By Jamie O’Brien
Well known for enriching the faith of churchgoers, bringing back those who have been far-away and converting non-believers and comforting troubled youth, the Neocatechumenal Way now has more than 15 communities across five parishes in Perth.
Acknowledged as “an itinerary of Catholic formation valid for our society and for our times” in 1989 by then Pope John Paul II, the Neocatechumenal Way arrived in Perth in 1986 thanks to the generosity of two lay missionary catechists, Toto (Antonio) and Rita Piccolo together with their young family.
Toto, an engineer, and Rita, a teacher, were 18 when they first became involved with the
Neocatechumenal Way in their parish in Rome, near St Paul’s Basilica, in 1971.
In 1977, there were sent to Australia as itinerant catechists, with the blessing of then Pope Paul VI, with the aim of opening communities of the Neocatechumenal Way,
Here in Perth, Communities are now present in the Parishes of Mirrabooka, Cathedral, Cottesloe, Rockingham, Kelmscott and Baldivis.
Today, Mirrabooka Parish has seven communities, each with some 20 to 30 people of varied ages, backgrounds and experiences.
The word ‘catechumenate’ comes from the early church, explained Mr Piccolo.
“It was the process that people had to undergo before being baptised,” Mr Piccolo said.
“The word ‘Neo’ is used, because a majority of people that come to this experience of the Neocatechumenal Way have already been baptised.
“But often they have had no opportunity to live this reality,” he said.
Former Mirrabooka Parish Priest and Perth Auxiliary Bishop Donald Sproxton, said he met the Neocatechumenal Way when it had already been introduced to the parish.
“It was at one of the celebrations that I saw how it had re-built marriages and helped individuals come to a better understanding of their faith and the relationship that God wanted to have with them,” Bishop Sproxton said.
“I became convinced that the Neocatechumenal Way, which follows a catechumenate process, is an excellent way of people coming to an adult faith.”
He said that during his time as Parish Priest at Mirrabooka, the brothers and sisters of the Neocatechumenal communities were of various ages and experiences.
“There was a place for each person regardless of their experience or their age, so I saw that the Community offered a place for people to grow together in faith.
“The need of having to create separate groups by ages in the Parish was no longer necessary because the Neocatechumenal Way enabled young people to become actively involved in the celebration of the liturgy.
“This meant that they received much more from the celebration of the Eucharist than perhaps they might have done otherwise,” Bishop Sproxton reinforced.
How the Neocatechumenal Way began
In 1964, Kiko Arguello, a young painter and teacher of fine arts, met Carmen Hernandez, a young lady with degrees in Chemistry, who was studying theology – in one of the shanty towns in Madrid. It was there, among the poor and the gypsies, that Kiko and Carmen took the first steps towards what would become the Neocatechumenal Way.
Communities of the Neocatechumenal Way form after a series of talks, or catechesis, in a parish, which announce the ‘Kerygma,’ a Greek word meaning the announcement of salvation.
“The presence of a community in a person’s life helps them to become a witness to the love of Christ, a sign that attracts people who are far away from the Church,” Mr Piccolo said.
“In this way the Parish becomes missionary,” he said.
Across Australia, families like the Piccolos are evangelising in parishes in Perth, Bunbury, Broome, Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and Darwin.
Perth now has six families-in-mission, plus another four families who are for the missio ad gentes (nin Baldivis. Families for the missio ad gentes are called by Bishops to make an implantatio ecclesiae (implantation of the Church) in areas where the Church does not exist or where it cannot reach people.
“When some people start coming to the Neocatechumenal Way, they often come when they are experiencing a challenging time, or a crises,” Mr Piccolo explained.
“You start to talk to some of the young people and they have many problems, and come to you all poor and broken.”
Bishop Sproxton said for many people who come to the Neocatechumenal Way, they come to know the Church is a mother.
“Where they can go for help and re-discover hope there,” he said.
From pages 24 and 25 of Issue 11: ‘Adult Faith: Australian Bureau of Statistics and the Book of Numbers’ of The Record Magazine