S.C.C.

Before we began this African adventure, Catholic Relief Services told us that our main mission would be building relationships. Two months is not enough time to complete any type of project, and in reality two years wouldn’t even be enough time. And especially given our vocational journey, our work is primarily pastoral, building relationships with the community we have found ourselves in.

And this is precisely what I have been doing. Up until now, I have been going out into the bush to do my pastoral assignments. Last week, however, I started to accompany the local catechist on his travels around Tubmanburg. This is largely due to the fact that there are now two other seminarians from Ghana that will be here until mid-August as well. So now we must all split up to cover Bomi County.

It has been a great experience to travel around my local stomping grounds though. It is all done on foot instead of by truck. This not only gives me a better opportunity to learn the lay of the land, but I don’t have to worry about the vehicles breaking down or getting stuck (but I did go out on the road Sunday morning, and low and behold, we got a flat tire).

But really it has given me the opportunity to build those relationships that I was sent here for. Traveling to the outposts gave me this chance to meet the people as well, but doing this locally I am able to see and interact much more often.

We start out by performing visitations in the mornings. After Mass each day we go around to a different community to visit with the parishioners. Also, if there are any special needs we can attend to these as well. Today, for example, there was a special service performed to name a parishioner’s newborn child.

In the evenings, we go back out to the same community that we visited in the morning to hold a Small Christian Community meeting, or S.C.C. for short. These meeting consist of six to eight adults that gather to represent their communities. After starting with the Rosary, we talk and see if there are any problems or issues that need to be addressed within the community. When everything is attended to, we go on to read the Gospel and discuss before closing in prayer.

It has been a blessing to see that there are so many within these communities who have an authentic love for their faith. And it is not only the meetings, but the genuine care for each other. In one meeting I was able to attend they talked about the fact that certain people were absent and need to be invited and welcomed back out again. We even held a prayer service with a Muslim family whose son was extremely sick.

It is a great feeling to finally get to know the community a bit better. To have my actual name called out in the street. But mostly to share with the people, as briefly as it may be, our lives and our own journeys in faith.

-Dan
written 07/12/11