Small groups are a place to break down the larger parish community into bite-size relational pieces. But from my experience working in adult faith formation more than 35 years, the mention of sharing in small groups, no matter what the topic, sends some people right out the door. What makes one person run from the experience of sharing and another reach out to embrace the moment?
Building a trust relationship with anyone is hard work.
One of the first experiences of small faith-sharing groups for any of us is in the family. It is said that "home" is a place where they have to let you in. It is a place of belonging, trust, respect, forgiveness --- some necessary ingredients for growing into healthy maturity.
These also are the ingredients for entering into a worthwhile experience of Christian community.
I have belonged to so many different small groups. What I have experienced allowed me to walk in the footsteps of Jesus along with others trying to do the same, to live the paschal mystery by sharing my life with people who became family as our natural family moved from state to state.
Our many experiences with small groups led my husband, a permanent deacon, and me, in our role as co-directors of deacon formation for our diocese, to form several small Christian communities of deacon aspirants and wives.
They meet monthly in small groups together with a facilitator, to develop their own unique spirituality. Usually five or six couples begin with prayer from sacred Scripture, a reflection from the lives of the saints, the Liturgy of the Hours, the Lord's Prayer, spontaneous prayer or some other reflection that serves to gather the group. Within a context of prayer, they reflect on their life experience during the past month and are asked to share briefly their joys, needs and struggles.
The group's facilitator outlines a topic or focus. This may be a dialogue on a passage from Scripture, a particular church teaching or a scenario in ministry. Questions are posed: How does this information affect your relationships in your work life? Marriage and family life? Your relationships within the community? The questions challenge and invite each individual into a deeper participation in faith: The session continues with theological reflection, bringing who we are, our life experience and the experience of the church into conversation.
The group critically analyzes any new insights gained in order to integrate these thoughts into each person's daily life.
Feedback from these groups has revealed a definite growth in faith on the part of those sincerely entering into this conversion experience. And as trust and community begin to grow, a shared life takes hold, responding to the command of Jesus to love God, our neighbor and ourselves.
In a world where many people are searching for meaning in life, participating in the family of God through the experience of small groups is a blessed moment.
Joanne Sanders is co-director of diaconal formation, Diocese of Austin, Texas, and volunteer coordinator of adult faith formation at Austin's St. Theresa Catholic Church.
Small groups are small, but mighty
By Cynthia Dewes
St. Paul the Apostle Parish in Greencastle, Ind., is a small 400-family parish serving the mostly rural and small town population of Putnam County. St. Paul's also serves Catholic students at DePauw University in Greencastle and prisoners at the nearby state correctional facility in Putnamville.
So this parish's small groups include college and prison groups as well as those for young mothers, teenagers, theology students, people meeting to pray the rosary and others.
One approach to small groups, called Disciples in Mission, is offered during Lent each year. About 12 groups of eight participants meet weekly to discuss the coming Sunday's Scripture readings for Mass. Questions are designed to help participants relate Scripture to their life experiences.
According to Mary Ann Meyer, a member of one group, the questions always seem to bring up things that are significant to someone in the group. She told of one woman who experienced a death in her family and felt the group gave her the chance to talk about it and work through her grief.
Another member, Paulette Davis, said it is helpful to find that you're not the only one having a certain feeling or problem.
Meyer said the group was so good for the participants that they kept going after Lent one year. Now, grown to 10 members, the group meets monthly in the home of an elderly member who can't leave home.
These Disciples groups try to accommodate everyone by meeting evenings, during the day or even between Masses on Sundays.
DePauw students have two Disciples in Mission groups. One was organized by a student who meets with other women in her dormitory, not all of them Catholic. Another group was formed by the parish's Mommy's Group of young mothers. Their reflections often relate to raising a family.
Beth Fajt said the fact that the members of the Mommy's Group all were raised with similar values systems contributes depth and understanding to their discussions. This leads to trust in discussing subjects that concern young Catholic mothers. They feel their faith is enriched.
Small groups also thrive at the much larger St. Monica Parish in Indianapolis. Among them is St. Anne's Study Group, created in the late 1950s. Twelve women meet monthly to study and discuss religious materials.
Over the many years I've belonged to St. Anne's, we've studied everything imaginable, from the Vatican Council II documents to Pope John Paul II's newly proposed mysteries of light for the rosary. Together we've experienced the deaths of spouses, parents, children; we've lived through problems in the church, in society and in raising teenagers. We've seen members through serious illnesses, and one member has died.
Our mutual affection and trust now are givens. During a recent discussion about funeral liturgies, one woman who has lost her husband and both her adult children started to cry; she said she feels very alone as she nears life's end. Immediately we offered hugs, love, help, time and prayers.
We all went away feeling we'd experienced grace. That's what small, spiritually based groups do for you. Cynthia Dewes is a free-lance writer in Bainbridge, Ind. |