Nazareth belongs to those spiritual movements that God gave to His Church after the Second Vatican Council to protect the church from attacks on her freedom or her authenticity.
This movement started and developed as unique one in countries of Central and Eastern Europe, where forty years of dangerous communist policy was replaced by more dangerous Western European sugar policy.
Since the outset, the Nazareth movement has focused on protecting families against atheism and moral devastation. It was because they felt that divorces were growing more, and they became aware of neglecting in parenting of their own children.
Challenges of the Pope John Paul II, which came from his exhortation Familiaris Consortium right at the beginning of his pontificate, became encouragement for this movement, as well as precious program guidelines.
In order to help bishops to put this exhortation into practise (that time, here were very few priests and consecrated persons formed for this work), movement Nazareth began to offer a new service: to find and protect spiritual vocations, especially priests, and their early preparation for pastoral work in families. This service to local churches, the movement gradually has taken for its second goal.
A third goal has been creation and distribution of communication means for evangelization and catechesis in families.
All four groups of this movement together achieve these three objectives.
Diocesan priests serve families by spiritual guidance.
Single girls that belongs to secular institute Bethany, animate families and young.
And the families, for whom these three parts of the movement work, try to realize what God asks of them according to a pattern of the Nazarene family.
The close cooperation of all four parts of movement Nazareth characterises familiarity that they seek to preserve and grow by frequent meetings and sincere conversation. To become more and more close to the way of life of early Christian communities where they all have one heart and one soul.
The members of the movement try to bring this familiarity among the people of good will, whom they come more often into contact.
Members of this movement feel that it would be against the spirit of the family, mentioned before, if they were trying to get new members through an organized approach. Therefore, to increase number of the members, they prefer personal testimony.
These and all other good deeds springs from the fidelity to their charisma, they are fastened by daily contemplation of God's Word and participation in the Eucharistic Community.
They end a day assessing at least the most important moments of the day.
The members of the movement believe that the fidelity to the Word of God explained to them by the competent authority of the Church, and patience in difficulties that arise from maturation in faith, hope and love; will become more useful to the Church and to every local Church that show them confidence.
Beginning of the movement dates back to the beginning of the 20th century.
Young people, who resisted atheism, under the influence of religious tradition preserved in some degrees in some families, gave impulse for beginning of the movement.
Many young people from such families were looking for someone who would help them to live Christian life in communist society and often in their own families. Because their parents, in fear of their material security and social status, forbade their teenage children publicly proclaim themselves to be Christians.
Young salesian Jan Augustin Beno, who returned from Stalin re-education camps as a secretly ordered priest, helped to brave young people.
When, after the first attempts, he tried to give to those young people spiritual stability through spoken and written word, he re-entered into a prison. But this time into a state prison. Well, he did not stop at started journey. By encouragement and wise guidance of those who lived with him in prison, he acquired the ability to “pass through the walls” and find holes in regime fences. And this was beneficial for him in the next decade when he was forced to work on constructions and in forests, but in his own region and later in his house.
That time, God began to evoke desire to work among youth to another priests, it was necessary to guide them too.
After a short time, however, they also had to leave the parish service because of the intervention of the ruling regime and work manually for the next seven to twelve years.
It was obviously a very bitter limitation for all members of the growing movement.
But the youth enjoyed it.
From now on, the youth could meet these priests more often, they could stay longer in their presence and they could plan more precisely their spiritual events with them.
Under the guidance of these "uncles", as they called them out of caution, they became more closely acquainted with each other and entered into more responsible marriages, while they did not realize that they gave a rise to a new movement on the territory of the smallest state behind the "Iron Curtain". But it did not even realize those who formed it spiritually. It was only later when they were informed by the competent church authorities of the Vatican Dioceses.
The increase of this unnamed movement at the beginning was not organized. It grew naturally out of free decision of people. It raised from inside with considerable number of their own children. The massive increase of the movement was strongly supported by its new part, that were free girls, who, besides priests became multidimensional help for spouses and their children.
