NEIGHBOURS

WORDS Jessica Gadd

Pat Edwards was happy just going along to Mass once a week.

Little did he know that participating in a parish survey would land him in the thick of things, as one of the catalysts for the Basic Ecclesial Communities program (BEC) in Adelaide.

‘I was struck by the survey responses–the passion and importance that people placed in the church. I felt that we had to act, what was the point of asking the question and then not doing anything in response?’

The Adelaide BEC program grew out of a recognition of the need to form connections between local Catholics. They set about harnessing the goodwill of their church communities by forming teams of parishioners willing to give time to reach out to the Catholics in their neighbourhoods. The process they devised was simple: households received a letter from the parish priest before the team members visited, and after an initial visit received several follow-up visits over a one-year period.

As the teams build relationships between neighbours they weave a colourful tapestry of community connections.

‘It must be stressed that the reason for doing the visits is not to drag people back to Mass’, Pat says. ‘Some good leaders have found the lack of outcomes hard to deal with. But it’s not about that, it’s not about you. You are God’s instrument, you merely do what God wants you to do. It’s between God and that person. That’s why we don’t benchmark.’

Finding time to do the visits can be challenging for some people, explains Cathy Whehill, one of the coordinators of the BEC program. Though once they do make time for the visits they are always glad they did.

‘A reason that some people resist becoming involved is the thought of having another ten or so friends that they just can’t cope with, when really all it is about is saying hello, or not how are you but who are you’, Cathy says. ‘Until now we have been choosing to believe that people have been choosing not to come. Maybe it is our responsibility to invite them in.’

With the support of the parish priests, Kathy Cuthburtson in Launceston, Tasmania has been working on the establishment of a ‘neighbourhood church communities’ program for several years. The concept, which is modelled on the BEC program in Adelaide, was promoted in the parish for several months before any action was taken. Like Pat, Kathy emphasises the importance of relationship building.

‘It’s not about getting people back to church, it really is about building relationships in the community’, she explains. ‘For example, we might connect an isolated young mother with other mothers in the neighbourhood. Even if it is just a hello at the door it is still a connection of some sort, and builds a sense of belonging. Because even if they don’t participate in parish life they are still a part of the parish.’

Kathy relates a team member’s early story of success, of a team member whose visit prompted a woman to have her daughter baptised; of a woman whose husband had recently died and was ready to re-establish a connection with the church but did not know how. ‘When our team member just turned up on her doorstep, she invited him in for a cuppa and a chat ... we are seeing nice little things like that.’

Community groups like this one are slowly springing up across Australia. Most are inspired by the Adelaide BEC program, which held a conference in 2002 in response to the enormous amount of enquires they kept receiving.

‘We thought it would make sense to get every one in one place and tell them all at once’, Cathy explains. The conference attracted over 60 attendees, several of them from overseas. The conference was rewarding for all who attended, from those new to the concept to those like Kathy who were in the process of establishing programs in their parishes.

‘It can be really hard to assess progress, but the one thing I did learn at the conference was that it is slow work and we must be patient and trust in the Spirit’, Kathy says.

This is where being part of a team can be especially effective. By sharing stories and praying together, the groups are not only supporting each other but building community.

‘The development of the teams has astonished me’, Pat says. ‘You really get to know each other as individuals; there is a growth of trust. People talk about their lives, and genuine friendships have sprung up.’

‘Team meetings actually model the community they are trying to build ... they are inclusive communities because the people in the groups would not necessarily spend time together’, Cathy says. ‘It’s only their faith that gets people out there visiting, because it’s a counter-cultural activity, even radical. But doing the visits really helps people see what Jesus was trying to say.

‘We take heart from the early church communities, who asked the same questions that we are asking–what does all this mean for now? So much of what was being said was counter-cultural, then as now.’

Around Australia, the weft and warp of daily life is being spun into a network of relationships that form the basis of stronger communities. Parishioners and their priests are turning the tide against shrinking church communities with the Gospel message of love and compassion.

‘You don’t have to become close friends, but you do have to become good neighbours, and that’s all Jesus is asking us to be’, Pat explains.

For further details, visit the Basic Ecclesial Communities website.

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