Neocatechumenal Way

The catechumenate is the process of preparation for baptism. The Neocatechumenate is a post-baptismal catechumenate for rediscovering baptism.

The Neocatechumenal Way is a program of Christian formation, an itinerary of Catholic formation, a mode of Christian initiation and ongoing education in the faith. The Neocatechumenal Way is not an association, nor a movement, nor a religious congregation.

In an academy or school there is a human relationship among the students who follow the courses, without legal relationships being established among them. At the same time, that academy follows a specific teaching program, and the school's teachers must adhere to its methods. Similarly, in the formation itinerary of the Neocatechumenal Way, no new legal relationships are constituted, different from those every faithful Christian has by belonging to the Church. For this reason, its Statutes do not contain a list of rights and duties of those who benefit from its activity, but do include a fairly precise indication of the tasks that its catechists and those responsible must perform. This is a consequence of the Way's proper nature, which is not an association but a formation itinerary.

The Neocatechumenal Way consists of a set of spiritual goods that can be grouped into four broad fields:

• The catechumenate for the unbaptized.
• The Neocatechumenate or post-baptismal catechumenate.
• The ongoing education in the faith for those who have completed the Neocatechumenate.
• The service of catechesis, including itinerant teams willing to go throughout the world by virtue of the baptismal mandate.

In the early 1960s, Kiko Argüello, a Spanish painter, after an existential crisis, discovered in the suffering of the innocent the tremendous mystery of Christ Crucified, present in the least of the earth. This experience led him to leave everything behind and, following in the footsteps of Charles de Foucauld, went to live among the poor in the shantytowns of "Palomeras Altas," on the outskirts of Madrid. Carmen Hernández, a graduate in chemistry and theology, who had been in contact with the renewal of Vatican Council II through Fr. Pedro Farnés Scherer (liturgist) and who, called by the Bishop, was trying to form a group to go evangelize the miners of Oruro (Bolivia), met Kiko Argüello. And they began their evangelizing work among the shacks.

This kerygmatic theological-catechetical synthesis was well received by the poor, who did not defend themselves against it and responded with enormous gratitude, forming a Christian community where the first seed, the first "mustard grain," was born of what we see today as the development of a great tree full of fruit. This germ was recognized by the Archbishop of Madrid, Msgr. Casimiro Morcillo, who, visiting the shantytowns, witnessed the action of the Holy Spirit and defended it, blessed it and recognized it as a true action of Vatican Council II, and ordered it carried to the parishes of Madrid, on the condition that the Pastor be at the center, approving ad experimentum the liturgical innovations necessary for Christian initiation: word, liturgy and community.

Thus the Way, which had been born amid so much suffering among the poorest, was brought to the parishes through Don Casimiro Morcillo. The first was a middle-to-upper-class parish. There, Kiko, Carmen and some poor brothers from the shantytowns were invited to speak about the Eucharist, as the Pastor had been impressed by the force of the liturgy in the shantytowns. Later they were invited to go to a rural parish in Zamora, in a neighborhood of farmers, very religious people. Back in Madrid, they carried out two other experiences in the "Pío XII" parish — upper class — and in Canillejas, on the outskirts of the new dormitory neighborhoods, to continue evangelizing in other parishes.

Faced with the challenge this theological-catechetical synthesis from the Madrid shantytown group encountered, it was quickly seen that in the parishes many people used the catecheses to "dress themselves up" even more, as if they were lectures to enlighten the mind and enrich culture; in short, not as a path of descent and kenosis, in which to slowly put to death the old man, so as to be filled with the new creation in the Holy Spirit.

In this way, the renewal of Baptism gradually appeared as a fundamental path to reaching adult faith, capable of responding to the change of era that was occurring. For in the parishes, many people who frequented the sacraments were insufficiently catechized and largely ignorant of the contents of their Baptism. By opening a path of Christian initiation of a post-baptismal catechumenal type, these people found the possibility of traveling through the stages of the Baptism they had received as children, thus being born to a new life.

On August 30, 1990, Pope John Paul II, in the letter Ogniqualvolta (AAS-82.90,1513-1515) addressed to Msgr. Paul Josef Cordes, then Vice-President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity and delegate "ad personam" for the apostolate of the Neocatechumenal Communities, concluded: After more than twenty years of life of the Communities spread across the five continents — taking into account the new vitality that animates the parishes, the missionary impulse and the fruits of conversion resulting from the work of the itinerants, and, most recently, from the work of families evangelizing in de-Christianized areas of Europe and the whole world; — considering the vocations that have arisen from this Way for religious life and for the priesthood, and the birth of Diocesan Colleges of formation for the priesthood for the new evangelization, such as the Redemptoris Mater in Rome; — (...) I recognize the Neocatechumenal Way as an itinerary of Catholic formation, valid for society and for the times. I desire, therefore, that the brother Bishops value and support, together with their priests, this work for the new evangelization, so that it may be carried out according to the lines proposed by its founders, in a spirit of service to the local Ordinary and of communion with him, and in the context of the unity of the particular Church with the universal Church.

On January 24, 1997, in an audience granted to the founders of the Neocatechumenal Way and to the itinerants, the Holy Father encouraged carrying forward the work of drafting a "Statute of the Way." John Paul II confirmed it on 29.VI.2002, for five years. Its definitive approval took place on 13.VI.2008, by Benedict XVI. Subsequently, the Neocatechumenal Way has received other approvals: for example its catechetical directory and its liturgies were confirmed on 26.XII.2010, and on 8.I.2012 respectively.

After 30 years of evangelizing work, the complex reality of the Neocatechumenal Way has spread to 105 countries on the five continents. Up to the year 2001, it was present in some 5,000 parishes in 880 dioceses, with more than 16,700 communities, of which some 8,000 in Europe, 7,300 in America, 800 in Asia and 600 in Africa.

About 1,500 seminarians are preparing to become Priests for the New Evangelization in the 46 missionary diocesan seminaries «Redemptoris Mater» that the Neocatechumenal Way has helped to open, of which 32 have already been canonically erected. Born at the request of the respective Bishops they are distributed thus: 20 in Europe, 14 in America, 6 in Asia, 1 in the Middle East, 3 in Africa and 2 in Australia. Since 1989, 731 priests formed in the «Redemptoris Mater» Seminaries have been ordained.

In the vocational centers, there are more than 2,000 young people, who, helped by the catechists themselves and by some priests, are undertaking a first serious discernment of their vocation, preparing to enter a «Redemptoris Mater» Seminary. Numerous — about 4,000 — are the vocations of young girls from the Neocatechumenal Communities who in these years have entered monasteries, especially of the cloistered type.

• Diocesan. — They are erected by the diocesan Bishops in agreement with the International Responsible Team of the Neocatechumenal Way, and are governed by the norms in force for the formation and incardination of diocesan clergy.
• Missionary. — The formed priests are available to be sent by the Bishop to any part of the world.
• International. — The seminarians come from different countries and continents, both as a concrete sign of missionariness, and as a sign of availability to be sent anywhere.
• Related to the Neocatechumenal Way. — The Way prepares and raises vocations in many young people before their entry into the Seminary, accompanies them during their time of formation, and once ordained as Priests, continues to support them in their ongoing formation.