Photo by Alan M. Dumoff, more photos ccdphotolibrary.smugmug.com
On Nov. 6, 200 Catholics who are members of small Christian communities came together in the hall of St. Mary Church in Cherry Hill for their annual covered dish dinner.
Coming from area parishes, the participants all came to share how belonging to these communities has caused a conversion in them, deepening their spiritual lives and helping them connect with others who are searching for God.
Msgr. Thomas Morgan, a retired priest of the Camden Diocese and a long time advocate of small Christian communities, served as presenter for the dinner, and shared his pastoral experiences about the transformative power of these groups.
The term small Christian community refers to parish-based groups, usually of eight-12 people, who seek to make their faith more alive in the daily lives. Generally they meet to pray, reflect on the Scriptures and share their faith.
Msgr. Morgan said that the intimate and non-judgmental nature of the groups fosters the kind of trust that leads people to share their faith and struggles, leading to spiritual growth for everyone in the group.
Everyone in the large hall had a story to tell, the priest said.
“We may be introverted or quiet or shy and still have a fascinating story to tell. Each person has a treasure trove within, waiting to be exposed in a safe environment. We have stories about our childhood and our God; we have stories about our adolescence and our God; we have stories about our marriages and our God; we have stories about our relationships and our God. And it is the telling of our stories that we deepen our faith and causes our faith to grow,” he said.
“I believe when the individual experiences unconditional positive regard in the form of respect and warmth in a supportive community we have the ideal climate for God’s grace to bear fruit.”
Sister Ann Byrnes, pastoral associate at St. Thomas More Parish in Cherry Hill, said that small Christian communities are “nothing new.”
“They go all the way back to the early church. After the Pentecost experience the disciples gathered people together. These communities met in their homes,” she said.
With the Word of God a focal point of these communities, the written text, today, is “fresh and relevant,” she said.
“God speaks to us every time we ponder the sacred Scriptures. The small Christian community experience which is embedded in the sacred Scripture is always relevant; always current; always renewing; always empowering; always refreshing; and always converting,” she said.
Lori Kosyla, another coordinator of Small Christian Communities at St Mary Parish, expressed the belief that it was the faith sharing and the remembrance sharing that energized and motivated the early Christians to spread the Good news about Jesus’ love; about Jesus’ message; about Jesus’ miracles; about Jesus’ parables; and about Jesus’ death and Jesus’ resurrection from the dead.
Msgr. Morgan noted the “organization and commitment” needed for the communities, but when these are taken care of, “the spiritual fruits are extravagant,” he said.
“I know of no better way to inject spiritual life and vitality and hope into the ordinary parish than to allow it to become a community of small Christian communities,” Msgr. Morgan said.
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