ST. FRANCIS —Raising a 5-year-old son with liver disease hasn’t been easy for Karin Stewart. One thing that sustains her since her husband left the Catholic Church after 35 years to become a Fundamentalist Baptist is the Holy Spirit.

“My life has changed in so many ways, first of all, I now have an intimate relationship with Jesus Christ,” she said. “And for the first time I really know that God loves me so much. I had been told that God loved me many times while growing up, but now it is more than just words to me. I feel God’s intense love spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally. I am more aware of my sinfulness and talk to Jesus all the time.”
Stewart is a member of God’s Whisper Prayer Group, which combines traditional Catholic teachings with such gifts of the Holy Spirit as faith healing and speaking in tongues. Members meet at Stewart’s home parish, St. James Parish, Mukwonago.

Celebrating the Holy Spirit has helped her see the world through God’s eyes, something Stewart admitted she was unable to do prior to attending a conference sponsored by Catholic charismatic renewal.

“I had never heard of the CCR prior to speaking with others who had been involved with it themselves,” she said. “I never really realized how much our Catholic faith was the backbone of our family until my husband chose to leave the faith.”

Conference changed life

After encouragement from friends to delve deeper into Catholicism, she agreed to attend the conference that changed her life.

“Alex Jones was the guest speaker,” Steward said. “He is a convert to the Catholic Church and everything that he spoke about really hit home. Everything about the conference drew me closer to the Holy Spirit than I could ever have dreamed of; he gave me the gift of tongues at this conference as well, and I just adore this gift of prayer.”

The Mukwonago group is part of a national movement that emerged within the Catholic Church in 1967. This fall, the local Catholic charismatic renewal, which represents the five dioceses in Wisconsin, will gather at Green Lake to celebrate its 40th anniversary.

“Out of Desert ... Into the Water.” the sixth annual family retreat/conference will take place Sept. 14-16 and will include sessions for adults, youth and children. The conference, open to all, will feature nationally recognized authors and speakers, Patti Gallagher-Mansfield and David Mangan. Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan will be the principal celebrant at the Sunday Mass.

‘Pentecostal’ approach to worship

Charismatic Catholics typically participate in the same Mass, recite the same liturgy and believe in the same theology as other Roman Catholics.

But they also worship in ways similar to Pentecostal Protestants: Lively music, spirited prayer and public profession of faith. Some charismatics, feeling filled with God’s spirit, speak in tongues, or unintelligible languages — a practice traced to the early Christians in the New Testament’s Book of Acts.

The current movement grew out of a small religious revival 40 years ago at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh. Students and faculty attended a weekend retreat and felt called to God, said Deacon Patrick Frye, conference co-chair and, since Pentecost 2004, the liaison to the charismatic renewal in the Milwaukee Archdiocese.

“After the ‘Duquesne Weekend,’ the renewal spread to other universities such as Notre Dame, the University of Michigan and from there into the greater community,” Deacon Frye said. “It seemed at first to be primarily word of mouth and then people began writing about the experience. Those that began experiencing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit felt compelled to give their testimonies and invite others to experience the love and power of God. It was as if it were a new Pentecost. People could only explain it as a work of the Spirit.”

Wisconsin’s first Catholic charismatic prayer group also began in 1967 at St. Benedict Abbey at Benet Lake in Kenosha County. The group consisted of monks, nuns and laity. The same year, Jack and Karen Swanson started the “Living Waters Ecumenical Fellowship” in their home in Oconomowoc. Both prayer groups continue to meet.

According to Deacon Frye, Archbishop William E. Cousins appointed Fr. Ken Metz, current pastor of St. Mark the Evangelist Parish, Kenosha, as the first liaison to the Catholic charismatic renewal in 1976.

“After 22 years, he moved to Rome to become director of the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services for seven years. Fr. Richard Korzinek, active in healing and deliverance ministry, was our representative on the national advisory board, which has since become the National Service Committee for the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.”

In response to welcoming more lay involvement in the mission of the church, the archdiocese offers 20 English-speaking prayer groups and eight Spanish-speaking groups; the newest is forming at St. Lucy Parish, Racine.

