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Christian Base Communities (CEB)

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Encyclopedia of Latin American Religions

Definition

CEB, comunidad(e) eclesial de base, is a small grass root Catholic community that congregate and mobilize lay people, mainly from lower social classes, to celebrate their faith and to engage socially and politically. It also refers to a movement that spread all over Latin America since the 1960s, and many places became the ecclesial platform for the theology of liberation.

Introduction

CEB is a group of lay people that regularly comes together, most often in the number of 20–50. They often meet several times a week, led by lay leaders elected by group. Normally, they will follow the manual for the Sunday worship printed in the parochial center; they will read a Bible text and dedicate much time to reflection on its meaning in their everyday situation. Some CEBs will also distribute the Eucharist, under the condition that the bishop has authorized a layperson for that task. In that case, they will bring bread already consecrated by a priest. In their meetings, they also will...

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Correspondence to Kjell Nordstokke .

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Nordstokke, K. (2015). Christian Base Communities (CEB). In: Gooren, H. (eds) Encyclopedia of Latin American Religions. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08956-0_196-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08956-0_196-1

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