The Catholic Charismatic Renewal is a movement within the Catholic Church that seeks to foster an awareness of the gift of God’s Spirit and to help people develop a deeper personal relationship with Jesus Christ.

What is Charismatic all about?
Charismatic comes from word charismata or charism in English, which means ‘gifts’. These gifts refer to the gifts of Holy Spirit mentioned by St Paul (1 Cor 12:7-11). The practice of the gifts of Holy Spirit is one of the characteristics of Charismatic, but it is only a part of Charismatic movement.

I think I’ve heard about Charismatic before.. But, I’m not too sure, is this really Catholic?
To answer this question, we better look at the background of Catholic Charismatic Renewal. It was started since the early church after the Pentecost day (Acts 2). The Holy Spirit empowered the disciples who were afraid after the death of Jesus, to preach the Kingdom of God, build the early church and perform miracles.

Along the church history, the Pentecostal experiences, which are recognized by the openness to the work of Holy Spirit, were fading. Practices in church became ritualistic and formal. The spontaneity in the celebration of the sacraments was hardly found.

Pope John XXIII realized this situation and began to plan the Vatican II Council on 1965. Before this Council was held, he prayed for the renewal of church in the Holy Spirit, “…renew in our own days your miracles as of a second Pentecost”.

The weekend retreat on February 1967 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA is believed to be the answer of this Pope John XXIII’s prayer. There were two laymen, theology lecturers of Duquesne University who held this weekend retreat with a group of 30 students as participants. During this weekend, those students experienced the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and this Duquesne weekend was the beginning of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement.

OK, I’ve got that… But you haven’t answered my question, is this movement approved by the Vatican?
Definitely. International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Service (ICCRS) was founded by the Vatican on the Pontifical Council for the Laity on September 1993. ICCRS has its office in Rome and operates as communication center serving the Catholic Charismatic Renewal worldwide.

Furthermore, Pope John Paul II proclaimed on the 25 th anniversary of Catholic Charismatic Renewal (1992), “At this moment in the church’s history, the Catholic Charismatic Renewal can play a significant role in promoting the much-needed defense of Christian life in societies where secularism and materialism have weakened many people’s ability to respond to the Spirit and to discern God’s call”.

In Singapore, the Singapore Archdiocese Catholic Charismatic Renewal (SACCRE) is established to coordinate the Catholic Charismatic prayer groups in Singapore.

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Was there something that goes wrong with the Catholic Church, which needs to be ‘renewed’ by Catholic Charismatic Renewal?
Instead of answering this question directly, it would be more appropriate to look what have been the fruits of this Renewal in the church. In the first place, the Renewal has nourished the call of all Catholics (not only the religious) to the holiness, as Christ is holy. Many people involved in Renewal deepen their love to sacraments, prayer, community life as well as God’s word. Moreover, the vocations to priesthood or religious life have been fostered and strengthened.

You mentioned about Baptism in the Holy Spirit, what’s the difference of it compared to the sacrament of Baptism? The Baptism in the Holy Spirit or Outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the heart of Catholic Charismatic Renewal. It is a complete ‘Yes’ to let our life to be lead by the power of the Holy Spirit. It should be emphasized that this Baptism in the Holy Spirit would never replace the sacrament of Baptism by Catholic Church.

Try to understand this analogy, imagine the Holy Spirit as syrup and ourselves as a glass of water. In the sacrament of Baptism, this ‘syrup’ was poured in the ‘water’. So the Holy Spirit has been in us. Most of the time, the Spirit remains there inside us, at the bottom of our ‘glass of water’. Through the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, the ‘syrup’ is stirred, so that the Spirit would fill all aspects of our life.

Who is the first charismatic?
Many Catholics believe that Mother Mary is the first charismatic. Her complete ‘Yes’ to the Lord and to let her life to be guided by the power of the Holy Spirit have inspired many Catholics to follow her example (Luke 1:34-38).

You’re always talking about Holy Spirit, how about the Father and the Son?
Many are not aware about the role of the Holy Spirit. On the other hand, to think that Catholic Charismatic focusing only on the Holy Spirit would be definitely wrong. Holy Spirit would always lead us to the Father and the Son. Indeed, people involved in the Renewal try to live the normal Catholicism as it was on the early church, life inspired by the same Holy Spirit.

You mentioned also about Catholic Charismatic Prayer Groups, can you tell me more about this?
It should be noted first that many people throughout the world had their life renewed by the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, but they are not necessary prayer group members.

Every Catholic Charismatic prayer group has its regular (mostly weekly) prayer meeting. Basically there would be praise and worship session, teaching or sharing, and prayer. Many have found this prayer group as a community where they could serve God and one another deepen their relationship with Christ and exercise their spiritual gifts.

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Central Goal of Catholic Charismatic Renewal

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.

Taken from International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Service Statutes, endorsed by Vatican in 1993.

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