Pope Francis Goes to Confession

An anonymous poster posted the link to the following YouTube.  Pope Francis going to confession to another priest made headline news because people do not see this very often if not at all.  What Pope Francis have done in public was something that the RMS priests have been doing before Francis became pope.  They have also been confessing their sins to another priest in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  The NCW does not hold their Reconciliation in the traditional manner.  Reconciliation is done where everyone can see them, but confessions can only be heard by the priests even with the cantors playing in the background.    

In fact, here in Guam I have also never seen any of our local priests attend confession.  As one anonymous poster pointed out in my last post, the only time he/she ever saw a priest going to confession to another priest was when he/she entered the Neocatechumenal Way.  I agree with him/her.  I also had the same experience.  When I first saw a priest confess his sins to another priest, I thought how wonderful. And it was in the NCW when I first saw a priest confess his sins to another priest in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.  After the priest made his confession, he stood in one corner to hear the confessions of the laity.  This humble act made me realize that the priest was human just like us.  Right there, in the Neocatechumenal Way, the idea of putting a priest on a pedestal was demolished.  Right there, I understood then how the priest became a brother with us and a father for us.   

The Healing Power of Forgiveness

The short video clip entitled The Confession was dedicated to the "Year of Mercy" and was directed by John La Raw from Myanmar.  The film got five international film festival awards and was nominated in various international film festivals. The short video clip showed the healing power of forgiveness.  The Confession was nominated the best short of the International Catholic Film Festival.

Confession is important in the life of a Catholic.  Sin separates us from God and His Church. Repenting our sins through confession reconciles us with God and His Church.  Forgiveness is the only thing that can bring healing.  Money can never bring healing.  And this is something that our Catholic Church need to teach.  Christ does not just want to forgive your sins.  He also wants to heal your pain.  In the film, you can see the power of forgiveness working both ways.  One needed forgiveness in order to heal from the guilt caused by his sin. And the other needed to forgive in order to heal from the hurt he carried of losing his father. 

Receiving confession only once a year is not enough.  In the Way, we have reconciliation at least four times in a year, but the NCW always recommend that a person receives confession as much as possible especially if one has committed a mortal sin.  


https://youtu.be/Dz4GIecaA-o  

Negative Publicity

The following article was taken from the Scottish Catholic Observer.  The article tell of some of the inspiring stories behind Scotland's NCW communities.  However, I only quoted a part of the article because their experience is similar to what we are going through in Guam.  According to the article: 

Teresa Lally is no longer involved in the community—she is active now within Catholic Charismatic Renewal—but it was through the Way that she rediscovered her Catholic roots.

She described the Way as an ‘adventure learning about our Faith.’

“For me, it made me appreciate and love the Roman Catholic Church, the beauty of the Mass and the Sacraments, and gave me a grounding in Catholic dogma and the magisterium. It also made me know my Scripture and love and appreciate it.”

She explained the Way is also evangelistic, and that members hold street events and pilgrimages, and even go door-to-door to spread the Gospel.

“Although I am no longer in community, I have a big love of it and appreciation of how it has formed me as an active Catholic,” she said.

“In my experience people in the Neocatechumenal Way, despite some bad press, get very involved in parish life, supporting and serving the parish.”

Bad press

The Catholic newspaper Crux described some of that bad press in a recent article. “In some parishes, congregants have complained about the small groups, meeting apart from the larger Church community,” it read, attributing the criticism to a general ‘wariness of something new.’

In 2017, the Bishop of Lancaster issued new rules for the Way’s liturgies, saying that while the Way had been a ‘blessing,’ there was a ‘growing sense of unease’ about ‘some of the differences in the way the Mass is celebrated among the communities’ of the Way.

However, Fr Devlin said such criticism is certainly not apt in his experience at St Bridget’s.

“The members of the Way I know come to Sunday Mass every Sunday and are very much a part of the parish,” he said.

“They do meet up as a community but they are not separate from the Church.

“If people get to know them they will see that they are just ordinary people. I have always found them very inspirational.”

At the catechesis talk, the Way members were keen to stress that the Way is not separate from the Church, and that their Masses have the same solemn dignity as Sunday Mass.

