Catholic Charismatic Renewal

Some supporters within this movement see it as based on the belief that certain charisms (a Greek word for '''gifts'''), such as the abilities to speak in tongues and to heal (which all Christians believe existed somehow in the early Church as described in the Bible ) should still be practiced today.

Nonetheless, many Charismatic Catholics reject the preeminence given by Pentecostalism to Glossolalia ; many also reject what they consider to be Legalism .

Catholic Church Christ the King in Ann Arbor's website (http://www.rc.net/lansing/ctk/welcome/index.html) 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.... We 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 adherance to the Gospel and the teachings of the Catholic Church, and the pursuit of strong friendships centered on Christ."

ORIGINS

The cross-over of Pentecostal practices into Catholicism seems to have first appeared in certain Catholic universities of the United States , such as Notre Dame . Professors at these universities began to have private prayer meetings with other lay people where charismatic style prayer was practiced.

In 1967 , the Catholic Church in the United States witnessed the emergence of Neo-Pentecostalism , a movement which had already been introduced into the Protestant churches as early as 1890 . The Second Vatican Council stated in the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, Lumen Gentium :

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 Cardinal Leo Suenens , a leading liberal cardinal in the Catholic church.

The movement became popular within the Filipino and Hispanic communities of the United States. Some critics have suggested that the movement is really a new Folk Religion .
As of 2003, the movement consisted of 119 million members in 230 countries worldwide according to David Barret , head of Global Evangelization Movement in Richmond, VA .

The charismatic element of the Church is still as evident today as it was in the early days of Christianity, albeit the manifestations may not seem as dramatic as in the first few hundred years. This is thought to be the result of the Church becoming more and more established in the world, and personal sanctification becoming more prevalent. Nevertheless, the charisms as identified in , the gift of Tongues and their interpretation, prophecy, discernment of spirits and healing. On a lower level,they have expression in the spiritual and corporal works of mercy.

REACTION FROM THE CHURCH HIERARCHY

Reaction to the movement by the church hierarchy has been wildly mixed. Some had initially supported it as being a harbinger of Ecumenism (a unity among the Christian denominations). It was thought that these practices would draw the Catholic and Protestant churches together. This support has been tempered however more recently, as it is thought that anti-fundamentalism amongst the charismatics would eventually hurt the cause of ecumenism between Catholics and non-Catholics.

In the United States, the decline of church attendance among Catholics and the rise in popularity of the charismatic movement have caused bishops to take special attention and care to this community, which might be the major constituent in many of their parishes, sadly.

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

RELATION TO OTHER CHARISMATIC MOVEMENTS

The relationship between the Catholic charismatic movement and other charismatic movements is complex. In the first place, most observers agree that the Catholic charismatic movement was inspired by other charismatic movements such as Pentecostalism. Yet some within the modern Catholic charismatic movement would deny any links to Protestantism, claiming for example that the particular ways of prayer and other liturgical practices developed naturally.

Although sharing in many of the prayer practices of non-Catholic charismatics, most modern Catholic charismatics place great emphasis – even by Catholic standards – on the Virgin Mary , an attitude that Protestants do not share.

EXTERNAL LINKS

Catholic Charismatic Movement - From the Department of Evangelization, Diocese of Johannesburg, South Africa

Address of Pope John Paul II to the ICCRO Council

Renewal Ministries

Catholic Charismatic Center

BOOKS

REFERENCES

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Catholic Charismatic Renewal