The Neocatecumenal Way is a community within the Catholic Church that focuses on the formation of Christian adults. It arose in 1964 through the work of Francisco Arguello, Carmen Hernandez and Father Mário Perez to evangelize the less fortunate in Madrid. From Madrid to the rest of Europe and elsewhere, the Neocatecumenal Way has spread throughout the world and continues to make an impact today. The Neocatecumenal Way form small communities within the parishes as a sign of the missionary church, as they strive to open a way for the evangelization of those who have almost abandoned the Christian life. They are offered a catecumenal itinerary, which goes through the stages that the catechumens went through in the primitive Church before receiving the sacrament of Baptism: it brings them back to the Church and to Christ.