Although Teresa Lally is no longer walking in the Way, the Way has become a stepping stone for her into joining other movements such as the Charismatic Catholic Renewal and in involving herself in parish life.  In Guam, some NCW members have also joined other movements; however, they still remain with their NCW communities.  Some brothers have joined the Legion of Mary,  Couples for Christ, Christian Mothers, and Catholic Daughters of America. 

The NCW have also involve themselves in parish life.  Some communities volunteered to provide flowers for their parish every month and even volunteered to maintain parish grounds.  Others involve themselves in post-confirmation classes and activities.  Others volunteered themselves to be altar servers, parish choir members, Eucharistic ministers, Lectors, and CCD instructors.  Because they volunteer as altar servers, parish choir members, lectors, and Eucharistic Ministers, one can also see them during the Sunday Mass.   Others help out in other voluntary work, cleaning the parishes inside and out.  The brothers also contribute their time and work in helping out with parish activities.  For example, my community have always contributed to the parish fiesta every year.  The fact that the NCW has involve itself in assisting the parish is evidence that it is part of the Church.  After all, is that not what the Legion of Mary and the Christian Mothers do?  They are just as part of the Church as the NCW.    

My family and I were church-goers like these folks in Scotland.  We attend Sunday Mass every week.  That was the extent of our involvement in parish....sit in the pews and give our regular monetary donation as the baskets are being passed around.  After that, we usually head out as a family to the beach to enjoy the sun and water.....something our kids always look forward to.  After joining the Way, we no longer sit in the pews anymore.  You can find us serving at the altar either as altar servers or singing among the church choir.  The Way made us appreciate the Mass even more that many members involve themselves at the altar.  Our voluntary work also brought us closer to the parishioners as we work alongside them and even serve them.  

Of course, there will be a few who hate us because of the negative publicity from the jungle.  But I have found that they really do not pose much of a problem.  Why?  Because they chose to leave the parish and attend another parish.  We never told them to leave.  They left of their own free will.  We cannot change these people, and it is not our job to change them.  We can only change ourselves.     

In some ways, the bad publicity of the NCW have done some good things.  For one thing, it has encouraged people like Tim to open up a bible study group at St. Anthony parish.  If I am not mistaken, I believe the chancery have also opened up a bible study course of its own as well.  According to Tim Rohr:

Case in point. The Neo's essentially hold a weekly study of Scripture wherein they are indoctrinated with Kiko's interpretations of it. While we may be horrified by what is taught, where else in this diocese do Catholics have access to a weekly study of Scripture? And led by someone solid in the Church's (NOT HIS OWN) understanding of it?    

Actually, the NCW specifically uses the Jerusalem Bible or the New Jerusalem Bible that has numerous footnotes and side bar parallel readings. These footnotes and parallel readings help indoctrinate us with the Church's interpretation of Sacred Scripture.  We also use the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Dictionary of Biblical Theology by Xavier Leon-Dufour.  All these books, by the way, were purchased from Tim Rohr's bookstore.  :-)  

Happy Easter !!!

CHRIST IS RISEN! HE HAS TRULY RISEN INDEED! ALLELUIA! HAPPY EASTER!   

Holy Thursday: Foot Washing

Last night, we celebrated Holy Thursday.  We had the "washing of the feet" in one of the brother's house, but we started the celebration after the parish celebration of Holy Thursday.  As I mentioned before, some of the brothers and sisters in my community participate in the parish as Altar servers, Lectors, Eucharistic Ministers and choir members.  Last night, some of the brothers participated in the parish celebration of Holy Thursday.  

It's always nice to see the members of the NCW together with the parishioners participating in the foot washing rite in the Mass.  The participants in the foot washing, however, were all men.  In 2016, Pope Francis had reformed the ceremony of the washing of the feet during Mass on Holy Thursday by decreeing it to be open to women, too or, as he put it, "to all the members of the People of God." 

In the NCW, we had always washed the feet of both men and women even before the decree was declared in 2016.  According to an article: 

Women and men were both participating in the ancient rite long before Pope Francis arrived on the scene.

