Archbishop Byrnes Imposes Moratorium on ‘neo Way’ in Guam

By Vic Cagurangan
Marianas Variety
March 16, 2017

http://www.mvariety.com/cnmi/cnmi-news/local/93808-archbishop-byrnes-imposes-moratorium-on-neo-way-in-guam

Michael Byrnes

Archbishop Michael Byrnes has ordered a moratorium on the Neocatechumenical Way or NCW recruitment of new members on Guam in a bid to appease the traditional Catholics who view the catechist movement as a threat to Christian faith.

“First of all, I have asked the lead catechists here in Guam to put a pause on the formation of new communities for a period of about a year,” the coadjutor of Archdiocese of Agana said in a letter to the faithful read at the Masses on Wednesday.

“During this time, I intend to appoint a priest delegate to help me discern the effects of our efforts to review the Catecetical Directory of the Neocatechumenical Way to ensure that catechists are sufficiently formed and certified for their important role.”

Aggressively missionary, NCW has formed more than 50 communities with a total of about 800 followers on Guam. The movement — also known as “The Way” — first came to Guam on Dec. 8, 1999, when Archbishop Anthony Apuron established the Archdiocesan Missionary Seminary Redemptoris Mater, where NCW priests are ordained.

Also known as Neocatechumenate, the Neocatechumenal Way was founded in Madrid in 1964 by Kiko Arguello and Carmen Hernandez. Its phenomenal success created a polarizing effect; it draws supporters and critics in about equal measure.

Some dismiss it as a cult. Critics claim the Neocatechumenate fosters brainwashing and fanaticism that builds a cult of personality around Arguello and Hernandez.

“Although the Neocatechumenate has been active on our island for many years and has been a blessing to many people, recent years have seen a growing sense of distress about the multiplication of small communities in some of the parishes and about some of the differences in the way the Mass is celebrated among the small communities of the Neocatechumenical Way,” Byrnes said in the letter.

Among many concerns raised by the Catholic faithful is the way the Eucharist is celebrated by members of the Neocatechumenical Way, Byrnes said.

The archbishop subsequently issued an order requiring all NCW parishes to follow the traditional Eucharist observed in diocesan churches.

“These norms concerning the consummation of the Sacred Species must be followed in every celebration of the Eucharist,” Byrnes said. “The priest is to consume the Body of Christ as soon as he says the respective prayers and he must do so prior to distributing the Sacred Species to the communicants.”

The NCW practice of the Eucharist is among the long list of items that Byrnes sought to revise and to make The Way conform with diocesan practices.

“I recognize the good that the Neocatechumenal Way has brought to many people’s lives on Guam and elsewhere. I affirm that the Way has been recognized and approved by the Holy See. The need to build adherence to liturgical norms is imperative, however, and will only enrich the fruits of the Neocatechumenal movement,” Byrnes said.

In a statement released Thursday, the archbishop clarified that his pastoral letter “seeks to unify the Church on Guam, rather than divide it. The sooner we have unity and universal adherence as an archdiocese to the norms established by the Church in celebrating the Body of Christ during the sacred celebration of the Mass, the sooner we shall be on the path to reconciling with one another and bring healing to our divided diocese.”