However, the sharp rise of the movement had its shady side. There was lack of priests ready for work in families. This circumstance forced Ján Augustín Beňo to turn with his request for help straight to Rome, because of absence of intermediary hierarchy. In a short time, the hearts of members of the movement were filled with great joy. Due to unusual circumstances, Vatican allowed to Don Beno to prepare young boys, who would work in families, for priesthood in secret, it means outside of a seminary.
In addition, external circumstances began to affect the increase of the movement. Because of increase of divorces in families and consequent delinquency of young people, many supposes were turning to the movement for help to unite their family and save faith and morality of their growing children.
Its first and fundamental goal is radical prevention in upbringing of a person, which must begin right from the cradle. Otherwise, these days, it is very difficult to make him a brave inhabitant of heavenly homeland.
Of course, this radical upbringing is possible only in good Christian family. The parents of the movement try to live thus since they have enter into marriage, even sooner, since they have left the teenage age. They live the advice of st. Ignatius of Antioch, according to him people should not enter into matrimony according to sympathy, but considering an advice of responsible people (cf. Letter to the to the Polycarp, n.5, 1-8, 1).
Since they are eighteen their spiritual directors have lead them to live their married life in mutual union, to marriage chastity and fruitfulness and to take care of their children.
The spiritual leaders, who spouses freely choose out of the priests of the movement, advise them to keep the order of God. According it a male is the head of the family and a woman is the heart (Pius XI., Casti connubii).
They keep the order because of the marriage unity. Parents are also advised to live Don Bosco’s preventive system that create positive upbringing environment with permanent kind parenting.
A spiritual director is an important interpreter of God's will for the members of this movement and a profound help in fulfilling it.
Married couples meet with him every month, but also when they need to deal with some serious personal or mutual problem.
In doing so, they are careful not to lose this help by their lack of honesty. They are aware of that spiritual directing is not only a gateway to the movement but also exit. They are also aware of that today it is very difficult to live true Christian family life without such a family helper. St. John Paul II says that a spiritual director is responsible not only for the moral and liturgical issues of the family but also for its personal and social problems. According to his words, the spiritual director is supposed to support families in his difficulties and suffering. He should stands by their side and helps them to see their lives in the light of the Gospel.
His teaching and his advice must always be in perfect harmony with the authentic teaching of the Church to be a father, brother, teacher and shepherd in his apostolate. (Familiaris consortio par. 73)
If members of the movement claim the right to such help from the Church, it is right and fair to help the Church to raise more and more such priests.
Therefore, parents try to bring to the gate of diocesan seminaries great number of those who with their help hear this divine calling. Spouses are committed to this in upbringing of their children in a family, priests in pastoral work of youth in parishes.
According to Pope's exhortation Pastores dabo vobis papers, par. 68 priests of the Movement regularly go to seminars to prepare those whom they helped to find and live their vocation. To prepare them for work in families in spirit of the movement.
Women's Secular Institute Bethany, which is a part of the movement, provides valuable help in this respect to parents and priests.
The second goal for the members of the movement is to take care of new vocations for priesthood.
So far, with the help of God and with the sympathy of many sympathizers, they have been able to give the Church over 30 years more than 150 priestly vocations.
The movement Nazareth quite early realized that it is hard to work in families, in seminaries, and in missions without means of communication.
According to the document of the Vatican Council II Inter mirifica, and also according their own experience they regard communication means as necessary tools in evangelization and catechesis.
Therefore, selection, production and distribution is their third goal.
There are approximately 200 formative and informational tools such as book, brochure, audio and video. They are mostly issued only in small quantities for internal use.
The Nazareth Family Association is a lay association. It is made up of Catholic spouses as well as adults who are preparing for Catholic marriage. These people have decided to preserve the God's order to form "small domestic churches" according to the Pope's guidelines. Thus they try to be witnesses of still active presence of God by their marriage unity and consistent Christian upbringing of their children. The association, by its name, says that the first apostolic task of Christian marrieds is parenting their own children (cf. Familiaris consortio 71.) according to example of the Nazareth family and with its protection, in a healthy separation from the harmful effects of the world.
