Harare, 11 February, 2020 / 4:56 pm (ACI Africa).
The Catholic Archdiocese of Harare in the Southern Africa nation of Zimbabwe has rolled out a Pastoral Plan aimed at guiding the formation and operations of the new way of being Church in Africa, the Small Christian Communities (SCCs).
Writing in the Foreword to the Pastoral Plan, Archbishop Robert Ndlovu of Harare states, “I urge you to form and establish standardized Small Christian Communities in all parishes, to foster membership, belonging and active participation of all parishioners and also to make the Word of God, Liturgy, Catechesis and charity the thrust of Small Christian Communities.”
SCCs “are meant to form a family of God, a people whose hearts beat together – sharing life and sharing about God,” the Archdiocese’s Pastoral Vicar, Fr Kizito Nhundu has been quoted as saying.
Though the Pastoral Plan recognizes the existence of other structures such as blocks, sections, neighborhoods, zones and districts, the SCCs will be limited to ten or fifteen families, taking into account proximity and residential setup, Jesuits Communication Zimbabwe has reported in reference to the Harare initiative.
For easier interaction and unity, once an SCC grows into 20 families, it will be split to form two SCCs, the report has clarified.
