As the small groups facilitator for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Gizella “Gizzy” Miko has noticed that when parishioners belong to small groups, they tend to feel that their parish community is like their own family.
In an episode of “Practicing Catholic” set to air at 9 p.m. Jan. 10 on Relevant Radio 1330 AM, Miko told the show’s host Patrick Conley, “We’ve heard so many people talk about seeing people in the pews ahead of them the last 20 years and never really getting to know them. Now they not only know their names, but they interact with each other more and they actually feel supported in their day-to-day life through the experience of a small group. It’s not just formation in a group, but really, it’s living life more intentionally in our Christian faith together with others.”
The system Archbishop Bernard Hebda chose for small groups is the Parish Evangelization Cells System (PECS) approved by the Vatican. Miko suggested that it helps for each group to have a diversity of experiences to keep the group’s focus on God.
“It’s not just an hour and a half of content, or an hour and a half of just socializing, or an hour and a half of praise and worship songs,” Miko said. “There’s kind of a balance through the whole small group that helps the small group keep (its) focus on God, which is another huge thing that people have expressed. That these groups are helping them grow closer to God because of how the structure of the meeting is. It helps people focus and move towards these conversations that are Christ-centered.”
Miko explained that through PECS, parishioners answer the question of what God does in their lives during the week.
“God’s in our everyday life, not just on Sundays,” Miko said. “Here, you have a way to connect with those people in your everyday lives. One of the focus questions is ‘What has God been doing in my life this week?’ … It brings more awareness to God’s action within your life.”
Growing in use as part of implementing Archbishop Hebda’s pastoral letter — “You Will Be My Witnesses: Gathered and Sent From the Upper Room” — Miko said small groups are meant to foster community, formation and missionary discipleship. Miko believes the structure that PECS provides accomplishes all three.
“Community: so many people have expressed now that they’re growing closer to people that they never would have gotten to know,” Miko said. “Formation: every small group has a learning or formative component. Then the missionary discipleship: these small groups are aimed towards evangelization. … These small groups really equip us and give us a vehicle by which we can evangelize.”
To hear more from Miko about the benefits of the PECS system, tune into “Practicing Catholic,” which repeats at 1 p.m. Jan. 11 and 2 p.m. Jan. 12.
As part of the program, don’t miss Zach Jansen, the digital content producer for the archdiocese, talking about the unexpected lessons in “The Poseidon Adventure.”?Also, Amee Heigl, a mother of four, talks about her faith journey through a burgeoning family and two miscarriages.
Produced by Relevant Radio and the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, “Practicing Catholic” can be heard after it has aired at archspm.org/faith-and-discipleship/practicing-catholic or choose a streaming platform at Spotify for Podcasters.
