Charismatic church

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ontheway1

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Is Francis our first charismatic pope? - reads the title of a large article in the Jesuit America magazine. Is Francis our first charismatic pope? | America Magazine
Being a simple Catholic, I naively associated the charismatic movement with protestantism. It seems that I was in error. Does anyone here have experience with Catholic charismatic communities?
 
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I have! I loved it.

My parents used to take us to these praise and worship sessions. There is something different about seeing people loud, passionate and open about their love for God. Their singing and praising was very comforting to me as a child, and it still has an effect on me to this day. As someone who never felt God at Mass (ironically), these sessions always reaffirmed that there is something real in the Church. I guess it’s because it emphasised the idea of a personal relationship to me.

As long as we don’t put down the Mass and other traditional forms of worship, I don’t see anything wrong with these movements.
 
I occasionally attend a Catholic charismatic Mass. One of my regular Rosary prayer groups also has some charismatic elements. I don’t wish to pray or worship in that manner every day, but I like it every now and then. There are often some very good Catholic evangelical-style priests preaching at the Masses and services, and they have also had other presenters who are interesting.

Some Masses and services have had less-than-stellar preaching (one priest just basically rambled about whatever popped into his head for about an hour at a regular Sunday Mass), or very long babbling testimonies during the announcement time, again mostly just people saying whatever came into their head. I’m not so big on those.
 
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Lea101 said:
As long as we don’t put down the Mass and other traditional forms of worship
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Catholic Charismatics often celebrate Mass, say the Rosary, and engage in other “traditional forms of worship”. The two things aren’t mutually exclusive, nor does the Mass deviate from a regular OF Mass in the cases I’ve seen, except the priest may preach longer and in an evangelical style, and the people may make more exuberant gestures during prayers, sing more enthusiastically, and inject Amens or other vocal affirmations during the homily.
 
I am a Catholic Charismatic and heavily involved in their ministries in my area.

I was becoming deeply disenfranchised with the church in my area. I found in Charismatic communities a deep love of Christ, commitment to the Catholic Church and her teachings, and an incredible reverence in the Mass. I was just at a conference for three days, and it was amazing. Worship services were lots of enthusiastic worship. Mass at this conference featured amazing traditional music, head coverings on many women there (I’ve been wanting to start this practice, but I’d be the only one in my home parish, and I don’t want to stand out that much just yet…), and people generally receiving on the tongue or kneeling.
 
When Christ came into my wife and my life back in 1976, the Catholic Charismatic Movement, had just begun in my area.

We got involved and went to Fr D’Orio’s healing service, as he had just become a Charismatic Healer. He later headed his own ministry

We also went to prayer meetings with other Charismatics and it was a wonderful experience.

It help lead us toward Contemplative Prayer which we do to this day.

Don’t let anyone dissuade you from a method of prayer which God has led you to. You’ll meet them in life and even in this forum.

Stay faithful to Christ and let Him be the source of Grace.

Jim
 
I thought St John Paul II would be the first charismatic pope. (unless you consider St Peter since he did do a lot of things Charismatic stuff like healing, and other stuff)

Just wondering would the saints that had mystical gifts like St Padre Pio, st benedict, st john vianney and st francis of assisi be considered the same as the charismatic gifts?
 
When you read about a lot of the saints, they exhibited a lot of the charismatic gifts. Ecstacies, visions, prophecies, healings, I think I even heard of prayers in unknown languages but I can’t call it to mind specifically, but I disagree with what many say about the movement exhibiting things that haven’t been seen since the book of Acts. It’s always been with us, I just think people are beginning to accept it more wodelyy, realize it’s for all (not just saints or the religious), and “formally” define them.
 
My last parish had some members who were into the Catholic Charismatic movement, and the guy who hosted the main Catholic radio talk show in the area I listened to was also a part of it. The priest at the parish wasn’t actually part of it, though, but he was open to it and allowed any visiting charismatic priests use the parish for events.

Personally, though, I’ve never participated. I was raised Pentecostal so got a little bit of charismatic experiences here and there growing up. It just didn’t/doesn’t appeal to me.
Tis_Bearself said:
inject Amens or other vocal affirmations during the homily
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One time a Franciscan visited my last parish and would practically demand an “Amen” on occasion. I’m pretty sure the guy was charismatic based on a video series I’ve seen him do, but the Mass he did the homily for wasn’t officially one.
 
So is there a significant difference between the Pentecostal and the Catholic charismatic service?
 
ontheway1 said:
So is there a significant difference between the Pentecostal and the Catholic charismatic service?
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Like I said, I haven’t personally attended one. Based on what I hear, though, there’s a lot of external similarities to the more “restrained” Protestant Charismatic groups*, but there is of course the Eucharist. Healing services also seem to be less Benny Hinn-like showcases with someone on stage putting on a spectacle. The guy who led my Bible study group was a “catcher” at one, and he described it as more a few priests around the nave leading prayers.

