Holy Father, I was given the grace, in February 1967, to be baptized in the Holy Spirit at a retreat for students from Duquesne University which marked the beginning of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Immediately I turned to the Documents of Vatican II for guidance in understanding my experience. What I read in Lumen Gentium, 12 about the charismatic gifts encouraged me to be open to the Holy Spirit and His surprises. Every movement and community has its own special history, but in each one exists this same reality: “The love of God has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us” (Rm. 5:5).

On the occasion of the 35th anniversary of the Charismatic Renewal in Canada, we, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, wish to address this pastoral letter to all the faithful. With deep gratitude and a renewed sense of hope in our hearts, we invite everyone to join us in celebrating the many blessings and gifts that the Charismatic Renewal has brought to the life of our Church in Canada during these past 35 years. We also wish to take this opportunity to highlight some of the new challenges that the Charismatic Renewal faces at a time when the Church seeks to “launch out into the deep” of a new millennium.

The words of Mother Teresa sum up our lives three years ago: “And so more and more we are homeless at home because less and less we are in touch with each other.”

My husband, John, used to spend most of his time at the office, and I was at home alone with the children. We hardly saw each other and, when we did, it was too late and we were too tired to talk much. By the time we were eight years into our marriage, there was not much of a relationship to speak of. Our lives were hanging together by a thread.

Bishop Jacobs, you travel widely within the United States, how do you see Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the United States today?

I think it is still very strong. It is not as strong as it was in the early days when people just flocked to it, but I think we have passed the honeymoon stage and now we’re in the rooting stage, trying to come into a fuller understanding of the power of the Holy Spirit in our lives, and sharing it with other people. I see it very vibrant in the ethnic communities in the States — the Hispanic, the Filipinos, the Koreans, the Haitians. We see that this manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit, the power of the Spirit, the Baptism of the Spirit, this grace of Pentecost, is moving very rapidly and very strongly in these ethnic groups. In the Anglo groups, not as much, but it is still strong.

Charles, what would you like to see happen in CCR over the next ten years?

Charles WhiteheadI think I would like to see CCR become what it is supposed to be — I don’t think we have quite got there yet. It is a move of the Spirit. As such, I believe that it is meant to flow into every part of the life of the Church. It needs to be in parishes, and therefore in dioceses, in seminaries — I think it needs to be everywhere with its simple message of living the Christian life in the power of the Holy Spirit, and using the gifts of the Spirit.