Goa Catholics to accommodate 2,000 delegates in their homes
November 12, 2013 - In an effort to strengthen Small Christian Communities (SCCs),
over 2,000 delegates from across India will be hosted in Catholic families in Goa
in a unique intercultural bonding. The occasion is the first-ever SCCs national convention
to be held in a giant tent outside the Basilica of Bom Jesus, November 19 to 21.
Participants will start arriving on Nov. 17 and will be accommodated straight in families
in various parts of the state. Fr. Anthony Fernandes, executive secretary, diocesan
pastoral secretariat said Archdiocese of Goa and Daman has 150-odd parishes, but not
all are hosting the participants “Still, we are trying to ensure that as many families
as possible can accommodate guests across the length and breadth of Goa so that many
may benefit from the historic event," Fr. Fernandes added. A Small Christian Community
is a movement within the Catholic Church drawing inspiration from the early Christian
communities. It involves a group of people who seek to form a faith community with
each other through regular common prayer, reflection and mutual action, thus enhancing
the members’ commitment to the Church and to each other through caring and loving
relationships. (Source: UCAN)