Promoting renewal

According to Deacon Frye, encouragement of renewal is not just within the archdiocese, but from the Vatican, as Popes Paul VI and John Paul II were supporters, and Benedict XVI has also shown encouragement.

“In 1975, Pope Paul VI said, ‘The church and the world need more than ever that the miracle of Pentecost should continue in history.’ He went on to describe the ‘spiritual renewal’ of the movement as a ‘good fortune for the church and the world.’ John Paul II stated in 1979, ‘I am convinced that this movement is a sign of the Spirit’s action. A very important component in the total renewal of the church,” said Deacon Frye. “His support continued over his long pontificate and on the eve of Pentecost 2004, he attested that, ‘Thanks to the charismatic movement, many Christians have rediscovered Pentecost as a living reality in their daily lives.’”

Because of Stewart’s experience with Catholic charismatic renewal, she said her faith has deepened and she lives with a peace and joy that she never knew.

“One can feel absolutely free and comfortable to express themselves prayerfully during a charismatic prayer group — just being able to lift up your hands and your heart while singing is so great,” she said. “To do that during a Mass could be a distraction, so prayer group is the perfect time to just reach out to the Holy Spirit in whatever way feels right for the individual.”

During the weekly meetings, participants may share prayer intentions, pray the rosary, read passages from Scripture and give praise reports.

“That is when we share our personal experiences where the Holy Spirit has worked or is working in our lives,” Stewart said. “Then we give glory and praise to Jesus to everything in our lives, good and bad.”

Bible is ‘living Bible’

In using the gifts of the Holy Spirit to lift the spirits of others and to build the body of Christ, it renewed her own love of her lifelong faith.

“I never knew what a perfect gift the Catholic Church is for us until I became involved with the CCR,” Stewart said. “My prayers are much deeper, I adore the sacraments, the Mass, the sacramentals — everything. There is a purpose to everything that the Catholic Church teaches, and it is all a gift from God. The CCR has opened my eyes to the fact that our Bible is a living Bible. The Holy Spirit is still constantly with us, using us to lift up others. I hear Jesus speaking to me and revealing himself constantly and I realize now that there are no coincidences. Everything that is happening, every person that we meet, is God working in our lives.”

While charismatic worship may seem foreign to many, those who decide to attend are often lifelong members and usually participate in a Life in the Spirit seminar, a common route to becoming “baptized in the Holy Spirit.”

“Baptism in the Holy Spirit describes a stirring of power of the Holy Spirit within a person. It is a new release of the gifts of the Holy Spirit given to us in baptism and confirmation,” said Deacon Frye. “Most Catholics are not aware of the power of these sacraments. These gifts include the seven gifts of the Spirit we learn about as we prepare for confirmation; the charismatic gifts described in Acts and the writings of Paul, especially in 1 Cor. 12 and many more. All are given to build up the church. Folks active in the renewal feel that these gifts and charisms are still given today to serve the mission of the church.”

The first step is the most difficult, admitted Stewart, who invites others to step out of their comfort levels to attend a meeting.

“A newcomer may be surprised by how each individual chooses to express themselves to God,” she said. “Some may be very free spirited and some may be very quiet. We all pray in the way the Holy Spirit calls us to. Each person has a different, personal experience at CCR events or prayer groups. Open your heart and mind to God, and let him do the work in you. If the Holy Spirit calls you and you answer his call, nothing but perfection and love will occur.”

Holy Spirit brings transformation

Although life changing encounters with the Holy Spirit might occur at charismatic prayer groups or during “Life in the Spirit” seminars, Deacon Frye learned from personal experience that the Holy Spirit can bring transformation “whenever and wherever he wants.”

“In 1983, I was at a retreat for deacon candidates,” he said. “At that retreat, the Father spiritually healed a broken relationship I had with my earthly father, and then overwhelmed me with the power of his loving presence. From that point on the Scriptures and sacraments came alive for me. My life had a new purpose and my ministry soared. At the time, I was not aware that there was a ‘charismatic renewal.’ In 1988, my spiritual director, seeing how I prayed and approached ministry, directed me to go to a meeting at “Fire of Love” prayer group at Mount Carmel Parish in Kenosha. I immediately felt at home and came to realize that my experience at that retreat five years earlier was a baptism in the Holy Spirit. The rest, as they say, is history.”