Pat is a long-time participant in SPRED- Special Religious Development-in the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph. There are SPRED programs at St. Catherine of Siena, St. Therese, St. Charles Borromeo, and St. Thomas More. Pat was interviewed by Lisa Wagner-Carollo.
Lisa- What are three important things we should know about you?
Pat- Well, that I like going to SPRED. I have two good parents, and I go to church when I can. But right now it’s kind of difficult. I was going to go to Scout Camp but that’s out because of COVID.
L- Where do you work?
P- I work at Southeast Enterprises Packaging and Assembly.
L- How long have you worked there?
P- Oh, I think it’s probably seven years.
L- Do you enjoy it?
P- I love it. Yeah, it’s a great place to work.
L- What do you love about it?
P- I like the supervisors. I like the staff there, and I like the new boss.
L- How did you get involved with SPRED at Saint Catherine’s and then St. Thomas More?
P- Years ago, it used to be Judy Gudenkauf. She was my SPRED coordinator. She ran SPRED for years. And we’d show up, and we’d have a quiet space to do activities and we’d be involved in the prayer circle, prayer room. She’d invite us in there. And then we’d sit around and she’d tell us a special word, a special prayer for the day. And then she’d read a Bible passage, and then we’d sing a song with hand gestures, and then we’d read another Bible passage, and then we’d all get up and finish the song off, and then she’d ask us little questions.
Then we’d end up back on the other side. At one point in SPRED, we cut flowers and put them on the table. Then we would set up the table with dishes, glasses, and then before we sat down for snacks, we’d all wash our hands in a basin. Then, after SPRED was over, we all had clean-up, we all had jobs to do. One person would help wash dishes, dry them off, and then put them up in the cabinet. And then, we’d pretty much clean up the space.
L- What was your job usually during that time?
P- I would usually help wash the dishes. Then, we’d all go home. That’s what I did at St. Catherine’s.
L- How many years did you go to SPRED at St. Catherine’s?
P- Several. One man that ran it was Sam Santee. He ran SPRED over there at St. Catherine’s. Judy Shute was also there. There were two SPREDs going on: SPRED One and SPRED Two. SPRED One was run by Sam Santee, who had a gift of God in his eyes. He would take pictures.
L- He had a gift of God in his eyes and he would take photographs?
P- He would take photographs of everything that happened in SPRED. Anyway, he would do this for years. He would be at every SPRED event. He would be at every Mass.
L- I love how you describe that, “He had the gift of God in his eyes.”
P- That’s what he was. He was a very gentle person.
L- I’m curious, you were at St. Catherine’s SPRED for a while. How did you end up joining the St. Thomas More SPRED?
P- They had St. Catherine’s SPRED One going, and there were too many people in SPRED One. So, they started SPRED Two. And now, I’m going to Thomas More-which I’ve enjoyed ever since.
L- What do you like the best about SPRED?
P- I like hearing the readings from the Bible. That’s the best part of SPRED, and then hearing the music.
L- I know you talk about faith in SPRED, how has your faith affected your life?
P- I can tell you, I have seen in my family, people who have died, and I think, “You know what? They lived a long life, and now all their pain is gone away, and they’re at peace. They’re at peace.” My faith has helped me with all of those pains and sorrow that I’ve seen in my family.
L- Is there any particular time when you feel close to God?
P- When I have a dream. I’ve had a dream in the past when my whole family was young again. Everybody was young again, and we were having a barbecue. Then I woke up. God must’ve said something to me. God must be talking to me.