They live their Charisma mainly by creating a positive upbringing environment and removing evil opportunities.
According to their charisma their first apostolic task spouses see in a mutual marital and family unity. „Look how they love each other ...“ (Tertullián: Apológy, 39) it is the most important response that they should invoke in their environment.
The second apostolic effort is willingness to receive children and responsible raising them up. They raise their children mainly by their own example and with methods and approaches summarized in literature of the movement. In addition, they do not neglect the personal study of Christian literature oriented on relationship between spouses, family relationships, or upbringing.
The third apostolic effort of spouses is their human and Christian testimony at work, where they try to be experts, responsible and create good human relationships. In addition, they promote good public works, especially in the local churches that they live in.
Members of the Association are influenced by example and spiritual teaching of St. Francis Sales and St. John Bosco.
As the basic means of our spiritual life, we use the daily prayer based on morning meditation of God's word and in evening common assessment of the day. We strive for frequent participation in the Holy Mass and the regular receiving the sacrament of reconciliation.
In addition to these basic means, we support our spiritual life meeting a spiritual leader once a month and also with regular attendance at meetings of fraternal community, which consists of several married couples. The meeting consist of meditating the Word of God and mutual and honest sharing of successes and failures, both in ordinary working life and in family relationships or in the spiritual life. Every year we take part in spiritual exercises.
Above all, we seek to testify that these days it is possible to live according to the word of God and according to the Church's teaching on marriage and family. We do so according to Charisma of the movement, and it is not in our interest to promote this testimony and also to hide it. Anyone who is interested to learn more about our live we respond by the words of the apostle Philip to Nathanael: "Come and see" (John 1:46).
Priests keep among the members the spirit of the movement through a spiritual directing, and they encourage the members to follow the goals that arise from its charisma.
They do this in their free time, with remaining power and material means, along with pastoral duties, which they hold as a diocese priests.
At the same time, they are pleased to be able to prove their faithfulness to local and general Church according to the 73rd point of the mentioned Pontifical exhortation.
They do this from the beginning. Even that time when they were imprisoned or send to civil work, mostly manual work, because of loyalty to the Church. Such trials, which lasted twelve years, undergo ten priests from this movement.
The priests of the movement also represent their diligence and reliability in the service to local churches. Because of these virtues, there are priests who holds such position: one monsignor and three professors of theology, four chaplaincies, a spiritual chaplaincy, a member of the Presbyterian Council, a diocesan director of the Pontifical Missionary Works, a chairman of the diocesan commission for youth, a vicar of justice, a metropolitan judge, two judges of the ecclesiastical court, a priest responsible for pastoral work among gypsies in Nita Diocese.
Among the priests of the Nazareth movement was Mons. Ferdinand Javor, who died on November 16, 2013 at the age of 73 years. TK KBS Print office of Catholic Bishops' Conference of Slovania, on the occasion of his death, published, among other things, that from 1987, he held the role of a spiritual at the seminary in Bratislava. From r. 1990 he was a secretary of archbishop's office in Trnava. In 2009, he was appointed as a spiritual assistant in Sládkovičov, and from July 2013 until his death he worked as a spiritual clergyman in Šala. In addition to pastoral activity, the Church hierarchy commissioned him to collaborate in publishing of many liturgical or other books for example: The Holy Scripture, which was published in Rome in 1995, Lectionary, Liturgy of the Hours, Liturgical Readings for Every Day, Missal, and others. His service to the Church was also appreciated by Holly Father John Paul II., when he named him the chapel of His Holiness. He particularly valued the priest community, which he enriched by his presence and his abilities that the Lord gave him.
There are two priest - missionaries of the movement in Ukrainian.
This is the letter, who sent one seminarian to the founder of the movement.
It says what the movement is for those who correctly understood God’s cooling to priesthood.
