wherever two or more are gathered, there I AM

#8  CLCs

These were some of the most meaningful and much-anticipated 50 minutes of my weekly schedule at JCU. Christian Life Communities (CLCs) are a somewhat “hidden” gem on campus and in JCU Campus Ministry. I don't know about my fellow community members, but I could not think of a better way to spend a Sunday evening before 10pm Mass or a Tuesday night after the weekday television lineup than with a community of 8-10 young men and women who were curious, doubtful and on fire about their faith & spirituality. Whether it was grabbing a bite to eat together on P-card or completing a version of Ignatius' Examen or even walking the on-campus prayer Labyrinth at night, this was sacred space and we all knew it.

We have a phrase that we, in JCU Campus Ministry, use when speaking about CLCs—namely cura personalis (translation: care of the whole person). I firmly believe that each one of us, by the end of it all, had our own hungers satisfied and our thirst quenched. Our weekly CLC gatherings, I would argue, provided the environment for such transformations and development as physical, social and spiritual persons. I do hope to become involved one again in a small-faith sharing community. That is (and these CLCs have been) incredibly life-giving to me.


(I just returned from an ad hoc birthday luncheon with several members from my CLC from last year. Clearly, these communities continue to have an impact on my life)