Kiko Argüello
Encyclopedia
Francisco José Eduardo Argüello (born January 9, 1939) is a Spanish artist and, together with Carmen Hernández, co-initiator of the Neocatechumenal Way
. Argüello was born in León
, He studied fine arts at the Royal Academy of San Fernando in Madrid
and in 1959 was awarded a Special National Prize for Painting. In 1964, he began what would become the Neocatechumenal Way in the slum of Palomeras Altas in Madrid.
On May 13, 2009, he was awarded an Honorary Degree
by the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family
. The institute underlined "the strong commitment of the Neocatechumenal Way on family issues" by its emphasis on "the experience of the 'domestic celebration' with which it sends families on a mission
." It also pointed out the value of the lay group's "promotion, together with other ecclesiastical organizations, of major initiatives in support of the family," especially the "Family Day in Italy and the 2007 Feast of the Holy Family in Madrid."
, of which he gives a vivid account in an interview. He wondered how it was possible "that we live in a world full of injustices when inside we have a desire for justice." Through his involvement with a theatre group, he "learned something of the philosophy of Sartre, (No Exit
, The Flies
, etc.), and in the end Sartre gives us an answer: that the world is absurd
, everything is absurd, that we have a craving for justice and live in an unjust world because everything is absurd." Argüello tried to live "consciously, existentially
" the "reality" of Sartrian atheism
. He dedicated himself to art, won a National Prize and appeared on television, but to his surprise "it meant absolutely nothing" to him. "In the end I asked myself: but people, how can they live if I can't?... I'd get up and say: to live, for what? To paint. And why paint? To make money. What for, if nothing satisfies me? I knew that sooner or later I'd shoot myself, I'd kill myself."
At the height of this crisis, however, Argüello read another philosopher, Bergson, "who says that intuition
is a... way..., deeper than reason itself, of arriving at truth. And, surprised, I found that, deep inside, my artist's intuition did not accept the absurdity of existence; I was aware of the beauty of a tree, of the beauty of things; there is something there that can't be absurd. Then if the absurd is not the truth, if there is a reason for being... the next step was: then somebody created us.... At that moment... something in me told me that God existed... that God loved me... that I was a son of God. And with great surprise I found... that this God that appeared in my heart, in my deepest soul, was Jesus Christ, the Jesus Christ of the Catholic Church."
Summing up this period of his life during his meeting with Pope John Paul II
in Rome on November 2, 1980, Argüello said, "God permitted me to experience the absurd — atheism — until he had mercy." After his conversion he determined to dedicate his life to Jesus and to the Church. He began to frequent catechism
courses and for years he trained as a catechist. Convinced that Christ is present in the suffering of the poorest of people and inspired by the example of Charles de Foucauld
, Argüello abandoned his studies and career as a painter. Taking only his guitar, crucifix and Bible, he left to live amongst the poor in a wooden shack in Palomeras Altas, a slum on the outskirts of Madrid.
and the centrality of the Easter Vigil
. They developed a style of preaching adequate to the environment in which the poor were living and formed a small Christian Community. This first community was mainly composed of gypsies, illiterates, vagabonds
, prostitutes, and unemployed people who were drawn by the discovery of the love Christ had for them despite their sins.
Through contact with other parishes embracing different standards of living, little by little a Way of Christian initiation was begun for adults who were rediscovering the richness of their Baptism.
worldwide. The statutes of the Neocatechumenal Way were approved ad experimentum for a period of five years in June 2002. The Statutes, with minimal changes, were given final approval by the Church on June 13, 2008. Today the Neocatechumenal Way is present in more than 110 countries in all the six continents, in nearly 900 dioceses, and in around 8,000 parishes with more than 30,000 communities, 19,000 of which are found in Europe, 10,000 of them in Italy.
(Ascension of Our Lord into Heaven); in the Church of Saint Frances Cabrini (Holy Trinity) and also in its crypt and in the Church of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
(The Apparition
of the Risen Christ to Saint Thomas
). In Porto San Giorgio
, the centre of the Neocatechumenal Way, near the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Loreto, the International Centre for the New Evangelisation has been built according to Argüello's design. He has set up as well a huge cross and an abstract painting of the Creation. He has also designed many of the 75 Redemptoris Mater Seminaries, especially those of Newark and Denver (USA), Rome and Macerata (Italy), as well as the Neocatechumenal Centre in Madrid, amongst others.
