For the last two years I have been a member of a small group of parishioners  who have been meeting bi-weekly in a "small faith community" to pray together, to reflect upon scripture, to share our faith, to support and challenge one another, and to learn together.  We look forward to a gathering which feels like an microcosm of our parish to which we are all very devoted.

  St. Joseph's Parish,  in the centre of Ottawa,  is not a "geographical parish".  At least 85% of the parishioners who regularly attend St. Joe's come from outside the parish boundaries. Some of them drive as much as 40 kilometres to come to St. Joe's for Sunday Eucharist. They are drawn there by an active community, good music and meaningful liturgy. They are also people who are attracted by the parish ministry to the homeless and the hungry.

  One of the problems of this kind of parish is that there are pockets of "St. Joe's people" all over the city who only see one another on Sundays or on rare occasions when they come back to a special event.

  It was out of this reality that one of the Jubilee Year projects at St. Joe's was to form small faith communities in the various areas where our parishioners live. People were asked to sign up if they were interested and then were grouped by neighborhood. The first year there were five small faith communities meeting weekly or bi-weekly. Three groups are still meeting regularly and there are plans to form other groups.

  Our little group in the Orleans suburb of Ottawa supports one another in trying to live a Christian life in a very secular world. It keeps us grounded in the Word of God and challenges us to reach out into our community. In a mobile, pluralistic society such as we have today, it is good to gather with friends who share the values and beliefs that we hold dear.

  We feel more connected to our parish and spend some time reflecting on how we can make our parish a better place. Recently we were reflecting on the story of Bartemaeus and noticing how alienated he was in his  community. That led to a discussion of who might be alienated at our parish. From there we began to notice how the welcoming ministry at St. Joe's was in need of people. "Welcoming" is an important part of the St. Joe's Mission Statement and we could see that it needed help.  So the following Sunday seven eager people presented themselves at the doors of the church  at the 11:30 Mass to help welcome new and old to the Sunday Liturgy. At it happened, the Parish Team had been discussing the very problem that week and were planning to try to recruit more people. The Holy Spirit works quickly at St. Joe's!

  Our group meetings begin with a short prayer service and well-chosen music. Then we read aloud each reading for the following Sunday and pay attention to what struck us.  We discuss the readings and also follow a guide with reflection questions. None of us are biblical scholars but that is not a problem. We meet in one another's houses and have simple refreshments. We take turns facilitating the discussion but if a member is not comfortable doing that, that's okay. If a member is reluctant to express an opinion or share a feeling,  that's okay too.  We go where the Spirit takes us. The result is that we pay much more attention to the readings and the homilies the following Sunday and are anxious to see what the homilist has to say.   It may be that if enough small faith communities are formed, the homilists will be kept on their toes.

  The parish intends to foster more small faith communities and to form a core group from those communities to assist our Pastoral Associate with planning and choosing material.  This year we have had our second Saturday retreat where all the groups come together. This was a very good experience of fellowship and the sharing of ideas.

  There is definitely something exciting happening and it is different from the Sunday liturgies and is different from other parish groups. I particularly like being able to comment on and discuss the readings. I sometimes have quite a time not talking back to the homilists during Mass, so at a small faith community meeting I can engage in the discussion.

  Small faith communities really enhance the life of the parish community, whether it is a geographical parish or a spreadout parish like St. Joe's as well as deepening the faith of the members, they provide a depth of knowledge and commitment beyond what can be achieved at weekend liturgies.

Note:  Two sources of regular weekly scriptural texts, commentaries and suggested actions are published as follows:

     - Celebrating the Word, by Frank Ruetz, C.R. , Director of Resurrection Centre, Westmount Road North, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, N2L 3G7.  For information or subscriptions:  FAX:  1-519-885-4731  E-mail: [email protected]  Toll free: 1-877-242-7935  Website: celebratingtheword.com - (sample outlines available).
     - Quest  -  A Reflection Booklet for Small Faith Communities  -  The Pastoral Department for Small Christian Communities, 467 Bloomfield, CT 06002, (860) 243-9642; Fax No. (860) 286-0289.