Our CLC groups are small, usually six to ten members. We meet regularly in order to develop friendship and a community spirit among ourselves by praying, sharing some of our life experiences together, helping and supporting each other in our Christian faith and our daily lives. Meetings are held, usually in our homes, at intervals decided by the group — usually biweekly, but sometimes weekly, and lasting one and a half or two hours.

Since our communities are based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, groups try to include elements of the Exercises in their group meetings

The pattern of meetings varies, but most of the following are normally included in ongoing groups:

• Short Check-In: How has God been present in my life since the last meeting? Where have I experienced God's presence? When I felt disconnected from God?

• Opening Prayer

• Praying for a Grace: The community recalls the grace that it formulated at its previous meeting and how it has experienced that grace.

• Reflection and Sharing on the evening's topic.

• Formulate Grace for next meeting.

• Business

• Review of Meeting: How was I moved during this meeting? Where did I feel positive energy? Where did I feel discomfort?

• Closing Prayer

• Social

Each CLC group is autonomous and finds the form of meeting best suited to the needs of its members, within the spirit of the "General Principles" and in our U.S. context.

Each community aims to embody the characteristics of community, spirituality and mission. In each meeting, during the sharing and planning, members review their individual and corporate mission which is carried out primarily outside the meeting.