Dear Spiritual Father,
Sincere Greetings. For four years I have had an opportunity to see this movement quite close. I find a lot of valuable in it that enriches me and helps me to live as a Christian.
Community and spiritual leadership are two vital discoveries for me. The first touch with the community was through my spiritual leader J. H. SDB, where I grew spiritually in a group of young people. Since I have known this, I felt a strong desire to live my faith with others in a community. My heart is attracted by sincerity in a small community where we learn to love each other, to improve our characters, to encourage and to pray together.
Then a year before I joined the seminar I had the opportunity to meet in community of the boys who were preparing for life in a seminary. It was under the leadership of a priest from the Nazareth movement at Uncle Jožko B. Only in the community I was able to make a decision for priesthood.
Thanks to spiritual leadership, I began to take my life responsibly. I have known myself from inside, I taught myself to be honest and I found direction, support and encouragement in life. I am very grateful that I can have spiritual director Marian B. I wish all my life to grow up in the fraternal community. It is a value that I do not want to give up.
In contemplation, with I began as fifteen, of the books Day by Day, The Word of the Lord, Say the Lord and Pieces, I received a relationship to the Word of God. I am grateful to you Janko and all those who have opened my eyes to this and for these meditation tools. In the future, if the Lord God gives, I as a priest want to excite others for the Word of God and myself discover new ways to make Scripture appealing to young.
I began to understand the importance of pastoral work among families only after contact with the Nazareth movement. Until then, I did not know much about it. It was a new knowledge for me. I like the way that the parents who belongs to the movement bring their children up. Now I more understand that it is crucial for the Church to help create spiritually healthy families which are fully orientated to God. It encourages me that the movement is concentrated on individual contacts. They work in small groups, and they go to depth.
I also see it as very valuable that young people are getting effective help in getting to know their profession. I like meeting young people and in the future I want to help them discover their spiritual vocation.
I like their understanding of the present time. I like their reality in spirituality and living the Second Vatican Council by the members of the movement. I also like a strong focus on the teaching of the Pope, as well as faithfulness and obedience to the Church. Outside of the movement, thus I find only in a few other priests.
New movements and communities are also characteristic of the time, there they try to live together in the unity priests, consecrated women, families and young people. This valuable element is also found in the Nazareth movement.
Uncle Janko, these are the things that attract me and greatly help me on the way to the Lord. As I want to become useful to the Church and to make my life available for service to the Kingdom of God, I see in this spirituality a way that is right for me as well. I am grateful to the Lord for what I have come to know and experienced so far, and also for your help.
That's why I kindly ask you to receive me to the Nazareth movement. At the same time, I ask the Lord God for the light through intercession of Virgin Mary, so both your and my decision were in accordance to God's will.
In prayer connected B. Č
Our community of consecrated women is a part of the movement Nazareth. We have a common founder, charisma and spirituality, as well as the same apostolic goals.
The women's secular institute Bethany was founded in 1983 in Slovakia when, on December 8, the first members made their first profession into the hands of our founder, Salesian priest Ján A. Beňa. On August 22, 1996, Bishop Mons. Rudolf Baláž gave it a status of secular institute of diocesan warranty.
From February 2, 2011, this institute is directly attached to the Apostolic See, although it continues to be a secular institute of diocesan warranty.
We live our consecrated secular life in environment where we stay during a day. We also have our specific goals:
- animation of families in their most diverse needs,
- animation of youth, especially helping them to discover and shape their vocation,
- production and distribution of communication tools for catechization.
We fulfil these specific goals in collaboration with the priests and families of the movement. We also look for how to do it in other ecclesial and secular environments where we are present as consecrated persons.
Charisma of the founder of our institute is based on charisma of St. John Bosco, who developed his own pedagogical method, called the preventive system, in care of adolescent youth. The charisma of the founder moves this prevention at the beginning of its existence, even far ahead, when it is focused on the formation of parents as the first responsible for parenting of their children.
Our efforts for Christianity and humanity can also show the following events:
Holiday with God's Mercy
In this holy year of Mercy, I decided to spend every day of holiday by visiting a church with a holy gate in different places and made a trip to surrounding countryside.
