Father Pedro Barrajón LC and Pope Benedict XVI

Rome, Italy (January 22, 2013) -- The Year of Faith, instituted by Pope Benedict XVI in order to reinforce and deepen the Catholic faith – and then transmit it to the world with greater ardor and conviction – is an event of extraordinary importance. Many different events are planned; among them is the Pentecost vigil on May 18, 2013, dedicated to movements old and new.  It will include a pilgrimage to the apostle Peter´s tomb, and there will be time for prayer in St Peter´s Square to ask God to pour out his Spirit once again, and make present the marvels of the early Church. 

In Rome, the Pontifical Athenaeum  Regina Apostolorum will open its doors to the movements with great enthusiasm.  For a better idea of how to become a part of this moment of grace, we asked for an interview with Fr Pedro Barrajón LC, Regina Apostolorum´s rector. 

What is the Holy Father´s motive in gathering all the movements on the vigil of Pentecost? 

Both Pope John Paul II and Benedict XVI invited the ecclesial movements and new communities to Rome on the feast of Pentecost to encourage them to continue

	Father Pedro Barrajón LC

their evangelizing mission under the guidance of the Church. In these gatherings, both the founders of the movements and their directors presented to the Holy Father the richness of their different charisms and renewed their desire to carry out their specific mission within the Church, under the guidance of the Holy Father. I was able to attend both events, and they greatly enriched my own faith. The Holy Father has again gathered the movements in the Year of Faith because they have a very important role in spreading the faith in a secularized world.  He wants to confirm them in their faith, to be present in their lives, to launch them towards new apostolic goals, to reinforce their communion with their pastors. After the event with the Vicar of Christ, people will return to their everyday lives inspired to continue spreading the Gospel and be leaven of Christ´s presence in the world.

Why did the Pontifical Athenaeum Regina Apostolorum decide to organize an international congress? 

We believe that the new movements and ecclesial communities have a decisive role in the formation and spread of the faith. The Holy Father asked the major ecclesiastical institutions to help in the year of faith by organizing different events that help go deeper in the various aspects of the Catholic faith. We think that it will be a useful contribution to the Church to try to delineate with more precision the specific contribution of the movements in two areas: first, in the formation of the faith in others, and second, in spreading the faith. The formation of the faith is very important because today more than ever we need a solid faith, deeply rooted in the Word of God, the tradition of the Church, the Magisterium, given the great doctrinal confusion that perplexes many faithful Christians.  We need well-formed lay people who are able to intelligently face the great challenges that today´s secularized world presents to believers. And it´s necessary to give the faith to others. Faith increases when it´s given, as John Paul II said. The members of the movements are characterized by a great desire to communicate the Gospel to those around them, and to the entire world. We would like to underline these two important aspects in which the movements serve the Church. 

What is the format of the congress? 

The congress is comprised of two main parts. The first is dedicated to analyzing the nature and the mission of the new movements and ecclesial communities, and their role in today´s Church: their charismatic action, their contribution in spreading and forming the faith, their canonical and ecclesial status. In the second part we will concentrate on studying the Regnum Christi Movement with which the Athenaeum has a special relationship given that it´s closely linked to the congregation of the Legionaries of Christ. This second part will be similar to an international encounter of the members of this movement; it will include the movement´s directors and members, and will present a vast array of Regnum Christi apostolates which are particularly related to faith formation and evangelization: in youth work, family, media and social communication, the role of women in today´s world, schools, universities, foreign missions, etc. 

Which movements will participate? 

We have invited some of the movements with particular historical or numerical influence, such as Communion and Liberation, Focolare, Renewal in the Spirit, the Neocatechumenal Way, and so on, and also other new communities such as the Community of St John, The Emmanuel Community, the Community of the Beatitudes etc. We could not invite all of them to speak, since, thanks be to God, there are many of them.  But all are invited to participate in the different sessions of the congress in order to enter into communion with the members of other ecclesial movements. 

Do you hope to draw people from many countries? 

It´s not easy to say for sure, but I think that we will have a good number of people from Latin America, North America, and Europe, above all. We will have a smaller group from Asia and Africa. One of the beautiful aspects of these gatherings is their catholicity; in the universality of the Church you see how there are no frontiers for the action of the Holy Spirit, and how we have all drawn from the same spirit of Christ. 

Why is it important for young people and families to participate in this event? 

The congress is open to everyone, above all to our own students in the Athenaeum, but also to members of the movements and ecclesial communities. Young people and families have a special place within this panorama. Young people because they are the hope of the Church, who with their enthusiasm become heralds of Christ among their peers and so forge the values of a more Christian future.  Families because they remind us that the Gospel is first lived in the home, wherein each person has a role in building the domestic Church in which they live out the gift of themselves and the spirit of gratitude. 

Where can someone find more information about this event? 

Complete information can be found on the Athenaeum´s website: www.uprait.org. In addition, you can call the secretary of the congress at 06.66543897 or send an email to infocongress@upra.org.