
2956 South Lowe Avenue, Chicago, Illinois 60616
Phone: 312/842-1039     Fax: 312/842-4449

 
Is there a real need for Religious Services provided by SPRED?
  A study of Chicagoans with mental disabilities suggests that more than 52,000 people ages 15-64, have mental retardation.  Over 19,000 are likely to need continual services.  Another study established that developmental disabilities affect about 1.6% of the population.  Using this figure, there are 184,688 persons with developmental disabilities in Illinois.  The term "Developmental Disabilities" includes persons with mental retardation, autism, cerebral palsy, and severe epilepsy.  
 

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Who is the Archdiocese of Chicago?
  The Archdiocese of Chicago comprises 384 parishes in Cook and Lake Counties in Illinois.  Groupings of parishes have been established to facilitate communication and the sharing of resources. Thre are six large groupings called Vicariates. Smaller groupings within Vicariates are called Deaneries.                                                                                         (Return to top)
What is the Goal of SPRED?
  The goal of SPRED is to assist people in parish churches throughout Cook and Lake Counties to integrate persons with developmental disabilities and persons with learning problems into parish assemblies of worship through the process of education in faith.                                                     (Return to top)
What means do we use to reach our goal?
 
  • We animate. We help people in local Churches to become aware of the needs of persons with developmental disabilities. We show them how SPRED can assist them in responding to their needs.
 
  • We provide materials for catechesis with the total community and for catechist preparation.
 
  • We provide opportunities for observation as a learning tool and for animation of parish leaders, families, prospective volunteers, and others.
 
  • We provide training courses.  Training can be taken for graduate and undergraduate credit.

 
  • We provide a monthly publication, a reflection on the experience of ministry in SPRED.

 
  • We promote and support area coordination.

 
  • We provide family liturgies at the SPRED Center Chapel as a way of modeling for parish leaders, catechists, and families, the incorporation into worship of persons with disabilities.
 
  • The SPRED Staff is involved in on-going research, participating in the work of the International Catholic Child Bureau.  SPRED is always developing.                                                                              (Return to top)
What do we ask of each parish?
 
  • We ask each parish to take responsibility for the religious development of its members with disabilities.
 
  • We ask each pastor to appoint a chairperson.  The chairperson develops a SPRED Center, relates to the pastor, and facilitates his relationship with SPRED families and persons with disabilities in the parish.
 
  • Chairpersons are encouraged to be part of the parish council to represent the needs of persons with disabilities.               (Return to top)
How do we facilitate animation and coordination?
 
  • FAMILY:  The parish chairperson relates to all families with members who have special needs and who live at home.  He or she establishes a Center and coordinates membership in Centers outside the parish as the need arises.  Age groupings are established according to the needs of the parish and the deanery.  The goal is to establish enough Centers of each age group to serve all the needs.  This requires collaboration among chairpersons.    
 
  • SMALL GROUP HOMES:  Sometimes persons with disabilities live apart from their families in group homes.  A second chairperson is designated by the pastor to collaborate with the director of the group home.  The second chairperson, referred to as Church Chairperson, develops a SPRED Center in the parish of the residents of the group home.                                                                                        (Return to top)
How do we coordinate the work of chairpersons in an area?
 
  • Community Religious Workers:  Homes of medium or large sizes pose more of a challenge to the local church.  A full-time SPRED Community Religious Worker, a CRW, is needed to recruit and coordinate the work of church chairpersons from many parishes so that Centers can be established for those who live in larger settings.  The CRW coordinates and supports the work of SPRED in the Vicariate.
 
  • (MAMRE was established to financially support the work of SPRED community religious workers.)
 
  • Diocesan Coordination:  The SPRED staff facilitates the growth and expansion of SPRED by resourcing community religious workers and core teammembers of SPRED Centers.                                (Return to top)
What is the make-up of a SPRED Center?
 
  • The pastor designates the chairperson who recruits a leader catechist, an activity catechist, and five helper catechists (sponsors).  This community of adults welcomes six persons with disabilities.  The chairperson is a helper catechist in the Center.
 
  • SPRED communities gather persons according to chronological age:  6-10 yars of age, 11-16, 17-21, and 22+.  Some groups gather children and teens who have learning problems but do not have developmental disabilities.                                                     (Return to top)
 
 

 Last Revised: 02/07/00