February 18, 2017

Celebrating 50 years of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal

REGIONAL
Story and photos by Julie Beaulieu

SPRINGFIELD-About 300 people gathered at St. Michael’s Cathedral in downtown Springfield for a 7 p.m. Mass celebrating the golden jubilee of the Charismatic Renewal in the Catholic Church on, Friday, Feb. 17. Father Jose Siesquen, of Blessed Sacrament Parish in Springfield, was the main celebrant, with Msgr. Christopher Connelly, vicar general, as con-celebrant. The Mass was bilingual, in English and Spanish. Soul Motive, of the Westfield Music Ministry, provided music.

The Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) began at a retreat for college students at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, Pa., in February 1967.

Father Siesquen reviewed the history of the movement in his homily and enthusiastically encouraged the faithful to live their faith every day, and to continue the CCR.

Carmen Lugo, a parishioner at St. Michael’s Cathedral Parish, coordinated the event, with the assistance of Joel Pedraza. She explained how the movement got started 50 years ago.

“A group of 20 to 25 students at Duquesne University got together for a retreat. They had studied the first four chapters of the Acts of the Apostles, along with other readings. On that Friday night, they had a penance service and also a teaching with Mary, but Saturday night, they were going to celebrate two birthdays,” said Lugo.

“They went into the chapel and they were surprised that everybody was getting baptized in the Holy Spirit, right in front of the Blessed Sacrament,” Lugo said. “On Sunday, they were supposed to renew their baptismal and confirmation promises, but the Lord had different plans and there was a new outpouring of the Holy Spirit in them,” she continued.

Lugo said that much went into planning the weekend event.

“We got together with the different movements in the church. We met with the Cursillo Movement, the Pope John XXIII Movement, and the Legion of Mary, and other groups. We all got together and started planning. You know how Pope Francis always talks about unity, so we decided to do something special, and this is what happened,” Lugo added.

“People came and people were very excited to be here. I feel great. I feel so overwhelmed by what has happened here tonight,” she said.

The youth group from Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish in Holyoke also participated. Fourteen-year old Jamil Roman was excited to be there and to do a reading during the Prayer of the Faithful.

“I felt a little nervous speaking up there. I had butterflies in my stomach, but I know that God helped me through it,” said Roman.

“I have joined the group since, I don’t even remember when. We have a meeting every Sunday morning before Mass,” added Roman, who attended the annual Faith on Fire rally last summer and also went to the March for Life in Washington, D.C., this January with his youth group.

The Charismatic Renewal Movement is active in more than 230 countries around the world. A celebration with food, prayer and music followed in the Bishop Marshall Center.

For a video version of this story, tune into an upcoming edition of “Real to Reel” the Diocese of Springfield’s weekly television news magazine that airs Saturday evenings at 7 on WWLP-22 NEWS.