It is within the family of families, or the small, basic ecclesial communities composed of several families within close to each other, that the faith is nourished and shared. PCP II states that BECs consciously strive to integrate their faith and their daily life. They are guided and encouraged by regular catechesis.
Furthermore, the Decrees of the Second Synod of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, under “Agents and Recipients of Evangelization” (Section III, Title I, Chapter III, Articles 58 and 59, respectively) states that “The Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC) shall become active evangelizers towards catechesis and integral faith formation.” And “Basic Ecclesial Communities shall be established and sustained in all parishes and receive regular and updated catechetical modules which shall include catechism on doctrines on faith and morals, prayer, sacraments, the stand of the Church on social and relevant issues affecting the faith and morals of the community.”
It is therefore of utmost importance that our BECs and their leaders undergo initial and on-going formation in the Faith. Indeed, our BECs must be “agents of Evangelization.” They are to live out their Baptismal anointing of sharing in the prophetic mission of Christ! To fulfill this, they must first be “recipients of Evangelization” through a comprehensive and systematic Faith Formation Program.
On Initial and On-Going Formation of BECs, the following guidelines may be considered: A. INITIAL FORMATION
1. Initial Formation Sessions include the following: a. Pasimbalo Formation Seminar. In Article 54 (Section III, Title I, Chapter I) of the Decrees of the Second Synod of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan, it is stated that there shall be continuous Pananabangan Formation Programs in all parishes. The spirituality of Communio-Pananabangan is the content of the Pasimbalo Formation Seminar. It is the official formation seminar of the archdiocese. b. Basic Bible Seminar.