Neocatechumens

Neocatechumens are followers of Neocatechumenal Way, a ministry dedicated to adult faith formation within the Roman Catholic Church established following the Second Vatican Council. Neocatechumens derive their name from the early Christian Catechumens who were willing to enter the Church and in order to do so, spent a period of time known as the Catechumenate in which they were catechised and prepared for baptism.

The Neocatechumens are also known in other ways throughout the World. Some examples include the popular abbreviation "Neocats" in Australia and "Los Kikos" in Spain, the latter deriving from the name of the initiator of the Neocatechumenal Way, Kiko Arguello.

Neocatechumens around the world are thought to number around more than a million. Such estimates are drawn from the number of communities worldwide, which surpass 40,000 in around 109 countries and also from attendances at World Youth Day events. In Loreto in 2007 there were one hundred thousand youths from the Neocatechumenal Way in Europe alone. Communities are not only made up of young people, therefore the numbers of the rest of the Neocatechumens in Europe would eventually be around four times the number of youths meeting in Loreto, arriving at a reliable estimate.

Most Neocatechumens originate in Europe and in Latin America.

External links

• Official Neocatechumenal Way website