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| Michael Byrnes, new Archbishop of Hagatna on Guam |
(Hagatna) The Archbishop-Coadjutor of Hagatna at Guam, headed by Michael Byrnes, who had been in office since 30 November 2016, formerly Auxiliary Bishop of Detroit, has criticized the liturgical abuse on the South Sea island, which is a non-incorporated territory of the USA.
Archbishop-Coadjutor Byrnes, in fact, heads the Archdiocese as the official in charge of an ecclesiastical process against Archbishop Anthony Apuron. Monsignor Byrnes has urged all parts of his archdiocese to comply with liturgical regulations for the celebration of Holy Mass. Specifically, his reservations are directed against the Neocatechumenal Way. The charismatic group, counted among the "New Communities," was asked by the Archbishop to suspend the formation of new groups for a year and to celebrate the Mass according to the General Instructions.
Celebration of the Neocatechumenal Way on the Island of Guam.
Criticism is concerned with the special liturgical forms of the Neocatechumenal Way, with a judaizing, actually a pseudo-Jewish, character. The groups of the Neocatechumenal Way celebrate Holy Mass on Saturday (Sabbath) in their own rooms outside the churches and as a closed group. Holy Communion is not immediately taken at the reception, but taken back to one's place.
The Coadjutor also criticized the separation of this community, which is isolated from the parishes and leads a special life in the Church. Bishop Byrnes says that his concern is to restore the Archdiocese. The Neocatechumenal Way was recently accused of splitting the diocese.
On 15 March, Monsignor Byrnes presented his concerns and his demands in a pastoral letter addressed to the Archdiocese. This calls for the suspension of the establishment of new groups of the Neocatechumenal Way for a year. The Archbishop-Coadjutor announced the appointment of a delegate with the task of visiting all the communities of the Neocatechumenal Way next year to ensure the correct celebration of Holy Mass and to examine the catechists of this community for their preparation and suitability.
The bishop granted a period of two weeks to cease liturgical abuse.
The pastoral letter was published by the Pacific Daily News.
The Neocatechumenal Way is known as a lifelong "Way" (itinerarium) of the faith instruction. It includes more than 40,000 groups worldwide with more than one million members.
Text: Giuseppe Nardi
Image: Church Militant (Screenshot)
Trans: Tancred vekron99@hotmail.com
Link to Katholisches...
AMDG
WOW. That's great. I hope the liberals don't go after him.
ReplyDeleteThey need to be sternly reminded that judaizers have fallen from grace in the words of St Paul.
ReplyDeleteHoly Communion is taken back to one's place?!!!!
ReplyDeleteUnknown at 12:52 AM, actually the NCW form of Holy Communion is taken to the people as they remain in their places. In the past they sat and the presbyter would bring the bread — baked by members of the community following the recipe of founder Kiko Argüello — to them while seated. Now they stand at their places to RECEIVE a piece of the bread and then they sit, supposedly in contemplation or adoration, until ALL have "received" their Holy Communion. Once everyone is holding a piece of the bread, the presbyter says "Behold the Lamb of God …" and then everyone CONSUMES together.
DeleteIt is this liturgical abuse — the NCW version of Holy Communion — that is at the heart of the problem here on Guam. In December 2015 Cardinal Arinze, on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI, instructed NCW founders Kiko Argüello and Carmen Hernandez that the communities were to receive Holy Communion in the manner of the rest of the Church — standing, not seated. In January 2016 our former archbishop Anthony Sablan Apuron went to the Catholic radio station in person to defend the NCW practice. Unbeknownst to many of us at that time, Apuron himself was a member of the NCW and stated about Cardinal Arinze "I don't know what credentials he has …"!
In the mind of Catholics, when we receive Holy Communion — whether on the tongue or in the hand — the Precious Body is consumed immediately, without delay. In the mind of NCW members, the act of "receiving Holy Communion" has two separate and distinct stages: (1) RECEIVING in the hand while standing and (2) CONSUMING together while seated, as at a banquet.
Can you please move on with your life Mary Lou.
DeleteIn order to CONSUME you must RECEIVE first.
You need to read Archbishop Michaels letter in its entirety. I will remind you that the Archbishop has acknowledged the authenticity of the NCW, he confirms the support and approval of Rome of the NCW. He also stresses the importance of building an environment that leads to healing and unity.
Where's the charity in your comment?
Always the brave ones who throw stones while remaining anonymous, isn't that right 11:15AM?
DeleteMary Lou was simply responding to a question and answered it with facts.
You on the other hand are sore from the spanking Abp Byrnes performed via his orders so you lash out at her facts.
Authenticy of the NCW? Abp Byrnes just dismantled their most damaging manipulation of the liturgy of the Eucharist. I say he discredited them greatly.
the neocatechumenal way are more protestant than many protestants.
