The Catholic Charismatic Renewal today is the outgrowth of a retreat held in February 1967. The retreat consisted of several faculty members and students from Duquesne University, praying for a “fresh outpouring of Pentecost.” Many experienced a movement of God’s Spirit called being “baptized in the Holy Spirit.” The outpouring of the Holy Spirit was a life-transforming experience of the love of the Father poured into one’s heart by the Holy Spirit. What happened quickly spread to graduate students and professors at the University of Notre Dame and others serving in campus ministries in Michigan.

The Spirit has moved so many that today the Catholic Charismatic Renewal exists in over 238 countries in the world, having touched over 100 million Catholics in its over 50-year existence.

As early as 1969, only two years after the renewal started, the United States Bishops investigated the fledgling movement. The Committee on Doctrine wrote that “theologically the movement has legitimate reasons of existence. It has a strong biblical basis. It would be difficult to inhibit the working of the Spirit which manifested itself so abundantly in the early Church.”

Pope St. John Paul II called the Catholic Charismatic Renewal a “gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church.” (March 14, 1992)

Over a decade later, on the eve of Pentecost in 2004, the pope said, “Thanks to the Charismatic Movement, a multitude of Christians, men and women, young people and adults, have rediscovered Pentecost as a living reality in their daily lives. I hope that the spirituality of Pentecost will spread in the church as a renewed incentive to prayer, holiness, communion and proclamation.”

For the 50th anniversary of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in 2017, Pope Francis called all charismatics from 130 countries of the world to Rome to celebrate Pentecost. At this Golden Jubilee the pope gave this message to all the participants: “I thank God for these 50 years of the Holy Spirit sovereign which is the source of the current of grace that is the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Happy Golden Jubilee!”

The Catholic Charismatic Renewal has been active in the Diocese of Birmingham for over 50 years through many charismatic prayer groups and Life in the Spirit seminars. The Rejoice in the Lord Prayer Group at Our Lady of Sorrows Church was started over 50 years ago and still meets today! Catholic Charismatic Renewal conferences have also been held locally for 21 years. This year the conference will be held on July 29 - 30 in the Family Life Center at Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church, 1728 Oxmoor Rd. in Homewood. The conference will feature Andi Oney who is an international Catholic evangelist with her husband, Deacon Larry Oney, through their Hope and Purpose Ministries. Oney is the associate executive director of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal of New Orleans with the aim to continue to introduce the Holy Spirit to the world. Everyone is welcome to attend the conference. For more information or to register for the conference, visit mail.catholiccharismaticrenewal.org.