Comment on the Catholic Charismatic Movement
Hello:
I was really pleased that my recent post Keep Talking pulled so many comments. Oh sure, at a lot of BLOGs 4 comments isn't a huge number. Here at Dark Glass, it's note worthy. Even better, one of the comments forced me to do a little research. After I looked into it, I thought the topic was interesting enough to become the focus of today's post. If I recall correctly, that's only happened once before (Variety in Observance of Catholic Mass). I really hope that it becomes a trend. This BLOG is much more interesting when it is interactive. Anyway - on to the quote that launched this post......
My first reaction was "The Catholic 'what' movement?" Fortunately, working at Liguori Publications, I have access to a variety of knowledgeable people and Catholic reference materials. Dave the Saintly Sinner provided me the following information...A Christian Prophet said...
What ever happened to the Catholic charismatic movement? Is it still around. I've read messages from the Holy Spirit on The Holy Inheritance blog and it seems that very strong faith, even certainty, comes from these experiences.
Charismatic renewal grew in popularity after Vatican II. It was something very new for Catholics with speaking in tongues, healings, prophecies, etc. It was seen as part of the continuing work of the Holy Spirit after the council. A priest from the University of Notre Dame (Fr.MacNutt) was one of its greatest promoters. They even held annual world-wide conventions, and probably still do. I think most people realized, however, it was not a spirituality for everyone.I got some additional feedback from Tom (who I haven't been able to convince to start a BLOG).
I attended seminars and Masses while in college introducing the Charismatic Renewal and they always seemed very cutting-edge. We would all stand around the altar with the priest, we would hold hands during the Lord’s Prayer, we would clap and sway back-and-forth with the music. As renewal of the liturgy progressed in the late 60’s and 70’s, amazingly their style of liturgy became more common, even for non-Charismatics, so that today it would not seem so unusual (except for the “tongues” part and healings afterward.)
Thus, the popularity died down, although it is still practiced and recognized throughout the Church. A few times I attended Charismatic Masses on Saturday evenings with a student in the early 1990s at St. Anthony of Padua Church on Meramec Street here in St. Louis. Pope John Paul II gave an address to Catholic Charismatics in 1996. Here is a good article by Archbishop Leveda (former archbishop of San Francisco, who now has taken over Cdl. Ratzinger’s job in Rome) on the history of the movement:
I suggest he do a search for “Catholic Charismatic Renewal.” Lots of good articles came up there. In particular, here is a message of Pope John Paul II written in 1996:
I cannot add much to what Dave has already said, but I do think that many people have come to view the Charismatic movement at the phenomenal level (i.e. – what is most easily observable; speaking in tongues, liturgical practices, changes in music, etc.). But what is all too often ignored is the existential aspect of the movement. Charismatics are called by the spirit to a closeness with God that should be marked by greater charity, deeper spirituality, solidarity with all people and with all of creation. The phenomenal aspects of the movement are only the empirical marks of what they have become – a new creation in the Lord.The feedback that I received from Dave and Tom reminded me of the recent series of posts at Mystic Alchemy on the Fools for Christ's Sake. I'll ask my good friend Br. Secundo Pia to add to this discussion. He is full of interesting insights (among other things).
Much to my frustration - I don't have a Liguori title that fits tightly with this topic. I do think that A Presence that Disturbs: A Call to Radical Discipleship by Anthony J. Gittins, C.Ss.P. would at the very least be of interest to anyone researching the Catholic Charismatic (or Pentecostal) Movement. We carry several titles (6 and counting) from Fr. Gittins that seem pretty interesting. I'm adding two to my reading list and have made a note to feature them in upcoming posts.
PLEASE feel free to leave comments. I would be thrilled if a discussion began to grow out of this post.
Peace,
P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass
posted by Philip Del Ricci | 9:25 AM
6 Comments:
I attended many charismatic events at the time that it was very active. It brought Lutherans and Catholics together in wondeful new ways. I remember a Catholic Cardinal standing on stagewith Lutheran pastors at a big gathering in Minneapolis. Though I never became a charismatric I can vouce for the life changing power of the movement.
The in Renewal is very much alive worldwide. There are about 120,000,000 Charismatic catholics in the world. These`are mostly in Africa and Latin America.
In the US, the numbers are DOWN to 250,000.
Phil G
Hmmm I dunno. I have mixed feelings on this one. At university I had some contact with a group of young people in the charismatic movement. I was 17 and had been orphaned at 15. A woman running the group tried to tell me how a young woman there with deep psychological problems had been set free from them by the Holy Spirit. I got the impression from her that my problems weren't bad so it should be easy for me. The message I took from this lady was that being orphaned was not really such a big deal. I was already walling in my grief so I could cope, but I think she set me back a few more years.
A few years further on I had some contact with a priest I had met on retreat. There is no doubt he genuinely wanted to help me. But I felt a need to talk that was always somehow soon turned into being prayed over. My grief stayed inside.
Ironically enough it was when this priest left the priesthood that I got the counselling I really needed. I finally realised I had a pattern of a kind of depression when I had to say 'goodbye' to someone. Fortunately I received grief counselling from a very perceptive and skilled woman.
I have been part of the great congregation of the Catholic Lapsed for many years. But in the last year I have been dipping my toes in again. (Since the Pope died - his life of service deeply moved me.) It is probably about time I approached a priest. But I don't want to talk to a Charismatic.
There, that rant is done! I bet you had no idea what you might attract with this post!
Kiwi:
Thank you for visiting. Please don't apologize for your remarks. Open dialogue is one of the most exciting aspects of this medium.
I really appreciate you sharing such personal experiences.
Peace,
P. Del Ricci - Dark Glass
Hi everyone,
Good post. Africa is becoming the center of Christianity. ALL the denominations are growing there and it is all charismatic! In fact, the only denominations in the world that are growing are Pentocostal/Charismatic. The mainline Protestant churches are shrinking. The Catholic Church always grows based on how the membership is counted.
I feel that the Spirit is moving across the world and across the denominations. It is again the time mentioned by the prophet Joel 200 years after Peter quoted him!
The Sword of the Spirit is the Word and He always points to Jesus who is the only Way of Salvation.
Phil G
I would like you all to go to a new blog that I started yesterday.
www.proclamationministries.blogspot.com
See what you think.
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