Golias magazine n°65 mars/avril 1999 pp 60-61; reproduces here with their agreeable authorization.
These movements "laymen" who prepare the clerks of tomorrow...(solely the part concerning the nc)
The neo-catéchuménal Path
Although like the other movements, the thousands of parish priests became members of the neo-catéchuménal Path, the movement begins to make order priests his/her/its own members. The foundation of several seminaries of the neo-catéchuménal Path, of which the one Rome Redemptoris Mater, contributed very extensively to put this aspect in evidence. In 1993, twenty-four seminaries existed
of the movement distributed on twenty countries. 850 seminarians studied there, whereas 1 500 candidates got ready to enter in the national Centers of vocations of the neo-catéchuménal Path. Within the movement, thirty-seven priests and thirty-three deans already received their ordination.
The neo-catéchuménal Path can be proud of a number impressive of ministerial vocations. Regularly, the thousands of candidates present themselves at the time of the big gatherings of mass. And every year, the diocese of Rome orders a considerable proportion of seminarians of the Path néocatéchuménal. The crisis of the vocations being one of the most urgent problems of the church, this obstruction could not let the indifferent pope: so on the twenty-nine priests that Jean-Paul II ordered May 23, 1993, at the time of the world day of prayer for the vocations, to the Saint Peter basilica, sixteen came from the college diocesan néocatéchuménal Redemptoris Mater. It was besides the first ordination conferred by the only pope profit of the diocese of Rome.
This "first" is certainly due to the big numbers of neo-catéchuménaux concerned. To the sides of Mg ` Ruini, the cardinal-priest of Rome, and of his/her/its deputies, whose majority is won to the reason of the Path, one found on this occasion all the fine flower of the Gotha neo-catéchuménal: Mgr Luigi Conti of the seminary Redemptoris Mater, bishop Salimi, his/her/its rector, the bishop Cordes and, of course, Kiko Arguello and Carmen Hernandez, the founders of the movement. Revealing feature: although they were there all incardinés, one only of the sixteen neo-catéchuménaux ordinands was original of Rome. Five others came respectively from Italian dioceses and about ten of Bolivia, Peru, Slovenia, Spain, Germany, Britain, Portugal and Mexico. The missionary strategy of the neo-catéchuménal Path wants that one takes the vocations where one finds them and that one displaces them to his/her/its manner...
Having sometimes begun at the age of thirteen years, this priests neo-catéchuménaux has all followed the course of the Path during twenty years, that means the double of a formation for a Jesuit. They are destined to work in the parishes and, only knowing the Catholicism néocatéchuménal, will propagate this model there only. To the synod on the laymen of 1987 dedicated to the laymen, Mg ` Abelardo Mata Guevara, a Nicaraguan bishop, expressed as follows the concern many bishops who don't share the pope's obstruction for the neo-catéchuménal Path: "The bishops worry that of young priests of which the vocation. didn't bloom to the only contact of a particular spiritual movement quit to remain submitted to this movement, all as it is troubling that one pushes to the creation of. particular seminaries regrouping the candidates to the neo-catéchuménal ministration, mistletoe undertakes these studies in a precise goal to remain to the service of their community. "
Even though the priests are incardinés in a particular diocese, these seminaries are not less of them international and missionary; they are < au service du monde entier, jusqu'aux confins de la terre " . Comme le nombre de vocations diminue dans la plupart des pays, la perspective de voir les prêtres du Chemin néo-catéchuménal envahir par vagues successives les paroisses à l'abandon à de quoi troubler les esprits et pourrait avoir un impact sérieux sur l'ensemble de l'Église.
Nancy: how the "Path" made explode a parish
New testimonies on the practices of the neo-catéchumenal Path from various country confirm with strength the investigation that we achieved. Â the fall 1 992, a group named "neo-catéchuménat" got settled in a French parish of the suburb of Nancy, Pulnoy-Cerville. Taking advantage of the pope's blessing, this community succeeded, in three years, to phagocyter a parish until there welcoming and dynamic, to introduce suspicions there, hates, rancors, denouncement, guilt, diabolization... and especially â to circumscribe the priest, a forty-year-old who didn't have anything of an illuminated. Investigation.
The neo-catéchuménal Path had taken contact with the priest of the parish of Pulnoy-Cerville, Georges Engel, so that it allows them to work in the parish. Until then, he/it had remained skeptic until one of the general priests, Michel Lemaire, submitted at the "Path", threat to call some in high place: either you accept the neo-catéchuménal Path, or the parish is without priest... Began proselytism then. So was thrown in fall 1992 the first catéchèse of the parish, controlled by a couple of the neo-catéchuménal Path, Julian and Danièle, with the help of an Italian Carmelite priest. His/her/its structure was identical to the one of all other parishes in the world where the "Path" succeeded in getting a foothold: interdiction to take the notes, to intervene, a fortiori to contradict. Secret kept jealously on the continuation of the process. Of the pressures, incitements to meet in head to Julian head are led on the refractory. "The involvements are gotten by force, by intimidation: no reason, all valid either her, is not accepted to escape there! "
The inexorable process of entering into possession of of the parish had gotten in movement. The priest of the parosse embarked in a cycle of expenses: Georges made... to manufacture, of his/her/its own initiative, a new path of cross, and redorer the patens, ciboriums and other objects of the cult; the parochial advice is not even consulted. The neo-catéchuménal Path put the hand gradually on the groups of catéchèse of the parish. Finally, at the time of a stormy meeting of the catéchumènes, the priest declared to choose people henceforth" only in perfect communion with the pastor ". The influence of the neo-catéchuménal Path on the advice of the parish went crescent until it was, him also, completely under control. But especially, the "former parishioners" were shocked of the change intervened at their priest who had been a near friend
:"The mail, functional and/or friendly, once exchanged to the hand by Georges with his/her/its parishioners becomes laconic, formal, typed letters... " They were appalled by his/her/its "brutal return and without concession to the dress of clergyman ". One even says that he/it "would have refused to "elders" the sacrament of the reconciliation" and that" the communion became the place of confrontation with each of the "old"; lightning look, / 'host like pier in the tense hand ".
