BY Daniel Harkins | September 12 | comments icon 0 COMMENTS     print icon print

8-SPRED-MOTHERWELL

Spreding God’s love in Motherwell

Lorraine Cunningham, the diocese’s new director of Special Religious Development, speaks about its vital, uplifting work

Once every fortnight a group of Catholics with learning disabilities meet in a building at the Newmains Pastoral Centre in Motherwell Diocese. At one recent get-together, the last before the summer break, those in attendance were asked their reasons for coming. Jamie, a 21-year-old with autism who had just recently joined the group, gave his reason last: “I’m accepted here for who I am.”

Jamie is a member of SPRED Motherwell, the Special Religious Development programme that offers an intuitive approach to catechesis for those whose disabilities makes it a struggle to practice Faith the traditional way. As part of this, the group helps prepare participants for the Sacraments.

Staffed by volunteers, the organisation brings together people of all ages with a variety of disabilities. As the group enters a new year—which mirrors the school calendar—SPRED Motherwell’s new director spoke to the SCO about their future, the role faith plays in the life of those with disabilities, and the spiritual benefits for all those involved.

Lorraine Cunningham began her new role at SPRED last month, and has begun reaching out for new volunteers. “We need continuity,” she said. “Obviously working with disabled people is not everyone’s cup of tea but nine times out of ten those who come along stay. Basically what they are doing is showing disabled people that God is always in their life, no matter what, through good times and bad.”

SPRED volunteers help the learning disabled with their faith through a successful technique used across the world and in a number of Scottish dioceses. Each session begins with a quiet activity designed to help clear the mind. Members then move to a celebration room, where the group will then discuss an object used to help them relate to faith.

“We always use an object so we say ‘here’s a birds nest: how hard must that mother bird have worked to make that nest. She must have really loved her chicks,’” Mrs Cunningham explained. “You build it up. And then you move on from there—using an object to make them think—to their lives, something real in their lives that they can relate to. So from the bird’s nest you would then say ‘who cares for you; who is big in your life who really looks after you?’ ‘Oh, that’ll be my mum.’ ‘What does she do?’ ‘She helps me get dressed.’

“It’s a real life story. They can relate to the bird and they can relate to the person in their life who gives them love and cares and once they have that in their head then we say, ‘Who else loves and cares for you? God loves and cares for you. He’s always there.’ It’s a process and it leads them clearly and simply in a way they can understand to appreciate that God is there.”

A recent poll conducted for the charity SCOPE found that two thirds of the British public feel uncomfortable talking to those with disabilities, and that the ability of the disabled is often underestimated. Mrs Cunningham though believes that the learning disabled have just as much to gain from the practise of their faith as anyone else.

“Faith is hugely important to them,” she said. “You see wee flashes. You might think ‘I’m not sure if that worked or not’ but then on another night you can see on someone’s face it has. There’s a man—he’s 50 now—he’s very severely disabled and can’t move. We were sitting in SPRED in small group Mass and I was holding [his] hand because he was a bit agitated and the priest started to say the Our Father and he took his hand away and joined his hands together because that was a prayer he recognised and he knew that as a prayer. It’s wee things like that some of these people are missing out on. It’s hugely important.

“We had another member, she was severely Down syndrome but she was gorgeous and I just loved her to bits but you would never know if you were reaching [her], you would never know if you were getting anything across. She came for years and week in week out never missed it but you thought she was just coming for a wee party or a cup of tea. But she came in one night and we moved into the celebration room for our wee spiritual bit and she walked up to the holy book and bowed and went and sat down. And I thought ‘oh okay, there’s my answer: there’s more going in than she is able to let you see.’ Things like that make it for you when you know you are actually reaching people and they are getting an understanding of what you are trying to do. It’s marvellous.”

Mrs Cunningham believes that her work with SPRED brings many benefits, and can strengthen faith in lives which can often be full of distractions. “Even when you go to Chapel on a Sunday you are thinking about what you are going to make for the dinner,” she said. “But when you go to SPRED you need to be an example to learning disabled people, so you calm down and take things slowly and you open your heart and let God in and they follow your example. So that’s what we get from it. We’re getting the same spiritual gratification that they are getting if not more because we know we are helping them as well.”

SPRED Motherwell survives currently on a small amount of money provided by parishes and donations. Operating out of a run down building, the organisation is in need of a revamp, and its new director is hoping the future can bring more volunteers, fundraisers and donations. “My goal is to get a new centre and my first priority is to get the name out there and let people know we are here,” she said. “People say to me that they get a lot more out of it than they actually put in. It gives you such an appreciation of God. It just blows your mind away and that deepens your faith as well because you know you are helping them to deepen their faith and understand more about what’s going on around them and appreciate God. If I walk down the street and see a daffodil I think ,‘That’s absolutely gorgeous,’ but years ago I’d walk by and think it’s just a daffodil, but because you are now so used to examining things and appreciating that nature comes from God… it’s amazing. You see [SPRED’s disabled members] appreciate that and it blows your mind.”

— To contact SPRED Motherwell about volunteering, finding a place for someone who could benefit from the programme, or for any other reason, visit www.spredmotherwell.org.uk, email [email protected], or phone 07891 297716.

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