Skip to content
The Catholic Leader
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute
No Result
View All Result
The Catholic Leader
No Result
View All Result
Home News

Australians invited to Rome for Catholic Charismatic Renewal 50th anniversary thank Pope Francis for ‘joy-filled’ gathering

byEmilie Ng
7 June 2017 - Updated on 1 April 2021
Reading Time: 3 mins read
AA
charismatic

Full of faith: People pray during a Mass at the worldwide jubilee gathering marking the 50th anniversary of the Catholic charismatic renewal at the Circus Maximus in Rome on June 2. Photo: CNS

Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
charismatic
Full of faith: People pray during a Mass at the worldwide jubilee gathering marking the 50th anniversary of the Catholic charismatic renewal at the Circus Maximus in Rome on June 2. Photo: CNS

AUSTRALIAN Catholics swept up in the grace of the Holy Spirit through the Catholic Charismatic Renewal finished a “joy filled” five-day pilgrimage to Rome for the movement’s 50th anniversary last week.

Pope Francis welcomed more than 30,000 Catholics and a further 300 Evangelicals and Protestants to Rome to celebrate 50 years since the beginning of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.

The celebrations were held between May 31 and June 4 in Rome, concluding with a Pentecost Sunday Mass at Circus Maximus.

The number of Australians in Rome, who met on May 31 at a special gathering at Basilica San Anastasia, was estimated between 400 and 500 according to the Australian Charismatic Renewal’s Facebook page.

Representatives included priests, sisters and brothers from the Missionaries of God’s Love, members of the Disciples of Jesus international community, and Brisbane’s own Emmanuel Community.

Pope Francis welcomed those pilgrims travelling to Rome for the Charismatic Renewal celebrations during his general audience on May 31, which was translated by former Brisbane priest Fr Anthony Ekpo, who is now a papal secretary.

He also called for Mary’s intercession ahead of Pentecost, the “birthday of the Church”.

On the eve of Pentecost, the Holy Father joined an ecumenical vigil with nearly 50,000 Christians from more than 125 countries for praise and worship at Circus Maximus.

Among them was Patti Mansfield, a Catholic woman who was one of the university students present at the prayer meeting in 1967 where the renewal was born.

Pope Francis told the crowd at Circus Maximus that the renewal was a “current of grace” that was not born Catholic, but ecumenical.

Related Stories

‘For the moment, no,’ – Pope Francis dismisses resignation rumours in wide-ranging interview

Pope Francis asks for prayers after 50 migrants found dead in Texas trailer truck

Abdallah family deliver powerful Vatican speech

On Pentecost Sunday, he told a congregation of nearly 50,000 people that the Holy Spirit “generated diversity” but always to bring about unity.

It is Christians who focus on differences rather than similarities that block this unity desired by the Holy Spirit, Pope Francis said.

“This happens when we want to separate, when we take sides and form parties, when we adopt rigid and airtight positions, when we become locked into our own ideas and ways of doing things, perhaps even thinking that we are better than others,” he said.

The Pope said this divisive mentality often led to Christians taking the “left” or “right” side “before being on the side of Jesus”.

Forgiveness for sins cannot be excluded from the gift of the Holy Spirit, and Pope Francis reminded the congregation that forgiveness was the first gift given to the disciples at Pentecost.

“Here we see the beginning of the Church, the glue that holds us together, the cement that binds the bricks of the house: forgiveness,” he said.

Former Emmanuel Community Brisbane moderator Shayne Bennett was among the 30,000 Catholic pilgrims who travelled to Rome to be with Pope Francis on Pentecost Sunday.

Despite more than 45 years in the Renewal, including being a leader in the network of international charismatic communities titled Catholic Fraternities, Mr Bennett said he personally did not like being labelled a “charismatic”.

Instead, the 62-year-old channelled the Pope in saying the term “charismatic” did not belong to one particular group in the Church.

“As Pope John Paul II stated, ‘the charismatic dimension of the Church is co-essential with the hierarchical nature of the Church’,” Mr Bennett said. “We are all ‘charismatic’ as a result of our baptism.

“The role of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal is to stir up that gift, to build up faith and expectation that the activity of God’s Spirit is present and active in our lives.”

Mr Bennett said Pope Francis’ engagement with members of the Charismatic Renewal, including a private gathering between Evangelical and Pentecostal Christians during the Rome celebrations, was a sign of “great sympathy” for the movement.

“This level of involvement signals a great sympathy for the work of the Renewal which (Pope Francis) describes as a ‘current of grace’ for the whole Church, echoing the words of Cardinal Leo Suenens, one of the moderators of the Second Vatican Council,” Mr Bennett said.

