Cathedral of the Madeleine hosts gathering of the Neocatechumenal Way from Utah and Colorado

Friday, Aug. 28, 2020

SALT LAKE CITY —Aug. 10 marked the first time that the Cathedral of the Madeleine, Mother Church of the Diocese of Salt Lake City, welcomed the neocatechumens from the Neocatechumenal Way in Utah and in Colorado.

That evening at 7 p.m., dozens of neocatechumens, formally dressed and following the health and safety protocols required because of the pandemic, entered the cathedral. The altar was decorated with hundreds of colorful flowers and an icon of the Madonna del Camino of the Neocatechumenal Way.

“The neocatechumens from Colorado came in a pilgrimage to have a faith experience, to celebrate the liturgy and to pray together with other members of the faith,” said Fr. Eleazar Silva, parochial vicar of Saints Peter and Paul Parish in West Valley, who was the principal celebrant. Concelebrants were Fr. Carlos Wilson Bello, Fr. José de Jesús García and Fr. Ángel Pérez Brown, from different parishes in the Diocese of Colorado Springs.

The Neocatechumenal Way in Utah is comprised mainly of parishioners from Sacred Heart, Sts. Peter and Paul, and Our Lady of Guadalupe parishes.

During the consecration of the Eucharist at the cathedral, the whole community stood, and each member received in his or her hands a piece of the bread broken from a huge loaf, which was baked by the members themselves. Once each person received a piece of bread, the whole congregation consumed it together.

Before the homily, some of those present gave their witness. Then the participants processed around the altar, chanting songs accompanied by guitar.

The Neocatechumenal Way is a movement within the Catholic Church dedicated to Christian formation. Also known as the Neocatechumenate, it was formed in Madrid in 1964 by Kiko Argüello and Carmen Hernández, and received approval from the Vatican in 2008.

The Neocatechumenal Way “is a way of conversion through which the richness of the Gospel can be rediscovered,” said Fr. Bello, adding that the group forms small communities in each parish for post-baptismal formation for adults. 

“It is also for those who are far from the Church and who have been attracted by seeing signs of faith in the communities, and it is also for the unbaptized, who can use it as a true catechumenate to be prepared for baptism,” he said.