GKK: The ‘Nursery’ of Christian Faith

My mother is a former catechist in our GKK. Most of her brothers and sisters are very active in the community until now. They are involved in the different ministries in the parish.

I have seven brothers. Three of them are PSL (Pangulo sa Liturhiya). Our eldest is a guitarist in the GKK; my younger brother who is a former Panglo sa Batan-on (PSB) has decided to take a seminar to become a PSL.

Almost all of my sisters-in-law are also involved in the GKK. Two of them are Pangulo sa Panudlo/Katekista (PSP), one is Pangulo sa Alagad (PSA), two are planning to take a seminar to become SOCCOM (Social Communications Committee).

Some of my nephews and nieces are now active in the Youth Ministry; one of them is planning to enter in the seminary after his twelfth grade. While many of them are serving in one GKK (Sr. Sto. Niño, Quarry, Malabog), one family is serving another GKK. In short, the seed of my faith is surrounded with fertile soil who is my family and watered to become abundant through is the GKK.

Pope Francis says, “A family in which each person loves and helps one another is a reflection of the Trinity. A parish in which each person loves and shares spiritual and material effects is a reflection of the Trinity.”

Borrowing this thought, I can say that a GKK, in which each person loves and shares spiritual and material effects, is a reflection of the Trinity. Indeed, the seed of my Christian faith is implanted in the family and this is nurtured, nourished, and deepened in the GKK which draws its life and mission in the Holy Trinity.

The Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC), popularly known as “Gagmay’ng Kristohanong Katilingban (GKK)”, is, for me, the “nursery” of Christian Faith. It is from there that the seed of my faith started to grow. Since we are living quite far from the parish, every Sunday we just attend the “Kasaulogan sa Pulong” (Liturgy of the Word) in our GKK. I have learned most of the liturgical celebrations from our GKK where my family also actively participate.

The Sunday of the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity has also been declared by the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) in 2017 as “Basic Ecclesial Community Sunday”. This is to “continue to deepen our conviction as a Church to work towards a stronger communion in faith as a Church draws its life and mission from the Most Holy Trinity” (Cf. Ordo). (JEB)