Report from John Allen, National Catholic Reporter, December 23, 2005: " A new letter from the Congregation for Divine Worship demands that the Neocatechumenal Way, a program for catechetical formation launched in 1960s Spain by Kiko Arguello and Carmen Hernandez, adjust its liturgical practice to the general norms of the church.
The letter, whose contents were reported Thursday, Dec. 22, by Italian journalist Andrea Tornielli, is seen as a step towards full recognition of the movement by the Vatican.
As anyone who has attended a Neocatechumenate Mass knows, there are several idiosyncratic features. Typically Mass is celebrated Saturday night, not Sunday, and just for the Neocatechumenate community rather than the entire parish. The "Sign of Peace" comes before the presentation of gifts, sometimes parts of the Eucharistic prayers are omitted, often lay people deliver remarks that resemble a homily, and communion is usually administered while seated.
The new Vatican letter demands that at least once a month, members of the Neocatechumenate celebrate Mass on Sunday during the normal parish liturgy; that all the prescribed prayers be followed; that a priest or deacon deliver the homily; and that communion be administered while standing or genuflecting, all in accord with general liturgical norms.
Some minor concessions are offered. Laypeople may still deliver reflections at the Mass (called "resonances"), as long as it's not confused with the homily. The congregation also gives the Neocatechumenate two years to bring its practice on communion in line with the norms.
I've always wanted first-hand experience of the Neocatechumenate, so last October, during the Synod of Bishops, I decided to attend a catechetical session offered at the parish of Santi Vitale e Compagni Martiri in Fovea, on Via Nazionale.
The night I attended, the catechesis was offered by two lay Neocatechumenate members: Maria Grazia, 46, a mother of five who works outside the house, and Paolo, 44, father of six, who works for the church in Rome.
Maria Grazia told Arguello's story. As a young man he was an aspiring painter from a bourgeoisie Spanish family headed by his father, a lawyer. In the 1960s, she said, Arguello passed through an existential crisis, renouncing his Catholic faith and even thinking about suicide. The breakthrough, she said, came when Arguello had an "inspiration" that led him to want to know Jesus, not as an abstraction, but a living person.
In pursuit of that aim, she said, Arguello moved to one of the poor neighborhoods on the edges of Madrid, with nothing but a Bible and a guitar. He didn't really know what to do, she said, but soon the poor and outcasts began to come to him, and he would open the Scriptures and talk to them.
Hernandez, Maria Grazia said, came from a different background. She always had a strong sense of faith, and had wanted to go on a mission to India. She had studied liturgy and theology, but when she met Arguello, she believed she saw the Holy Spirit in his little community.
"Liturgy for them was a response of joy to the listened Word," Maria Grazia said.
Paolo then spoke about his own background as the second-oldest son in a high-achieving family. The way he decided to distinguish himself, he joked, was by being "the worst" at everything. He became rebellious, had problems with the police, and utterly rejected the church, which seemed "far too strict."
"I say this because some of you may be asking, why are you talking to us? You're not theologians. But we have concrete experience of real life," he said.
He asked the roughly 30 people who had turned out to come for 15 sessions, after which anyone who wished could continue with additional formation.
The evening concluded with a stirring sing-along with Paolo on guitar, followed by a closing prayer.
Listening to the presentation, three things struck me.
First, the Neocatechumenate is very much a "lay" phenomenon. There were two priests present, the pastor of Santi Vitale and a 33-year-old associate pastor from a parish in the Roman suburbs, but both were on the margins.
Second, the approach has parallels with techniques of the so-called "sects," meaning evangelical and Pentecostal groups. The "pitch" is personal, focused on the power of the gospel to redeem personal situations -- drug use, family problems, feelings of aimlessness and despair. There's a strong emphasis on small groups, along with upbeat "charismatic" styles of song and prayer.
Third, one could see the potential for divergent reactions. Most of the 30-some people in the room seemed to be parishioners, and some were skeptical. One middle-aged parishioner said, "You seem to be asking us to give you credit based on nothing but your word." Others, however, seemed excited. If the group puts down roots, one challenge will be to make sure that the passion it awakens among some does not generate resentment among others."
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