Westminster launches resources for small faith communities

The Diocese of Westminster's Agency for Evangelisation has launched a new web-area to support small faith communities and to provide ideas to parishes and others who wish to form and run a small community. Small faith communities are one of the priorities set for the Diocese of Westminster by the Archbishop of Westminster, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor. Writing in Communion and Mission, the White Paper for the Diocese, published in 2006, he said: "I would ask every parish and school to establish small faith communities where they do not exist and to develop them where they are not already strong". The new look web-area, at: www.rcdow.org.uk/evangelisation, includes a range of resources designed to help those interested in creating a small faith community. These include a series of short introductory video messages from Fr Michael O'Boy, Director of the Agency for Evangelisation, in which he explains how small communities can enrich individual Catholics, parishes and the Diocese, and a text based five-step process to help in the creation of a small community. In September 2007, the new web-area will feature downloads of 'Sharing in His Life' the Agency for Evangelisation's daily meditation and reflection booklet for Autumn 2007. Produced in collaboration with the Diocesan Liturgy Commission 'Sharing in His Life' is an opportunity to reflect on the celebration of the Eucharist, a 'mystery', as Pope Benedict XVI writes, that 'needs to be firmly believed, devoutly celebrated and intensely lived in the Church.' Other resources available include a Liturgical Calendar and downloads of the daily meditation and group reflection booklets 'A Holy Nation' and 'God is Love'. Fr Michael said: "Small communities have always been a part of the wisdom of the Church, a vital way of fostering community and fellowship. By building relationships through small communities, how you relate to the parish will be fundamentally transformed, church will no longer be full of strangers but of friends, brothers and sisters." "It is the Agency's hope that the new web-area will help to strengthen the hundreds of small communities in the Diocese and also encourage the establishment of new communities." New web-areas for Catechesis and Adult Faith Formation are currently under development and will be launched later in 2007.