Targeted Advertising

 

Perhaps there's a "catechesis" coming up at your local parish, or at a neighboring parish. Perhaps you've been invited, or perhaps you've just seen the posters or the blurbs in the weekly bulletin that probably look a little something like this:

Seems innocuous enough, right? Who doesn't want to hear some good news? Who isn't suffering in some way? And that, of course, is the bait.

Although you will see the rare advertisement that explicitly mentions the Neocatechumenal Way, most of them will look and read (and sound) very much like the ones above. They want to make it seem like they're just "blending in" with all the other parish programs. They want to make it seem like what they're teaching is just standard-issue Catholic catechesis--which is exactly what they want it to be.

In advertisements like these, be on the lookout for some of these items:

• Byzantine-ish art, usually depicting Christ, or the Madonna and Child (this is Kiko artwork, and the better acquainted you can become with his distinct style of dollar-store iconography, the easier it will be to identify Neocat programs, because it is all they use).
• "Come and listen!" or "Come and see!" (usually paraphrasing, but sometimes directly quoting John 1)
• Mention of "suffering," "anxiety," "inability to forgive," "living in fear," "don't believe in God," and/or "problems in your marriage" (they tend to stay pretty generic to cast a wider net, but there will almost always be some rhetorical device aiming at the hardship(s) in your life)
• The catechesis is for adults and youth ("youth" means teenagers. They don't want you to bring your little kids. When I was attending the catechesis, leading up to the weekend retreat it was repeated numerous times that the kids should stay at home. "It doesn't matter if you have to pay the babysitter extra, God has a word for you and he wants you to come." But I digress...)
• Two days a week (the initial catechesis runs for about 8 weeks--15 sessions, 2 per week, followed by a weekend retreat. Note that if catechesis is on Monday and Thursday nights, for example, this does not mean you can attend Monday or Thursday, as your schedule might permit. That might be something a reasonable, standard parish faith formation class might do, but remember, this isn't that. You'll need to attend Monday and Thursday--they're different sessions, not the same session offered twice.)

No two communities advertise in exactly the same way--some are more terse and discreet, while others are bold, wordy, and flashy. But no matter what might be staring back at you from the parish front door, community events board, or Sunday bulletin, hopefully, these few visual examples and written tips will help you identify when a Neocatechumenal recruitment program (for that is all the initial catechesis is) might be starting up in your area.