THE CREATION AND CARRYING ON OF GKK SAN LORENZO RUIZ IN PUROK 12, NASA VILLAGE, BARANGAY FATIMA, GENERAL SANTOS CITY

The Basic Ecclesial Communities (BEC) or Gagmayng Kristohanong Katilingban (GKK) is a somewhat unique feature of Philippine Roman Catholic ministries with a peculiar history. GKKS reflect particularly Filipino characteristics such as being community-oriented, centering heavily on Roman Catholicism, and invoking Filipino values such as Bayanihan. How did these GKKS come about and did it come with the support and endorsement of the Catholic Churches in which they are under? The study aims to fill some of the gaps of the literature in terms of the development of Roman Catholicism in the Philippines by using qualitative data from the members of the GKKS themselves to allow them to tell the history of the GKK from the perspective of one GKK in General Santos City. From the narrative of the GKK members, GKK offer a unique way in which the Roman Catholic Church as an institution, despite any history it may have related to colonization and conquest can be transformed by the people themselves into a spiritual tool for social change.