Charismatic Prayer Meeting
Catholic Charismatic Renewal

What is Catholic Charismatic Renewal?

Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) is a spiritual movement within the Catholic Church that emphasises the availability of the power and the many gifts of the Holy Spirit in the life of every believer, and the need for a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ in order to live life to the fullest.

CCR has its international office in Rome, and consists of thousands of local prayer groups and communities, as well as special ministries and servies, in almost every country around the world.

CCR emphasises the goodness of God, and proclaims, with the Church, that God's grace is freely given to everyone. Jesus Christ fully revealed God, enabling each person to know God as good, as totally giving, and as one who shares fully in the human experience.

The experience of the first followers of Jesus was that they were empowered by God through the Holy Spirit to live a new kind of life "life in a fuller dimension whereby God's power worked in them and through them in order to bring God's love and grace to all who would receive it." Essentially, it is this experience of God that is at the basis of the Catholic faith.

The Church has experienced through the centuries the power of God working in and through imperfect people, all seeking to know God. CCR lies firmly within this tradition.

What is Distinctive about the Spirituality of CCR?

CCR originated in 1967 when some Catholics experienced the presence and power of God working in a new and deeper way in their lives. This experience of God, which they described as being "baptised in the Spirit," drew them into a far deeper spiritual life than before. They wanted to give their lives more fully to God. They experienced his love more deeply, and appreciated even more deeply the spiritual riches to be found in the Catholic Church.

They discovered, in particular, that God was wanting to be far more active in their lives than they had previously understood. They experienced gifts of the Holy Spirit that enabled them to help and serve others, such as praying for healing, and teaching and preaching in more powerful ways. They found God to be vitally interested and involved in every aspect of their lives, no matter how seemingly minor. God worked in their lives in a powerful way and, through them, healed and transformed others.

Baptism in the Spirit

Although each person's experience of God is unique, the experience within CCR is that there is usually a moment of deeper conversion in each person's life which brings them into this deeper spiritual dimension. This is called "the Baptism in the Spirit," or "a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit" (as the person has usually already received the Spirit in many ways in their life). The word "baptism" is not to be confused with sacramental Baptism, but simply means immersion "immersion into God in a fuller way, and being immersed in the Holy Spirit." It is a grace of God that often brings with it new spiritual gifts, and sometimes a calling and enabling to move into new roles in serving others.

The receiving of this grace is pure gift, and the recipient does nothing to earn it, but must allow God to act, as he always respects our free will. It empowers the individual to serve others, and to move into a deeper spiritual awareness and longing to know God. It empowers the person to using the gifts of the Holy Spirit, which are always for the benefit of others.

People who have experienced this grace speak of a new love of God, a desire to pray and to attend Mass, to join with other Christians in sharing their faith life, to serve others, to read Scripture and other spiritual reading, and to learn more about the ways of God. They have a new desire to praise God, and experience a deep peace and joy as they find a new awareness of the presence of God in their lives.

Typically, those coming into CCR attend a Life in the Spirit Seminar within a prayer group. The seminar lasts a number of weeks, and facilitates a process of openness to new graces that God might give that person. In one of those sessions, there is specific prayer for the Baptism in the Spirit.

Gifts of the Spirit

For the early Christians, the Holy Spirit was experienced as a real power in their lives. The Holy Spirit empowered them to continue the work of Jesus. When a person received the Holy Spirit, they experienced a very real difference in their lives and others noticed it. That is still true today.

Although all Christians receive the Holy Spirit through Baptism, God's Spirit works in many ways in the world, in both Christians and non-Christians. Yet the experience of being "baptised in the Spirit" is a time of entering a deeper spiritual dimension. Similarly, St Teresa of Avila describes a person entering her "Fourth Mansion": "Supernatural experiences begin here..." (Interior Castle 4.1.1).

Those who experience this deeper infilling, or new outpouring, of God's Spirit usually begin to discover new spiritual gifts. Some of these are:


The Gift of Prophecy:
The ability to sense what God is saying to a group or an individual, and to pass on that message. This usually takes the form of encouragement, comfort, hope or exhortation.

The Gift of Praying in Tongues:
This is a way of praying without words a form of contemplative prayer that is very useful in personal prayer and in prayer ministry. It enables the person praying to focus on God without worrying about finding the right words.

