SPEC is also an acronym for Spiritual Personal/Peer, Educational, Community.

Spiritual –
Spirituality is an integral part to life and the work at SPEC. It is the inner sense we have about our meaning and purpose. Through our Catholic faith we explore, grow and develop our spirituality so that we might be able to inspire ourselves and other people.

Personal  + Peer–
At SPEC we encourage personal development so that individuals can get to know themselves better, develop meaningful relationships with one another, and be the best person they can be. We have a peer educational volunteer team because young people speak the language of the young and this can offer us the best opportunity for evangelisation.

Educational –
SPEC is an educational community where people can learn more about themselves, other people, and their faith. It’s a time to be challenged and explore deeper our own knowledge and beliefs.

Community –
Those who work at SPEC live together as a community. As a community we can support one another, have fun, and develop life-long friendships. We work together to serve the young people who join us at SPEC for retreats or youth events

The vision was, and still is, to create a place that would bring young people closer to Jesus Christ through the sacraments, the liturgy and prayer life of the Catholic Church, so that they might be empowered to share their faith and their gifts for the benefit of the Catholic community.

With the success of SPEC and increasing demand for a ministry to children and young people aged 7 -14 years of age, the Loft was set up at SPEC in 1998.

Progammes and events for young people are led by a team of volunteers aged 18 – 25years. Our volunteers commit to a year or more to live in the SPEC community so that they can explore their life and faith and share it with other young people.