What Is The Catholic Charismatic Renewal?

"The Catholic charismatic renewal is not a single, unified world wide movement. It does not have a single founder or group of founders as many other movements do. It has no membership lists. It is a highly diverse collection of individuals, groups and activities, often quite independent of one another, in different stages and modes of development and with differing emphases, that nevertheless share the same fundamental experience and espouse the same general goals. This pattern of loose-knit relationships is found at the diocesan and national levels as well as on the international level. These relationships are very often characterised by free association, dialogue, and collaboration rather than by integration into an ordered structure. Leadership is characterised more by offering service to those who want it rather than by governance.

The central goals of Catholic charismatic renewal, or Catholic Pentecostal renewal as it is also called, include:

1. To foster mature and continuous personal conversion to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour.

2. To foster a decisive personal receptivity to the person, presence and the power of the Holy Spirit.

These two spiritual graces are often experienced together in what is called in different parts of the world a baptism in the Holy Spirit, or a release of the Holy Spirit, or a renewal of the Holy Spirit. They are most often understood as a personal acceptance of the graces of Christian initiation and as an empowering for personal Christian service in the Church and in the world.

3. To foster the reception and use of the spiritual gifts (charismata) not only in the charismatic renewal but also in the broader Church. These gifts, ordinary and extraordinary are abundantly found among laity, religious and clergy. Their proper understanding and use in harmony with other elements of the church life is a source of strength for Christians on their journey towards holiness and in the carrying out of their mission.

4. To foster the work of evangelization in the power of the Holy Spirit, including the evangelization of the unchurched, the re-evangelization of nominal Christians, the evangelization of culture and social structures. The renewal especially promotes sharing in the Church's mission by proclaiming the gospel in word and deed, and by bearing witness to Jesus Christ through personal testimony and through those works of faith and justice to which each one is called.

5. To foster the ongoing growth in holiness through the proper integration of these charismatic emphases with the full life of the Church. This is accomplished through participation in a rich sacramental and liturgical life, and appreciation of the tradition of Catholic prayer and spirituality, and ongoing formation in Catholic doctrine guided by the Church's magisterium, and participation in the pastoral plan of the Church.

These goals and the projects that flow from them have marked the Catholic charismatic renewal in individuals, prayer groups, communities, local, diocesan and national service teams and ministries."