On Sunday, during the World Youth Days in Poland when the Holy Father Frantisek celebrated the Holy Mass in the shrine of God’s Mercy in Krakow, I decided to visit a shrine of God's Mercy in Smižany at that time and then go to the Slovak Paradise. The Lord God helped me and confirmed my decision with events. I got on a bus and I came to the church which was just open, but only because they cleaned it up, as the friar, who I met by the entrance, told me. I could not stay there longer, because the cleaning was over and the church had to be closed. That's why I went to the Slovak Paradise, but the Lord God had another plan. As I was leaving the church, I noticed two gypsies, who were pressing bells at the gate of friar’s house, but nobody opened them. When they looked at me, they turned to me, explaining that they need help, so they were looking for one of the religious. From an interview with them, I found out that they were brothers, living in a children's home, and now they are on holiday at aunt. The younger one is sick and he does not have money for emergency and medication. I found out they did not lie, and the boy really needed drugs, so I brought them to the friar in the church. He said that they did not give money because they had bad experience. I had shown willingness to help the boy, but I would not give him cash. I found out where the emergency is. The monk told me where I can find a pharmacy when I want to help them. I understood the Lord’s words: "You give them food." That's why we went to a pharmacy where they gave us medicine. An old pharmacist gave us a glass of water, and the sick boy could take the medication.
On the way, the older brother expressed gratitude and asked me how they could show reward for my service. I asked them to pray for me. The answer was quick, the boy said that he could pray, and in the children's home he is an oltar boy, and he immediately prayed to Our Father. He said as good is Lord Jesus and how He was helping them right now in this particular situation. Well, that was just the beginning of my help, which I tried to show mercy to the neighbour. In addition to illness, the boys were also hungry. In a nearby shop, I bought them some bread and we said goodbye. The boys went to the village and I went to the Slovak Paradise. There I came after this merciful deed.
By this event, the Lord God has confirmed to me that I will come easier to Heaven after I have done deeds of mercy during the earthly life.
Another event:
It was an ordinary working day. It was not very nice outside, so the library attracted considerably more readers. People started to queue at the desk. I tried to solve the same questions at the same time, so the number of students did not grow. It went well.
There was an overwhelming voice of an irritated student sitting at computer behind my desk: "Excuse me!" I did not react at first, thinking, that he did not even notice how much I had to do. But it was not so. Again, "Excuse me!" At that moment, I'd rather do everything at once – I would remind him to keep silence and wait in the queue...
I turned to him and told him that after I have finished customers I would come. When I came to his computer, I saw that it was not working as it should. It worked differently than he thought. I felt that I have to show him how to do it. To his criticism and comments I replied that if he visit us a few more times, he will not have problems. He printed thinks that he needed and left. I said goodbye to him and continued my work. A moment later a student who sat next to him came to me and said:, I do not know how people like him can study at college. I've watched it all, and I admire how you handled it and responded. "
When I come to work, I thank the Lord that He sends me there. I am glad to receive everything and everybody that awaits me. I myself feel that it changes me too.
Lucka
Two on one bench
I was at the Holy Mass in a large cathedral. In the last bench beside me sat a nun. Unfortunately, in our churches, children are walking up and down without their parents. And so I noticed as a four years old boy passed the sidewalks, as he have had a goal ahead of him. I thought if he'd come out of the church, it would be risky - somebody could take him or he could run under a car. When he walked past the last bench, I watched him what he did. The lady who sat a few lanes in the front, watched him with the same worries. And of course, it happened what we assumed. The boy had already touched the handle and started to open the door. He looked in our direction, so I showed him with a sharp hand that he should stay in place, and I urged him to come back. Fortunately, he listened. I knew that when he will past the lady on his way back, she would stop him, talk to him and direct him. That's what happened. Then we both peacefully continued to watch the Holy Mass.
