March 2025
The
COURIER
Official Newspaper of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Winona-Rochester, MN | dowr.org
in Our The Neocatechumenal Way Growing Faith through Living Out the Faith in a Christian Community
Lenten Practices By CINDY MEYERHOFER
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L to R: Daniel Lopez, Alexa Lopez, one of their children, Tim Johnson, Rev. Melquisedec Salcedo, and Miguel Rodriguez at the Lopez home in Austin.
By KAT LARSON
�he Neocatechumenal Way originated in the shanty
town of ‘Palomeras Altas’ in Madrid, Spain. A Spanish painter, winner of the Special National Painting Prize in 1959, named Francisco José Gómez Arguello, also known as "Kiko," was experiencing a deep existential crisis. This crisis led him to abandon everything and, following in the footsteps of Charles de Foucauld, he went to live among the poor. Here he discovered, in
the suffering of the innocents, the mystery of Christ Crucified, who is present in the last ones of the earth. A lay missionary, Carmen Hernández, also a Spaniard from a wealthy family, was also drawn to live among the poor of ‘Palomeras Altas’ where she met Kiko. In this process Kiko received an inspiration from the Virgin Mary: “We must make Christian communities like the Holy Family of Nazareth, who live in humility, simplicity and praise. The other is Christ.”
Neocatechumenal Way, cont'd on pg. 15
o you feel a stirring in your heart as we approach the season of Lent on March 5? It is my favorite time of year to draw nearer to Jesus through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving - reminiscent of the 40 days in the dessert that Jesus spent in prayer and fasting in preparation for his public ministry. Unlike the Advent season, Lent offers a slower pace and there is simply more time to prepare for our desired growth in holiness through fasting, prayer and almsgiving. There are so many options available from great books, podcasts, retreats and parish missions. Sometimes I tend to focus on all the great resources and miss the importance of silence and prayer to really discern what God is asking of me. So, you may be wondering what the Catholic Church teaches us about prayer, fasting and almsgiving and how to create a personal plan to grow closer to the Lord this Lent. Prayer
While we may not be able to go into the desert for 40 days of prayer, we can perhaps strive for 40 minutes of daily prayer or volunteer for a few hours of Eucharistic Adoration or attend a few daily masses. A friend recently shared a
Lenten Practices, cont'd on pg. 15
INSIDE this issue
Holy Family Retreat page 6
How We Spent Catholic Schools Week 2025 page 8
Jubilee Indulgences Information
page 14