Fellow Emmanuel Community Brisbane member Kym Keady was also in Rome, and said the invitation to Protestant Christians showed ecumenism was “at the centre of God’s heart”.

“By now this shouldn’t be a surprise (instead) it should be common,” Mrs Keady said.

“Christ prayed for unity in the garden of Gethsemane and we have so much more in common than not with our Protestant brothers and sisters.”

Mrs Keady and her husband Pat Keady were invited to MC an ecumenical gathering of three international communities, including members from Catholic groups.

Mrs Keady said the Charismatic Renewal could not be considered a movement in the Church, but referred to Pope Francis’ recent definition.

“Pope Francis clarified it as ‘a current of grace’ that is actually intended by the Lord for the whole Church,” she said.

“It was so good to be led by him in this prophetic time and to be guided by his heart for unity in the Church and ecumenism.”

ShareTweet
Previous Post

Liturgy Brisbane education officer for two decades says good liturgy important for people’s faith life

Next Post

Rockhampton Bishop stands with workers as hundreds face job cuts with Aurizon workshop closure

Emilie Ng

Emilie Ng is a Brisbane-based journalist for The Catholic Leader.

Related Posts

‘For the moment, no,’ – Pope Francis dismisses resignation rumours in wide-ranging interview
Vatican

‘For the moment, no,’ – Pope Francis dismisses resignation rumours in wide-ranging interview

5 July 2022
Tragedy: Debra Ponce, left, and Angelita Olvera of San Antonio mourn near the scene where dozens of immigrants were found dead inside a trailer truck a day earlier on June 28. Photo: CNS
World

Pope Francis asks for prayers after 50 migrants found dead in Texas trailer truck

29 June 2022
Abdallah family deliver powerful Vatican speech
Family

Abdallah family deliver powerful Vatican speech

27 June 2022
Next Post
Bishop Michael McCarthy

Rockhampton Bishop stands with workers as hundreds face job cuts with Aurizon workshop closure

Apology

Principals of schools formerly run by Christian Brothers apologise to student victims and survivors of sexual abuse

Former Capuchin friar sent to jail for indecent assault of child

Popular News

  • Plans for indigenous elements, memorials to trauma, to complement Catholic liturgy

    Plans for indigenous elements, memorials to trauma, to complement Catholic liturgy

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Mass with signs of indigenous respect launch historic Plenary Council assembly

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • ‘For the moment, no,’ – Pope Francis dismisses resignation rumours in wide-ranging interview

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Called to share the message of Jesus at mission school

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Future First Nations teachers honoured with Rome scholarship

    0 shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
Search our job finder
No Result
View All Result

Latest News

‘For the moment, no,’ – Pope Francis dismisses resignation rumours in wide-ranging interview
Vatican

‘For the moment, no,’ – Pope Francis dismisses resignation rumours in wide-ranging interview

by Catholic News Agency
5 July 2022
0

POPE Francis has said he has no plans to resign soon and that his knee injury is...

Plans for indigenous elements, memorials to trauma, to complement Catholic liturgy

Plans for indigenous elements, memorials to trauma, to complement Catholic liturgy

5 July 2022
Spirit of Mission: A group of young people including university students, seminarians and ministry workers present at the Xavier School of Mission held June 20 to 24. The mission school hosted guest speakers and workshops to encourage people to go out and proclaim the Word. Photo: Joe Higgins

Called to share the message of Jesus at mission school

4 July 2022
Cathedral green packed with families for festival day

Cathedral green packed with families for festival day

4 July 2022
Fr Mike Schmitz’s next podcast Catechism in a Year starts New Year’s Day

Fr Mike Schmitz’s next podcast Catechism in a Year starts New Year’s Day

4 July 2022

Never miss a story. Sign up to the Weekly Round-Up
eNewsletter now to receive headlines directly in your email.

Sign up to eNews
  • About
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Contribute
  • Jobs
  • Subscribe

The Catholic Leader is an Australian award-winning Catholic newspaper that has been published by the Archdiocese of Brisbane since 1929. Our journalism seeks to provide a full, accurate and balanced Catholic perspective of local, national and international news while upholding the dignity of the human person.

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader
Accessibility Information | Privacy Policy | Archdiocese of Brisbane

The Catholic Leader acknowledges Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First Peoples of this country and especially acknowledge the traditional owners on whose lands we live and work throughout the Catholic Archdiocese of Brisbane.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • QLD
    • Australia
    • Regional
    • Education
    • World
    • Vatican
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Life
    • Family
    • Relationships
    • Faith
  • Culture
  • People
  • Subscribe
  • Jobs
  • Contribute

Copyright © All Rights Reserved The Catholic Leader

0
    0
    Your Cart
    Your cart is emptyChoose another Subscription
    Continue Shopping