Charismatic Renewal is the ongoing action of the Holy Spirit in our lives to bring us into closer relationship with Jesus. Life in the Spirit involves allowing Jesus Christ to be the Lord of our lives and surrendering more fully to the power of the Holy Spirit. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit enables us to yield to the gifts already initiated in us through our Baptism and Confirmation. Through a deliberate act of surrender, we invite the Holy Spirit to work in and through us.
The Catholic Charismatic Renewal highlights the ways in which people can be empowered by the Holy Spirit to witness signs and wonders every day.
• A love for praise and worship of God
• Praying for people - having faith that healing can happen
• The boldness to talk about Jesus to neighbors and co-workers
• A more enthusiastic participation in the sacraments
• A love for Scripture and prayer
• A desire to serve the poor
• A desire to grow in holiness
These are just some of the many benefits that have been seen in the lives of those involved in the Renewal.
Most dioceses have a liaison/local renewal office. The National Service Committee, now known as Pentecost Today USA, which offices in Gibsonia, PA, is the national organization in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal who work together to serve the Lord in renewing the grace of Pentecost in the life and mission of the Church. Click here for Pentecost Today, USA's website. The International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services (ICCRS) is an international organization approved by the Holy See as a Private Association of the Faithful with a juridical personality. Its recognition from the Pontifical Council for the Laity was given on September 14th, 1993. It has its venue in Rome, in Vatican territory, and operates as a coordination, information and communication center to serve the worldwide Catholic Charismatic Renewal, also making a link between the Movement and the Holy See.
For more details about the Charismatic Renewal in the Church, please watch the short video produced by the ICCRS under resources.
The Catholic Charismatic Renewal Office in the Archdiocese of St. Paul & Minneapolis serves as an information resource center, sponsoring events and conferences, publishing a monthly newsletter, fostering unity among different charismatic groups and being a point of contact for the archbishop. Our mission is to proclaim the Gospel so all can respond to the call to conversion to Jesus Christ, surrender their lives to the Father and experience transformation through the baptism in the Holy Spirit.
There are many organizations in our archdiocese that have an affiliation with the CCRO. These include: parish charismatic prayer groups, Franciscan Brothers of Peace, Companions of Christ, Community of Christ the Redeemer, People of Praise, N.E.T. Ministries, Trinity School, St. Paul’s Outreach, Christians in Commerce, Pro-Life Action Ministries, Steubenville Youth Conference and Jesus Heals Ministry.
Many priests, bishops and religious have had their vocations renewed by their involvement with the Renewal. Thousands of participants have been drawn to the priesthood and religious life. Popes Paul VI, John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis have all voiced strong support of the movement and encouraged participants to seek the good of the whole Church.
During Vatican II in the early 1960s, Pope John XXIII (now Saint Pope John XXIII) had asked the Church to pray for a ‘new Pentecost’ to be experienced by Catholics. One of the more surprising answers to this prayer was the Catholic Charismatic Renewal which began in 1967 at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh when a group of students and theology professors gathered for a weekend retreat and prayed to experience the power of the Holy Spirit as the apostles did at the first Pentecost. This phenomenal religious experience spread rapidly to other universities, and continued to spread to parishes and dioceses all over the world. Today the CCR exists in more than 240 countries. Over 100 million Catholics have been transformed by this ‘new Pentecost’ in their lives, often referred to as being “baptized in the Holy Spirit.” The charismatic movement is also active in other Christian churches. Worldwide, over 500 million Christians are involved.