In the NCW, we would wash the person's foot and then kiss his/her foot.  The NCW teaches that the foot washing rite is an expression of service and love.  We serve others because we love them. After washing the feet of the Apostles, Christ gave a new commandment, "to love one another as I have loved you."

This foot washing rite is very beautiful especially when done with the brothers whom we often argue with.  Yes, even in the NCW communities we have arguments and judgments against each other.  After all, we are human, and we fall from time to time.  Arguments and judgments are not the miracles because anyone can argue and make judgments.  The miracle is the reconciliation and the forgiveness found in the community.  God desires forgiveness and reconciliation. The journey to holiness and salvation is a process, and the foot washing rite is a great start in experiencing love for the other.  So, brothers and sisters strengthen one another through prayer and humility. 

Important Announcement

I want to make clear that this is MY blog operated by me alone. Although I have stated this before, it appears I need to say it again.  This blog is MINE.  This blog is not the Way's official (or even semi-official) Guam blog. The head catechists, David Atienza, his wife Marisu (sorry if I misspelled her name) and Father Harold do not know my identity, and I prefer to keep it that way.  When I created this blog, I did not obtain any permission from the Head Catechist (who was Father Pius at that time) to create this blog. I also did not obtain any permission from my catechists or my Responsible to create this blog.  Everything I write in this blog came from me unless I specified otherwise.  Because this is my blog, I speak only for myself and the experiences I have while walking in the Way. I do not speak for the Head catechists or any catechists in the NCW.  I also do not speak for any member in the NCW.  

I speak only for myself because this is MY blog. And because it is MY blog, I have every right to censor a poster's comment by not publishing it. I have published comments that I do not agree with, but I will not publish jungle propaganda or arguments that go round and round.  Jungle propaganda can always be published in Junglewatch. Comments that are vulgar will also not be published. I have also received comments that were not written in English. These comments are also not published. To those who cannot write English, please get an English speaker to help you post comments.

Panama Vocations

Panama was the last World Youth Day.  Every World Youth Day, the Neocatechumenal Way would gather together for a vocation calling.  In Panama, about 700 young men stood up when called for the priesthood.  Next, the girls stood up when they felt a calling to be a nun.  About 650 girls stood up for the vocation.  Mission families were also called to reflect on whether God was calling them to go on a mission to different countries to announce the Gospel to the world.  About 600 families responded.  Kudos to these young men, women, and families who responded to God's calling.    

Easter Announcement

Last night the NCW had its Easter Announcement.  There were a few interesting things that were announced.  First of all, Father Harold read a document, informing us that the NCW can have its Easter Vigil in small communities.  A document was sent out by the Holy See on March 1st because some of the Traditional Catholics kept insisting that there should only be one Easter Vigil in the parish.  As usual, some of the TLM Catholics do not believe us when we tell them that we can celebrate the Easter Vigil as it says so in our approved Statutes, but they insist there there must only be one Easter Vigil in a parish, and that the NCW is in violation.  However, our approved statutes stated that we can celebrate the Easter Vigil in small communities.  According to the March 1st document as reported by Crux (the bold is mine): 

The episcopal council of the Rome diocese, in a document distributed March 1, said the unity of the diocese - seen especially through the unity of the bishop and pastors of parishes in the celebration of the Eucharist - is especially important to emphasize during the triduum: the Holy Thursday Mass of the Lord’s Supper, the Good Friday liturgy of the Lord’s Passion and the Easter vigil Saturday night.  

“To express visibly the unity of the holy people of God and express the deepest meaning of belonging to an ecclesial community,” the council said, those who frequent non-parish churches, chapels and oratories or who belong to special groups, associations or new movements “are exhorted to take part in the celebrations of the Easter triduum in parish churches.” 

An exception exists for “national churches,” like the U.S. Catholic community at St. Patrick Church in Rome, and for members of the Neocatechumenal Way, whose Vatican-approved statutes allow for small-group celebrations of the Easter vigil, Midili said.

Yes, brothers and sisters, an EXCEPTION exists for the members of the Neocatechumenal Way.  Our approved statutes had always allowed us to celebrate the Easter Vigil in small communities.     

