An Experience Of The Neo-Catechumenal Way

"Christian Order" Magazine ^ | November, 1997 | D.J. Redfern

[narses]

Ping.

[JMJ333]

I won't go to a church with that stupid hippy music or the Eucharist stuffed into some room off to the side. I will continue to pray for reverence and a sense of sacredness to return back to the mass, but as with everything else, the problem stems from our culture. Nothing is sacred in society--except of course all things deviant--and it has translated over into how Mass is viewed.

[narses]

I am unsure of what to make of this. It appears to be a "new" Rite of the Church. There is so much here to digest and it keeps coming back up.

[JMJ333]

All I know is...you aren't going to get me to dance around the altar no matter how special the occasion is.

[narses]

Dancing at the altar just seems so pagan. I suppose that sounds very old fashioned of me, but no, I won't dance either.

[JMJ333]

It is pagan sounding. It reminds me of an event that happened during the French Revolution--a mob gutted Notre Dame and set up an actress on the altar dressed up as Hecate, the goddess of reason, and proceeded to dance around the alter in a circle worshiping her. No kidding!

[narses]

Ugh. In fact hurling ugh.

[Desdemona]

"...go to a church with that stupid hippy music..."

J, you're describing my childhood.

I won't do hippy music anymore either.

Des

[JMJ333]

It has to be an organ or some sort of string music or I can't seem to enjoy myself. I like a feeling of holiness to surround me---something that tamborines and guitars just doesn't do. Imagine when the monks used to do gregorian chants and hyms stirred the soul! I long for a return to the medieval.

[Desdemona]

I won't argue with you on a cappella. Definitely sends chills up your spine.

[Dajjal]

Quoting The Neocatechumenals

I know about the Neo-Catechumenal Movement. We have one at my local parish; and some of my friends even belong to it, despite my discouragement. It is Gnostic. Experiential. An immediate goal is to set up little cults within each parish; a long-term goal is to break up all parishes into small cells of 5 to a dozen people of "small faith communities" and to exist without priests or with priests rarely visiting each community!

[Dajjal]

There's a lot of information & links about the Neo-Catechumenal Movement at the blog Ad Orientem.

[Dajjal]

Excerpts of Secret Instructions for Neo-Catechumenal "Catechesis" From Founder Kiko Arguello

Neo-Catechumenal "Catechesis" Contrasted with Official Church Teachings

[narses]

I have heard that Rome has approved of this. Is that correct?

[Salvation]

Doesn't sound like it would be endorsed by USCCB or the Holy See.

[narses]

If you want to sink your teeth into liturgical issues, here is an interesting set of them. Your thoughts?

[Dajjal]

Creed. The Profession of Faith is never said because of an antiquarian approach towards the liturgy. The Creed, being a later addition to the Mass, has been removed because the NC liturgy was devised in an attempt to return to primitive liturgical practice.

Washing of Hands. The Lavabo, an expression of the priest's desire to be cleansed within, has been omitted, probably because it is viewed that there is no longer a practical reason for this rite.

Orate, fraters. This prayer has also been omitted, presumably because of the mention of sacrifice. This may have been done for ecumenical reasons. However, a priest long associated with the NC Way once told me that the sacrificial nature of the Mass was a pre-Vatican II notion and not of particular concern today!

Agnes Dei. Has been omitted.

Domine, non sum dignus ... et sanabitur anima mea. This response has also been omitted from the celebration. I can not comment on why this omission has taken place but the attitude of the catechists seems to be that, no matter how sinful we are, if we have been invite to a meal we should eat. Hence, Spiritual Communion is not encouraged.

As "primitive" as the Novus Ordo is supposed to be, these people take the liturgy back even further, and play-act that they are "pure" "Early Christians."

At my parish, some of them may attend the regularly scheduled public Masses with the rest of the parishoners, but they will not communicate with everyone else. They will save that for Saturday evening, when they go down to the "basement/meeting hall" level of the church building, where they hold their own special Neo-Catechumenal Mass.

The Neo-Catechumenal Mass is not advertised on the plaque outside the church, nor in the bulletin. It is by invitation only! Someone who belongs has to "tap" you and "invite" you to this "special" liturgy.

It is a gnostic cult within the Catholic Church. The people I know are nice and all, and do hard work around the parish, etc. But there is a sort of glint in their eyes, like "we belong to a better, purer Church than you do!"

[Dajjal]

On the contrary -- this is very endorsed by the USCCB and the Vatican. Check out the info at Ad Orientem.

[Dajjal]

Neocatechumenal Way´s Statute Approved by Vatican

"Our Pope (and Cardinal Ratzinger) have given strong support to the NCW and the members of the NCW have been prominent, for example, in the World Day of Youth celebrations. "

They were major organizers of World Youth Day in Toronto.