BORIVALI – MUMBAI, JULY 9, 2013: The SCC Steering Committee of St. John Bosco parish, Borivali organized a talk on "New Religious Movements and breakaway groups" on Thursday, 4th July. The speaker was Fr. Vincent Barboza, the author of "10 reasons why are you still a Catholic," who is a crusader in guiding people against breaking away from the Catholic Church. Fr. Vincent shared his knowledge, experience and insights on this important topic in order to help people stand firm against challenges from splinter groups who are trying to get people to move away from the Catholic Church.
Break-away groups are termed as new religious movements and under this there are numerous denominations which call themselves "churches" and are usually headed by one leader or pastor who is a cult figure. The Catholic Church has had to face a number of challenges down the centuries and there is a need to be prepared and alert against those who urge Catholics to join their respective evangelization programs.
Fr. Vincent helped those present to understand that there is one faith and the fullness of truth is in the Catholic Church which has the beauty of unity in diversity. The riches that the Catholic Church preserves are the Word of God, the Sacraments, Mary – the Mother of our Lord, and the Liturgy which culminates in the Eucharist. We need to learn more about our faith, celebrate our beliefs, living them in our daily lives and also be proud of belonging to the Catholic Church.
Fr. Vincent further explained that the Holy Spirit does not lead anyone to leave the Catholic Church as many break-away groups would claim, but rather builds up unity. They should be re-directed with kindness and compassion to a Catholic priest. The meeting concluded with a hymn and words of gratitude to Fr. Vincent for making us aware of how to handle these challenges.