ReplyDeletethey have caused terrible divisions in my former novus order parish with their heretic antics.
did you know they believe that the church was asleep from the time of constantine until it suddenly awoke at vatican 2?
heretical nonsense straight from the devil.
every neocat i know is completely uncatechised.
when francis finally announces the new one world religion, they will be the first group on board.
And it's no surprise that bergoglio is a great fan of this group and has given them his full support.
ReplyDelete...wonder if the good bishop will be summoned soon to the vatican?
Francis gives them lip service. He will back Byrnes. Believe me.
DeleteI have known many very good people associated with the Neo-Cats. But the movement qualifies as a cult. Keep away! But alas, this group is growing in my archdiocese, where it has a seminary.
ReplyDeleteFred at 6:32 AM, I don't know how long this cult has been present in your archdiocese but the fact that you have a Redemptoris Mater Seminary there implies to me that it must be at least 10 years. Guam's RMS was established about a decade after the NCW settled into Guam and even managed to recruit our former archbishop Anthony Sablan Apuron as a member.
DeleteYour comment reflects concern about how the group is growing in your archdiocese. For years, we on Guam complained about the growing division between the NCW and the "Regular Catholics." In 2013 Apuron, on orders from the higher-ups in the NCW removed a popular parish priest under false pretenses. People were upset but didn't know what to do as our island culture is not confrontational in practice. It was clear that the removal of the priest was the consequence of his condition that if the NCW was to establish a community in his parish, the group would have to use sacred space for their services. The following year in 2014 Apuron, again following NCW orders, removed another popular parish priest. This time there were prayer protests held. In January 2015 Apostolic Visitators were sent from Rome to investigate what was going on. Despite Apuron's attempt to "stack the deck" and allow only NCW members to get appointments the Visitators reached out to interview Non-NCW individuals, including the Administrator of the JungleWatch blog which had started documenting the activities of Apuron and the NCW in July 2013.
Eventually the LAITY decided enough was enough and started to take proactive steps to prevent the spread of the NCW cancer on our island. First a small group of individuals formed an organization called the Concerned Catholics of Guam (CCOG). In 2015 in the wake of the Apostolic Visitation, the CCOG held village meetings to inform parishioners about the NCW. At one of those CCOG meetings in March 2015, a lady informed those in attendance she planned to pray her 3 PM Rosary at the Chancery as her Lenten Sacrifice. Eventually other women joined her and they formed a group called the Laity Forward Movement (LFM).
This article reflects the results of two years of prayer protests and activities spearheaded by the LFM. At first their prayer protests were static — they stood across the street from the Cathedral-Basilica praying the Rosary while holding signs. But after revelations of child sexual abuse by Apuron in May 2016, the Pope assigned Archbishop Savio Hon Tai-Fai, one of the January 2015 Apostolic Visitators, as Apostolic Administrator in June 2016. That month — on 12 June, to be exact — the LFM prayer protest became DYNAMIC and we started picketing on the sidewalk in front of the Cathedral-Basilica on Sunday mornings. We prayed our Rosary and carried signs that reflected 3 goals, 2 of which were related to actions taken by Apuron on orders from the NCW. Two of the goals have been realized. As we engage in our 40th week of picketing on 26 March, one goal remains — we want Rome to laicize Apuron.
If you don't want the cult cancer known as the NCW to spread, read up on what the LAITY in Guam have done. You can do it, too!
St. Athanasius, pray for us.
St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle …
I joined the Charismatic movement when I was 17. I thank God for a Monsignor who ordered me to get out explaining their heretical ways. Heresies were proclaimed as the teachings of Vatican 2. Teachings the Council never even mentioned. One example was a woman who claimed to receive a prophecy from the Holy Spirit. She claimed the Holy Spirit told her that, "Vatican 2 would soon announce that Jesus is not present in the Tabernacle and all the Tabernacles of the world would be flung out into the streets". They claimed this to be a teaching in the spirit of V2 and binding on all Catholics. It was a free for all to do what they wanted with the Church, of course Traditionalists excluded as we did not posses the Holy Spirit. This Archbishop knows what he is doing. Deo Gratias!
ReplyDeleteI also know some good people, even priests, of the neo-cat way. But they do tend to separate out. And in the parishes, there is the Saturday night separate liturgy but no Saturday morning Mass so the 'regular' parishioners miss a liturgy a week which often honors Our Lady.
ReplyDeleteThey'll cry to Francis, he'll put the kabosh on this right minded co adjutor bishop.
ReplyDeleteWhy would he dismiss his own coadjutor?
DeleteCause he didn't know he was orthodox in the faith?
DeleteI can comically see his face when he hears of this "what!? wait, no he can't do that, you guys told me he was on the liberal team, who did the background check on this guy?"