Context Pentecostalism, a new branch of Christianity focusing on the welcoming of the
Holy Spirit, evolved in the US after 1900 (In
Topeka and then in
Azusa Street Revival,
Los Angeles). Its manifestations (
speaking in tongues,
prophecy,
healings, etc.) rapidly provoked rejection from other churches (Protestant or Catholic). In 1967, some Catholic students from
Duquesne University in
Pittsburgh, during the course of a bible study week-end, received the
Baptism in the holy spirit. After this experience, prayer groups and communities began to expand in the Catholic church in the US and throughout the rest of the world.
Beginnings In 1971, the Jesuit seminarian Laurent Fabre met Mike Cawdrey, an American Jesuit student who was familiar with the American Charismatic Renewal, at the diocesan seminary in Lyon. He convinced him, together with Bertrand Lepesant (who was later to become the founder of the ) to spend two days in prayer asking for the presence of the Holy Spirit in
Le Touvet. Two young American Protestants, just back from
Taizé and about to leave for a pilgrimage to
Jerusalem, were also invited. At the end of this weekend, the two French men received the "Baptism in the Holy Spirit". After this experience, they founded a charismatic prayer group located in Montée du Chemin-Neuf. In 1973, Laurent Fabre, accompanied by Bertrand Lepesant, left for the United States to meet with American Charismatics. On their return, they organized a week-end attended by sixty people; seven of them celibates, four men and three women between 22 and 32 years of age, from amongst whom Laurent Fabre decided to form a lifelong community. In the beginning, they favoured a name taken from the Bible, but the members of the new foundation quickly realised that in the eyes of their visitors, due to their geographical location they were known as the "Chemin Neuf". Couples quickly joined this community which added to the mix couples and celibates. Apart from Laurent Fabre, this first community also included Jacqueline Coutellier, who had been thinking about joining the
Carmelites but who has since been committed to the life of the Chemin Neuf. By September 1978, the Chemin Neuf had 30 adult members, living in private homes or in the three community houses at that time (two in Lyon and one in
Beaujolais): about twenty children lived in the community without being part of it. Also in 1980 the first course for couples (Cana session) was launched which, in 2016, is the most popular Chemin Neuf course. At the beginning of the 1980s, the community was invited to come to the Paris area, to the Cenacle de
Tigery, a few miles south of Paris, and to the student house based in the rue Madame in the
6th Arrondissement in Paris. The community also began to grow on an international level, welcoming its first non-French members (Polish, German and Madagascan) and setting up a base in Brazzaville in the Congo. In 1982, the Chemin Neuf had about forty adult members. Cardinal
Albert Decourtray, archbishop of
Lyon, was particularly enthusiastic to have the community in his diocese, "the number of conversions impresses me". By that time, the Chemin Neuf had about 250 members of which 20 were life-long members; furthermore, five priests and two deacons had already been ordained and six seminarists were undergoing training. On Easter Sunday of 1986 in the
Cathedral of Saint-Jean, together with Jean-Marc Villet, pastor of the French Reform Church, Mgr Decourtray received 19 lifelong members of the community, amongst them five couples and three Protestant members The archbishop assigned some missions to the Chemin Neuf, especially those relating to communication. In 1982 , priest at La Duchère, set up Radio-Fourviere with him, which soon became known as RCF. Another member of the Chemin Neuf, Vincent de Crouy-Chanel, later became director of it. , for his part, was press attache to the cardinal from 1989 to 1992. This influence of the Chemin Neuf on diocesan life was sometimes criticised but the archbishop responded that Charismatics were only available for certain missions, notably the hospital chaplaincy of Pierre Garraud. to which ten people were devoted. In 1992, the apostolic section of the Communion of the Chemin Neuf was created which brought together people wishing to live the spirituality of the community without being involved in all its commitments. of the Chemin Neuf complained about sect-like practices such as brain washing and proselytism. After the publication, it was however revealed that Thierry Baffoy, one of its authors, had made certain inaccuracies and anachronisms regarding the Chemin Neuf. Furthermore, several bishops disputed the assertions contained in the work; Mgr Balland, then Archbishop of Lyon, stated, "Wherever (the Community) is established it accepts the advice and guidance of the bishops and puts itself at the service of all without distinction or proselytism". In 1998, a very controversial article published by the Centre Against Mental Manipulation (
Centre contre les manipulations mentales) mentioned, amongst other new communities, the Chemin Neuf, before however mentioning in the footnotes that "certain religious practices even non sectarian in themselves... are essential to the understanding of sectarian excesses which originate from the same".
