Archbishop makes pastoral visit to Neocatechumenal Way
16 December 2014
Source: The Catholic News - Vol 65, No 1
Archbishop William Goh shared his vision for the archdiocese and the New Evangelisation with the Neocatechumenal Way during his first pastoral visit to the group. Conversion is the “critical point in which a person really becomes a true disciple”, he told the seven communities of the Neocatechumenal Way of Singapore, who are based in the parishes of St Bernadette, St Francis of Assisi, Holy Trinity, Nativity and St Anthony.
True conversion demands an interior conversion of the heart, he said during the meeting at the Office for Young People premises on Dec 16.
People can be traditional Catholics, doing things as a routine with no inner conviction and a lack of an intimate relationship with the Lord, he noted. However, radical conversion comes takes place only when the Lord teaches people humility, when God allows events in people’s lives that compel them to rely not on their strength but on His.
The archbishop said that the fruits of deep interior conversion within the Christian community are vocations to the priesthood, and individuals and families who are ready for mission. He encouraged the Neocatechumenal Way, saying that members are blessed with belonging to a supportive community that will help them grow in discipleship.
During the meeting, the various communities of the Neocatechumenal Way were presented to the archbishop. A married couple and a young adult also shared their experiences of how each had experienced Jesus in their crises of faith, sufferings and struggles. They shared how with the aid of the Word of God, the Eucharist and the community, they were able to experience reconciliation and forgiveness.
The late Archbishop Gregory Yong welcomed the Neocatechumenal Way to the archdiocese in 1978. The community now has about 300 members comprising families, adults and young people from different walks of life.
The Neocatechumenal Way began in Madrid, Spain, in the early 1960s. Its charism is “to form Christian communities like the Holy Family of Nazareth. That they may live in humility, simplicity and praise and where the other is Christ.”