Also, a priest in Japan was diagnosed with cancer.  I believe his name was Father Miguel.....correct me if I am wrong.  The acoustics in the church was terrible, and I had trouble hearing where we were sitting.  According to the doctors, he does not have much time left.  At any rate, this priest is very happy.  His community and family have traveled from afar to visit him.  They saw how happy he was despite his terminal illness. He had a smile on his face.  Why is he happy?  "Because," he said, "He is going to meet Jesus very soon."  And he is eager to meet Him that he does not feel the pain or suffering.  A Christian leaves this world happy, knowing that he will be in his true home.  Even the Apostles went to their deaths, singing with joy.  Our true home is in God's kingdom for we are citizens of Heaven, and heirs to His kingdom.    

Our Man From Assisi: Road to Priesthood

The following article was shared with me.  As many know, the Neocatechumenal Way has been known to foster vocations.  Some of our young men and women have chosen the religious life.  Some of the Guam girls in the Way have been called into the convent.  They are currently in New Jersey.  Some of the boys have also been called into the priesthood. The following article is about a young man who was from Assisi who joined the Neocatechumenal Way. You can find the article here.
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By Lou Baldwin • Posted April 9, 2019

Second in a series of profiles on the seven men to be ordained priests for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on May 18. 

Deacon Francesco Maria D’Amico, 34, who will be ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia on May 18, has a unique distinction. He is not only named for St. Francis of Assisi who is arguably the church’s most beloved saint from the Middle Ages, he was born and raised in Assisi.

He also happens to be a member of the Neocatechumenal Way, a fast-spreading movement within the Catholic Church that stresses community and evangelization.

One of the nine children of Eduardo and Stefania D’Amico, the family was Catholic, if not particularly practicing, when he was very young but it became more so as he grew older. In fact his father was president of the Assisi tour guides’ association, which is a big thing in the town because of tourists’ draw to St. Francis and St. Clare.

Francesco well remembers Assisi’s devastating earthquake of 1997. On the day after, his father was in the basilica when there was a severe aftershock that nearly destroyed the church. He escaped with his life but one of his companions did not.

“Our house was severely damaged, and we lived in a RV supplied by the government for the next three years. It was very hard especially since my dad could not work because tourism dropped,” Deacon D’Amico said.

As he got older Francesco began drifting away from his family.

“I wanted to be somebody, to have money and be popular,” he recalls.

A good athlete, he thought soccer could be his ticket to success. On the day he expected to be recruited for a youth team of one of the professional clubs in Italy, the unthinkable happened. During a game he suffered a broken leg so serious it ended any chance of a soccer career.

Embittered, Francesco turned completely against the church and God, choosing the world. He played in a rock band. He spent his time drinking, getting high, indulging in all that lifestyle had to offer. “Life was a pigsty,” he recalls in retrospect.

But somewhere inside he knew his life was out of control and he would have to do something, to get away for a bit, perhaps.

When he was 21, through a friend he received an offer to travel to Israel for a year, and he thought maybe that would help.

The offer really came from the Neocatechumenal Way and the place where he would be staying was the Domus Galilaeae on the Mount of the Beatitudes — the same facility where a group of Philadelphia priests recently headquartered during a trip to the Holy Land. 

“It was an adventure of grace after grace,” he recalls. “It was stronger than my past and I tasted God’s love. I found God and Christ and the church.”

It was really the parable of the Prodigal Son in his own life, and if he was the returning prodigal son, the father figures were Father Rino Rossi, the rector of Domus Galilaeae and Father Diego Sanchez, his spiritual director to whom he credits his rebirth into the Catholic faith.

After returning to Italy he mended his fences with his family and friends he may have offended, and started to live a life centered around the Neocatechumenal Way.

Meanwhile, he dated like-minded girls, thinking it would be good to be a husband and a father, but there was also a call to the priesthood and in the end that won out.

When he made his decision he had to go to Porto San Giorgio, Italy where after discernment there was a huge lottery. All of the aspirants put their names on slips of paper that were placed in a basket with other slips noting the names of cities around the world with a Redemptoris Mater Seminary for the Neocatechumenal Way.

