Program Eleven

Accepted As They Are: South Africa's SPRED Program

An introduction to South Africa's Roman Catholic SPRED program. SPRED stands for Special Religious Education Development Programme and is the means through which the South African Church is bringing its mentally and physically disabled parishioners into the mainstream of the Church.

Materials

• Program Eleven: Accepted As They Are: South Africa's SPRED Program

• Mission Today (the magazine published by the Propagation of the Faith/ English Canadian Branch. Online version.

• Fact Sheet on Propagation of the Faith. Online.

• Fact Sheet on how students can help the work of Propagation of the Faith. Online

• Internet access for additional research questions

Study Guide

Goal

The goal of Program Eleven is to introduce students to South Africa's SPRED Program and Sister Teresa Marie Healey, a Dominican Sister of South Africa and the founder of SPREDS. Interviews with Johannesburg's Archbishop Buti Tlhagale and others.

Steps

1. Show the internet TV DVD Program Eleven: Accepted As They Are: South
Africa's SPRED Program

2. Ask students to form small groups to describe the following:

• Describe some of the historic difficulties faced by people
  with disability, along with their parents, as members of the Church.
• Describe the SPREDS program and what it is trying to do to help people of disabilities become full members of their local parishes.
• What is your favourite comment from South Africa's Church leaders with regard to how they are trying to help people with disabilities.
• What does the Canadian Church learn from the South African
  Church when it comes to helping people with disabilities?
• Give three reasons why Canadian Catholics should support the work of the Church in South Africa.

3. Option for Take-Home Assignment