During a meeting at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church Monday night, parishioners heard a knock at the door.
It was the latest stop for three young men who have been journeying through the River Parishes as they participate in the Neocatechumenal Way, a Catholic movement dedicated to faith formation and evangelization. The men, named Santiago, Daven and Allen, are students and seminarians and are spending a week walking to Catholic churches throughout the greater New Orleans area.
The three began their walk at St. Peter Catholic Church in Reserve. They are part of a larger group participating in the Neocatechumenal Way this week. All will go through the journey carrying virtually nothing with them – no phones, very few personal belongings, and the three St. Charles Borromeo visitors had not even a change of clothes with them.
“There are a couple dozen walking in the New Orleans area. Some of them were dropped off on the Northshore. These three began in Reserve,” said Craig Howat of the St. Charles Borromeo Pastoral Council. “We didn’t know anything about it. At about 8:30 at night, they come knocking at the door. We gave them some food and some water.”
When Howat asked where they were staying, they responded they were planning to sleep under the nearby oak trees.
“I’m thinking, man, they’re not cutting any corners, they’re pretty serious about it,” said Howat.
The parishioners arranged with pastor Father Cletus Orji to make the youth center available for them to sleep in.
“They’re basically relying on the hospitality of strangers as they go around sharing their faith,” Howat said.
Howat said some clothing and other items were offered, but that the trio accepted very little.
“They didn’t even have a pillow,” Howat said.
Santiago studies medicine at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas. Allen studies kinesiology in Laredo, Texas and Daven is a seminarian at the Catholic Diocese of Dallas.
Howat said the idea behind the pilgrimage for the men is to emulate the simplicity and humility associated with St. Francis of Assisi, living without comforts, possessions or certainty, trusting God and the generosity of others while sharing their faith.
“You’re embracing a simple life,” Howat said. “You’re trying to be humble. You have nothing.”
The Neocatechumenal Way was born in 1964 in the towns of Palomeras Altas, near Madrid, Spain. It is a post-baptismal itinerary of Christian Catholic formation at the service of the bishops and the parish priests. It does this by forming small communities that come from all parts of society, single, married, young and old, that are a representation of the universal church. The communities walk together in a way of faith, reliving little by little their baptismal promises.
The trio noted Monday night that St. Mark Catholic Church in Ama was the next stop on their list for Tuesday.
“And I don’t even know how you’d get across the bridge – if you’re going to walk it, the police are going to stop you,” said Howat. “I told them, look, in the morning I’ll come pick you up and I’ll get you there.”
From there, the three planned to visit Holy Family Catholic Church and St. Anthony of Padua in Luling Tuesday before venturing into Metairie.
Howat said the trio conveyed they’ll be on their journey until Sunday, when it will be time to return home.
It’s quite the departure from the conveniences of day-to-day life people have grown accustomed to in 2026.
“That kind of simplicity in this day and age is a big task,” Howat said. “I teach high school seniors, and asking them to give up just their phone for two-and-a-half hours is tough for them, much less seven days.
“For me, New Orleans, we’ve been through a French government, a Spanish government, a French government again and now our American government, but in New Orleans the one thing that’s kind of been the same is our Catholic faith. It’s a part of our traditions and a part of our heritage. It’s a part of who we are. So, for these guys, it just shows the bigger side of the church and it’s kind of a beautiful thing.”