One by one, names were drawn at random for a candidate and matched at random with a seminary. Francesco thought he would get India or China and was shocked when he was matched with Washington, D.C. “It was God’s will,” he said.

While in Washington he studied at the Catholic University of America. In 2013, when Archbishop Charles Chaput authorized a Redemptorist Mater Seminary in the Philadelphia Archdiocese, he was transferred here.

At first the Way’s seminarians lived in quarters at St. Barnabas Parish in Southwest Philadelphia, and now at the former St. Louis Parish in Yeadon, while completing his theology studies at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary. He was ordained a transitional deacon in May 2018.

While he will remain a member of the Neocatechumenal Way, he will be a priest for the Archdiocese of Philadelphia under the jurisdiction of the archbishop.

For Deacon D’Amico it has been a long journey to the priesthood, one that really began at the summit of the Mount of the Beatitudes.

Let's Be Very Clear

News report are now coming out that the creditors want the parishes and Catholic schools sold.  According to the Guam Daily Post:

A lawsuit has been filed by the official committee of unsecured creditors against the Archdiocese of Agana that seeks to include all of the island's Catholic schools, churches and other parish properties as assets that could be sold off to satisfy creditor demands in the archdiocese's bankruptcy case.  

Included in the lawsuit is a list of disputed properties that the unsecured creditors committee alleges "should be scheduled as property of the estate." 

The list includes the Dulce Nombre de Maria Cathedral-Basilica.  The committee valued the cathedral at $9.5 million.  All parish churches and schools are also on the list, as well as owned vehicles.  Even the Pigo and Agat cemeteries are on the list. 

Let us be very clear that all this is not the fault of Archbishop Apuron. The reason this is happening is because the Statutes of Limitation was lifted.  It was NOT Archbishop Apuron nor the NCW who introduced, supported and pushed for the passage of a bill that would lift the statutes of limitation.  If that law had not been introduced and passed, no one would be able to bring a lawsuit against the Archdiocese of Agana.  The passage of that law only made it possible for anyone to sue the Archdiocese.  The passage of that law also opened the door for scammers to sue the Archdiocese simply because there are no investigations into any of the allegations.    

The lifting of the statutes of limitation is an unjust law.  Money does not bring healing.  It never did.  And the law will only bring more suffering to other innocent people and makes justice a mockery.    

Salt And Light

Many times, our catechists would give an analogy of what the salt means.  When we do not put salt in our soup, it tastes very bland.  When salt is added, the salt dissolved in the soup and it gives flavor to the soup.  It makes the soup very tasty. The dissolving of salt is described as death.  From the death of sin comes out new life.  As our catechists often explained, the old man must die and a new creation is born.  So, do not despair brothers.  God is the master of history, and He allows things to happen for a good reason.  We cannot see the whole picture, but time will reveal it.  We know that from Christ's death came the redemption and salvation of mankind.  

Today, we now know that the death of Guam's seminary brought life to other dioceses.  We now know that the seminarians who were rejected have been and are being ordained into the priesthood.  In fact, four more RMS seminarians from RMS Guam will be ordained this May, 2019.  So, the death of Guam's seminary brought new life in other diocese of the universal Church. 

Salt is food that is spicy.  It is not dull and boring.  It has the power to make bland food tasty and to preserve food from spoiling.  Salt was so valuable in antiquity that it was also used to pay soldiers their wages.  In fact, the Latin term for salt is the origin of our English word "salary."  Hence the expression, "He is worth his salt."

We are the salt of the earth.  This reminds me of what was said of another group of Christians who were called lukewarm rather than hot or cold.  Those who were lukewarm were spit out of God's mouth (Revelations 3:15-16).  So, I guess it can be said that lukewarm Christians make God sick to His stomach that He had to spit them out of His mouth.  

Of course, I am not saying that to be the salt of the earth one must be an excellent entertainer, a brilliant lecturer or a successful Christian.  It was never about personality, but rather about the heart.  It is about approaching your Christian life with passion rather than with a yawn.  After all, on the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came down with fire, and people did not mope around.  They moved quickly.   

