{"id":22233,"date":"2020-09-26T03:05:57","date_gmt":"2020-09-26T03:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/?p=22233"},"modified":"2020-09-28T20:58:16","modified_gmt":"2020-09-28T20:58:16","slug":"what-is-charismatic-catholicism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lifeandnews.com\/articles\/what-is-charismatic-catholicism\/","title":{"rendered":"What is charismatic Catholicism?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Mathew Schmalz<\/a>, College of the Holy Cross<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

Amy Coney Barrett reportedly will be Donald Trump\u2019s nominee<\/a> to replace Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Judge Amy Coney Barrett in Milwaukee, on Aug. 24, 2018.<\/span>
\nRachel Malehorn, rachelmalehorn.smugmug.com, via AP<\/a><\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Questions have been raised about her alleged association with the \u201cPeople of Praise<\/a>,\u201d a nondenominational Christian charismatic community<\/a>, seen by some as being a potential influence on her legal thinking<\/a>, particularly concerning abortion rights.<\/p>\n

The People of Praise leave it to individual members<\/a> to disclose their affiliation, and Barrett has not spoken about her membership. And so, the question remains:<\/a> What is charismatic Catholicism?<\/p>\n

Pentecostalism in the U.S.<\/h2>\n

Catholic charismatics<\/a> practice forms of Pentecostalism that embrace the belief that individuals can receive gifts of the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n

Modern Pentecostalism<\/a> in the United States began on Azuza Street<\/a> in Los Angeles.<\/p>\n

Starting in 1909, African American pastor William J. Seymour<\/a> led a congregation in the city that claimed to have received miraculous gifts from God, such as prophecy and the power to heal. The movement came to be known as Azuza Street revival.<\/p>\n

Members of the Azuza Street congregation believed that they had been given the same blessings as those received by the disciples of Jesus. According to the Bible\u2019s Acts of the Apostles<\/a>, on the Pentecost<\/a> \u2013 the Jewish Shavuot<\/a> harvest festival 50 days after Passover<\/a> \u2013 the Holy Spirit came down in the form of flames over the disciples\u2019 heads<\/a>. Afterward, it is believed, the disciples were able to speak in languages they did not know in order to proclaim \u201cthe wonders of God.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Christianity, the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity and is associated with God\u2019s action in the world.<\/p>\n

The Catholic charismatic movement<\/h2>\n

These Pentecostal teachings went on to influence the Catholic charismatic movement that initially took hold in the U.S. in the 1960s.<\/p>\n

During a 1967 prayer meeting at Dusquesne University<\/a> in Pittsburgh, a group of students and professors spoke about special \u201ccharisms,\u201d or gifts, received through the Holy Spirit.<\/p>\n

According to firsthand accounts<\/a>, faculty were deeply influenced by two books from the Pentecostal tradition, \u201cThe Cross and the Switchblade\u201d and \u201cThey Speak with Other Tongues.\u201d<\/p>\n

Similar experiences of the Holy Spirit were later reported at prayer meetings at the University of Notre Dame<\/a> and the University of Michigan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

From these beginnings, the Catholic charismatic movement has spread throughout the world.<\/p>\n

For Catholic charismatics, the central experience is \u201cthe baptism of the Holy Spirit.\u201d The baptism of the Holy Spirit differs from the traditional Catholic infant baptism with water. Adults baptized in the Holy Spirit have their faith reborn and strengthened by members of the congregation laying their hands on them.<\/p>\n

Often a sign of baptism of the Holy Spirit is \u201cglossolalia<\/a>,\u201d or \u201cspeaking in tongues<\/a>.\u201d Speaking in tongues refers to using an unintelligible language, which is often interpreted by someone else in the congregation. Usually glossolalia is considered a form of prayer. But other times, glossolalia is believed to contain prophecies about present or future events.<\/p>\n

Participants in the Catholic charismatic movement also claim spiritual and physical healing associated with the power of the Holy Spirit working through believers.<\/p>\n

Catholic charismatic prayer services are enthusiastic and involve energetic singing<\/a>, hand clapping and praying with arms outstretched.<\/p>\n