SINGAPORE (UCAN) -- The priest had not asked anyone to clean his apartment, but each time he returned after lecturing in the university, he found his apartment swept, laundry washed and food put on the table.

Jesuit Father Tom Michel, addressing Small Christian Community (SCC) members in Singapore, recounted the hospitality he experienced from his Muslim neighbors during a six-month teaching stint in Turkey.

The American priest, ecumenical secretary for the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences in its Office of Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, and an expert on Islam, spoke on Oct. 13 during Singapore archdiocese's "SCC Day."

On the day he went searching for a bed for his rented apartment, he said, a Muslim he met on the street greeted him and they chatted.

Word spread that he was a Catholic priest who had come to teach Christianity. After being advised that he need not lock his door, something no one in the neighborhood did, he found his apartment mysteriously cleaned each day.

When he asked to meet those responsible, he was told, "You don't have to thank them. They didn't do this for you. They did this for God. And God who sees what they do in secret will thank them."

Father Michel then challenged his audience: "This is what the Church talks about dialogue -- the dialogue of daily life. Do we take the initiative to be hospitable? Do people think of Christians like that?"

Several other speakers that day also shared on the mission of SCCs.

Wendy Louis, head of the archdiocesan AsIPA (Asian Integrated Pastoral Approach) team that organized the event, told UCA News they wanted "to raise awareness of existing SCCs" in the archdiocese. But she said they also wanted "to show that the SCC is not just a Singapore idea, but an international and regional way of being Church."

About 140 people, representing 17 of the archdiocese's 30 parishes, attended the daylong event.

In his sharing, Father Michel stressed the important role of laypeople in SCCs. "They are the ones to first engage in dialogue with peoples of different faiths in their neighborhood." He added that this aspect is very relevant to multicultural and multireligious Singapore.

As the SCC Day fell on Id al-Fitr, the Muslim feast that ends the fasting month of Ramadan, Father Michel suggested that in future years, SCCs join Muslim neighbors in breaking their daily dawn-to-dusk Ramadan fast. "When we eat together, it changes our perceptions of how we look at one another," he said. He also suggested that SCC members make home visits during celebrations of different religions.

Monsignor Sebastian Francis, vicar general of Melaka-Johor diocese in neighboring Malaysia, pointed out that SCCs are not merely about enjoying fellowship. "It's OK to start with gatherings and fellowship, but there must be a vision in mind," and that vision should lead to helping the needy and evangelizing, he advised. "If we don't reach out ... then (the SCC) becomes merely a club."

In his opening address, Archbishop Nicholas Chia of Singapore spoke of his "dream to have families gathering in the neighborhood, sharing the faith, the Gospel, and serving their neighbors in a number of ways." As SCC members, he said, "we witness to the active love of God to serve the poorest and most in need in our community."

Several participants told UCA News they found SCC Day inspiring.

Malvin Poh felt heartened by the speakers' acknowledgment that developing an SCC is difficult. He now feels encouraged to persevere, "and especially to let the Holy Spirit guide us in promoting SCCs."

Mark Ortega said he was encouraged to see "the SCC idea is really taking root all over Singapore." Still, he accepts that some parishioners will remain unconvinced about SCCs, and "it is the responsibility of the community, not just the leaders, to reach out to them."

According to a survey conducted last year, SCCs in the archdiocese number about 300 with around 3,000 active members. Louis said a large majority of these are parish neighborhood groups comprising 15-20 families each. Many of them meet monthly, with some meeting more frequently. Many prefer to pray the rosary or have Mass during meetings, she noted.

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(Accompanying photos available at here)