1. A Short History
When
we talk of Small Christian Communities our thoughts turn to the Basic
Christian Communities that started in Latin America in 1950s and 60s.
In the context of the harsh realities of economic injustice and
repressive regimes, these 
communities
opened up new possibilities for the people there. Inspired by these,
Small Christian Communities sprang up all over the world. The history
of Family Units in India goes back even farther. In the early
part of 1940s a visionary archbishop named Augustine Kandathil of the
archdiocese of Ernakulam urged his priests and lay leadership through a
pastoral letter to form wards or units of families in parishes in order
to organize different activities at the grass-root level, like rosary
prayer, parish festival celebration, etc. The idea was well conceived
but no serious effort was made to establish such units in those
decades.
In 1974 the concept evolved into “Parish
Family Units” in the parish of St. Mary’s Cathedral Basilica of
Ernakulam. It was the first of its kind in the church at that time. The
units were not copies of the Basic Christian Communities in Latin
America. They were formed in response to a felt need in the area. The
primary intent was to bring together the Christian families that were
increasingly being isolated and alienated by the onslaught of
industrialization and urbanization. 20 to 30 families gathered together
in one of their homes once a month, at the time of the family prayer in
the evening. They read the scriptures, sang hymns and prayed together;
the group shared the news in the neighborhood and discussed ways of
reaching out to one another in case of needs. Each unit had its own
leadership who organized the meetings and monitored other activities.
The parish priest or someone designated by him acted as a facilitator
or animator at the gatherings. These were well received by the people
and soon the entire parish was restructured into family units. Msgr.
Joseph Thaliath, the parish priest of the Cathedral at that time
deserves special mention here as a real pioneer in this direction.
The family units spread into other parishes fast because of the
opportunities of togetherness and renewal they provided. In the span of
the last thirty years family units have grown beyond the limits of the
archdiocese and the state. There are family units in almost all the
dioceses in Kerala state and beyond. Other religious communities like
the Hindus have found them meaningful and copied some of the
organizational aspects.
In the Archdiocese of
Ernakulam a Department of Family Units was established in 1998. A
priest director along with necessary staff is at the office, situated
in the pastoral center of the archdiocese. The motto of family units
is spelt out as “Together in Love, together in God.” There are about
3,000 family units in the Archdiocese involving nearly 100,000
families.
2 The Meetings
Every
month the unit members come together in one of their family homes. The
meeting would begin with prayer and a welcome by the head of the
family. The chairperson and the secretary will present the minutes from
the previous meeting and set a tone and direction for the day’s
deliberations. Then, there will be the solemn enthronement of the Holy
Bible, reading from it, silent reflection, sharing and prayer by
individuals. Singing of chants is an important element of that prayer
session .Usually the priest or the facilitator will conclude that
session with a brief reflection and prayer. The general session that
follows will focus on events in the families like birthdays,
achievements etc. General discussions about the parish events and some
cultural performances by the children are integral to this general
session. Some units include Bible quizzes both for adults and
children. A cup of tea or coffee with light refreshments will be a part
of the evening.
3 Involvement in the Parish and diocese
Usually the whole parish is divided into neighborhood family units so
much so the activities of the parish are better coordinated through
these units. Representatives to the Parish Pastoral Council are
sometimes elected from these units. At the diocesan and parish levels
there are workshops for the family unit leaders for leadership training
and group dynamics skills. Under the auspices of the central office of
family units workshops in different parishes for lay leadership
training have been very successful The leaders of family units meet
together at the parish and diocesan levels to discuss and implement
different enrichment programs. Conventions in which the family unit
leaders come together are regular at these levels.
4 Adult Catechesis
The setting of family units meetings is effectively utilized for adult catechesis. A bimonthly publication called Koottayma virunnu (‘Banquet
of unity’) from the central office reaches all the members of the
family units with information and possible topics for discussions in
the gatherings regarding family life, faith formation, sacraments
etc.
5 HIV/AIDS Awareness Programs
Awareness
programs on HIV and AIDS is another felt need in the area and family
units are deeply involved in these. Family units are able to help to
provide counseling services for those infected and for their family
members. More than 500 thousand people have been directly contacted by
volunteers from family units in order to educate them of the different
aspects of the disease. 
The Department of Family Units in the Archdiocese of Ernakulam is
actively involved in supporting the family units all through the
parishes in this part of the world. Almost every family belongs to a
unit and it is the way of being Church.
The family units continue
to enrich the faith life of the people and strengthen the bonds among
families. Most families look forward to the opportunity of these
gatherings with great anticipation. These have been a great blessing
for the church in those areas where they are strong. The pastors find
them helpful in the governance of the parish affairs as well. Every
unit is truly the Church in miniature.
Fr Xavier Thelakkatt
PO Box 45,
Rush City, MN 55069