In Florence
, he has painted the "Corona Misterica", behind the altar of the Church of San Bartolomeo in Tuto, and has designed, together with the Italian architect Alberto Durante, a Catechumenium (a structure encompassing several halls, intended to hold liturgies by the Neocatechumenal Communities and the Diocese).
In the Parish of the Holy Trinity in Piacenza
, he has painted one of the largest murals in the world (500 square metres). It represents the Glory of Christ Pantocrator
, Resurrected, on a golden background. It was inaugurated in the presence of the local Bishop, an official of the Orthodox Church
of Moscow and three Eastern Patriarchs.
In Madrid, Kiko has also designed the architecture of various Cathecumeniums and has painted different themes in the Parishes of El Transito (The Dormition of Our Lady), of Saint Joseph
(The Transfiguration
), of La Paloma (he designed and painted the chapel dedicated to Pentecost
) and of Saint Catherine Labouré
(where he designed the architecture of the church together with the German architect Gottfried Klaiber), he painted the Story of Salvation
on a golden background all around the temple. Additionally, in the parish of San Frontis de Zamora, he painted a round mural depicting the Birth of Jesus, His Baptism
and His Resurrection
.
In Finland, in the city of Oulu
, he designed, together with the Swiss architect Gabriele Geronzi, the first parish church in a zone where there had never been a Roman Catholic church before.
In Israel
, he designed, together with a team of architects (Antonio Abalos and Guillermo Soler, Spanish; Mattia Del Prete, Italian; and the above mentioned Gottfried Klaiber), the grand building of the Domus Galilaeae
(a centre of biblical formation and place to receive pilgrims to the Holy Land), where he has recently finished the painting of the Last Judgement that decorates the church of this new building.
Just before to the royal wedding of Crown Prince Felipe of Spain
, Kiko was commissioned by the Cardinal and Bishop to paint the interior of the Almudena Cathedral
of the Archdiocese of Madrid and to replace the stained glass windows in time for the said wedding, in 2004. This work has turned out to be controversial, since it had previously been assigned by an open international call to the artist Manuel Ortega in January, 1988. Another issue arose when identical copies of the icons were found in a church in Arroyo Hondo, near Santo Domingo. Kiko is the original artist and his work was duplicated in both the Cathedral and the said church. Those paintings, and many others, have been reproduced in many seminaries and churches and in the Domus Galilaeae
Center.
Neocatechumenal Way
The Neocatechumenal Way, also known as the Neocatechumenate, NC Way or, colloquially, The Way or The Neocats is an itinerary within the Catholic Church dedicated to the Christian formation of adults...
. Argüello was born in León
León, Spain
León is the capital of the province of León in the autonomous community of Castile and León, situated in the northwest of Spain. Its city population of 136,985 makes it the largest municipality in the province, accounting for more than one quarter of the province's population...
, He studied fine arts at the Royal Academy of San Fernando in Madrid
Madrid
Madrid is the capital and largest city of Spain. The population of the city is roughly 3.3 million and the entire population of the Madrid metropolitan area is calculated to be 6.271 million. It is the third largest city in the European Union, after London and Berlin, and its metropolitan...
and in 1959 was awarded a Special National Prize for Painting. In 1964, he began what would become the Neocatechumenal Way in the slum of Palomeras Altas in Madrid.
On May 13, 2009, he was awarded an Honorary Degree
Honorary degree
An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...
by the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family
Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family
The Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family is a Roman Catholic pontifical institute of theological studies with locations around the world....
. The institute underlined "the strong commitment of the Neocatechumenal Way on family issues" by its emphasis on "the experience of the 'domestic celebration' with which it sends families on a mission
Families in mission
The Families in Mission are families coming from the Neocatechumenal Way that offer themselves voluntarily and freely, leaving their homes, work and friends to go in mission in the World according to the needs of the Neocatechumenal Way, wherever they are requested by the bishops of the Catholic...
." It also pointed out the value of the lay group's "promotion, together with other ecclesiastical organizations, of major initiatives in support of the family," especially the "Family Day in Italy and the 2007 Feast of the Holy Family in Madrid."
Crisis and Conversion
At the Royal Academy Argüello went through a profound existential crisisExistential crisis
An existential crisis is a stage of development at which an individual questions the very foundations of his or her life: whether his or her life has any meaning, purpose or value...
