Office of Parish Life

Evangelization

• Christmas Carol Festival

• Evangelization Workout

• Parish Partnership Program

• Vibrant Parish Life Newsletter

• Evangelization Resources

Lay Ecclesial Ministry

• ILEM

Small Christian Communities

• Bible Study Directory

• 'Come and See' Newsletter

• SCC Resource Manual

Office of Worship

Retreat Houses & House of Prayer

Spiritual Formation

Resources for Faith Sharing Communities 2008 - Organizations Fostering SCCs

We usually define a Small Christian Community (SCC) as a gathering of eight-to-twelve people who, through their personal Baptismal faith, pray, share and support one another as they learn and go forth in mission, evangelizing one another for others and for our culture. Ministries, staffs and committees may also include such elements into their meetings, thus becoming ministerial SCCs. The scriptures as they appear in the Catholic Bible or in a lectionary are foundational to most sharing but Church teachings and even secular documents are also used.

The optimal structure for a parish-based Small Christian Community Ministry includes a full or part-time paid coordinator exclusively dedicated to fostering the growth of SCCs. The coordinator will be a faith-filled person, committed to SCCs, with interpersonal, administrative, computer, and teaching skills.

The appointment of such a coordinator highlights the parish's belief in the transforming power of faith-sharing and the readiness to become a community of many small or church communities. The fruit of such a commitment will bring renewed life and growth and support to the parish, identify the talents and charisms of parish members and be a gateway for tested leaders into parish ministry and evangelization.

The models presented below facilitate establishing Small Christian Communities within a parish.

RENEW International has timely ways to serve the pastoral needs of parishes and people. We offer a full range of spiritual processes with step-by-step guides, sound materials and personal support for pastors, ministry leaders and participants.

Why Catholic? - ¿Por qué ser católico? offers a practical, pastoral approach to evangelization and adult faith formation. Participants experience a guided tour through sacred scripture and The Catechism of the Catholic Church, allowing them to grow in understanding of their faith and giving them the confidence to share it with others.

RENEW: Spiritual Renewal for the 21st Century is a process to enliven parishes and build community. Individuals join together to focus on how their relationship with God impels them to reach out to others in faith and service. Themes of reconciliation and justice encourage participants to connect their faith with daily life. The process is available in Spanish as RENACER.

Campus RENEW is a specially designed program for colleges and universities that has the potential to develop the leaders for our Church's present and future. It fosters spirituality, builds community and a commitment to service.

RENEW Theology on Tap reaches out to Catholics in their 20s and 30s, married and single. This innovative ministry uses an informal discussion series in restaurants and bars to connect with young adults in the places, and with the messages, that meet them where they are. This approach successfully helps parishes invite this important group into the life of the Church.

RENEW Worldwide offers a similar 3-year spiritual renewal process for parishes outside the United States. By going where many would not, our staff serves those who are suffering from oppression, war and poverty. RENEW offers culture-sensitive materials in forty-four languages.

Healing the Body of Christ is designed to help people work through the impact of serious scandal in the Church and to invite Christ to heal us in the midst of suffering. Its focus is to enable us to deal with the emotions and reactions caused by the scandal, to seek ways to aid victims of abuse and their families and to move forward in a positive direction of healing and spiritual growth.

RENEW Resources provides over 80 titles designed for SCCs, seasonal small groups, ministries, parish leadership and enrichment. Innovative and in-depth offerings include books, videos, faith-sharing reflections for parish committees and councils, topical and seasonal faith-sharing booklets for small communities, pamphlets and prayer cards. Many are available in Spanish and English.

NAPRC is a network of parishes and individuals committed to the renewal of parish life. A model of parish life is advocated in which the ordinary people connect life and faith regularly. The NAPRC supports and teaches a process to restructure deliberately the parish into small church communities. It also instructs parishes on how to use life experience, questions, reflection and sharing formats for every activity and committee. NAPRC works primarily with parish leaders, priests, staff and key parishioners to initiate the process. See Item #209 for their publications.

The National Pastoral Life Center serves the leadership of the church's pastoral ministry, particularly in parishes and diocesan offices. Founded in 1983 by Rev. Msgr. Philip J. Murnion with the encouragement of the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Center assembles the best of thinking and practice—through its studies, publications, consulting, and conferences—contributing to reflective and effective pastoral ministry. NPLC offers publications – CHURCH (a quarterly publication), Center Papers, books, pamphlets; services – consulting, parish assistance, presentations, resources; conferences and training; The Roundtable: National Association of Diocesan Social Action Directors; Research and Analysis; and Catholic Common Ground Initiative.

