Catholic Charismatic Renewal

The Catholic Charismatic Renewal is a movement within the Catholic Church emphasizing the release of more of the power and gifts of the Holy Spirit in a continuing and New Pentecost for all Catholics; the aim is to have the Renewal become part of the experience of all Catholics and not simply remain the experience of just one group or segment of Catholics. Worship is characterized by vibrant Masses, as well as prayer meetings featuring prophecy and sometimes glossolalia, or "speaking in tongues." This movement is based on the belief that certain charisms (a Greek word for gifts), bestowed by the Holy Spirit, such as the abilities to speak in tongues and to heal (which Christians generally believe existed somehow in the early Church as described in the Bible) should still be practiced today.

A Catholic church in Ann Arbor, Michigan describes charismatic prayer:

"A charismatic style of prayer is common at Christ the King. People are free to raise their hands in prayer and during songs, many pray their own prayers audibly, some pray in tongues, etc.... They pray with expressive or charismatic prayer at monthly parish prayer meetings, at the beginning of parish meetings, and most especially during certain moments in the Holy Mass. These are some of the external markers of a charismatic parish. Internal markers include a radical surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ in all parts of life, a strong adherence to the Gospel and the teachings of the Catholic Church, and the pursuit of strong friendships centered on Christ.

Origins

The Catholic Charismatic Renewal as it exists today is the outgrowth from a retreat held in February 1967 of several faculty members and students from Duquesne University, a Catholic university in Pittsburgh operated by the Congregation of the Holy Spirit (a Catholic religious order founded in France in 1703). Many of the students - though not all - claimed to have experienced a movement of God’s Spirit called being “baptized in the Holy Spirit.” The professors had previously been “baptized in the Spirit” a week or two before. Believers felt that "God’s action" was also prepared for in a very human way by the students’ prayerful preparation in reading the Acts of the Apostles and a book entitled The Cross and the Switchblade.

What happened quickly spread to graduate students and professors at the University of Notre Dame and others serving in campus ministry in Lansing, Michigan. It continued to spread so that, as of 2003, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal exists in over 230 countries in the world, having touched over 119 million members according to David Barret, head of Global Evangelization Movement in Richmond, VA.

The Second Vatican Council stated in the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium 12:

It is not only through the sacraments and the ministrations of the Church that the Holy Spirit makes holy the people, leads them and enriches them with his virtues.... He also distributes special graces among the faithful of every rank. By these gifts he makes them fit and ready to undertake various tasks and offices for the renewal and building up of the Church.

The movement was given a major endorsement by Léon Joseph Cardinal Suenens (1904-1996), a leading cardinal in the Catholic Church and one of four moderators of the Second Vatican Council.

The charismatic element of the Church is still as evident today as it was in the early days of Christianity, although the manifestations may not seem as common or dramatic as in the first few hundred years. This situation may possibly be the result of the Church's becoming more and more established in the world. Nevertheless, the charisms as identified in Saint Paul's writings, especially in , , and , continue to exist and to build up the Church. The nine charismatic gifts considered extraordinary in character include: faith, expression of knowledge and wisdom, miracles, the gift of tongues and their interpretation, prophecy, discernment of spirits and healing (cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, ¶ 2003). These gifts are related to the traditional seven gifts of the Holy Spirit described in (wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord, as listed in Catechism of the Catholic Church, ¶ 1831). The nine charismatic gifts in are also related to the spiritual and corporal works of mercy. Other references to charisms in the Catechism of the Catholic Church include Sections 688, 768, 799-801, 890, 951, 1508 (charism of healing), 2035.

Reaction from the Church hierarchy

The initial reaction to the movement by the Church hierarchy was cautiously supportive. Some initially supported it as being a harbinger of ecumenism (greater unity of Gospel witness among the different Christian traditions). It was thought that these practices would draw the Catholic Church and Protestant communities closer together in a truly spiritual ecumenism. Today, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal enjoys the strong support of the hierarchy, from the Pope to bishops of dioceses around the world, as an officially recognized ecclesial movement.

Three popes have acknowledged the movement: Pope Paul VI, Pope John Paul II, and Pope Benedict XVI. Pope John Paul II stated that the movement was integral to the renewal of the entire Catholic Church. Both Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI, while acknowledging the good aspects of the movement, at the same time urge its members to maintain their link to the Catholic Church.

On November 30, 1990, a significant event occurred in Rome. The Pontifical Council for the Laity promulgated the decree which inaugurated the Catholic Fraternity of Covenant Communities and Fellowships. The decree noted that Covenant Communities from Australia, Canada, France, Malaysia, New Zealand and the United States were 'motivated by the desire both to assure greater dialogue and collaboration among themselves and to deepen their communion with the Successor of Peter as an essential element of their Catholic identity.'

The decree recognised the Fraternity as a Private Association of the Christian Faithful within the Catholic Church. It expressed the hope that this recognition would consolidate and promote the Catholic expression of the charismatic movement, might increase its spiritual fruits and encourage intensified apostolic activity in the work of evangelisation.

At the inauguration, Brian Smith from Brisbane, was elected President of the Executive of the Fraternity. He noted that the declaration was the most significant event in the history of the charismatic renewal since the 1975 Holy Year international conference and the acknowledgment it received from Pope Paul VI at that time. He said, 'It is the first time that the Renewal has had formal, canonical recognition by the Vatican.'

In March 1992, Pope John Paul II stated

At this moment in the Church's history, the Charismatic Renewal can play a significant role in promoting the much-needed defense of Christian life in societies where secularism and materialism have weakened many people's ability to respond to the Spirit and to discern God's loving call. Your contribution to the re-evangelization of society will be made in the first place by personal witness to the indwelling Spirit and by showing forth His presence through works of holiness and solidarity.

The Papal Preacher, Rev. Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, has written on the topic numerous times since 1986.

Criticism

John Vennari, editor of the Catholic journal, Catholic Family News, has criticized the Charismatic Renewal movement. Vennari has alleged the movement can disregard traditional Church teachings on the discernment of spirits and can be accepting of Protestant ministers teaching Catholic parishioners.

See also

• Charismatic movement
• Pentecostalism
• Catholicism

Notes

Further reading

• Kristina Cooper (2001). The Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Catholic Truth Society. ISBN 1-86082-114-6.
• Paul Josef Cardinal Cordes (1997). Call to Holiness: Reflections on the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Michael Glazier Books. ISBN 0-8146-5887-3.
• This book is available for free at the John Carroll University website (see external link below).

External links

• Address of Pope John Paul II to the ICCRO Council
• Writings of Léon Joseph Cardinal Suenens
• "A Neuroscientific Look at Speaking in Tongues," New York Times, Nov. 7, 2006