When I looked at a nun next to me, it did not seem to me that, she noticed anything from this "little drama". And then I realized the difference between the mission of a nun and a secular consecrated.
Her virtue was that she was not distressed by anything. I also have to pray without distraction, but my mission is to perceive what is happening around me and, if necessary, to intervene immediately, because I am touched by this all. I am in the world to see its joy and concern, good and evil, needs and danger, "from the inside" and, in cooperation with others in the world, to interfere for its benefit.
Baby as a gift
I work as a nurse. One lady came to our clinic for checking up after labour. Before she got pregnant, she had lymph node cancer. Everyone scared her that her child will be handicapped. When she talked about it, she was scared. I just said that every child is a gift. Now, when the baby is born, a happy mum told me that these words encouraged her and her husband in the time of her pregnancy. The baby is really a gift.
"Coincidence?"
In the late evening, when I returned from the meeting, I found out that I had a nearly empty tank. "I'll have to refill in the morning." I told it at home that night, and my sister assured me that the petrol station in the next village is open nonstop after rebuilding.
So early in the morning, I drove to refill in into the nearby village. I stopped the car at the stand. There was silence and half-light, but it seemed to me that there was some light inside the building. I said to myself, "Let me try if the stand works ..." It worked. I filled up a full tank and went to pay. But the building was still locked. No one anywhere. I walked indignantly in the hope that someone would appear. What will I do? It has not happened to me yet, to refill the full tank for free. I picked up a piece of paper from the handbag and wrote: I'm sorry, I've filled up and I have no place to pay. I have attached a number of my car and the phone for the case ... Today everything is under the cameras. I drove away looking around if cops were not after me ...
Nobody called me all day, and I could not find out a phone number of the petrol station. I stopped there to pay after the work. The gentleman at the station repeated a few times: "Dear lady thank you that you have come ... Dear lady ..." He said that he did not know how this could happen, but all the stands were blocked, only the one I was filling up was unblocked. I said to him, "Well, I suppose I needed petrol."
The means, which the members of this movement secure their material existence, are not different from those used by all honest people. However, they try to be an example in keeping the four main virtues.
The primary source of these material means is their day-to-day work, in many cases a manual one that they teach their children.
Material resources that go beyond their actual need they shift to poorer brothers and sisters directly or through those who spiritually lead them.
Often, these material gifts are provided in a form of services in case of illness, in housing or other urgent need. There is nothing extraordinary in this area.
But when it comes to secure personal spiritual life, the Nazareth movement uses some special means.
The first is a half an hour morning meditation of God's word from Church-approved materials. This is individual.
This is their morning pray, but in some sense also their daily catechesis.
The second spiritual means is evaluation of the day, which is considerably shorter and a common nature. It begins by a brief retrospection of the day, and continues, if necessary, by reconciliation of natural or spiritual family members, as an apostle Paul said:"Never let the sun set on your anger" (Ep 4, 26). It ends by a short, thanksgiving and asking God for help.
Parents also take their older children for the evaluation of the day. It is useless to hide some of their mistakes from older children. It is much more useful to confess them and then to show the effort to get rid of them. In this cases, problems regarding marital intimacy are solved by parents separately.
In this movement the community is a very important means to achieve closer unity with Christ and consequently to achieve closer common unity.
The term community means a group of three or four married couples and the same number or single people.
The community meets each second week. They meditate the God’s word, share joys and tribulations in the family and at work with the appropriate remarks or encouragements of participants. The member in whose house the community met finish the meeting by pray.
Such a meeting of marrieds is often attended by some of the consecrated girls. She comes as an equal member of their community to bring them news from the movement, from the local and general church and from the world, and if necessary help them another way.
Spiritual guiding is considered to be an indispensable means of achieving upbringing and self-educating goals.
