Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Easter Announcement

Last night, the Cathedral was packed with the brothers as we gathered together to hear the Easter Announcement from Father Pius.  It was also an opportunity to see the newly born communities that were formed recently this year.  Unfortunately, the community at the Department of Corrections could not attend due to obvious reasons.  Nevertheless, even in DOC, there was a new community born with 19 brothers.  Agana, Agat, Barrigada, and Tamuning had newly born communities as well.  Agat has 25 brothers in the new community and Barrigada has 34 brothers.  Father Pius pointed out the age group in these newly formed communities.  Although there were a few older people in the new communities, the large majority appear to be in their twenties and thirties and some in their teens. 

During the Easter Announcement, we watched a video of the NCW's recent meeting with the Pope.  Everyone recognized Father Santigo in the film as he came upstage to receive the Pope's blessing.  The NCW cheered and applauded when he appeared on film.  Father Pius also said that Father Santiago's sister was part of the mission family who was sent off to evangelize.  Father Pius pointed out Father Santiago's sister and her family as they approached the Pope, and everyone applauded. 

The video also showed Kiko Arguello giving Pope Francis a gift of his most recent drawings.  A small card showing Kiko's drawing and personal handwritten note (on the back of the card) was also given to all the brothers in the Way.  The Pope's speech to the NCW was also distributed to the brothers. 

“I confirm your calling, I support your mission, and I bless your charism,” the Pope told the group. “It is your witness of life that demonstrates the heart of Christ’s revelation.”  

According to Dictionary.com, "confirm" is defined as: 

1. to establish the truth, accuracy, validity, or genuineness of; corroborate; verify: 
 
2. to acknowledge with definite assurance:
 
3. to make valid or binding by some formal or legal act; sanction; ratify:
 
4. to make firm or more firm; add strength to; settle or establish firmly:
 
5. to strengthen (a person) in habit, resolution, opinion, etc.:
 
6. to administer the religious rite of confirmation to.
 
Pope Francis confirmed our calling.  What better way to say that the Neocatechumenal Way is indeed Catholic.   
 


14 comments:

  1. To go against the Pope is not Catholic"

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  2. The Easter Announcement basically made me think "I don't care what anyone from the jungle thinks about us, the archbishop, of if we sit down or stand"

    THE POPE "CONFIRMS THIS CHARISM"

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  3. THE

    NEOCATECHUMENAL WAY

    IS

    CATHOLIC!

    ReplyDelete

  4. New brothers were forced to join the communities. Cathedral was not packed with brothers.

    Pius lied deceived those who attended.


    NCW continues to divide the catholic church on Guam. Taking our land and our money to self serve.

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    Replies
    1. Dear Anonymous at 11:06 am,

      The newly born communities were given an option to attend the Easter announcement or not. They had a choice not to even be at the Easter announcement, and they came. No one forced them to join the community. The invitations were given and those who chose to come came of their own free will.

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  5. I can say Father Santiago is one of the very few good fruits of the NCW. Need more like him.

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  6. In the pope's talk to members of the Neocatechumenal Way in Rome on March 6, 2015, Pope Francis:

    1. Makes it clear that he nor Kiko did not call the meeting.

    "our meeting today is a missionary sending, IN OBEDIENCE TO WHAT CHRIST REQUESTED and what we heard in the Gospel."

    2. Makes it clear that he(through the form of the bishops that he has appointed) is personally sending the "missionaries".

    "These communities, called by the Bishops,...with a mandate to evangelize non-Christians(including the baptized)

    3. Makes it clear that he is not happy with the SHENANIGANS OF THE CRITICS by joking that he was "paid" to show up.

    "I do so because I want to do it."

    4. Makes it clear that the "missionaries" are to go to non-Christian lands AND to Catholic parishes like ours.

    "I have insisted on the need that the Church pass from a pastoral of simple conservation to a decisively missionary pastoral (Cf. Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, 15)"

    and as earlier noted,

    "These communities, called by the Bishops,...with a mandate to evangelize non-Christians(including the baptized)"


    The Pope could not be any clearer. He confirms us. He supports us. He blesses us.

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    Replies
    1. Tim Rohr neglect to comprehend, the scary part this will eventually destroy him or he might crack.

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  7. So having an seperate Easter Celebration at a catholic school gym in private and not a Parish is not a seperation? What happened to the hotels?

