Pictured are (from left) Regina White, SPRED catechist from St. Matthew Parish; Father Peter Ascik of St. Matthew Parish; and Marie-Claire Miot, a member of St. Matthew’s SPRED program. (Photo provided by Richard White)CHARLOTTE — “There is a difference between being tolerated and being welcomed.” These are the words of a parent at St. Matthew Church whose child with intellectual challenges is a participant in the Special Religious Development Program known as SPRED.
SPRED offers those with developmental disabilities and intellectual challenges the opportunity to know of God’s Love and to become part of the liturgical life of the Church.
It is based on the fact that, because of our baptism, we are all members of the Body of Christ, and as such, deserve to be full members of the liturgical life of the parish family.
Chris Beal, director of faith formation for the Diocese of Charlotte, said, “By virtue of their baptism, persons with special needs are valued members of the Body of Christ. And as such, the Church seeks to support them in their growth and holiness.”
The diocese established a diocese-wide Special Needs Resource Group, staffed by volunteer catechists from several parishes, in 2016. Its mission is to provide parents and parishes with resources to enable them to meet the catechetical needs of all God’s children.
In collaboration with the diocese, the group developed on the diocese’s website, www.charlottediocese.org, a separate section for special needs resources, including a guide for parishes in using either a specialized faith formation program or an adapted version of their regular faith formation curriculum.
Upcoming events are promoted on this webpage (www.charlottediocese.org/ev/faith-formation/special-needs-resources), including:
n Eucharistic Congress: The 2019 Eucharistic Congress will feature a Special Needs Track for people of all ages with developmental disabilities/intellectual challenges to participate in the event in a safe and secure environment. The track offers activities, catechesis and a period of Eucharistic Adoration.
Registration is now open on the Eucharistic Congress’ website, www.goeucharist.com.
The diocese also needs volunteers who have completed the requirements for working with children to help with the session. Volunteers may also register online.
n Catechists’ workshop: On Saturday, Aug. 17, a workshop for catechists will be held at St. Gabriel Church in Charlotte. This practical workshop, entitled “Strategies for Teachers to Include and Catechize Students with Intellectual Disabilities,” will be presented by Dr. Laura Campbell, director of Catholic teacher education at Belmont Abbey College.
The day will begin with Mass at 9 a.m., refreshments, followed by the workshop in the Ministry Center from 10 a.m. to noon. Registration and more information is online.
— Jan Clemens
‘Pray for your priests,’ bishop urges people
Show GalleryCHARLOTTE — “Pray for your priests.”
That was the message from Bishop Peter Jugis as the Diocese of Charlotte prepares to welcome three new priests in an ordination Mass June 22 at St. Mark Church in Huntersville that is expected to draw hundreds of faithful.
As is tradition, Bishop Jugis led Evening Prayer and a Holy Hour June 20 at St. Patrick Cathedral for the three men – Michael Carlson, Alfonso Gamez Jr. and Britt Taylor – as they stand at the threshold of ordination.
The men attended the Holy Hour with their parents and were seated near the front of the cathedral. Close to them were their vestments, draped over the communion rail where after the Holy Hour Bishop Jugis blessed them, along with the chalices that they will use at their first Mass.
Bishop Jugis directed his Holy Hour homily first to the other people gathered for the prayer service – entreating them to pray for the priests who commit their lives to the salvation of souls.
He recalled that at the annual Chrism Mass, after the priests renew their promises of ordination, the bishop then turns to the congregants and says, “Dearest sons and daughters, pray for your priests, that the Lord may pour out His gifts abundantly upon them and keep them faithful as ministers of Christ the High Priest, so that they may lead you to Him who is the source of salvation.”
“This is what the Church asks of all of us,” Bishop Jugis continued. “Pray for your priests.”
“Why? Because their work is our salvation, and we want them to be successful in saving us, to be effective instruments of Jesus’ sanctifying grace and blessing for us on our pilgrimage to heaven.
“Their priestly ministry is directed to us, and so it is reasonable to ask those who are recipients of their ministry to pray for them, their success and their fidelity to their mission,” he said.
They give up their lives and conform themselves to Christ “for the salvation of their brothers and sisters,” he said.
The Holy Hour reading, from 1 Peter 3:8-9, describes how to do this, the bishop noted.
“We hear the shepherd of the Church, in a time of persecution, speaking to the flock: ‘Do not return evil for evil or insult for insult.’ Certainly, there must have been a lot of that in the first century at the birth of Christianity. But, ‘return a blessing instead.’”
God gives us all many blessings, Bishop Jugis said, and in turn we should be a blessing to everyone we encounter.
Then the bishop turned to the three men sitting in the pews being ordained to the priesthood in just two days’ time.
“We are praying, Deacons Britt, Alfonso and Michael, that your priestly ministry will be a great blessing to the faithful whom you serve,” he told them. “As ‘alter Christus’ you will bless the People of God with great blessings and graces,” especially the Eucharist.
“Your very presence in the community of the faithful will be a blessing and a joy forever.
“May our continued prayers for you, dear brothers, bring forth abundant fruit in your priestly ministry for the work of salvation, to build up the faithful in holiness.”
— Patricia L. Guilfoyle, editor
READ MORE COVERAGE OF ORDINATION 2019: “In His Presence”