The Neocatechumenal Way was founded in Spain, when Kiko Arguello decided in 1964 to abandon his career at Madrid’s Academy of Fine Arts, to live among the poor and preach the Gospel. He lived with the poor, exercised liturgy, read the Word of God. It started to bear fruits of conversion unheard of.
The Neocatechumenal Way is a religious community helping parishes open a way of Christian initiation to Baptism and discover the riches of baptism. The formation is realized in small communities that can be created when the vicar of the parish invites the catechists of the Way, who will carry out catechesis open to all.
In 2002 the Holy See approved the statutes of the Neocatechumenal Way. Pope John Paul II recognized then the Way as an “itinerary of Catholic formation important for our society.”
In the world there are about 18 000 communities (each counting approx. 40 persons) in approx. 850 dioceses in 105 countries on 5 continents. The Way has a specific missionary charism. A special role is given to the ministry of missionary families.
Married couples from the Way minister on all continents – it is primarily evangelization through everyday life. Because the families felt a great need to be accompanied by the priests missionary seminars of the Neocatechumenal Way, Redemptoris Mater, began to emerge which prepare priests to evangelize around the world. There are currently over 100 seminars worldwide.
In Poland, the Way was started in 1975 in Lublin, thanks to Fr. Alfred Cholewiński SJ. The catechesis was first preached in the environment associated with the Catholic University of Lublin. Currently the Way in Poland has about 1,000 communities in 350 parishes in 35 dioceses.
For many years the ministry of the Neocatechumenal Way has developed and operated by our church. Today, it counts 22 communities.
The songs are for the Way a very important part of the formation – all come from God’s Word, the writings of the Church Fathers, the Christian and Hebrew liturgical traditions.
