Information About PASCH

. . . on the Web since June, 1996

PASCH - Parishioners Against a Secret Church - is a group of concerned parishioners who have experienced the promises and problems of some of the unhealthy, secretive influences in the community of the parish, especially found in a movement in the Roman Catholic Church known as the Neo-catechumenate (also known as Neocatechumenate, Neocatechumenal Way, The Way, the NCW, or simply the N-C).

PASCH started in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Clifton which is based in Bristol, England. The group includes former members of the Neo-catechumenate movement, parishioners who have attended (and some who have studied) the N-C teaching sessions ('catechesis') and liturgies, as well as those who in various ways have witnessed and felt the N-C's impact on the life and spirit of the parish. We are one of a number of groups who are committed to the process of renewal proclaimed by the Second Vatican Council, but which, we fear, is being held back by reactionary and overly conservative groups such as some of the new movements in the Catholic Church, of which the Neo-catechumenate is a key example.

This in mind, we are attempting to find ways to better understand the movement and communicate with its members, while, in good conscience, seeking ways to resist the harmful effects which they bring to parishes. If you have had any experience of the Neo-catechumenate - whether positive or negative - please do let us know (for instance, you can send an e-mail to: 100012.460@compuserve.com ) and we can perhaps either include this information, or, if you prefer, confidentially keep it in mind when comparing with similar experiences. If you would like more information about the N-C, please see the other documents in this collection and, if you have any questions or concerns, please let us know.