Small Church Communities

Holy Family Small Church Communities (SCCs) are small groups made up of 8-12 people that meet in homes or at the parish center.  Groups meet for prayer, community, belonging, faith-sharing, study, support and parish outreach.  All groups enrich and support the lives of their members through connecting scripture, prayer and the life of the Church to the daily routines of individual members.

Whether through faith-sharing, bible study, outreach, or fellowship, each group tries to be a part of each member’s life, showing that God’s presence in the world is real and truly lived out through Jesus Christ. 

Many SCCs choose to meet twice a year (fall & spring) for formalized study in addition to fellowship times throughout the year.  The Office of Adult Faith Formation is working on organizing a ‘library’ for the SCCs to preview and/or check out programs from.  We have recently added four Bishop Robert Barron topical studies to the library for the use of the SCCs.  Each of these studies (DVD presentation by Bishop Barron & Leader Guide) can be reserved and checked out from the Faith Formation office for your small group’s use.  Each participant in the study can purchase their own study guide through www.wordonfire.org/resources/store.

 
The topic studies available are:

Father (Bishop) Barron showcases six stories of conversion from the Bible.  The common theme in each story is the turning of all one’s attention and energy toward an ever deeper, personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  In his characteristically energetic style, Father (Bishop) Barron explains how conversion is not so much a one-time event, but a life-long process.  Conversion demonstrates how six ordinary people were met by Jesus where they were and called to a better life through him.

Join Father Robert Barron for this engaging presentation concerning the seven deadly sins, those great spiritual blocks that inhibit our flourishing in relationship with God and with one another.  Based on Dante’s writings, the seven deadly sins correspond to the seven stories of Dante’s Mt. Purgatory.  Pride, envy, anger, sloth, gluttony, avarice, and lust are all presented as patterns of dysfunction within us that lead to unhappiness.  However, Father Barron shows us how to counteract these seven sinful patterns through a conscious process of opposition, which are the “seven lively virtues.”  The seven lively virtues offer antidotes to each sin and help set us on the right path to healing and happiness.

Father Barron offers inspiring insights into the mystery of Christ’s presence in our lives as it is given to us in the holy Sacrament of the Eucharist, the “source and summit of the Christian life.”  This fresh look at the Eucharist brings to light its reality as sacred meal, the sacrifice necessary for communion with God, and the Real Presence of Christ.  Barron clearly explains that the Eucharist is not a symbol, but is truly the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Jesus Christ.  This intimate gift from the Lord brings us into greater unity with the Trinity and offers us a foretaste of heaven to come.
 

Our ultimate goal is to be a saint.  It is our greatest calling and what is desired for us by our Creator.  Father Barron paints a beautiful and mysterious image of what it take s to be a holy follower of “the One who is, Jesus Christ.”  In Untold Blessings, he lays out three intriguing approaches to sanctity: finding the center, realizing that you are a sinner, and recognizing that your life is not about you.