GUAM
Marianas Variety
17 Mar 2017 Mar-Vic Cagurangan – For Variety
HAGÅTÑA — 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.
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