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Welcome to SPRED! |
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As you drive down Lowe Avenue, a quiet residential street on
Chicago's south side, there is nothing particularly notable about the beige building on the corner of 30th Street. Located
in the heart of Bridgeport, a middle-class, long- established neighborhood, this unassuming brick structure houses the quietly
dynamic force that has done much to improve the spiritual lives of many children, teens, and adults with learning disabilities. |
| Fittingly, a rustic St. Francis with arms outstretched in welcome
greets each visitor to the SPRED Center near its entrance. He is one of Father Jim McCarthy's many artistic creations
that outwardly display the quiet, humble peace that is the hallmark of the SPRED program. |
| Until 1973, the SPRED Center buildings were St. John Nepomucene Parish, one of the
many Catholic parishes that dotted the close-knit neighborhood. Now the small parking lot is filled with the volunteers' cars
while they train for their specific roles within the SPRED program. |
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When the SPRED operation
moved to its present site, the school rooms located on the floors above the ground-level church were transformed into special
training areas. Classrooms became meeting and celebration rooms. The old "cloak rooms" that separate each meeting room from
its celebration room were fitted with one-way mirrors to provide an unobtrusive observation area for catechists in training.
From within the observation room, visitors can watch a SPRED group experience the quiet joy of community and spiritual
sharing.
The
chapel itself underwent a major transformation. The altar was relocated to maximize its visibility for the congregation. Since
many of our SPRED friends are wheelchair bound, the narrow wooden pews were removed from the old church and replaced
with moveable, folding chairs amidst the large open area before the altar. This adaptable congregation area can be rearranged
as needed to accommodate the changing make-up of the group in attendance.
On
the first Sunday of each month, a special SPRED Family Liturgy is held in the chapel. Modified to meet the needs of
our Friends, these liturgies enrich the overall community spirit that knits the Chicago SPRED groups into a large,
supportive, loving family.
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