Name: Koinonia Community

Location: Portland, Ore.

When started: Born when the Newman Center at Portland State University was closed in 1994. Many who worshipped there decided to establish an independent Catholic worship community. They originally met for several years at a Jesuit retreat house until that too was closed. In recent years home has been Bethlehem Lutheran Church in northeast Portland.

Membership: About 50 adults, most in their 40s or 50s, including married couples, singles, divorced. About 80 percent are involved in the helping professions -- social workers, chaplains, teachers, therapists. Most members do not feel comfortable in traditional parishes due to their concerns about official church positions on such matters as remarriage after divorce, sexual orientation, inclusive language and women in the priesthood.

Format: Meets every Sunday at 6 p.m. -- twice a month with a religious order priest as presider at the Eucharist and twice a month with laity leading an agape worship service. Many members also participate in one of three "house groups," which meet once a month for faith sharing and discussion. There are occasional social gatherings of the full community and book discussion groups. The organization comes from a community council, a liturgy committee, and Koinonia's one employee, Peggy Friedl-Yee, former chaplain of the Newman center and now the group's coordinator and music director.

Outreach: No explicit activities since most are already professionally involved in some form of full-time service or ministry. The community therefore considers itself a kind of oasis of "healing for healers and caregivers."

Advantages: The size of the community and their common commitments make possible a very welcoming, open, circular style or operation; no one remains anonymous or on the fringe.

Problems: There is an ongoing concern about the community's relationship with the institutional church, especially whenever the time comes for one of "the big sacramental things" like baptism or marriage.

Quote: "It's an incredible experience to be with such good-hearted, generous people. Still, being here can sometimes be an isolating experience. We call ourselves Catholic but the diocese of Portland doesn't recognize our existence."

Source: Peggy Friedl-Yee, 503 699-0473