I found this article on the internet about the NCW of the Sacred Heart Cathedral of Kota Kinabalu in Malaysia renewing their baptismal promises during the Easter Vigil. According to the article:
KOTA KINABALU: The second Neocatechumenal community at Sacred Heart Cathedral here made their solemn renewal of Baptismal promises at the Easter Vigil Mass on 2017.
The 41 brothers and sisters of the community dressed in white robes, had celebrated the Election Stage of their catechumenal journey during the season of Lent.
Before the final prayers and blessings, Archbishop John Wong, who is also rector of SHC parish, led the congregation in congratulating the community on reaching the final stage of their journey in faith with warm applause.
There are three priests in this community: Fr Tony Mojiwat, assistant parish priest at Holy Trinity Church, Inobong; Fr Simon Williams, who is on mission in Iraq; and Fr Ernesto Lagan, who is serving a parish in Kaohsiung, Taiwan.
The first community of the Neocatechumenal Way in SHC, with about 25 brothers and sisters celebrated the same stage in 2011.
These two communities have been brought through the various stages of the Way by an itinerant catechists team, led by Fr Giuseppe (Pippo), Lauria, together with Fernando Valdes and Kathryn McGarr.
During Easter, the communities celebrate the daily Eucharist together at the parish wearing the white robe.
Diana, it is important. Please, do not sweep under the rug and allow to appear.
ReplyDeleteAs soon as one is baptized, one is a Christian. We profess our Catholic faith at every Sunday mass in the church when we pray "I believe in One God...". We also renew our baptismal promises at the regular Easter Sunday (or Easter Vigil) celebration, renouncing Satan and expressing our adherence to our Savior. Therefore, we don't need an "itinerary" to do so. We are already on the right flight!
The sad thing is that NCW missionaries seem to recruit to NCW only. They don't know the main church, only the splinter version of it, propagated to them. They don't evangelize to the Catholic faith. Unity of the faithful is more than a vain desire.
Those who want to walk out from our parishes, do not belong to us! Those who make up false stories that the Catholic church does not need its cathedrals, basilicas and beautiful consecrated churches are talking about themselves only and not about the Catholic church.
Let their desire lead them. Let there be what they want. Time to leave us in the parishes alone. Diana, why does NCW recruit if it wants to leave the church?
Dear Anonymous at 8:32 am,
DeleteFirst of all, see my post on the word "Christian" in the following weblink:
http://neocatechemunal.blogspot.com/2017/04/responding-to-anonymous.html
Secondly, you stated: "The sad thing is that NCW missionaries seem to recruit to NCW only."
This statement does not make any sense. One of the reasons the NCW is being persecuted today was because it recruits its members from the main Church and evangelize to the Catholic faithful.
Finally, the NCW is part of the Church. As I mentioned several times, many of us are in the parishes on Sunday serving as Eucharistic ministers, lectors, alter servers, etc. Some of the people the NCW brought back are those who walked out of the parishes while those in the parish apparently had no desire to go after them in bringing them back.
It is worse still to be ignorant of your ignorance.....St. Jerome
DeleteThe statement definitely makes sense. This is the reason I asked you, please, do not sweep it under the rug. Your founder Kiko said that who is itinerant of NCW team with Carmen Hernandez, now deceased, and Fr. Mario Pezzi founding father.
DeleteLet me quote, the early Christians "had to leave the synagogues. We may one day have to abandon the parishes. We are being persecuted on all parts. Leave the synagogues and where do they go? To the houses!"
What does that mean Diana? Does your itinerary team want to abandon the parishes and go to the houses? Why? Would not that be like breaking the koinonia?
Diana, according to Kiko Arguello, "small Christian communities form the future". He does not say "Christians will be formed in the future", but he says "Christian communities form the future". Do you see the distinction?
DeleteHe talks about communities that are Christian right now. Not perfect men and women, but fallible sinners who happen to follow Christ. We are all Christian. This is the proper understanding of what it means to be one!
Wishful thinking...?
DeleteBut the worst is to accuse others with ignorance while your own ignorance is manifested to everyone except yourself.
DeleteDear Anonymous at 1:30 pm,
DeleteIt means to be prepared to do what the Early Christians did when they were persecuted and hid in the houses and catacombs. It means to be prepared to do what the Christians in the Middle East are already doing now. They are being persecuted by radical Muslims and their churches are being bombed. The same thing is happening in Europe. Radical Muslims intends to persecute all Christians including those in the Western world. Read the newspapers.
Diana, the ISIS is not present in Guam. The early Christians left the synagogues because they were expelled. There was a Rabbinic Council at Jamnia, dominated by the Pharisees, where expulsion was decided for the followers of Jesus of Nazareth. Then, they executed the decision at each and every synagogue. The Christians had to escape.
DeleteThe situation today has no semblance to that at all. Nobody is expelling the NCW from the Catholic Church. Are you stating to the contrary, dear Diana? You are simply asked to follow certain norms. You cannot say that the regulations of the Catholic Church are like persecution by the ISIS. Do you say that?
The concern is Christian unity. You cannot have a parallel church going on apart from the Holy See. If you do not follow the Holy See then you probably do not belong to us. Belonging to the Catholic Church has consequences that even the NCW cannot deny.
