SPRED – Religious Education for Children with Special Needs
The method used by SPRED, is the dynamic process of transplanting a life situation into a catechetical climate for children with developmental disabilities and preparing them to receive the Sacrament of First Communion.
Through bonds of friendship, catechists in a community setting are enabled to lead others under the action of the Spirit in order to discover for themselves the presence of God in the original life situation as it unfolds symbolically.
SPRED catechesis leads one to develop a sense of the sacred, a sense of the Church, a sense of the Christ and a sense of God. The process used helps each one to enter into communion with Jesus Christ within the Christian community of faith.
Sacramental initiation takes place according to the personal rhythm of each one. It is presumed that as there are different modes of intellectual functioning, there are different modes of faith.