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    Replies
    1. Dear Anonymous at 4:23 am,

      No it is not separation. All Easter Vigils celebrated around the world is ONE. So even the Easter Vigil celebrated in Mongmong Church and the one celebrated in Tamuning Church, and the one celebrated in California, and the one celebrated in Moscow, and the one celebrated in an underground church in China, and the one celebrated in a private and secret place in Syria, and the one celebrated in a hotel are all ONE Easter Vigil.

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    2. That may be true in a metaphysical sense, but it is not enough to say this. Otherwise, the Church would be wrong, when in Paschalis Sollemnitatis it states:

      "The celebration of the Easter Vigil for special groups is not to be encouraged since, above all in this Vigil, the faithful should come together as one and should experience a sense of ecclesial community."

      If we use your sense of "ONE", then this statement is pointless, and you essentially imply that the Church's lawful magisterium is wrong. So which one is its Diana? DO you persist in the "all vigils are one" argument, and leave it at that, or do you acknowledge what the Church is getting at in the above statement?

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    3. Dear Anonymous at 10:52 am,

      Do I need to say again that we are not a special group? Our Statutes and even Pope Francis said that we are to celebrate our Eucharist in small communities. This also includes the Easter Vigil, which is mentioned in our Statutes.

      You already find it a problem that we celebrate the Eucharist in small communities, so I am not surprised that you also feel the same way about our Easter Vigil. But we follow what the Pope says because he is the Vicar of Christ who has the authority to bind and loose. In the first place, it was the Church's Magisterium who proclaimed that all Mass including the Easter Vigil is ONE. There is only one baptism and one faith all under the one and same Holy Spirit just as St. Paul said.

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    4. "ur Statutes and even Pope Francis said that we are to celebrate our Eucharist in small communities. This also includes the Easter Vigil, which is mentioned in our Statutes. "

      Tis is easily shown to be false. Just note that Article 12 does not say that the NCW are permitted to celebrate a separate Vigil. In any case the Easter Vigil is not a "elebration in small communities" as you imply, because all the communities get together for it. You are a pathological liar it seems.

      Secondly,

      "In the first place, it was the Church's Magisterium who proclaimed that all Mass including the Easter Vigil is ONE. There is only one baptism and one faith all under the one and same Holy Spirit just as St. Paul said."

      If it was as simple as saying that then you accuse the Church's magisterium of being wrong when it says "the faithful should come together as one and should experience a sense of ecclesial community"

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    5. Dear Anonymous at 3:41 pm,

      Actually, it is easily shown to be true. Zenit interviewed Kiko and asked him why he wrote to the Pope. According to Kiko:

      "In the indications given to the families, full of joy in seeing so many children, he said that at times, to find communion with the dioceses where the families are sent, that they could renounce "some details" to foster the ecclesial communion with the diocese. We agree that ecclesial communion is very important, but these words were read out of context and interpreted negatively by some who are not favorable towards the Way: immediately they took away the Eucharist celebrated in community on Saturday night at the Sunday vigil, and eliminated the Paschal Vigil of the community, and this was a terrible harm."

      http://www.zenit.org/en/articles/pope-francis-backs-neocatechumenal-way-liturgy

      Do you see, Anonymous, Kiko explained to Zenit that he wrote because some bishops took the Pope's words on Feb. 1, 2014 out of context and stopped the Way from doing the Eucharist and Easter Vigil. This is what he wrote to the Pope. Archbishop Angelo Becciu responded to his letter as the Pope's representative, and nowhere in that letter did it say, "Wait a minute, Kiko.....why are you celebrating the Easter Vigil? You are not supposed to do that?" Instead, this is what Archbishop Angelo Becciu, wrote back to Kiko, which can be found on the same weblink:

      "I have to assure you that Pope Francis has considered carefully what you explained and wishes to confirm, as he has already expressed in the context of the Audience and of His Speech on February 1st, His paternal closeness and His loving encouragement to you and to all adherents to the Way.............

      Such words do not in any way modify the Statutes, rather they confirm them: as far as it pertains to the celebrations of the Paschal Vigil and the Sunday Eucharist, mentioned by you, articles 12 and 13, read in their entirety, constitute therefore the regulatory charter of reference."

      Delete