, of which he gives a vivid account in an interview. He wondered how it was possible "that we live in a world full of injustices when inside we have a desire for justice." Through his involvement with a theatre group, he "learned something of the philosophy of Sartre, (No Exit
No Exit
No Exit is a 1944 existentialist French play by Jean-Paul Sartre. The original French title is Huis Clos, the French equivalent of the legal term in camera, referring to a private discussion behind closed doors; English translations have also been performed under the titles In Camera, No Way Out...
, The Flies
The Flies
The Flies is a play by Jean-Paul Sartre, written in 1943. It is an adaptation of the Electra myth, previously used by the Greek playwrights Sophocles, Aeschylus and Euripides....
, etc.), and in the end Sartre gives us an answer: that the world is absurd
Absurdism
In philosophy, "The Absurd" refers to the conflict between the human tendency to seek value and meaning in life and the human inability to find any...
, everything is absurd, that we have a craving for justice and live in an unjust world because everything is absurd." Argüello tried to live "consciously, existentially
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
" the "reality" of Sartrian atheism
Atheism
Atheism is, in a broad sense, the rejection of belief in the existence of deities. In a narrower sense, atheism is specifically the position that there are no deities...
. He dedicated himself to art, won a National Prize and appeared on television, but to his surprise "it meant absolutely nothing" to him. "In the end I asked myself: but people, how can they live if I can't?... I'd get up and say: to live, for what? To paint. And why paint? To make money. What for, if nothing satisfies me? I knew that sooner or later I'd shoot myself, I'd kill myself."
At the height of this crisis, however, Argüello read another philosopher, Bergson, "who says that intuition
Intuition (Bergson)
Intuition is the philosophical method of French philosopher Henri Bergson.In An Introduction to Metaphysics, Bergson introduces two ways in which an object can be known: absolutely and relatively. Pertaining to each mode of knowledge is a method through which it can be gained...
is a... way..., deeper than reason itself, of arriving at truth. And, surprised, I found that, deep inside, my artist's intuition did not accept the absurdity of existence; I was aware of the beauty of a tree, of the beauty of things; there is something there that can't be absurd. Then if the absurd is not the truth, if there is a reason for being... the next step was: then somebody created us.... At that moment... something in me told me that God existed... that God loved me... that I was a son of God. And with great surprise I found... that this God that appeared in my heart, in my deepest soul, was Jesus Christ, the Jesus Christ of the Catholic Church."
Summing up this period of his life during his meeting with Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...
in Rome on November 2, 1980, Argüello said, "God permitted me to experience the absurd — atheism — until he had mercy." After his conversion he determined to dedicate his life to Jesus and to the Church. He began to frequent catechism
Catechism
A catechism , i.e. to indoctrinate) is a summary or exposition of doctrine, traditionally used in Christian religious teaching from New Testament times to the present...
courses and for years he trained as a catechist. Convinced that Christ is present in the suffering of the poorest of people and inspired by the example of Charles de Foucauld
Charles de Foucauld
Charles Eugène de Foucauld was a French Catholic religious and priest living among the Tuareg in the Sahara in Algeria. He was assassinated in 1916 outside the door of the fort he built for protection of the Tuareg and is considered by the Catholic Church to be a martyr...
, Argüello abandoned his studies and career as a painter. Taking only his guitar, crucifix and Bible, he left to live amongst the poor in a wooden shack in Palomeras Altas, a slum on the outskirts of Madrid.
The Origins
It was among the poor of Palomeras that Kiko encountered Carmen Hernández, a graduate in Chemistry and Theology. Thanks to the liturgist Father Farnés Schrerer, they got in touch with the liturgical renewal of the Second Vatican CouncilSecond Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...
and the centrality of the Easter Vigil
Easter Vigil
The Easter Vigil, also called the Paschal Vigil or the Great Vigil of Easter, is a service held in many Christian churches as the first official celebration of the Resurrection of Jesus. Historically, it is during this service that people are baptized and that adult catechumens are received into...
. They developed a style of preaching adequate to the environment in which the poor were living and formed a small Christian Community. This first community was mainly composed of gypsies, illiterates, vagabonds
Vagabond (person)
A vagabond is a drifter and an itinerant wanderer who roams wherever they please, following the whim of the moment. Vagabonds may lack residence, a job, and even citizenship....
, prostitutes, and unemployed people who were drawn by the discovery of the love Christ had for them despite their sins.
Through contact with other parishes embracing different standards of living, little by little a Way of Christian initiation was begun for adults who were rediscovering the richness of their Baptism.
