The Pastoral Office in Kabale Diocese has embarked on the activity of monitoring and evaluation of the Basic Small Christian Communities (BSCCs) which commenced on Tuesday in Kinanira Parish and will cover all parishes of the Diocese. This is being done by meeting with all Chairpersons of the Basic Small Christian Communities (BSCCs). The activity aims at visiting parishes and evaluate the activities done in the BSCCs and what has not been implemented may be put in place.
BSCCs should be known as a very organized set up that brings the Christians together for prayer. They should take the responsibility of participating in the transformation and liberation of the human mind (mindset change). BSCC leaders and members need guidance and should remain in touch with parish administration in order to yield better results.
In Mutolere Parish, the monitoring and evaluation team visited St. David BSCC in Gikoro Hiika on Thursday and the Pastoral Coordinator thanked the members for following the recommended set up of the BSCCs as laid down by Kabale Diocese.
All you do should give glory to God. All you God, do it with and for God, who must be central in your life as Christians. If you go to the garden to cultivate, do it in prayer and call on God. When Peter and others went fishing the whole night, they caught nothing, but when Jesus appeared to them, he advised them on what to do and they caught a lot of fish. This should also be the same with us. If we allow God to lead us, we become successful – Fr. Fidel Ndagijimana at St. David BSCC in Gikoro Hiika, Mutolere Parish.
Fr. Fidel Ndagijimana said that the intention of Basic Small Christian Communities (BSCCs) in Kabale Diocese is to re-awaken the Catholic faith, identity and commitment, dialogue and promote the economic empowerment in families. Each BSCC should have a project that generates income to the members of the BSCC which in turn will help families to stand out well. It was noted that most of the BSCCs have not established income generating projects.
Another purpose of meeting the leaders of BSCCs was to know each other as people from the same parish, as collaborators in the same ministry of the Lord starting from the BSCC. Each BSCC has a team of 9 leaders.
While meeting the leaders of the BSCCs of Kinanira Parish on Tuesday, Mutolere Parish on Thursday and Gisoro Parish on Friday, Fr. Fidel Ndagijimana said that according to Socrates, An unexamined life is not worth living! So the Diocese has decided to examine the Basic Small Christian Communities (BSCCs) in order to monitor and evaluate their working, structure and tools. The purpose was also to strengthen what is weak in the BSCCs and encourage members to put in place what is lacking.
In carrying out monitoring and evaluation, the Pastoral team set a score card in order to award marks base on the findings.
- Does the BSCC have data up to the parish level?
- Do you have approved guiding books of the BSCC?
- Do members of the BSCC meet weekly?
- Do you have requirements (tools of work) eg table, bible, hymnbook, statue of Blessed Virgin Mary, candle, table cloth, cross, prayer book, statue of the patron saint, register, and minutes book.
- Do priests celebrate Mass in BSCC?
- Does Catholic Men and Women Association (CMWA) exist from Hiika to parish level.
- Does CMWA have an economic activity?
Some members appreciated the Catholic Church for establishing BSCCs. One member gave a testimony of how members are benefiting. She said: “We pool funds every month, when our member falls sick, we take him/her to the hospital. When our parish asks us for some contribution, we pick from what we have already collected but not tasking and burdening individuals. When a woman produces a child, we visit the family and bring gifts to the child, so that the child grows in that communal love.
The program continues in all parishes of Kabale Diocese and after completing parishes in Mutolere deanery, the evaluation team will proceed to parishes in Makiro deanery followed by Nyakibale deanery, Kitanga deanery, Bukinda deanery, Rubanda deanery and end with Rushoroza deanery.
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Very useful exercise, the results of which should be instrumental in planning at the diocesan level.