Because of this proven means in spiritual endeavour, the members meet with priest of this movement, who they chose as their spiritual director after praying and thinking. They meet at a monthly base to talk with him about their successes and failures in seeking their Christian perfection and to receive the necessary guidance or encouragement. On such occasions, they report according to figure inherited after a great teacher of spiritual life, St. Francis Sales and his faithful pupil St. John Bosco. According to this figure, they first inform a spiritual director about their state of health and necessary care for their body. Then they talk about their family financial security, successes and difficulties they have to deal with in the workplace and they own mistakes. After this introduction, they talk how they live their baptism and confirmation, how they move forward their Christian perfection and about their practical love to God, Church and neighbour.
A further part of the figure are questions about respect and obedience to ecclesiastical and secular authorities, and how they behave towards those who are an obstacle to them, by their speech or immoral life, on the way to the Lord. The members of the movement inform their spiritual director about the words and actions of their co-workers, which can be a lesson and encouragement for many, but also about those that could scandalize others.
At the end they refer to a spiritual director how they listen and fulfil the Word of God, how they receive sacraments and how they do the works of corporal and spiritual mercy.
Parents, who value and protect their marital unity, go to their spiritual director together to refer him according this figure.
The name Nazareth reminds to the members of this movement virtues of Holy Family and at the same time it informs them where to seek help to achieve them.
Especially, this name draw their attention to God's order, according to him Virgin Mary was much higher than her husband Joseph and her Son Jesus infinitely more than both his parents. However, Mary obeyed Joseph's instructions, and Jesus was subordinate to both of them by this order.
Moreover, the Biblical Nazareth gives to the members of the movement the only right view at their children. From the perspective of Nazareth, each of their children in their conception and development is a common work of both God and man.
The name Nazareth is also a serious challenge for parents to move from busy cities to the country to bring their offspring as Christians in quieter rural environments. Today, there are too many Herodes in our cities, and similar Archelans, who endanger children physically and even more spiritually.
And finally, the name Nazareth is for the parents of this movement demonstration how to seek children with pain after the example of St. Joseph and Virgin Mary, and to find a child with joy if it was lost despite their care.
Spouses of this movement, follow example of the Holly Family and take the letters of the Apostles Peter and Paul and all the relevant documents of the Church teaching into account in their family life.
Especially, they recall the encyclical of Pope Leo XIII. Arcanum divinae sapientiae, encyclical of Pio XI. Casti connubii, two speeches of Pius XII. from September 1941, the Encyclical Humane vitae by Paul VI., the exhortation of the Familiaris Consortio by the Holy Pope John Paul II and the exhortation of Amoris laetitia by Pope Francis and citation: they are willing to "misinterpret" with the fisherman Peter as "to be right" with the professors of Sorbonne (G. Chevrot: Simon Peter).
Relationship to other movements is expressed in a brief summary of view and experience from Pastoral work among families, which also appeared on the table of the secretary of the first synod about family.
According to this Concept, "The members of the Nazarene movement accept the own way of all groups of believers and want to create with each of them the unity that springs from sanctification that is in Christ truth." (page. 8)
They welcome each activity in spreading and strengthening the Kingdom of God.
They are aware that, to judge, approve or reject this or that apostolic activity is the matter of a church authority. Therefore, they do not attack other apostolic constitutions. They also want to avoid generalizing any mistakes made by individuals. They also wish, others did the same.
Nazareth as a church movement received two recognitions: direct and indirect.Nazareth as a church movement received two recognitions: direct and indirect.
The first recognition was not directly mentioned at the beginning when the founder received positive response from Rome to bring up diocesan priests for family pastoral work in the movement outside the seminary, as they did in the past in extraordinary circumstances in his order. By this way they fulfil Pope's desire for family pastoral work expressed in the Familiaris Consortio.
The only seminary in Slovakia, which the communist regime allowed to Catholic, had restriction in a number of theology students, which resulted in fifteen new priests in a few years, but there died about seventy priests a year. Therefore, according to calculation of canonist Karol Jarabek, it was possible to assume that at a certain point in time there would be theoretically one at all.
Rome has praised this initiative of the priests in the movement, and gave the founder (with respect to extraordinary circumstances) oral permission and guidance how to proceed in education and consecration for priesthood.
