Within a week of the 60th anniversary of its founding, the Neocatechumenal Way will celebrate the end of the diocesan phase of the cause of beatification of its “co-initiator,” Carmen Hernández. She joined Kiko Argüello in the 1960s evangelizing in the shanty towns of Madrid, Spain. Their ministry proclaiming Christ to people on the margins of society gave rise to a “theological-catechetical synthesis” which is at the core of the “process of adult evangelization that is the Neocatechumenal Way,” according to the movement’s website.
According to Spanish Catholic news outlet Cope, Cardinal José Cobo Cano, the archbishop of Madrid, will celebrate a Mass to mark the anniversary of the foundation on May 30 in the city’s cathedral. The conclusion of the diocesan phase of the cause of Carmen Hernández, begun in Madrid on December 4, 2022, will take place on June 2 at the Redemptoris Mater Seminary in the same city. Kiko Argüello, now 87 years old, will participate in the event.
A missionary calling, fulfilled in her own country
Hernández was born in northern Spain on November 24, 1930. From an early age, she had contact with the Jesuits and felt called to be a missionary. In obedience to her father, she initially studied chemistry at a university in Madrid. After working in the family business for a few years, she joined the Missionaries of Christ Jesus, a new religious institute, and studied theology at a Dominican-run school in Valencia.
In 1960, she was designated to go as a missionary to India, fulfilling her childhood dream. In preparation, she spent a year studying in London. Due to changes in the institute, her mission was called off, and she returned to Spain and lay life. In Barcelona, she studied under Father Pedro Farnés Scherer, a liturgist who would have an important impact on her, particularly regarding the Second Vatican Council (1962–1965) and its implementation.
In 1963–1964, she spent time in the Holy Land. Upon returning to Spain, she began to evangelize in the shanty towns of Madrid. She was preparing to go to Bolivia as a missionary, until she met Kiko Argüello, who was living and evangelizing in the same area. Soon they were working together, preaching the Paschal Mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection.
Their charism and methodology led to the formation of the Neocatechumenal Way. The then-archbishop of Madrid Casimiro Morcillo approved their work and allowed them to implement it in parishes in Madrid. From there, the movement spread throughout the world, to more than 138 countries.
A legacy of holiness
Carmen Hernández died in Madrid on July 19, 2016, at the age of 85. Pope Francis sent a message on the occasion, speaking of her long life “marked by her love for Jesus and by a great missionary enthusiasm.”
Cope reports that her tomb has been visited by more than 118,000 people and that there are already some who attribute special graces to her intercession. For her cause of beatification and canonization to proceed, among other requisites, the Church must verify two miracles attributable to her intercession (one for each stage).
