Catholic Articles

The Basic Ecclesial Communities or BECs are local Christian communities in neighborhoods within parishes described by the Second Plenary Council of the Philippines (PCP II) as “small communities of Christians, usually of families who gather around the Word of God and the Eucharist. These communities are united to their pastors but are ministered to regularly by lay leaders.” Contended by some about its beginnings and inspirations coming from liberation theology in Latin America, its earliest communities are known to have emerged from Brazil. The movement later on spread through Africa, Asia, Australia, and North America. The first Basic Ecclesial Communities in the Philippines emerged in the late 1960s. BECs in parishes partake in the spread of the Word of God and in the celebration of the Eucharist. In addition, its members establish a deeper knowledge of each other while sharing both their material and spiritual concerns in the community. This,