Florida Catholic | Catholic Charismatic Conference

Diocese of Orlando Catholic Charismatic Conference

Transformed by the Spirit

Charismatic Catholics gather in Maitland

LAURA DODSON | FLORIDA CATHOLIC CORRESPONDENT

Published: 11.02.07

CAROL FERRAZZANO | FC
Brian Ventura, of Holy Cross Parish in Orlando, responds enthusiastically during the diocesan Catholic Charismatic Conference Oct. 27, in Maitland. The three-day conference recognized the 40th anniversary of the American Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement.

ORLANDO | We’ve all heard it since childhood: the message is simple and always the same, “It’s not about me.” We’re taught to put the other first, to share, to give when there’s no seeming reason to give. As we mature, the reason becomes clear — because “it’s all about God.”

And that message permeated the speeches of presenters at the annual Diocese of Orlando Catholic Charismatic Conference Oct. 26–28 at the Sheraton Hotel in Maitland. The conference theme was “Bear Witness to the Good News of God’s Grace” and each presenter bore witness with a childlike delight of their coming to understanding of their own humanity, the realization of the mercy and love of God, and the subsequent transformation of their lives.

That transformation often is referred to as being baptized in the Holy Spirit by participants in the Charismatic Renewal, a movement within the Catholic Church characterized by high energy worship and focus on the gifts of the Spirit. The local charismatic conference drew 850 participants.

Speaker Ralph Martin — founder and president of the international Catholic evangelical group Renewal Ministries, faculty member at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit and author — said he encountered the love of Christ early in young adulthood and it has guided his life ever since.

Being baptized in the Holy Spirit is something that must happen to every Catholic, Martin continued.

“A lot of our fellow Catholics lack the gift of knowing a personal relationship with Jesus. The purpose of the Charismatic Renewal is to be a witness of what God has given to the whole church, but needs to be awakened. Then there will be no need for renewal, because the whole church is charismatic,” he said.

Christina Cassagnol, 15 and Allisun Griffiths, 16, are friends and parishioners at Sts. Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Winter Park, and three-year veterans of attending charismatic conferences with their parents. Christina said, “ I think it’s really neat that Jesus is really alive and it’s neat to come to somewhere you can hear words of knowledge and get closer to him.”

Allisun chimed in, “I feel the Spirit is alive and can feel Jesus’ presence right next to me. It’s not just for old people — it’s for powerful old people. We don’t mean it in a bad way.” Christina nodded her head and both teens were giggling with embarrassment. “They just want to get closer to the Lord like we do,” Allisun concluded.

Patti Gallagher Mansfield, a participant at the first Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, retreat in February 1967, which now marks the official beginning of the Charismatic Renewal movement, began her “Witness to Prayer” session Saturday morning with an apology for being absent Friday night.

“It was my very first Grandparents’ Day,” she explained while many of the heads in the crowd nodded with understanding. “Catherine May Mansfield is 3 years old and she was so delighted to see her grandfather and me arrive at school that she lifted her dress above her head and all we could see was her belly-button. My thought was what a perfect example of how much God loves us. And what a perfect illustration of prayer, because prayer is a reflection of a relationship of love.”

Charismatic Renewal is new to Carol and Tony Bell, of Holy Cross Parish in Orlando. They’ve been married for 11 years and recently joined a prayer group. “Deacon Ken Money urged us to attend this conference and try something new. It’s very inspiring and the speakers are great,” Tony Bell said. “You feel this joy. You feel the Spirit. We are one body, one mind.” Carol agreed, “We love it.”

Capuchin Franciscan Father Art Cooney has ministered extensively throughout North and Central America and is on staff at Monte Alverno Retreat Center in Wisconsin. He emerged from his own crisis of faith with the knowledge that people should not take lightly the work of the cross.

“It’s not about what we’ve done. It’s about what he’s done. You don’t have to keep kicking yourself for your past. Stop mocking the cross. Get your eyes off yourself and look at the cross and you can begin to thank God for his mercy. We must move from guilt to gratitude,” he said.

Little 8-year-old Ariel Wright Fracer waved her processional flag with all the zeal and energy a child can express. She attended with her grandmother, Delores Forbes Chen, both new to Nativity Catholic Church in Longwood.

“We’re originally from Jamaica, but just moved to here from Miami. When we were looking to relocate, my daughter, Ariel’s mom, went on the Internet looking for a parish that had a charismatic prayer group. That’s what was most important to us. That’s really what it’s all about — the Holy Spirit,” Chen said.

Bishop Thomas Wenski greeted the community at the closing Mass of the conference with, “The prayers go up and the power comes down to send us forth in the Spirit to spread the good news.”

And in his homily, Bishop Wenski said, “If we are to be witnesses, we have to stand out in the crowd. We can’t be like everyone else. The little good that we have done is entirely God’s gift. I hope everyone will take to heart the slogan of this conference and ‘Bear Witness to the Good News of God’s Grace.’”

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Transformed by the Spirit

Charismatic Catholics gather in Maitland

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