Kiko Argüello and Neocatechumenal Way today
After more than thirty years of work in more than a hundred countries, this Neocatechumenate was recognized by Pope John Paul II as an "effective means of Catholic formation for society and the present time." Kiko Argüello, Carmen Hernández and an Italian Priest, Father Mario Pezzi are presently the international team responsible for the Neocatechumenal WayNeocatechumenal Way
The Neocatechumenal Way, also known as the Neocatechumenate, NC Way or, colloquially, The Way or The Neocats is an itinerary within the Catholic Church dedicated to the Christian formation of adults...
worldwide. The statutes of the Neocatechumenal Way were approved ad experimentum for a period of five years in June 2002. The Statutes, with minimal changes, were given final approval by the Church on June 13, 2008. Today the Neocatechumenal Way is present in more than 110 countries in all the six continents, in nearly 900 dioceses, and in around 8,000 parishes with more than 30,000 communities, 19,000 of which are found in Europe, 10,000 of them in Italy.
Architecture, paintings and the liturgy
Through the years, Kiko Argüello has painted a large number of religious paintings, in several cities and localities, cathedrals and churches. He is also a psalmist and has composed well over a hundred and eighty songs of a religious nature, for use in Neocatechumenal Way celebrations and liturgies. Thus an aesthetic renewal has taken place through paintings, architecture, music, songs and liturgical ornaments. In Rome, Kiko has painted huge murals in the crypt of the Church dedicated to the Canadian MartyrsCanadian Martyrs
The North American Martyrs, also known as the Canadian Martyrs or the Martyrs of New France, were eight Jesuit missionaries from Sainte-Marie among the Hurons, who were martyred in the mid-17th century in Canada, in what are now southern Ontario and upstate New York, during the warfare between the...
(Ascension of Our Lord into Heaven); in the Church of Saint Frances Cabrini (Holy Trinity) and also in its crypt and in the Church of Saint Aloysius Gonzaga
Aloysius Gonzaga
- Early life :Aloysius Gonzaga was born at his family's castle in Castiglione delle Stiviere, between Brescia and Mantova in northern Italy in what was then part of the Papal States. He was a member of the illustrious House of Gonzaga...
(The Apparition
Resurrection appearances of Jesus
The major Resurrection appearances of Jesus in the Canonical gospels are reported to have occurred after his death, burial and resurrection, but prior to his Ascension. Among these primary sources, most scholars believe First Corinthians was written first, authored by Paul of Tarsus along with...
of the Risen Christ to Saint Thomas
Thomas the Apostle
Thomas the Apostle, also called Doubting Thomas or Didymus was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. He is best known for questioning Jesus' resurrection when first told of it, then proclaiming "My Lord and my God" on seeing Jesus in . He was perhaps the only Apostle who went outside the Roman...
). In Porto San Giorgio
Porto San Giorgio
Porto San Giorgio is a comune in the Province of Fermo, in the Marche region of Italy. It has approximately 16,200 inhabitants and it is located on the coast of the Adriatic Sea.-History:...
, the centre of the Neocatechumenal Way, near the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Loreto, the International Centre for the New Evangelisation has been built according to Argüello's design. He has set up as well a huge cross and an abstract painting of the Creation. He has also designed many of the 75 Redemptoris Mater Seminaries, especially those of Newark and Denver (USA), Rome and Macerata (Italy), as well as the Neocatechumenal Centre in Madrid, amongst others.
In Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, he has painted the "Corona Misterica", behind the altar of the Church of San Bartolomeo in Tuto, and has designed, together with the Italian architect Alberto Durante, a Catechumenium (a structure encompassing several halls, intended to hold liturgies by the Neocatechumenal Communities and the Diocese).
In the Parish of the Holy Trinity in Piacenza
Piacenza
Piacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
, he has painted one of the largest murals in the world (500 square metres). It represents the Glory of Christ Pantocrator
Christ Pantocrator
In Christian iconography, Christ Pantokrator refers to a specific depiction of Christ. Pantocrator or Pantokrator is a translation of one of many Names of God in Judaism...
, Resurrected, on a golden background. It was inaugurated in the presence of the local Bishop, an official of the Orthodox Church
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
of Moscow and three Eastern Patriarchs.
Saint Joseph
Saint Joseph is a figure in the Gospels, the husband of the Virgin Mary and the earthly father of Jesus Christ ....