The Paulist National Catholic Evangelization Association (PNCEA) builds up the body of Christ by equipping Catholics to evangelize. Among its offerings are the following:

• Disciples in Mission, a three-year, parish-wide experience of evangelization has since 1996, equipped 2 million Catholics in 34 dioceses and 2,000 parishes to share their faith with others.
• ENVISION, Planning Our Parish Future, is a Christ-centered pastoral planning process that engages all parishioners in developing and implementing a faith-based vision for their parish. It began in 2002.
• I am E3 - Evangelizing Everyday Everywhere, is a parish resource that stimulates one-on-one faith sharing through conversation-starting faith stories on attractive, easy-to-use cards.
• New resources developed in 2005 help Catholics reach out to others. Invite! assists Catholics extend an invitation to those with no church family and Catholics Reaching Out helps them invite inactive Catholics to return to the practice of the faith. The Reconciling Community helps active and returning Catholics experience the blessings of the sacrament of penance.
• PNCEA helps keep evangelization leaders informed of new opportunities and emerging trends through the Evangelization Exchange, a free electronic newsletter, which began in late-2005.

Special communities. In 1994, the late Fr. Thomas Comber, CSP, founded PNCEA Prison Ministries to help prison chaplains and volunteers provide inmates with solid Catholic teaching. From serving 190 prisons that year, Prison Ministries has grown to sending newsletters answering inmates’ questions, Bibles, adult faith education books, and prayer cards to over 1,500 prisons.

Applied research. Throughout its history, PNCEA has participated in and encouraged research around the questions of church participation and affiliation. PNCEA led an ecumenical coalition that sponsored the first major Gallup study on the unchurched American in 1978 and its follow-up study in 1988. PNCEA uses professional research tools to develop and evaluate its own resources. ENVISION, Planning Our Parish Future, includes a professional survey instrument developed in collaboration with the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate to help parishes set their priorities and plan their future around an evangelizing perspective.

Consultation. PNCEA staff members also serve as consultants to dioceses and parishes as they seek to carry out the evangelizing mission of Christ.

NEW! Paulist Evangelization Training Institute Online: Online classes are available on a variety of courses. Check the site for offerings and schedules. All you need to participate is a connection to the internet, email, and speakers or a headset for your computer.

Small Christian Community Connection (SCCC) empowers God's people to share their gifts with each other and to form life-giving and transformative small Christian communities.

SCCC is committed to:

• Connect diverse people with communities and communities with each other.
• Cultivate in leaders and members the best practices for supporting small Christian communities today.
• Create resources to deepen the mutual sharing of faith and life.
• Call all people, especially SCC participants to work for a more just and loving world.
• Celebrate and nurture hope for revitalizing our church and our world.

Membership is open to all who share these same commitments. The Website offers articles and links and will grow as they respond to the needs of the times and members. Members receive Connect, their newsletter, four times annually. Each issue is accompanied with Resource Page, rich with articles and reason enough to be a member. Their next convocation will be held at the College of St. Elizabeth in Convent Station, NJ from May 29 through June 1, 2008.

Membership in North American Forum for Small Christian Communities is restricted to diocesan representatives from the US and Canada who are committed to the vision of SCCs as a style of parish life. The NAFSCC’s mission is to:

• Articulate the vision of SCCs as a style of parish life
• Advocate this model of church
• Be an ongoing resource and support for one another
• Identify, communicate and network with similar organizations
• Build on mutual experience of this style of church which cultivates the communal values as rooted in the early church
• Gather and hear the collective voice of the North American experience of SCCs as a member of a joint task force with other organizations that promote SCCs

While membership is restricted, the NAFSCC's conference reports summarizing the proceedings of their annual gatherings are available to all. The reports are rich with wisdom and insights on SCCs and faith-sharing. Available topics include:

The Catechumenate and Small Christian Communities: Building Church Together, 1994
Evangelization, the Catechumenate and Small Church Communities, 1995
Pastoral Leadership and the Development of Small Christian Communities, 1996
The Parish and Small Christian Communities: Organizing for Social Change, 1998
Small Christian Communities – Shaping the Parish to Come, 1999
Small Christian Communities: Shaped by Culture, Reshaping Culture, 2000
Vehicles for Adult Faith Formation, 2001

Catholic men and men's groups will find National Resource Center for Catholic Men most supportive in initiating or deepening their spiritual journey. A Starter Kit for Catholic Men's Groups Facilitators is part of a series of videos (Answer the Call: Parish Men's Groups) and publications of training materials to enhance the process of group discussion. The NRCCM has been a key catalyst in the development of several resources designed especially for use in Catholic men's groups. They include Signposts: How to Be a Catholic Man in the World Today and Brothers! Calling Catholic Men into Vital Relationships. Often recommended in their literature is The Word Among Us/Emmaus Journey Bible Studies available by calling 800-775-9673 or through Email at theresa@wau.org.