Experience God's peace and be reminded of the hope that is for all those who seek Jesus. Nationally known singer/songwriter Luke Spehar will be leading us in music.

The Catholic Charismatic Renewal has a specific vocation and responsibility in regard to the unity of Christians. Its ecumenical vocation appears even more evident if we think back to what happened at the beginning of the Church. What did the Risen One do to prompt the apostles to welcome the Gentiles into the Church? God sent the Holy Spirit on Cornelius and his household in the same way and with the same manifestations with which he had sent the Spirit on the apostles at the beginning. Peter could therefore only draw the conclusion that “If then God gave the same gift to them as he gave to us when we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could withstand God?” (Acts 11:17).

How Does the Holy Spirit Create Unity in Diversity?  By Sr. Mary Anne Schaenzer, SSND   I am a believer in having a sense of the big picture. This article will hopefully paint a glimpse of the larger portrait of how the Holy Spirit is moving in the area of gifting and directing charisms for service.

Let us come together October to celebrate in Thanksgiving all that the Lord has done!  I think of the ten lepers that were healed and only one returned to thank Jesus.  Do you know what Jesus said?  “Where are the other nine?  I seems that no one has come back to give praise to God, except tis foreigner.”  (Lk 17:11-19)  What about you, will you return to gave thanks?

God is a relational God.  God is love and we must know that God loves us personally.  Adam and Eve had an intimate relationship with God.  God knew them— He truly knew them.  He walked with them, He talked with them and He desires this relationship with us.  How do we get there?  God takes the initiative.  God chooses us.  We are His special possession.  We must respond with humility and we must surrender our wills.  “Let it be done to me according to Your Will”, not mine.  Ask the Blessed Mother for this Grace.  Jesus says, “Leave yourself in My Hands I will use you as seems best to Me.” 

For most of my life I have been accustomed to praying over people at prayer meetings and in other settings.  Occasionally, I would see a slight improvement such as a person with a headache or stomachache feeling better.  But in the past four or five years the Lord has been leading me on a journey to understand more about his healing power and how much he desires to do signs, wonders and miracles through ordinary people.

One of the many highlights was dedicating the Cross of the Renewal at the Ark and The Dove on Saturday morning. (February 18.)

Then Jesus said to his disciples, The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” …Then he summoned his twelve disciples and gve them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness…”As you go, make this proclamation:  ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Cure the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, drive out demons.”  (Matthew 9: 37-38; 10:1, 7-8).

Gift of Miracles is our next Charism Gift Workshop on Saturday, September 17 from 9-11 AM. Location: St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in New Brighton Board member and prayer group leader Peter Yurek will be the presenter. All are welcome!

Fr. Ivo Pavic was born in 1965 in Croatia.  At the age of 24 he heard the Lord’s voice:  “You’ll be my priest”.  He worked in a factory and had never thought about religious life but immediately responded to the Lord’s call. He was educated in Visoko, Sarajevo and ordained a priest in 1997. Fr. Pavic continued his education graduating from the Franciscan School of Theology in Sarajevo in 2000.

I have been asked to consider the question, “What is the charism of the charismatic renewal?” How does one look at all of the tremendous gifts and blessings we have received in this move of the Holy Spirit and narrow it down to “the” charism of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal?  The National Service Committee includes in its mission statement that one of our major charisms is to bring the baptism in the Holy Spirit into the heart of the Church.

We came to the School of Healing and Empowerment very excited and with  high expectations after what we saw four years ago at the Charism School.  The blind started seeing, the deaf hearing, the lame walking, tumors and diseases were disappearing—all in the name of Jesus in front of our very eyes. 

In 2017, we will celebrate the 50th anniversary of CCR in Rome. With this in mind, ICCRS encourages each charismatic reality in every nation to journey in a special way towards the golden jubilee according to this vision and to prepare from now on for the celebration together in the Eternal City!  

“I want to cry out: Be open and docile to the gifts of the Holy Spirit! Accept with gratitude and obedience the charisms which the Spirit never ceases to bestow.” (Penetecost1998, St. Pope John Paul II) I experienced the Holy Spirit mightily at the Charism School with Damian Stayne in 2014. The Charism School “mobilizes the people of God in the power of the Charismatic gifts for the building up of the Church and Her mission to the world.” I received Words of Knowledge that have brought much fruit in my relationships and ministries. I witnessed miracles of physical and inner healing that increased my faith. The weekend revived me and gave me tools and confidence to more freely use the gifts of the Holy Spirit. “To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit.” (1 Cor 12:7). God wants to use each of us for the building of His Kingdom. To this mission, Damian Stayne led the room in simple, practical exercises speaking Words of Knowledge in ordinary relationships. The stranger who prayed with me during this workshop stepped out in faith, “The Lord wants to share about your relationship with your sister…Do you even have a sister?” What a beautiful moment of courage and faith demonstrated by this young women! She went on to deliver a word from the Lord that opened up a new way of life with my sister. Along with countless others, I experienced physical healing at the Miracle Healing Service. As my husband (Joe) prayed over me for restoration from “musician’s hearing loss,” he laid hands directly over my ears. After several minutes of directed prayer by Damian Stayne, I felt something like scales falling off. Joe prayed aloud, ‘Ephphatha’ – be opened. Suddenly, sounds in the room became piercing. Praise God, I heard clearly again! Other miracles that night included the return of a blind woman’s sight and another who walked out of her wheelchair! In this post-Christian era, I believe the world needs to witness miracles as in early church times. As the Church is forgotten or rejected, I sense the urgency for a renewed, powerful approach to reach those who need the Lord. Jesus promised miracles, manifestations of the Spirit, and protection, “These signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will drive out demons, they will speak new languages. They will pick up serpents [with their hands], and if they drink any deadly thing, it will not harm them. They will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mark 16: 17-18) God can demonstrate His profound love by working signs and wonders in the midst of us and through us. Jesus told his followers the best was yet to come, “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do — and will do greater ones than these — because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in my name, I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14: 12-13) Do I freely use the gifts of the Holy Spirit to build His Kingdom? Am I equipped to pray with family and friends? Will I choose to be salt and light to my neighbors through sharing encounters of God’s love?