Inspiration for Leaders

What the Lord is doing for and through the CCR
Reflections of a Pioneer
By Ralph Martin

The CCR is a remarkable fulfillment of the prayer of Pope John XXIII for a “new Pentecost” and a remarkable embodiment of so many of the main themes of Vatican Council II. When recent popes have attempted to sum up the main thrust of Vatican II they often do it by singling out two themes: the call to holiness and the call to Evangelisation . When Pope John Paul II called the Church to live out more and more a “spirituality of Pentecost” or a “culture of Pentecost” he included in his meaning both the call to holiness and the call to Evangelisation. The culture of Pentecost is both contemplative and charismatic. While as a whole Church we're not there yet, we're certainly on the way.

Let me in this short article just pick out a few of the encouraging signs. I see that the culture of Pentecost will indeed spread more widely in the heart of the Church.

I believe that the hard theological and scriptural work that has quietly been done over the years, in particular the work of Fr. Kilian McDonnell and Fr. George Montague, but many others as well is just beginning to bear fruit and has great potential for the future. There is now a solid body of work that establishes that the work of the Holy Spirit and the charismatic gifts are not just the property of a particular movement or group but the property of the whole Church.

The hard work of various national and international service committees in promulgating the fruit of this work has been equally important, as has been the support of particular bishops. And we are beginning to see remarkable fruit.

Let me share and example from my own Experience. Not too many years ago, known “charismatics” wouldn't have been that welcome to teach at major seminaries, or if they were to teach, they wouldn't be expected to teach “charismatic theology.” But that is changing. In the Archdiocese of Detroit, Michigan, the Sacred Heart Major Seminary warmly welcomes both seminarians and faculty members who have been deeply touched by the renewal. ( www.shmsonline.org ) Spiritual directors affirm and guide their experience in a positive way. Other faculty members lead a prayer community of faculty, staff and seminarians who regularly meet to pray and share and regularly make available Life in the Spirit Seminars within the seminary for others who might be interested.

I have been asked to join the faculty and teach courses in both spirituality and evangelisation as an Assistant Professor of Theology. I also serve as the Director of our Graduate Theology Programmes in the New Evangelisation including an STL degree, which is a Pontifical Degree granted in association with the Angelicum University in Rome . It is the only Pontifical Degree currently being offered on this level with a focus on the New Evangelisation, which of course includes major attention to the work of the Spirit. We currently have priests and lay students from 9 different countries studying with us in Detroit in these degree programs. In the courses that I and others teach we study extensively the work of the Holy Spirit in both His contemplative and charismatic dimensions, including the baptism in the Holy Spirit, with special attention to the Acts of Apostles.

Many faculty members and seminarians have been touched by the Renewal and there is a maturity, mutual respect and harmony in the seminary which is a joy to experience . We now have about 100 seminarians and over 400 permanent diaconate candidates and lay men and women studying in different programmes . Besides my work in the seminary I also continue my work with Renewal Ministries (www.renewalministries.net ) which works in more than 25 different countries carrying out the mission of renewal and Evangelisation. Just recently our Director of Missions, Peter Herbeck, returned from a special consultation we were sponsoring with Cardinal Turkson of Ghana , whose purpose was to assess how the work of Evangelisation is going in Africa . The consultation was very fruitful and in due course the reports on it will be made available. One of the highlights for Peter was meeting Bishop Tony Gubji from Enugu , Nigeria who has been implementing the realities of the renewal in his diocese in a remarkable way, requiring the hundreds of seminarians and priests in his diocese to go through Life in the Spirit Seminars and Evangelisation schools as a basic part of their training.

As the Church throughout the world is facing great challenges, whether they be the challenge of aggressive, secular, anti-Christian influences, or the challenge of her own weakness and infidelity, or the pressure of Islam, or the “competition” of non-Catholic movements and churches, increasingly the Lord is leading the Church to repentance, humility, deepening faith and a greater reliance on Him. As the Church recognises her need for more of God's Spirit there are great reasons to hope.

“Shine in me and so be in me that all with whom I come in contact may know thy presence in my soul. Let them look up and see no longer me but only Jesus.” (Cardinal John Newman)