* To briefly describe Pentecostal services, some are more your traditional service. Some are more contemporary. Some are a bit louder and more wild but still stay within bounds of decency. Some Charismatic groups, though, just go to bizarre places. There was one church I attended where they had to keep blankets on stage due to a phase where many congregants would strip their clothes off and roll around on the ground “caught up in the Holy Spirit” as they put it. I doubt you’d get stuff like that in a Catholic Charismatic Mass or healing service.
 
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eirecool said:
Just wondering would the saints that had mystical gifts like St Padre Pio, st benedict, st john vianney and st francis of assisi be considered the same as the charismatic gifts?
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Yes, they had charismatic gifts long before there was a Catholic Charismatic movement. Many of the great saints had some type of gift.
 
Yeah, nobody is going to disrobe, much less roll around or run around. The most you would get are some folks praying in tongues and somebody falling down after their healing at a healing service. They fall quietly.

Some of the priests who preach at charismatic services will preach like Pentecostals. I believe one of the more popular ones around here, Fr. Jim Blount, was actually raised evangelical in the South, and it shows in his preaching. (He also takes the Bible literally according to one of his homilies.) You get others like Monsignor Esseff who are more quiet and like a typical Catholic priest when they preach.
 
ontheway1 said:
Being a simple Catholic, I naively associated the charismatic movement with protestantism. It seems that I was in error.
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Me too. I grew up in the non-d, and pentecostal church and was always uncomfortable there. My dad was a “catcher”. When I had been catholic for a while, I was shocked to learn there were charismatic Catholics. It is the kind of service I was happy to get away from.

If it keeps people catholic, then I guess it’s okay.

I would agree that JP2 was the first charismatic.
 
ZMystiCat said:
many congregants would strip their clothes off and roll around on the ground “caught up in the Holy Spirit”
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That sounds obscene. I spent many years in pentecostal charismatic circles and never heard of anything like that. Much of the stuff I saw seemed legitimately holy, but emotionally driven. Plenty of loud music and euphoria. Words of knowledge, tongues, healing. A good friend’s mother was healed of terminal cancer. I recently returned to the Catholic Church after 40 years. I’m intrigued by the charismatic element, though I’ve yet to experience it.
GladTidings said:
I grew up in the non-d, and pentecostal church and was always uncomfortable there.
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Yeah, I saw plenty of stuff that was questionable. Whether it was outright deception or just folks trying to fake it till they make it, I was pretty skeptical. I spent years there and was never able to be a tongue speaker or anything like that myself, although on rare occasions I privately prayed in gibberish…lol. Whether it was actual tongues I don’t know. I have been on the receiving end of some genuinely amazing things at charismatic services though. There’s something to it.
 
Hobgoblin said:
There’s something to it.
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But why would there be something to it if there is no apostolic succession involved? It’s like when some of these churches say they have a speaker/pastor who is thought to be a prophet. Why would God place an actual modern day prophet in a non-catholic church?
 
For some reason, every charismatic thread seems to engender hatred and discontent. However, my faith life was absolutely lit on fire when our charismatic parish priest laid hands on me and prayed. No looking back. Every now and then, I attend a charismatic mass for a spiritual tune up.

Not that many seem to know this, but for years now - at least since Benedict XVI was in the chair of Peter - the preacher of the Papal household has been the charismatic Franciscan Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa. His site is linked below.

https://www.nsc-chariscenter.org/

http://www.cantalamessa.org/?lang=en
 
GladTidings said:
But why would there be something to it if there is no apostolic succession involved? It’s like when some of these churches say they have a speaker/pastor who is thought to be a prophet. Why would God place an actual modern day prophet in a non-catholic church?
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I question that too. It was actually the historical pedigree of Catholicism that drew me back. Why would God work outside of historic Church? I don’t know. But he clearly does.
 
GladTidings said:
But why would there be something to it if there is no apostolic succession involved? It’s like when some of these churches say they have a speaker/pastor who is thought to be a prophet. Why would God place an actual modern day prophet in a non-catholic church?
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Now two men, one named Eldad and the other Medad, had remained in the camp, yet the spirit came to rest on them also. They too had been on the list, but had not gone out to the tent; and so they prophesied in the camp. So, when a young man ran and reported to Moses, “Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp,” Joshua, son of Nun, who from his youth had been Moses’ aide, said, “My lord, Moses, stop them.” But Moses answered him, “Are you jealous for my sake? If only all the people of the LORD were prophets! If only the LORD would bestow his spirit on them!”
Numbers 11:26-29
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It is a joy to see the Spirit move people wherever they are.
 
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