We cannot be the light of the world unless we are on fire.  The Christian life is not lived on autopilot or under cruise control.  That kind of existence is not living, but surviving.  It will not attract anyone to Christ and His Church.  How then can one move from being a lukewarm Catholic to a salty, fiery Catholic?  The old man dies, and a new creation is seen.  One can see this new creation in the faces of Christians, which expresses pure joy and peace.  They manifest the light of Christ in their shining countenance, preaching words of fire.  They pursue a life of prayer, evangelization, and service to the poor. They become the hands and feet of Christ doing His work rather than human works.  Continue to walk. Continue to shine the light of Christ within you so that all those who see His light can praise God our Father (Matthew 5:13-16).

Archbishop Apuron's Press Release

The results of the Appeals has finally come in.  The Vatican has upheld the guilty verdict of Archbishop Apuron.  Therefore, he is no longer the Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Agana.  That title now falls to Archbishop Byrnes.  Although Archbishop Apuron is no longer the Archbishop of Guam, he still retains his title as "Archbishop".  He has not been defrocked nor sentenced to a life of penance as Cardinal McCarrick or Father Brouillard.  However, he is exiled from Guam and continues to claim his innocence. That is his only sentence. Below is Archbishop Apuron's press release to the People of Guam.

Brothers and sisters, let us continue to pray for our Church and Archbishop Byrnes.  Let us also follow in the footsteps of Christ who taught us to love and pray for those who persecute us.  Let us not be ungrateful for the things given to us for God has worked many miracles in and through us.  We are His witnesses.  So, let us continue to be grateful and to be his legacy. 
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April 4, 2019
PRESS RELEASE
Statement of Archbishop Anthony Sablan Apuron, OFM Cap. D.D.

I am deeply saddened by the decision of the Holy Father to confirm the decision of the court of first instance. I lodged an appeal against that decision last year because I am innocent and the sentence of the court of first instance had vindicated me declaring non credible the majority of the charges made against me: I believe that the facts and evidence presented demonstrated my total innocence. In addition to the pattern of contradictions evident in the accusations laid against me, my hopes for a successful appeal were supported by what I considered to be definitive new evidence which illustrated what I have always asserted to be a coordinated campaign against me.

The pontifical secret prevents me from litigating my good name in public, but I wish to take this opportunity to offer my deepest thanks to the many individuals who have privately and publicly come forward in my defense, despite threats and the climate of fear on my beloved home of Guam. This climate, - shown by the local media, - which hampered the work of the court of first instance, testifies to the presence of a pressure group that plotted to destroy me, and which has made itself clearly known even to authorities in Rome. Several persons have told me - with great pain and fear and asking me not to reveal their names - they had been asked to make allegations against me, even offered money.

Child sexual abuse is an abhorrent crime that cries to heaven for vengeance. The desperate need for justice and compassion for the survivors is fundamental. So too is the urgent need to fight this evil always and everywhere through a transparent and courageous search for the truth.

The sentence of the Holy Father concludes my search for justice in the canonical forum: I owe His Holiness my obedience as a bishop, priest and son of the Church. I totally submit to the judgment of the Holy Father as I thank him for allowing me to continue serving as a priest and archbishop without insignia. This sentence exiles me from my beloved Guam: a penalty analogous to a death sentence for me. I lose my homeland, my family, my church, my people, even my language, and I remain alone in complete humiliation, old and in failing health.

I offer this suffering for the Holy Father: may the Lord guide him at this difficult time at the helm of the Church; I offer my suffering to my accusers and to those who have plotted for my removal: may the Lord fill them with everything they want and pray - Father, forgive them for they do not know what they do.

I hope that one day new witnesses, who have been prevented from coming forward by the atmosphere of fear and intimidation, will yet fully vindicate my name. I also pray for my accusers and for those who have plotted against me. We will each meet before that final tribunal where the full truth will be laid bare before the Supreme Judge.

I pray unceasingly for the Holy Church and I look forward to the justice that awaits me beyond this valley of tears: when I awake I will be satisfied with your face, oh Lord.