Small Christian Community
Brief Report of Small Christian Community In The Parish of St. Francis Xavier’s Cathedral
What is a Small Christian Community (SCC)?
SCC is an extended family, generally made up of fifteen to twenty families. It is a movement initiated by priests, religious and laity that is meant for the benefit of all.
The Small Christian Community was started in our Parish on 9th June 2006 under the guidance of Rev. Fr. Christy Raj. It was successfully carried out with the collaboration and support of Rev. Fr. John Solomon. Sr. Emilda of St. Joseph’s of Tarbes was the first animator and Sr. Shiney, Sisters of the Divine Saviour continued the good work. It is being now continued through the involvement of other congregations of our Parish.
There are nine zones in our Parish - Cleveland Town, Nehrupuram, Bharatinagar, Osborne Road, Benson Town, Baiderahalli, Williams Town, Frazer Town (left), Frazer Town (right) and Cox Town.
There are twenty three groups in our Parish:
1. Coles Road, Ware Road, Spencer Road
2. Veeranna Garden Road
3. Paranjothi Road, Stephens Road
4. Thulasodas Mutt Road
5. Mosque Road
6. Promenade Road
7. Robertson Road
8. M.M Road
9. Mouna Guru Matt Road
10. Kadirappa Road
11. P.S.K Naidu Road
12. RamaKrishnappa Road
13. Charles Campbel Road
14. Nandidurga Road
15. Williams Town
16. 11th Cross
17. 9th Cross
18. 8th Cross
19. 5th Cross
20. 2nd Cross
21. Harris Road
22. Baiderhalli
23. St. John’s Road
Religious sisters and lay faithful are the animators of the groups. Each group meets at different times, some groups meet once a month, some group every fortnight, other groups every week. Each group is named after a Saint and they celebrate the feast day of their patron Saint.
The Groups follow the seven steps of Gospel sharing:
1. Invite the Lord
2. Read the forthcoming Sunday’s gospel
3. Select striking words or phrases and meditate on them
4. Hear God to speak to us
5. Share our reflection
6. Discuss any task which the group is called to do.
7. Spontaneous prayer followed by Gospel sharing
The Small Christian Community has contributed in promoting the following:
1.
It brings together our Parishioners as one family.
2.
Helps them to deepen their faith based on the Word of God.
3.
Provides an opportunity to share their experiences, and at the same time enlighten and enrich each other.
4.
Genuine Christian love among our family members and the surrounding neighbourhood.
5.
These communities are a sign of vitality within the Church, as instruments of formation and evangelization.
6.
Members of this group display and put into practice their various charisms and talents. They are communities full of vigour and are vibrant, always ready to render service such as visiting the sick and the aged, providing financial assistance to those who cannot afford medicine. They help the poor, needy and downtrodden in the field of education and even helping the destitute by giving food and clothing. In this way they feel encouraged to be more committed and dedicated. They do manifest, love and also spread loving communion. They are deeply involved in the works and responsibility of the Church.
Thus SCC brings about unity at all levels of proclamation. As a whole we can say that there is great potential in these communities to be channels of God-experience of encounter with the word, of deep fellowship and Pastoral Care; these communities remove the fear of anonymity and promote personal relationship and a sense of belonging.
Hence SCC are one of the most powerful means of Church participation, SCC makes Christ present in the homes through the Word of God and by being a loving community.
To empower the SC seminars and orientation programs are arranged from time to time for the animators and group leaders.
We hope that in the coming days there will be greater participation of all the parishioners for the better development and growth of our parish through Small Christian Community (SCC). Our prayer is that this message will reach every member of our Parish so that they will realize the value and joy of being part of the SCC and make it a driving force that will enrich all our lives through the Word of God.
