In a meeting in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, in Rome, with the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Camino, they received a destination for different parishes from the periphery of the city.
Rome, 04/23/2018.- The The Neocatechumenal Way held a meeting on Sunday, April 22, in the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls where the missionary destinations were received by 25 communities that will be sent on mission by Pope Francis next Saturday, May 5, in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Way in Rome.
The meeting was led by the international team responsible for the Way,Kiko Argüello, María Ascensión Romero and Fr Mario Pezzi.
It was attended by the communities that they have already finished the Way and have solemnly renewed the baptismal promises and parishes that requested the help of these communities and their willingness to host them.
During the celebration, Argüello recalled that “the Way ends evangelizing, going to those far from the peripheries.”
The The initiator of the Way also warned of the problem of settling and losing zeal for evangelizing: “When you settle you enter a kind of disease: lukewarmness ”.
“The lukewarm has lost his zeal, he does not want go preach on the streets but you would rather stay home watching the television. It is also horrible to lose zeal for presbyters, catechists, bishops … But when we are sent to a post, on behalf of the Church, this danger ceases because we are not living our own life, but we live the life of Another (Christ) who has sent us there and this protects the roots of our faith and prevents us from settling in.”
In the celebration, the Gospel of St. John 17, 18-26 was proclaimed and Argüello announced the Kerigma.
Audience with Pope Francis
On April 19, Pope Francis received the international team responsible for the Neocatechumenal Way at the Vatican.
The main objective of the meeting was speak about the 50th anniversary of the Way that will be commemorated with a great gathering, presided by the Pope in Tor Vergata on May 5.
A great gathering for the 50th anniversary
The Neocatechumenal Way will celebrate a great international meeting in Rome on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of its arrival in Rome, next Saturday May 5 at Tor Vergata.
About 150 thousand people will participate in it from all over the world and from the 5 continents, and the 135 nations in which the Way is established, in addition to cardinals, bishops and other persons.
During the event, Pope Francis will send 34 new missio ad gentes that, at the request of many other bishops, they will evangelize in secularized areas or with little presence of the Church, in cities around the world.
Francis will send these 25 communities of the parishes of Rome – which have completed this Christian initiation – and have made themselves available to be sent to parishes in the periphery where their help has been requested to call those away from the faith.