The innumerable attempts led by the "former parishioners" to establish a dialogue with their priest were repulsed, or didn't give any concrete result. When the members of the parish that resisted succeeded in persuading the local dean to make a meeting at home, with the father Engel and in their presence, in order to debate the problem of the neo-catéchuménal Path, Georges Engel insisted so that the meeting was annulled. On the occasion of a parochial gathering, he/it even declared: "The devil is in the parish. He/it is even in some people that I know... " During this meeting, two parishioners are snubbed brutally in their demand of dialogue.
December 2, 1994, one organized in the parish a gathering of the members of the neo-catéchuménal Path and the "former parishioners" so that they can expose their differences under the presidency of the father Engel, and of bishop JeanPaul Jaeger. It is only to the course of this event that the bishop seemed to discover - "too late ", he has said! the size of the damages. Following this meeting, the father Engel distributed" a report supposedly complete, actually completely tampered: our interventions were truncated or were warped, those of the neo-catéchuménat sweetened and valorized" declare the resistant parishioners.
the bishop had promised a "decision" following the meeting of December 2, 1994. Finally, the father Engel announced in chair, June 24, 1995, that" from the return, the neo-catéchuménal Path will meet outside ". The bishop's solution consisted in transferring the father Engel and the community of the Path in the parish neighboring of Heillecourt and to affect the priest of it to the parish of Pulnoy in order to conduct the necessary work of recovery and reconciliation.
However, as made it notice the "former parishioners", henceforth gathered in the Credop (Christians in research of monitoring, dialogue and opening of Pulnoy-Cerville): "We "are freed" but without being reassured for as much, since the group "pursues" its path elsewhere. "Besides, the damages committed in their own parish are largely irreparable: "Many parishioners "old", same member of the Credop, emigrated toward neighboring parishes or quit all religious practice. "
The neo-catéchuménal Path
Although like the other movements, the thousands of parish priests became members of the neo-catéchuménal Path, the movement begins to make order priests his/her/its own members. The foundation of several seminaries of the neo-catéchuménal Path, of which the one Rome Redemptoris Mater, contributed very extensively to put this aspect in evidence. In 1993, twenty-four seminaries existed
of the movement distributed on twenty countries. 850 seminarians studied there, whereas 1 500 candidates got ready to enter in the national Centers of vocations of the neo-catéchuménal Path. Within the movement, thirty-seven priests and thirty-three deans already received their ordination.
The neo-catéchuménal Path can be proud of a number impressive of ministerial vocations. Regularly, the thousands of candidates present themselves at the time of the big gatherings of mass. And every year, the diocese of Rome orders a considerable proportion of seminarians of the Path néocatéchuménal. The crisis of the vocations being one of the most urgent problems of the church, this obstruction could not let the indifferent pope: so on the twenty-nine priests that Jean-Paul II ordered May 23, 1993, at the time of the world day of prayer for the vocations, to the Saint Peter basilica, sixteen came from the college diocesan néocatéchuménal Redemptoris Mater. It was besides the first ordination conferred by the only pope profit of the diocese of Rome.
This "first" is certainly due to the big numbers of neo-catéchuménaux concerned. To the sides of Mg ` Ruini, the cardinal-priest of Rome, and of his/her/its deputies, whose majority is won to the reason of the Path, one found on this occasion all the fine flower of the Gotha neo-catéchuménal: Mgr Luigi Conti of the seminary Redemptoris Mater, bishop Salimi, his/her/its rector, the bishop Cordes and, of course, Kiko Arguello and Carmen Hernandez, the founders of the movement. Revealing feature: although they were there all incardinés, one only of the sixteen neo-catéchuménaux ordinands was original of Rome. Five others came respectively from Italian dioceses and about ten of Bolivia, Peru, Slovenia, Spain, Germany, Britain, Portugal and Mexico. The missionary strategy of the neo-catéchuménal Path wants that one takes the vocations where one finds them and that one displaces them to his/her/its manner...
Having sometimes begun at the age of thirteen years, this priests neo-catéchuménaux has all followed the course of the Path during twenty years, that means the double of a formation for a Jesuit. They are destined to work in the parishes and, only knowing the Catholicism néocatéchuménal, will propagate this model there only. To the synod on the laymen of 1987 dedicated to the laymen, Mg ` Abelardo Mata Guevara, a Nicaraguan bishop, expressed as follows the concern many bishops who don't share the pope's obstruction for the neo-catéchuménal Path: "The bishops worry that of young priests of which the vocation. didn't bloom to the only contact of a particular spiritual movement quit to remain submitted to this movement, all as it is troubling that one pushes to the creation of. particular seminaries regrouping the candidates to the neo-catéchuménal ministration, mistletoe undertakes these studies in a precise goal to remain to the service of their community. "
Even though the priests are incardinés in a particular diocese, these seminaries are not less of them international and missionary; they are < au service du monde entier, jusqu'aux confins de la terre " . Comme le nombre de vocations diminue dans la plupart des pays, la perspective de voir les prêtres du Chemin néo-catéchuménal envahir par vagues successives les paroisses à l'abandon à de quoi troubler les esprits et pourrait avoir un impact sérieux sur l'ensemble de l'Église.
