Antioch was the name of an ancient city located in a region known as Asia Minor in Turkey. At present, Antioch is known as the City of Antakya, capital of Hatay province in Turkey. It was in this city that the followers of Jesus were first called Christians. (Acts 11:26) It was also in this city that the followers of Jesus started to build a community among themselves.
Antioch was also a refuge to other christian communities that were dispersed by the persecution in Jerusalem. The New Testament (in particular, the Acts of the Apostles) attested to the Spirit prevailing in Antioch at that time, the most notable of which is their love and concern for each other (Acts 11:27-30). They were one in heart and mind, and none of them ever claimed anything as his own; rather everything was held in common. None of them experienced extreme poverty because they share whatever they have with each other. None of them were extremely rich because even those who were rich were willing to share what they had. Indeed, in their lifestyle, the gospel of life, the Good News which Jesus was telling, was manifested and contaminating other communities. Their lifestyle witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus. Their love and concern for each other drew more people drawn in faith to Jesus.
Our program is called Antioch because it aims to continually manifest the Spirit present in the early Christian community in Antioch to our own communities. The world may have changed since the time of the early Christians in Antioch. But the problems are still here and very much similar to those experienced in the early communities. Indeed, we are living in a world of crisis, yet kairos.
We are in a world of crisis because the world has not changed since the time of the early Christians. The need to proclaim the Good News is still pressing because injustice, materialism, and all manifestation of selfishness are rampant. Yet, we have kairos, an opportunity to change because we still have people who remain committed to proclaim the Good News of Jesus, not only in words but through their deeds and lifestyle.
Our program is just one of those opportunities which we wish to offer. We hope that through this link, we are able to help in this work of making Jesus ever present in our midst.
The Antioch Weekend was developed out of a need for a weekend retreat that could introduce Catholic students into an understanding of what it was to be part of the Church at a secular university. The development of the first Antioch Weekend took place within the months after a group of campus ministers attended the Cursillo in South Bend, Indiana, USA (December 8, 1963). One of the realization that came after the Cursillo was that something else is needed for college students. Over the period of three years, the Antioch Weekend was developed done by a team of priests, graduate students and undergraduates. It was developed to be effective at Newman Centers as well as on Catholic campuses. It was developed at the University of Notre Dame, South Bend, Indiana (USA) and on October 8, 1966, the first Antioch Weekend was held. Since then, it was adapted not only in the Newman Centers, but also in many Catholic and non-sectarian campuses in the USA.
In the 1970's efforts to introduce Antioch in the parish was started. According to the Antioch Manual from Australia, the parish-based Antioch was started in the USA in 1973 for the youth of high school age. The outlines were subsequently modified by one of the leading couples in the Worldwide Marriage Encounter Movement, Jerry and Mary Mandry of New York.
According to The New Antioch Manual (published by Jerry and Mary Mandry in 1986) the development of the parish-based program started in 1979 in the Archdiocese of New York, at the Parish of the Sacred Heart in Dobbs Ferry. In its introduction, it states that The New Antioch manual is a complete revision of an earlier parish program. They call the new program The New Antioch. Although the content is completely new, the process and general format are the same. Outreach to parishes outside the United States were undertaken reaching Canada and as far as Australia and Papua New Guinea.
In 1981, Antioch started to reach out to Australia. . Three teenagers, Byron, Teresa and Claire Pirola brought it to Australia. They were provided with a manual consisting of talk outlines for the Weekend and follow-ups. Together with their family and friends, they formed a team of 24 youth, a priest and two married couples, and launched the first weekend in Maroubra Bay parish, Sydney in September 1981. The program was so effective among the youth that the message spread to nearby parishes. Since then, Antioch has spread to all states, and further afield to New Zealand, Fiji, Philippines, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. Many factors have contributed to Antioch's rapid growth in Australia, most especially the vitality and spirituality of the youth themselves and of their families. The support of priests and religious has been important, and the M.S.C.'s have played an especially strong supporting role. Fr. Chuck Gallagher, S.J. of New York, and his Pastoral and Matrimonial Renewal Centre, has had a close association with Antioch. The Centre's principles for "lay activation" were used in introducing Antioch into Australia
In September 1982, Antioch was introduced in the Philippines, through the efforts of the Pirola family, at the parish of Santuario de San Antonio, Makati, Archdiocese of Manila. At present, 14 parishes in the Archdiocese of Manila are doing Antioch. Seven parishes in the Diocese of Imus adapted Antioch as their youth program with a strong support from their respective parish priests. Antioch communities can also be found in the Archdiocese of Nueva Caceres (Naga), and the dioceses of Legaspi and San Pablo.
In 1994, Antioch was introduced at St. Francis Church in Singapore. A year after, The Blessed Sacrament Church had their first Antioch Weekend.
Also, in 1994, Antioch was introduced in Hungary. At present there are two parishes in Hungary doing the Antioch program.
More recently Antioch was introduced in England.
While Antioch continues to spread worldwide, the need for a manual was ever present. In 1986, Jerry and Mary Mandry revised the Antioch Manual ( the talk outlines which they gave to Australia) with the publication of The New Antioch Manual. On the other hand Australia also published its own manual. Both manuals are similar in most aspects except the style the outlines were written. Click here to know the difference.
On the other hand, the campus-based Antioch program has been adapted in many campuses in the U.S.A. The manual used for the campus-based Antioch was published in 1968, and copies of which is available on this site.
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