Community Groups

[laszlo]

The parish priest did talk about small community groups that meet in homes to discuss faith matters. This is one of the things that large churches do to minimize the isolation and lack of intimacy that can be found in smaller churches.

This is a very interesting problem.

Throughout the Middle and New ages the clergy and only the clergy lead the Church, all the teaching authority was vested into the clergy, even when I was child, everything else was suspicious. The catechist in schools were under strict control of the parish priests.

Now the catechism, bible studies, prayer groups are almost entirely on their own, even the presence of deacon is rare.

Can community groups take over that function with no or minimal control of the priests?

Why there are no good traditional Bible study books available on the net?

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

I’ve belonged to a small Christian community for many years and have found it to be very beneficial to my spiritual life. It’s a chance to come together with others to discuss the most important issues in our lives.

You quote someone as saying that these small communities are ways of minimizing isolation and a lack of intimacy, and that’s certainly true. On a Sunday morning I know some of the people around me at Mass but certainly not all of them. If someone was missing I might or might not notice. But in a small community group of a dozen or fewer people, you have the opportunity to get to know people well. If one of the members wasn’t there you would notice and be concerned.

Within a small community the members talk about their faith lives and how to live as a Catholic Christian. We support each other, encourage each other, and sometimes challenge each other. We come from different backgrounds and different situations, but whatever we bring as individuals, we build up the group and build up the Body of Christ. I consider the members of my group to be a wonderful gift from God.

 

[dconklin]

Many parishes have been using the Why Catholic program over the past few years. This is designed to help small ‘groups’ facilitate discussions about our faith. It is a ‘canned’ program that lists songs to be sung, scriptures to be read and quotes the CCC.