Newspaper Page Text
Thursday, September 7, 2000
I 1 'ni tii Alive i
The Southern Cross, Page 9
Small communities equal faith in action
By Father Herb Weber
Catholic News Service
ost members of the small
faith community never had met
Linda. Nonetheless, when she was di
agnosed with cancer, all of them re
sponded.
Linda is the daughter of two mem
bers of one of the small groups in my
parish. She lives nearly 100 miles
away, but when her parents found out
her diagnosis, they immediately
shared it with the group. That seemed
like the logical place to express their
fears and concerns.
Throughout the ordeal of chemo
therapy, progress reports, setbacks
and remission, the entire group
prayed with Linda’s parents. Even
more, they provided an emotional out
let for them through countless tele
phone conversations and visits.
At times, group members cooked
meals for family members, watched
the parents’ house when they spent
days at the hospital and sent notes to
Linda. When she regained health,
group members rejoiced as well!
Often people give the impression
when they talk about small groups in
the Catholic Church that these are
just discussion groups. Indeed, groups
do gather for discussion and prayer.
The account of Linda and her parents,
however, is a reminder that small
faith communities are also about ac
tion.
The development of small faith
communities is growing. Especially
when people live at some distance
from their family, these groups often
act as surrogate families. Moreover,
small communities help people experi
ence the church in a uniquely per
sonal way.
For many, involvement in a small
community offers challenges as much
as support. In fact, faith often grows
through the two-prong approach of
support and challenge.
And working together has allowed
members of parish small communi
ties to go beyond their normal comfort
zones.
—One group was afraid they were
turning in on themselves. So they
started working with a struggling
family they met through the local St.
Vincent de Paul Society.
—Others have agonized over issues
like capital punishment, racism and
local drug problems.
I recall when David first joined a
small group, he was hesitant and re
luctant. His presence was based on a
desire to please his wife. David’s back
ground lacked any formal church
membership. His personal beliefs
were precisely that: personal.
In addition, he truly believed he
had nothing to offer in terms of faith.
He felt that church membership was
for others.
After awhile, however, David dis
covered that the other members took
the time to really listen to each other
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— and to him. He was surprised that
his own awkwardness with faith is
sues didn’t matter. Once over that
hurdle, he wanted to learn more and
find ways that he could practice the
faith himself.
David eventually was received into
the Catholic Church. More than once
he told me that, for him, attending
church on Sunday was only part of his
faith commitment. He had learned
that connecting with others in a per
sonal way supported his growth and
allowed him to claim active church
membership.
Being a part of a group had brought
home to him a full notion of what faith
is.
(Father Weber is pastor of St.
Peter’s Parish in Mansfield, Ohio.)
That contagious parish spirit
By Patricia Kobieius Thompson
Catholic News Service
Our parishes are conglomerates
of young, old, adolescents and Boomers
— a motley collection of humanity. Yet
this is the arena where Pope John Paul
tells us that “true human relation
ships” take place.
Rich, poor, humble or haughty, we
gather at the family table for the Eu
charist, bringing there both our gifts
and our private sufferings. And the
Eucharist answers our souls’ unex
plainable longing for spiritual suste
nance.
A community of disparate souls, we
come in answer to a common invita
tion. In our common response we dis
cover mutual strength, drawing us
closer in heart and mind to one an
other.
“Community of communities” is
Pope John Paul II’s provocative de
scription of a parish in his 1999 apos
tolic letter “The Church in America.”
The phrase invites further exploration.
What does it mean? Is it real or is it a
mirage flickering on the spiritual
desert of our cultural landscape?
We are called by Christ to a eucha-
ristic community. Are we up to the
challenge? Can we lay aside our myriad
personal and professional roles, and
take time to let Jesus’ words, “Where
two or three are gathered together in
my name, there I am in their midst”
(Mt 18:20), inflame our hearts?
We discover our Christian identity
in our eucharistic celebrations.
Community brings its challenges,
however:
—Anonymity, so common in the
modern phenomenon of urbanization,
can be terrifying. Within the larger
community we often are faces without
names.
—Yet in rural communities even
proximity can be frightful — too much
known about one another, sometimes
not willingly shared.
Both extremes find meeting ground
in “parish.”
Within the parish, pastors search
for true leaders among their people.
These men and women, committed to
living Christian lives, exhibit in them
selves and foster in one
another formidable re
sources of spiritual
strength.
And it is contagious,
this spirit of the living
Christ! Responding to
pastoral mentorship,
we in turn mentor each
other.
So, in the midst of
the corporate world of
dot.corns and mega
structures, the parish
serves as our spiritual
oasis — reaching out,
shining forth and draw
ing others in.
The challenge is immense. Ambition
and competition, so common in corpo
rate life, are barriers to soul-deep en
counter. Furthermore, within par
ishes, our constricted mental carica
tures of each other hinder the growth of
mutual respect and trust. But beside
us — in that person who, somewhat
different from ourselves, may cause us
to squirm uncomfortably — is the face
of the living Christ.
CNS photo by Bill Wittman
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FAITH IN THE MARKETPLACE
Tell what is done by a small parish group in which you participate.
“I belong to our parish’s domestic violence response team. We are available to people in domestic violence situa
tions, and part of our mission is to educate the parish at large on domestic violence issues.” — Barbara Maloney,
Buffalo, N.Y.
“I’m currently a member of the secular Franciscan order. At the local level we gather once a month, and individual
formation groups meet twice monthly. We socialize, we pray and we follow a formal program guide.... We close with
prayer and more socializing. Also, once a month we do service work for local charity organizations.” — Barbara Ganz,
Independence, Mo.
“We socialize initially.... We become extended family in the process.... We have readings and scriptural questions
following the Quest program.... We discuss how the Scriptures touch us in our personal lives. Before finishing, we
stand, hold hands and pray regarding the events in our lives. And, of course, we stay for dessert.” — Jane Fransioli,
Las Vegas, Nev.
An upcoming edition asks: What sorts of situations call for ethical reflection in the workplace? If you would like to respond
for possible publication, please write: Faith Alive! 3211 Fourth St. N.E., Washington, D.C. 20017-1100.
Our challenge is to honor each
unique expression of the spiritual jour
ney, beginning with our own. The par
ish provides our starting point, the
venue within which we ourselves are
transformed both individually and
communally as we join in eucharistic
celebration.
“Come and see,” Jesus said.
His invitation still stands. We’re in
vited to the meal, where, like the dis
ciples at Emmaus, we recognize Christ
in the breaking of the bread. Like those
very disciples, we rise from the table,
traveling forth to joyfully, spontane
ously, share what we have received.
Nothing then can stop us. We cannot
stop ourselves. That’s just how the Spirit
has always worked and how, in us and
through us, it continues to do so today.
(Thompson, a certified hospice
nurse, recently completed a doctorate
in theology with a focus on spirituality
and health care.)
Ina Nutshell
People often connect to
the larger parish
through smaller parish
groups.
Each parish small
community*s specific
purpose is different, but
all share certain
characteristics of the
larger church, starting
with faith.
Faith often is helped to
grow when others both
support and challenge
us — two things parish
small communities
tend to do. In small
communities, people
discover mutual
strength.