Henri Tincq believes that these criticizes are hardly appropriate concerning "The Chemin Neuf, reputed to be the wisest community, recognized by the State with the status of congregation and by the Church…". Since 1989, the sociologist Martine Cohen stated, with regard to the Chemin Neuf, "We are not only far from a strictly charismatic legitimisation of power but the distrust towards a unique 'inspiration from the Holy Spirit' has created, far beyond a usual recourse to tradition or to authorities already in place, a sort of control by the grass roots".
The structuring and launching of new missions After 1995, the community became too numerous for decisions to continue to be taken by universal suffrage. The decision was taken to organise a
chapter every seven years (1995, 2002, 2009, 2016) to which the seventy two members were elected by the entire community. An international choir was established in 1996 to prepare for the
World Youth Days in Paris in August 1997: it notably gave concerts in 2000 on the
Piazza di Spagna and on the Pope's podium at the final gathering of the
World Youth Days in Rome (on the future site of the
University of Rome Tor Vergata) as well as from 2001 to 2003 in
Chartres Cathedral, France. In 2000, for the occasion of the World Youth Days, Net For God was established, a network of prayer and training for the unity of Christians and peace in the world, which brought together all the supporters of the Chemin Neuf and drew its inspiration from the vision of "the invisible monastery" developed in 1944 by Paul Couturier. A teaching video was transmitted every month by this network, which was growing rapidly: in 2011, the video was sent to more than one thousand "Net points", spread over 80 countries across the world and translated into twenty-six languages. In 2002, at the time of the second community assembly (known as the chapter), it was decided that all the commitments in the community or in all the different community missions would happen "within the ecumenical and international Net for God". That same year, Father Jerome Dupre La Tour, priest in the diocese of Lyon, presented to members of the council of priests, a report on the Canonical Status of the Emmanuel and Chemin Neuf communities. Its sentiments were criticised, in spite of the fact that the Status of the Chemin Neuf (public association of the faithful, which authorised a greater involvement from the bishop of the area); in his opinion, the name used by the civil authorities (congregation) did not cover the canonic definition of this term which gave way to a vagueness, notably in relation to the authority. As the canon priest, Michel Dortel-Claudot reminded us, these criticisms were found in all new communities: "the canon law of 1983, in its actual form, has not been adapted to new communities. To offer them the title 'Association of the faithful' is an ill-fitting coat", this framework had not been thought of for a group whose work took over the whole life of a person. In 2005, on the occasion of the World Youth Days in Cologne, a fraternity of young people was created with a strong link to the community: this fraternity took on the name of Youth of the Chemin Neuf. This structure made itself know in 2010, notably through the making of funny or parody style videos relating to the Christian faith or particular events. So, in 2012, a parody of "
Gangnam Style" was transmitted on YouTube and received more than a million hits: "Catho Style". In 2016, a video made by the Youth of the Chemin Neuf pretended to be a response to the song "
Sorry" by
Justin Bieber. This media coverage was a way of responding to the criticisms of poor communication within the Catholic Church, choosing "to leave its walls ..., to reach young people, ... using media". Using social networks has given the Chemin Neuf a continual presence in the media since the 1980s. During the years after 2000, the requests of the bishops or communities led the Chemin Neuf Community to establish itself, on average, in one new country each year. In 2016, members in missions in France numbered no more than about 40% of all members: the countries where the growth in members has been highest is Central Europe, Brazil and Africa. == Missions ==