Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
SPECIAL RELiGIOUSDEVELOPI\GNT
2956 SouthLowe Ave. Chicago,Illinois 60616
Archdioceseof Chicago
312-842-1039 www.spred-chicago.org
During our Spred sessionlast night, we celebratedall the growth that had taken placein
our little communif of faith. Teenswith intellectualand developmentaldisabilitiescan
fear the changesthat adolescencebrings. Somefear it will changelife for them and so
they hang on to being children whereasothersare afraidthat the changesof adolescence
will never happen. Sowe just oelebratewherewe arein our growth! Familiesalsofearthe
changesthat adolescencebrings so we all celebratethat we have made it this far, right
now! Then this moment fadesandwe enjoythe memoryof that morrent.
Last night one of the girls worked with perfumesduring the preparationfor catechesis.
Each little bottle captureda whole world 0f scent.Yet once inhaled,the strengthof the
perfume evaporatesand onecan only enjoy the scentthat iingers.The momenthaspassed.
At litugy we often enjoy the scentof varioustlpes of incense.As we ilhale, the spaceis
changed,w a1s{lansformed. We experienceserenitya:rdpeacebut as the solid incense
burns,there is nothingleft. The perfi-rmelingers. We arereadytopray,"Lord let myprayer
rise beforeyou like incense."
Sundaywe will have our Spredfamily litwgy. We play music and all will sing togetherto
grve praise.When the last note dies,the music fades away. We never captureit againin
exactly the sa:neway, but we have been changed.
We may hit a fork in the road and we haveto decideif we will stumble ahead,trusting in
the gracethat calls us forward or turn offthe road in disappoinhnentandbitterness.
We basically haveto decideif we want the hardshipsto work for us or againstus. If we
want the hardshipsand changesto work for us, we haveto keepour eyeson the light on
the hiil. Then we can take one step at a time. We keep the dreamalive. We celebrate
eachstepthat we take to get closerto our goal.
The surprise always is that our arrival at the end is apt to alter everything. Nothing is
exactly the way we pictured it. As this throws us off balance,there are still wonderful
surprisesand more on the way, so we stiil have to wait for the future to unfold.
friends with their familes from the general area- The leadersraeet to fi.gureout which
parishwi11takeresponsibilf for all the litfle children ia the are4which paish will focus
in the teens,which one wii-l work withyou:rg adults andwhich oneswill accompanyadults
v/ith iirteliectuala:rd developm.entalilisabildes. As people sffi f.oq one ageto the next
one,from.oneparishcenterto another,Spredmembersareremarkablyresilient. Th.y shift
roles,logations,environments,and resourcesin an everwidening network
zt anacethatnieasesthe slowestone. This is actuallya gift for all who leamhow pleasant
eventsandfriends are when there is tir:eeto enjoy them.
Sr.MarvThereseHarrington LIGHT
SpredChicago