WHAT OTHER SAY ABOUT US
The Red Hook Star-Revue / NY
Father Claudio Given One Year to Save the Church
source: http://www.redhookstar.com/Images/Star%20Revue%20May%202011%20for%20web.pdf
[...] That evening, the parishioners of Visitation Church experienced a style of worship that many were not used to. “It was a complete turn-around,” says John Savarese, who grew up on Beard Street and attended Visitation School (now the site of Red Hook Community Justice Center) in the 1960’s. “It felt free-spirited. I was able to worship God the way He should be worshipped, like relaxed and loving, and not having to be worried about getting hit with one of those pointers! When I was growing up everything was so strict. You couldn’t even talk in church, never mind sing.”
This new evangelical style is part of the repertoire of a Catholic community that arrived at Visitation Church last November to revive it from debt, low membership and structural deterioration. Ten consecrated members of Koinonia John the Baptist – an evangelical organization founded in Italy in 1979 – are currently living in the rectory and attempting to bring about the revival. Father Claudio Antecini – the new pastor and administrator – is determined to save the church from closure and make it a relevant community institution again.
[...] read more
CATHOLIC AGENCY TO SUPPORT EVANGELISATION
source: http://www.caseresources.org/resources/documents/DirectoryCF.pdf
(An annotated list of Evangelisation Resources for the
Catholic Communities of England and Wales)
Koinonia John the Baptist (Koinonia Giovanni Battista)
Koinonia John the Baptist is an international community of charismatic inspiration
founded by Fr Ricardo Argañaraz in 1979 and recognised by the Holy See. Its aim is
to serve the church in promoting the new evangelisation. Members of the Koinonia
can be families, single people, consecrated celibates, young people and priests.
Central to the Community’s life is the “House of Prayer”, by which a family or two
single people living together open up their home to people once a week for prayer and
sharing. Where there are several houses of prayer in a locality, they meet together
twice a month, once in small groups for a deeper experience of prayer and sharing
together and once in a larger open meeting aimed at outreach. Finally, the Community
also has houses known as “Oases” where consecrated celibates live with a Pastor of
the Community. These Oases become natural centres where activities of the
community take place for all members and those interested.
Koinonia John the Baptist uses a variety of methods of evangelisation, some of which
they have developed themselves, such as the well-known Paul, John and Philip
courses. They also use methods pioneered by the Kekako project (see the Training
section of this Directory).
SAINT FRANCIS DE SALES PARISH / NEW YORK
source: http://www.sfdsnyc.org/Old%20Bulletins/1.7.07%20bulletin.htm
–Koinonia John the Baptist is actually an interesting concept. Here is the concept behind these priests and brothers – koinonia means community – John the Baptist because they go around shouting like John the Baptist, “Prepare the way of the Lord.” They are right; there is nothing more important in life than to bring people to Jesus, our Lord & Savior.
FR. JOHN MURRAY / NATIVITY PARISH – BELFAST
source: http://www.nativityparish.info/colineaster05/easter1.htm
…Some years ago I came into contact with a community of wonderful people in Italy who were excited and joyful about their following of the Lord. Although the community was made up of many lay people they were also attracting lots of vocations to the religious life at a time in Europe when few were entering. It is a new style of religious life for a new age. Whenever members of the community would meet – whether in the morning or later in the day -they would greet each other with a beautiful greeting ‘CHRIST IS RISEN’, and the person greeted would reply ‘and we with Him.’ The Koinonia John the Baptist now has a branch in Belfast and its members do exactly the same.
But you don’t have to wait until you meet them. Today in March 2005 Jesus Christ is risen— and we with Him. ALLELUIA!
Fr. John Murray
DIOCESE OF DOWN AND CONNOR