Renewal of Baptismal Promises is made by ALL Roman Catholics EACH AND EVERY Easter. To distinquish the Neocatechumenals separately from the rest of the Church in this regard doesn't seem right. May we all be ONE. Peace.
DeleteDear Anonymous at 12:36 pm,
DeleteI have heard the complaints from the jungle saying that the NCW should have the Eucharist in the Church before a consecrated altar. Now, that the NCW is in the Church celebrating the Eucharist, the talk in the jungle is to completely get rid of the NCW. They made false claims that the NCW did not celebrate inside the Church. They claimed that the NCW disobeyed Archbishop Byrnes, went underground, and celebrated in the home. And they made this claim without providing any substantial proof.
Apparently, you cannot even decide whether you want the NCW in the church or not.
Christ is Risen, Alleluia!
ReplyDeleteI do not wish to post my comment but moreso to share this video that gives a very beautiful interpretation of the way... especially since one of the seminarians from this respective seminary will be ordained in May this year... courage my sister - the devil is always trying to make you tired and discourage you - be steadfast and leaning on God. You have a important charism for hope. God bless!
https://youtu.be/lxH7plqo4eU
Diana of 3:52 PM
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome in the Church. However, your additions and deletions in the NCW Mass carried into the regular Mass are not. Please do not attempt to Neo-o-cize our Mass. All we want is you to follow the approved Liturgical Books as Archbishop Byrnes asks.
Dear Anonymous at 3:36 pm,
DeleteThe NCW has been complying with what Archbishop Byrnes asked. Nevertheless, I was correct. Despite our compliance, those who complained still stayed away from our Eucharistic celebration inside the Church. It is still the NCW members who attend the Eucharist, which is two hours long.
I what happened in Malaysia happened at our Easter Vigil, I too would be upset. Although I see much good in the NCW, I would hesitate to applaud a movement that indoctrinates their members to celebrate a NCW Mass that doesn't comply with the approved Liturgical Books. (Where I live the Bishop hasn't as yet made the Liturgical Corrections as Archbishop Byrnes has, even though he is well informed that there is no recognitio for the NCW additions and deletions.) Therefore, this part of the Easter Vigil which is not in any approved Liturgical Books, should have been left out.
DeleteAlso, Renewing Baptismal Vows is what we ALL do, so to have just the NCW members in their white gowns doing so is divisive in regards to the rest of the church. It's like "what about us?"
It's unfortunate that you say in Guam the others don't attend because the NCW are there. Looks like they don't trust you.
This is understandable especially when you apparently see no wrong with the Easter Vigil they celebrated in Malaysia.
Praying that all may be ONE. Peace.
Dear Anonymous at 2:25 am,
DeleteI suspect that one reason they do not attend is because the Mass is two hours long. After all, some of them cannot even stand their regular one hour Mass and leave early before the final blessing.
Dear Anonymous at 3:36 pm,
DeleteIf you visit the different Catholic churches around the island, you will see how the Mass is celebrated in different ways. Though all use the same Roman Missal. For example, some priests during the Liturgy of the Eucharist would say 'sisters and brothers' instead of 'brothers' as written in the Eucharistic prayers. Some priests would include or not include Archbishop Anthony or even Archbishop Michael Jude in the Eucharistic prayers.
Some churches use projection screens, TV screens and some do not. Depending on what village church, you will see lectors and Eucharistic Ministers adorned with sashes or wearing a gown with the sash.
Then you see altar servers wearing no socks, or worse, wearing sneakers below their cassocks. Altar servers joking around, slumping in their seats - where is the reverence at the Mass?
So Anonymous at 3:36pm, where is the uniformity of celebrating the Mass? Why accuse the Way of 'Neo-o-cize' our Mass?
Dear Diana,
ReplyDeleteOur large church is almost full for the Easter Vigil and it's closer to three hours than two. The people are joyful and glad to be there. And, the NCW members are only about twenty at most.
Dear Anonymous at 1:38 pm,
DeleteThe Easter Vigil in the parish is always full. Sadly, that is one of the only times you will ever see it full. The following Sunday, you will not see many of those people until the next Easter or Christmas.
Anon at 1:38 - The NCW Easter Vigil is on average 5 to 6 hours, and normally starts at 9pm and ends aroud 3 or 4 am the next day, that does not include the preparations which starts Saturday morning at around 9 am with morning prayer.
DeleteSo many catholics are so concerned about unity but I think they make the mistake of thinking unity is uniformity. Guys catholics all over the world do things not exactly the same, even on Guam as someone has pointed out earlier.
That's cuz NCW goes to their celebration on Saturdays.
ReplyDeleteRe:AnonymousApril 25, 2017 at 2:59 PM re: "where is the reverence at the Mass?"
ReplyDeleteThere are plenty of reverent Masses other than Neocatechumenal Way ones. Yes, of course, there are those who attend that may not be reverent. But, we find those at Neocatechumenal Way Masses too. (eg: those that talk and giggle with one another while they have Jesus in their hands during their Eucharist, waiting for everyone to consume)
There is need of correction in both Masses - yours and ours.