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<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" bgproperties="fixed" background="02c285a1erlcgo.gif"> <div> <FONT SIZE="5" COLOR="#FFCC66" FACE="Arial" ><B>Welcome to Project Linkup</B></FONT><B>     |     </B><A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Welcome to Project Linkup"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <div> News Archive</div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="02ad2c00dkelyh.gif"> <div> <A HREF="id24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="A Prayer for Project Linkup"><U><IMG SRC="03ba0aa0.jpg" border=0 width="160" height="170" ALT="A Prayer for Project Linkup" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Archive"><U><B>Back to Archive Contents Page</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Archive"><U><B>A Vision for an RCIA Parish</B></U></A></div> <div> <B>Belgrave's Small Church Communities - Birthing New Christians</B></div> <div> <A HREF="id26.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Archive"><U><B>Imaging initiation in Small Church Communities</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id27.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Archive"><U><B>Connection between SCCs and RCIA in East African Parishes</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id28.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Archive"><U><B>Caring for New Catholics</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id29.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Archive"><U><B>RCIA is Booming in Africa</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Archive"><U><B>Easter 2005 for Project Linkup in Dar es Salaam</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id31.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Archive"><U><B>Project Linkup - On Safari in East Africa</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id32.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="News Archive"><U><B>What kind of Church does the Rite want?</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id17.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Current News Article"><U><B>Current News Article</B></U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <bR> <div> <B>News Article Archive</B></div> <div> <I>September 2003</I></div> <div>  </div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> <I><B>BELGRAVE'S SMALL CHURCH COMMUNITIES - </B></I></div> <div> <I><B>BIRTHING NEW CHRISTIANS</B></I></div> <div> Irene Wilson</div> <bR> <bR> <div> <I><B>Irene Wilson and her family have been part of the Belgrave parish for thirty years. Irene has worked as a Pastoral Associate in the parish and been closely involved with the implementation of this model of initiation. </B></I></div> <bR> <bR> <div> The<I> </I>Fathers of the early Church firmly believed that the Small Christian Community and the catechumenate were meant for one another. They likened the community to the nourishing and protective environment of the womb, and the catechumenal journey to the process of gestation and birth. The Enquiry period corresponded to conception, the Catechumenate period to gestation, the initiation itself to birthing, and Mystagogia aligned with neonatal care. Each stage of the process had its own particular requirements and the new Christian grew and prepared gradually to come into the world. </div> <bR> <div> In the Catholic parish of St. Thomas More, Belgrave, on Melbourne's outskirts, we have reclaimed this model of initiation as the one that best suits us and authentically responds to the RCIA document's exhortation that the catechumenal journey "takes place step by step in the midst of the community of the faithful" . Our own journey to this point has taught us a great deal about the potential of the rite for the whole community as well as the specific needs of enquirers, hence a journey of evolvement and one blessed with a strong sense of life<I> </I>and a plenitude of gifts and commitment. </div> <bR> <div> Initially in the mid-eighties, our catechumenal<I> </I>process was facilitated for the parish by a team who met each week to plan, evaluate and delegate tasks. The great majority of parishioners were really quite peripheral to the sublime event. Deep relationships often formed between the catechumens and the team/sponsors but when the formal journey came to its natural conclusion there was no continuity for the neophytes' somewhat idealised concept of church.  All too often they ended up back on the street again, floundering and disappointed with the relative anonymity of ordinary parish life<I>. </I></div> <bR> <div> <I> </I>The need to create more ongoing contacts between converts and community gave rise in 1991 to the formation of Neighbourhood Support Groups (NSG). While the NSGs made an important contribution in their day, it is the flush of SCCs around Belgrave with their intentional ecclesial formation which now provides a new home for the catechumenate and, importantly, the intimate, ongoing ties to the community that converts need. The following is a brief overview of the way we have linked RCIA and SCC life<I>. </I>It is a paradigm that we continue to both monitor and adapt. </div> <bR> <div> An RCIA team oversees four portfolios - overall coordination, spiritual direction, liturgy and catechetics. The team are also assisted by two "go-fers" who address admin. tasks. The Team <FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >need </FONT>meet only monthly<I> </I>or bimonthly<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" >. </FONT>Prior to the Enquiry<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#000000" FACE="Arial" > stage </FONT>the applicant has an interview with the RCIA coordinator and the parish priest, and the individuality of each journey is stressed. The Team confer on the SCC best suited to the applicant, and his/her readiness to join. The enquiry  stage unfolds as the newcomer begins to attend SCC meetings.<I> </I>A prayer partner is discerned and the SCC work for about two months through a parish resource written for this stage. The spiritual director makes a home visit and arranges a prayer day for all enquirers for a couple of hours after Mass one Sunday. Importantly, it is<I> </I>the SCC who discern their enquirer's readiness to move on to the next stage. Now it is time to find a sponsor. The liturgist will organise the Rite of Welcome for the parish Sunday Eucharist when the catechumen will be presented to the Assembly by the SCC.</div> <bR> <div> During this next stage, the catechumen continues to grow into the life<I> </I>of the group, reflecting on the Sunday gospel, sharing faith stories<I> </I>and experiencing support through confusions, doubts, fears, questions, insights and discoveries. SCC members escort their catechumen to a ten week parish adult education in faith program and the catechetical coordinator also<I> </I>invites different<I> </I>SCCs to lead the "dismissal" from the Sunday Eucharist. A prayer day of pilgrimage e.g. to nearby Tarrawarra Cistercian Abbey , takes place<I> </I>and the spiritual director assists the SCC to discern the catechumen's readiness to proceed. </div> <bR> <div> During the period of enlightenment the SCC escort their elect<I> </I>to the Cathedral<I> </I>for the Rite of Election, the spiritual director organises a prayer day and the liturgist draws up the ensemble of rites which will<I> </I>be prayed inclusively before the entire Sunday assembly<I>.</I></div> <bR> <div> Following the "birthing" of their neophyte at the Easter vigil, the SCC may mark the commencement of Mystagogia with a celebratory dinner party! With material provided by the Team, the group become aware during this time of their own and their neophyte's gifts for missioning effectively.<I> </I>The final sacred rite at Pentecost will be the neophyte's commissioning to their chosen ministry. As a fully fledged member of the SCC the newcomer is now invited to tell his/her story to the Sunday assembly. </div> <bR> <div> The parish has been experienced as a positive place to belong. Their prospects of continuing in the faith community are excellent. Significantly, our SCC members believe that this model of initiation has challenged them to take stock of their own faith journeys which they had rather taken for granted, and they have also<I> </I>become more aware of their place in the communion of Belgrave communities. Linking Belgrave's<I> </I>RCIA and SCCs has worked for the enhancement of both. </div> <bR> <div> Clearly, the early Fathers were right when they insisted that this is a living experience that takes place in the womb of the Christian community.<FONT SIZE="3" COLOR="#0066CC" FACE="Arial" ><I><B>  </B></I></FONT></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id25_m.htm" TITLE="News Archive"><U>Back to Top</U></A></div> <bR> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>