Regional Chairman

Most Rev. Peter Paul Saldanha (Bishop of Mangalore)

 Bishop’s House, Kodialbail Post, Dakshina Kannada,

Mangalore – 575 003.  Karnataka

Mobile No: 9741553052

Email : [email protected]/ [email protected] 

Fr. George Vincent Lobo

Regional Secretary

Regional Pastoral Centre / Kross, Post Box 8427 no. 58/6, 2^nd Cross,  Da Costa Layout,

Wheeler road  Extension, Bengaluru – 560084

Mobile No: 09448895493

Email: [email protected]

The History of SCCs in Karnataka Region:

The SCCs coordination work in Karnataka region was started in the year 2005. Bishop of Mangalore Diocese Most Rev Dr. Aloysius Paul Dsouza is the chairperson .KRCBC (Karnataka Roman Catholic Bishops Conference) appointed Rev. Fr. Gilbert Dsouza,  a priest from Mangalore Diocese  as the first part-time secretary  and then in 2011, Fr. Harold Pereira has a full time Secretary for SCC Commission.  Karnataka region consists of 14 dioceses: Archdiocese of Bangalore, Badravathi (Syro-Malabar) Diocese, Belgaum Diocese, Bellary Diocese, Belthangady (Syro-Malabar) Diocese, Chikmagalur Diocese, Gulbarga Diocese, Karwar Diocese, Mangalore Diocese, Mandya (Syro-Malabar) Diocese, Mysore Diocese, Puttur (Syro-Malankara) Diocese, Shimoga Diocese, and Udupi Diocese.

There is a newly inaugurated (13thNov 2012) Regional Office of Commission for SCCs in KRPC (Karnataka Regional Pastoral Centre) at Bangalore.
There is a five members Regional Resource Team (KRRT), came into existence on 18th Sept.2012.
There is a Regional Council for SCCs consisting of 16 members, came into existence on 10th November 2011.

At the regional level, besides Council meetings, Directors meet and TOT (Trainers Training) training programs are held annually.
Ample of SCC material has been translated in Local Language (Kannada).
In the year of faith , the lessons prepared and sent by the NRT for SCCs have been given to the Directors of each diocese and copies of  PORTA FEDEI have been distributed to the lay faithful.
Pastoral course on SCCs is been conducted in the Seminary and other religious formation houses.
There is a Regional SCC News letter called COMMUNION which is printed frequently and circulated to all the dioceses of the region. So far three issues of Communion Newsletter have been brought out.

Vision Statement:
A communion of Communities where neighbors live life in fullness centered on the Word of God & the Eucharist.
Mission Statement
Establish, empower and sustain SCC in every neighborhood by

Goal
By 31st of December 31, 2014, all the parishes of the region have at least 2 SCCs which are regularly functioning.
Objectives

The list of the Regional SCC Council

01. Most Rt. Rev. Dr. Aloysius Paul Dsouza [Chairperson, Mangalore Diocese]
02. Fr. Lourdusamy                [ KRPPIC Coordinator ]
03. Fr. Harold Pereira             [ Regional Secretary   ]
04. Sr. Emilia Monteiro SMI    [ Regional Joint Secretary]
05. Fr. Stanley Dsouza          [ Belgaum Diocese ]
06. Fr. Shantraj                      [ Chickmagalur Diocese ]
07. Fr. Austin Fernandes          [ Gulbarga Diocese ]
08. Fr. Susairaj                        [ Bangalore Archdiocese ]
09. Sr. Mabel Dsouza,           [ Mangalore Diocese ]
10. Mr. Arockiadas                 [ Bangalore Archdiocese ]
11. Mr. Paul Fernandes           [ Shimoga Diocese]
12. Ms Anitha                         [ Chikmagalur Diocese]
13. Fr. Duming Dias                [ Shimoga Diocese, nominated]
14. Fr.  Walter Dsouza          [ Mangalore Diocese, nominated]
15. Mr. V. M. Francis             [Bangalore Archdiocese, nominated]
16. Mr. Marcellus Fernandez   [Bangalore Archdiocese, nominated]

Names, Addresses, email ids and phone numbers of the Diocesan SCC Commission Secretaries of Karnataka Region- 2013

Statistics of SCCs in Karnataka

Regional SCCs Program plan for the year 2014

RESULTS AND IMPACT OF SCCs

• Because of the SCCs the tangible growth is seen in the lives of the faithful:
• The growth is seen in three levels: In the parish, in the diocese and in the region besides the personal growth in faith.

In the parish:

• The members of the  SCCs unit are growing in  understanding that the SCCs is an extended family.
• An emerging and rotating leadership is seen.
• People meet regularly and the SCC unit has become a forum for local issues to discus and sort out issues. There is a growing unity  among the faithful.
• People read and reflect the Word of God through the Seven Steps Gospel sharing  method and share the Word and take up service  activities, even they  reach out to the people of other faith.
• Since the Sunday liturgy is planned in SCCs units and it becomes more participatory and meaningful.
• Having seen the all-round growth of people of a SCCs parish, the neighboring parishes have initiated SCCs in their parish too.

At the diocese level

At the Region level:

The History of SCCs in Mangalore Diocese

SCC was initiated around the year 1986 when the Pastoral Institute of Bajjodi was set up. Fr. Alphonse D Lima guided a  couple of priests who took initiative in introducing SCC to the ongoing formation of the Junior clergy.

In the 1987 Diocesan Consultation, the entire diocese accepted SCC as the priority project for the mission of the laity. A detailed blue print was prepared, and priests were oriented about the nature, goals, and mechanisms of SCC. The diocese conducted a ten-day Lumko training program, using the necessary literature, charts, and lessons on Lumko methods produced by the Bombay Diocesan team.

In 1990, Fr. Arthur Pereira, the appointed director of the Pastoral Institute, set  the  SCC work in motion. He trained parish animators, translated many AsIPA books and Lumko lessons into the local language, Konkani and produced seven books, as well as four audio cassettes with the SCC songs.At a one-day training program at he parish level, attended by about 100 participants, the parish priest was recognized as one of the resources to ensure the continuity of SCC work. The systematic and sustained effort made by the different parishes created a tradition for SCC ministry.
In 2004, Fr. Gilbert DSouza took over as SCC director. In no time. The Karnataka Regional Pastoral Plan set up 16 commissions, SCC being one of them.

One strong component in the Mangalore SCCs is the three-day residential training camp, mostly taking place at the Pastoral Institute. Each training camp has an average of 50 participants, who would get an experience of community living along with theoretical knowledge.
Each SCC in Mangalore Diocese has a lay leader called gurkar, who, with the bishops approval, works for five years. One member of the Parish Central Committee is officially designed to represent the parish priest at SCC meetings.

At present, SCC meetings are held monthly, mostly on Sundays, with around 30 persons attending. The 7-step Gospel sharing method is regularly followed, with concrete service action of attending to the needs of the community members. Various ways are used to foster community building:  group games, cultural programs, exposure to other SCCs, and the annual SCC day celebration.

A full-time director ran the SCCs in the Mangalore Diocese from 1990 to 2010. Now there is a part time director, Fr. Walter D Souza who runs the SCCs in the diocese. Around 30 coordinators assist the director to implement their SCC plans. The Diocesan Animation Team (DAT) of 10 persons and   the Varado Animation Team (VAT) of 10 persons and the Parish Animation Team (PAT) of 8-10 persons are formed to handle the ongoing formation of leaders both at the parish and the SCC levels.

News Letter

Feb 2013

June 2013

Dec 2013

April 2014