This request of the movement and a positive response from Rome was mediated by Polish Bishop Mons. Wacław Skomorucha and Professor of Theology Zbigniew Zalewski.
The second recognition of Nazareth came ten years later from the State Secretariat in Vatican.
Archbishop, an agent for extraordinary matters Mons. Francesco Colasuonno asked the founder to give both written and oral information about the nature and status of the Movement.
In few days, the founder arrived to Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life, with consent of his rector major, accompanied by two members of Silesian main council. He listened to a number of guidelines, including the following:
"What you represent, together with priests, single girls, and spouses in your homeland, must be considered as a gift of the Holy Spirit, which is not only for you, it is for the whole Church.
We want to help you to protect it from danger outside and inside.
Write the statutes that will represent the way of your work and life and give them to your bishop. He will send them to us. We will examine them and after possible modification we will recommend to be proclaimed ecclesiastically approved."
There was third recognition of Nazareth shortly after the visit of the founder at Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and then at the Pontifical Family Council.
It was expressed by the act of Mons. Rudolf Balaž, bishop of diocese Banská Bystrica, where the movement started, who sent to Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life decree number 880/1990 that instituted a priests of the movement as priest association according to CCL, canon 312 §3, and expressed firm hope "that after the decisions of the Holy See, it will become priest secular institution for the glory of God and benefit of souls".
Then the bishop of Banská Bystrica gave similar titles to another two components of this movement.
The group of girls is subject of decree no. 1299/92 and group of spouses is subject of decree number 2141/92.
A year later, a similar authorisation received a group associated with Secular Institute Bethany, which was issued on May 22, 1996, according to the canon 579 by the same bishop with approval of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life.
Further confirmation to the movement Nazareth came from several domestic and foreign bishops in the form of litterae testimoniales.
Invitation to The First World Congress of Church Movements on 27-29 May 1998 in Rome was for the movement Nazareth direct recognition of Nazareth that deserves especial attention. After the congress, this work was presented at St. Peter's Square as a church movement. It was also published in L'Osservatore Romano (Va., 122) and in a short time in the book “Church Movements from Apostolic Times until Today” by Spanish author Fidel Gonzalez Fernández (Milano, BUR 2000). Slovak translation was published by the Roman Catholic parish Krušovce ISBN 978-80-972240-4-2.
And also the movement received an invitation to The Second World Congress of Church Movements and New Communities, held on 31 May - 2 June 2006 in Rocca di Papa. It continued at St. Peter Square on June 3 by a Pentecost vigil with the Holy Father Benedict XVI. Moderators announced that there were more than one hundred movements and new communities. They namely mentioned twenty-three. First they mentioned the most significant and the most numerous and then smaller. As thirteenth in a row, they mentioned our movement by following words: "The movement Light and Life and the movement Nazareth together with others present us countries of Central and Eastern Europe".
The founder of the movement Nazareth could take a special place among the other founders near the Holy Father.
Despite the many and serious difficulties, charisma of Nazareth continues spread.
The aims that this movement have from the beginning (healthy families – sincere priest communities and impressive communication means) become more relevant not only in Slovakia but also elsewhere.
The movement has relevant character for this world, therefore, you can meet priests, girls or spouses from this movement also outside Slovakia these days, so far in Poland, Ukraine, Bohemia, Russia, and in Siberia.
In Diocese of Podolskie Kamenec, priests and girls worked in establishment of a Roman Catholic seminary to help the local bishop to remove the tragic lack of priests. Only four out of two hundred priests of that diocese died in the last regime by natural death.
As well as looking after the seminary, they are looking for spiritual vocation among the youth and families with more children.
Individual catechesis of this movement help to from small parish communities out of descendants of Russians, Poles, Germans and Armenians in Siberian mission.
These communities are hope of all who believe that the Church will face the Muslim, Hindu and Shinto wall of the southern hemisphere with difficulty in an attempt to reach the great nations of the East. According to them, it will easier pass through spirituality hungry and blood sprinkled Siberia.