(The Transfiguration
Transfiguration of Jesus
The Transfiguration of Jesus is an event reported in the New Testament in which Jesus is transfigured and becomes radiant upon a mountain. The Synoptic Gospels describe it, and 2 Peter 1:16-18 refers to it....
), of La Paloma (he designed and painted the chapel dedicated to Pentecost
Pentecost
Pentecost is a prominent feast in the calendar of Ancient Israel celebrating the giving of the Law on Sinai, and also later in the Christian liturgical year commemorating the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ after the Resurrection of Jesus...
) and of Saint Catherine Labouré
Catherine Labouré
Saint Catherine Labouré was a sister of the Daughters of Charity and a Marian visionary who relayed the request from the Blessed Virgin Mary to create the Miraculous Medal worn by millions of Catholics and even non-Catholics today.- Early life :She was born in the Burgundy region of France to...
(where he designed the architecture of the church together with the German architect Gottfried Klaiber), he painted the Story of Salvation
Salvation
Within religion salvation is the phenomenon of being saved from the undesirable condition of bondage or suffering experienced by the psyche or soul that has arisen as a result of unskillful or immoral actions generically referred to as sins. Salvation may also be called "deliverance" or...
on a golden background all around the temple. Additionally, in the parish of San Frontis de Zamora, he painted a round mural depicting the Birth of Jesus, His Baptism
Baptism of Jesus
The baptism of Jesus marks the beginning of Jesus Christ's public ministry. This event is recorded in the Canonical Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. In John 1:29-33 rather than a direct narrative, the Baptist bears witness to the episode...
and His Resurrection
Resurrection of Jesus
The Christian belief in the resurrection of Jesus states that Jesus returned to bodily life on the third day following his death by crucifixion. It is a key element of Christian faith and theology and part of the Nicene Creed: "On the third day he rose again in fulfillment of the Scriptures"...
.
Oulu
Oulu is a city and municipality of inhabitants in the region of Northern Ostrobothnia, in Finland. It is the most populous city in Northern Finland and the sixth most populous city in the country. It is one of the northernmost larger cities in the world....
, he designed, together with the Swiss architect Gabriele Geronzi, the first parish church in a zone where there had never been a Roman Catholic church before.
In Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, he designed, together with a team of architects (Antonio Abalos and Guillermo Soler, Spanish; Mattia Del Prete, Italian; and the above mentioned Gottfried Klaiber), the grand building of the Domus Galilaeae
Domus Galilaeae
Domus Galilaeae or House of Galilee , located on the peak of Mount of Beatitudes, above and north of Capernaum and the Sea of Galilee, is a modern Christian meeting place, primarily used for Christian seminars and conventions....
(a centre of biblical formation and place to receive pilgrims to the Holy Land), where he has recently finished the painting of the Last Judgement that decorates the church of this new building.
Just before to the royal wedding of Crown Prince Felipe of Spain
Felipe, Prince of Asturias
Felipe, Prince of Asturias de Borbón y de Grecia; born 30 January 1968), is the third child and only son of King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofía of Spain....
, Kiko was commissioned by the Cardinal and Bishop to paint the interior of the Almudena Cathedral
Catedral de la Almudena
Santa María la Real de La Almudena is a Catholic cathedral in Madrid.When the capital of Spain was transferred from Toledo to Madrid in 1561, the seat of the Church in Spain remained in Toledo; so the new capital – unusually for a Catholic country – had no cathedral...
of the Archdiocese of Madrid and to replace the stained glass windows in time for the said wedding, in 2004. This work has turned out to be controversial, since it had previously been assigned by an open international call to the artist Manuel Ortega in January, 1988. Another issue arose when identical copies of the icons were found in a church in Arroyo Hondo, near Santo Domingo. Kiko is the original artist and his work was duplicated in both the Cathedral and the said church. Those paintings, and many others, have been reproduced in many seminaries and churches and in the Domus Galilaeae
Domus Galilaeae
Domus Galilaeae or House of Galilee , located on the peak of Mount of Beatitudes, above and north of Capernaum and the Sea of Galilee, is a modern Christian meeting place, primarily used for Christian seminars and conventions....
Center.
External references
- Radio Vaticana: Pope Gives Neocatechumenal Way Final Statutes
- Zenit: Neocatechumenate Gets Final Approval
- Kiko, the Wrath of God (interview with Kiko Argüello)