Guidebook for the SCCs in Korea,

SCCs of the Catholic Church in Korea

- Principles and Directions, Management and Practices -

The Subcommittee for Small Christian Communities under the CBCK Committee for Evangelization (President: Most Rev. Vincent Ri Pyung-ho) published SCCs of the Catholic Church in Korea, a guidebook for the SSCs in Korea.

Since the early 1990s the Catholic Church in Korea has introduced the Small Christian Communities (SCCs) as a way of evangelization and made efforts to build them. For the more effective spread of the SCCs, however, there has been increasing demands for a practical guidebook, which can help the faithful to comprehend the basic principles of the SCCs and their practices. As one effort to respond to these demands, the Subcommittee published the guidebook, in March, 2014.

This guidebook presents the spirit, principles and directions of the SCCs from the perspective of an integral pastoral approach. Especially, it contains concrete measures based on research and studies on the SCCs in the pastoral fields, as well as their experiences.

The preface explains the background of the introduction and the process of promoting the SCCs in the Catholic Church in Korea. It also shows the fruits born by the SSCs so far, hopes for the future, and challenges of the New Evangelization in our age, as well as critical opinions and skeptical perspectives on the SCCs.

The text is comprised of three parts, entitled respectively ‘Appearance of the SCCs and Ecclesiological Comprehension’, ‘Practical Principles of the SCCs’, and ‘Organization and Management of the SCCs’. Each part is written on the basis of concrete and exemplary cases by the members of the Subcommittee, after gathering the opinions of priests, religious, and lay persons who have had a lot of experience with the SCCs.

Bishop Ri said, “I believe this Guidebook will help pastors and the faithful to realize the image of ecclesial communion, as well as to solve the difficulties and questions concerning the SCCs one by one”.