Gifts of Healing:
There seem to be a variety of gifts given by the Spirit to enable people to be instruments of God's healing through prayer.

Paul describes some of the gifts of the Spirit in 1 Corinthians 12, "...but the Spirit works in many ways." The Spirit also empowers people to move into new roles of service and ministry to others. In all case, the gifts are given to serve others. God works through people, and these gifts help spread his goodness in the world.


Archdiocese of Melbourne, Australia

"...proclaiming the power of the Holy Spirit,
and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ."

What is a Charismatic Prayer Meeting?

A charismatic prayer meeting consists of a group of people from varying backgrounds who meet regularly (usually weekly) in an atmosphere of love and support for one another in an effort to grow in the knowledge and love of God, and to show this love in their attitude to their neighbour.Each prayer meeting is open to anyone who wants to come. Those who attend CCR prayer meetings are predominantly Catholic, but groups are open to anyone.

The prayer meeting has been a place where many, many, people have found a new dimension to their spiritual lives, and have discovered the love of God in a more profound way.

St Paul wrote in 1 Cor 14:26:
When you assemble, one has a hymn, another some instruction to give, still another a revelation to share, one speaks in a tongue, another interprets. Let all things be done to build up the community.

The meeting takes place in a relaxed atmosphere where joy and the love of God is emphasised, and where everyone is welcomed. God is praised with enthusiasm. Praise of God is characteristic of Catholic Charismatic Renewal, in line with the Catholic tradition in which praise permeates the liturgy, song and prayer.

Sometimes people suggest that the praise in the prayer meeting is ‘forced’ in that it does not reflect the way people feel. It is ‘put on.’ CCR encourages people to incorporate praise of God into their whole lives, as in praising God we go out of ourselves and gaze at the goodness of God. Often people’s problems disappear when they begin to praise God, who gives them a new perspective on things. Praise focuses on the utter goodness of God, and celebrates his goodness in our lives.

“Rejoice in the Lord always,” said Paul (Phil 4:4). We believe our joy should be expressed often in praise.

Large parts of the prayer meeting are quiet. Silence forms an important part of the worship periods, and people are encouraged to listen to what the Lord is saying to them. Some will sense that God has a message of encouragement, exhortation, or consolation for the group, and will feel moved to speak this out. This is known as the gift of prophecy.

The Word of God in Scripture is read and listened to, and regular teaching on Scripture and aspects of the Christian life instructs and helps people to grow in their spiritual life. Each prayer meeting has a teaching program. In addition to these times, there are times of prayer ministry, and times of intercession. People are encouraged to share what God has done in their lives as a most important way of building the faith of others. The Eucharist is often celebrated for the prayer group, and time may be spent before the Blessed Sacrament. There is much variety in the prayer meeting.

A leader coordinates these main segments of the meeting:

Praise and Worship
God is praised in song and prayer for his majesty, his love and his faithfulness, and thanked for his grace in our lives. This praise and thanksgiving may be in words, songs or through that way of praying without words known as ‘praying in tongues,’ which has been described by Fr Robert Faricy, S.J., as a form of contemplative
prayer, and by others as similar to praying the rosary. This form of contemplative prayer follows a long Catholic contemplative tradition. St Teresa of Avila wrote of a form of prayer which she called “jubilation” — “a strange prayer I don’t understand.” She called it “a deep union of the faculties” and that “all [the soul’s] activity is directed to this praise (Interior Castle 6.6.10).



Prophecy
Someone may speak an exhortation or word of encouragement from God, through the Holy Spirit. The group discerns this word in the light of Scripture and the Catholic tradition.

Scripture
Someone may share a brief passage of Scripture. CCR encourages the prayerful use of Scripture as taught by the Church.

Teaching
A speaker may give a short talk on one of a variety of subjects aimed at helping us to know God and to
lead better Christian lives.



Intercession
There will usually be times of intercession for the needs of the world, the Church, parish and home. Prayer for healing is always available for those who ask for it.

Witness
Someone may relate how they have experienced God working in their life, and how God has blessed them and changed them.

Throughout, the aim is to be open to the action of God’s Spirit in the meeting.