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Saturday, January 12, 2019

Pope's Letter To Kiko

Message of the Holy Father for the 80th birthday of Kiko Arguello

“May God repay you for all the good you do for the Church” This is what Pope Francis wrote in a personal birthday message to the Initiator of the Neocatechumenal Way, who yesterday in Madrid turned 80 and celebrated the event with a Mass and a lunch with those closest to him.

“Dear brother, I do not want you to spend this day without sending you a few lines expressing my closeness and fraternal thanksgiving for your 80 years. Thanks be to God who has elected you: thank you for your faithfulness. May the Lord repay you for all the good you do for the Church. I am close to you, I pray and I accompany you. Happy Birthday! I hope that the brothers and sisters of the Way prepare you a cake with 80 candles. Please do not forget to pray for me. May Jesus bless you and the Holy Virgin protect you.
Your brother, who loves you and admires you,

Francesco”

Kiko’s thanks to the Holy Father

Kiko, who welcomed this gesture by the Holy Father “with great enthusiasm”, had already thanked the Pope for the words spoken of him Tuesday morning at the end of the Mass at Casa Santa Marta when he was thanked for “the apostolic zeal with which Kiko works within the Church”. Kiko with Fr Mario Pezzi and Maria Ascension Romero, who together form the International Team responsible for the Neocatechumenal Way, had written a note expressing gratitude to the Pope, renewing “his affection and closeness to the Pontiff assuring him prayers for his Petrine ministry”.

The Meeting at Tor Vergata for the 50 years of the Neocatechumenal Way

The last meeting between Pope Francis and Kiko Arguello took place on 5th of May 2018 on the occasion of the 50 year anniversary of the first communities formed in Rome, at Tor Vergata. On that occasion the Holy Father, speaking of the strength of the announcement of the Gospel in the Neocatechumenal Way, had said that “reasoning and arguments do not convince people, rather it is life that attracts them, not the capacity to impose oneself, but rather the courage to serve. And you have in your DNA this vocation of announcing the Gospel living in families, after the example of the Holy Family: in unity, simplicity and praise. Carry this family atmosphere to the many desolate places lacking affection and love”.

An Ecclesial reality present in 134 Nations of the World 
           
The Neocatechumenal Way is an itinerary of Christian Initiation, today present in 134 Nations on the five continents, with thousands of communities, born in the 60’s in the shanty towns of Palomeras Altas in the outskirts of Madrid.

11 comments:

  1. Very quickly this web page will be famous
    among all blogging users, due to it's pleasant articles

    ReplyDelete
  2. While I'm learning about the NCW and I have come to admire their faith & dedication to evangelization I'm curious as to why their music and liturgical style evokes the folk masses of the 60s & 70s rather than the timeless musical and liturgical style of the early church in particular Gregorian chant which sacrosanctum concilium states is particularly suited for the Roman rite and also same Vatican II document states that latin the ancient official language of the church should be given pride of place. That the faithful ought to respond in Latin those parts that pertain to them.. St Paul VI in 1974 gave a beautiful gift to the faithful in Jubilate Deo a repotoire of minimum chant each parish ought to know..
    http://cooltoolsforcatholics.blogspot.com/2010/10/jubilate-deo-pdf-of-minimum-repertoire.html?m=1

    And why use a table which was condemned by Mediator Dei as an archaeologism. One which according to Klaus Gamber never before existed in the church east or west? I'm just curious why there seems an attachment to 1960s 1970s style liturgy & music in the NCW rather then incorporating the music most suited for the Roman rite?

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    Replies
    1. Dear Anonymous at 4:10 am,

      The music didn't come from the 60s and 70s. Most were taken from the book of Psalms. The faithful ought to respond to the Vatican. The NCW has the approval of the Holy See.

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  3. in the early church christians did not sing the Gregorian that was born in the eighth century, but litanies created by chanting the Psalms

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  4. Neocatechumenal way has a book of hymns just as established in the statutes.

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  5. The words of the Holy Father are unbelievable. Best possible testimony of gratitude and praise. Wonderful....

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  6. Let us keep walking, brothers and sisters. The Pope just loves us. Pope Paul VI loved us. Pope Benedict Loved us. Pope John Paul II loved us.... and we can see how much Pope Francis loves us...What do we need more?! signed a neo-catechumen like you, a sister

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  7. No more bad talk from the Jungle

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  8. Dear anon at 4:10

    Your description of NCW music is extremely inaccurate. Although I am not an expert musician it is obvious that most of the melodies in the NCW music comes from either Hebrew culture, or Spanish flamenco. A very common chord progression in the songs from the NCW is A minor, G, F, and E and the key of C. This is a commonly used chord progression in Spanish flamenco which would make sense considering this initiation first started among the gypsies.
    So this idea of sounding like 60's and 70's is personal opinion. Now a few overzealous drum players may change the overall feel of the songs but do not mistake that for their original musical direction.

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  9. All on jungle watch seemed well until Frenchie revealed his sticky web.He really hasn't changed.People can be nice or angry in the comments or reasonable or unreasonable and it won't matter.He'll shift the rhetoric to make them all seem like the same person or the same type of people to boost his agenda.Like a black widow luring flies to the trap.
    NO ONE COMMENT ON JW.That's what they want you to do.DON'T DO IT.IT'S A TRAP.The black widow is still hungry.Just in case anyone was thinking about doing it,don't do it.PLEASE.I don't care if you want to give someone a piece of your mind or if you want to enlighten them.It's better to not say anything at all on that blog.You really want to beat JW? Don't give them what they want.Let the spider starve.Whether you're a Neo or not a neo don't comment on it.Period.Jungle watch has never been peaceful.If it seems like it is,its a sticky web waiting for flies.

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    Replies
    1. I doubt that anyone is writing in JW. I think Frenchie is making up the anonymous comments.

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