January 26, 2012. (
Romereports.com) The
Vatican has approved Christian initiation ceremonies held by the N
eocatechumenal Way. One of its initiators is
Kiko Argüello. The announcement was made at the Vatican, where roughly 7,000 members joined the pope during the audience.
Kiko Argüello
Initiator of the Neocatechumenal Way
“Today the Holy See confirms the formation of the new man that God wants us to bring forward in the Church. It's journey that spans almost 45 years, all over the world.”
The Neocatechumenal Way is an itinerary of catechesis for adults. It's led under the direction of a bishop. The goal is for adults to rediscover their baptism.
In 2002, John Paul II approved the statutes temporarily. Then in 2008 the approval was made official. Now the Vatican has recognized the Christian initiation celebrations. Arguello talked about why he thinks these celebrations are key, not only for its members, but for the Church as well.
Kiko Argüello
Initiator of the Neocatechumenal Way
“The Lord wanted it. It was necessary and even urgent for the Church, to have a Christian initiation through which people can have a mature faith that can withstand secularization.”
Members of the Neocatechumenal Way, directly practice the New Evangelization. The group has several “missionary families” that leave everything behind to go and live in areas that are 'dechristianized' so to speak. Now, some of them are getting ready to go work abroad.
Kiko Argüello
Initiator of the Neocatechumenal Way
“We are preparing for the Evangelization of Asia, including China. We already have seminars in China and we're also preparing families for Thailand and Vietnam. John Paul II said that in the Third Millennium there was a need to evangelize in Asia and in a sense, the Lord is leading us there.”
The Neocatechumenal Way has more than 3,000 priests. Roughly 1,500 seminarians and about 80 seminaries. Its young members are also quite active, which was seen during World Youth Day in Madrid.
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