Committee of the Isles Meeting

by Frances Graham

As has been said in a previous issue of Goodnews, the Committee of the Isles is made up of NSC members from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. We have been meeting regularly since we first worked together to put on The Newman Consultation in 2005. We closely follow and discern the events in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in our four countries and we last met the 20th-22nd February at St. Clare’s Convent Porthcawl, Wales. It seems that God has brought us together for His purposes. This has developed over time. Looking back over our meetings, we can see the the Holy Spirit, writing on our hearts. First of all we made a commitment not to criticise one another but to come together as a symbol of unity, then we felt a call to pray for each other and a call to be family. This appears to be a role model for our four countries as we go forward in the Renewal, seeking God’s will. “See how these Christians love one another” is a sign for our world. As a family we came before the Lord to praise Him, feeling that in these times more than ever, we need to press on in to the Holy of Holies until the glory falls. This involved praising past the point where we felt tired and wanted to stop. We thus spent a lot of time in our meeting in prayer and praise. A reading from Proverbs chapters 2- 4 reminded us that we would be tested and purified because the Lord loves us. As well as praying together we also spent time relaxing and generally building relationship. As we meet, we are learning that we cannot rush ahead of God but that we must learn to wait on him and be obedient and trust him more.

WIDEN YOUR TENTS AND TENT PEGS

MEETING OF LEADERS OF FOREIGN CHARISMATIC GROUPS IN LONDON

London is very much a cosmopolitan city with people from all over the world living here, and with many different languages in common use. In recent years the English NSC has come to realise that there are many vibrant charismatic prayer groups and communities meeting that we don’t know much about because they are meeting within their own language or national group.

Two years ago a first meeting was held with the leaders of some of these groups, and on 28th February this year there was a second meeting between several members of the English National Service Committee who live in the London area and leaders of foreign charismatic groups in the London area. About 40 people attended, the day which was held at St Joseph’s parish in Highgate. This was about twice as many people as last time. The groups that were represented were Jesus Youth(Indian), Shalom(Brazilian), St Scholastica Ghanaian charismatic community, Sacred Heart of Jesus Community (Filipino), Missionaries of Jesus, Radio Jesus(Colombian), Canção Nova(Brazil) Gesù Risorto(Italian/South American), The Filipino Catholic Community prayer group (Kilburn), Kerala Association, Morada Nova (Brazilian), Eritraean Chaplaincy, Lord of Pardon Catholic Charismatic Group (Filipino), Good Shepherd Community (Angolan), Revista Vida,(Brazilian), Christ the King Prayer group, Thornton Heath (African) and Spiritual Revival Ministry (India).

The atmosphere was electric and the sense of unity palpable. The day began with a time of prayer and praise together followed by a time of listening to what was going on in the different groups. Given the diversity of the groups from all the major continents, there was a feeling that Acts 2 was being revisited. Among the prophetic words given were Isaiah 45: 2-3, Isaiah 43 , Isaiah 54:1-4 and the call to widen our tents and tent pegs.

The different groups, shared about some of the things they were doing to reach their compatriots as well as helping to serve in the local parishes. The Kilburn group, for example, who have a music charism, explained how they provided the singing at their local parish as well as visiting other prayer groups and helping them with the music. One way they have found of reaching non-church going Filipinos they said was to take a Jesus the Nazarene statue from house to house as they do in the Philippines and use this as a focus for prayers, singing and evangelisation. They also provided charitable support for poor children back in the Philippines. The Sacred Heart community based in St John’s Wood did similar work singing at their local parish and supporting evangelisation work with poor people in the Philippines

We needed to work together so we could be strong

One interesting development is that last autumn the leaders of some of the Latin American charismatic prayer groups decided to form a committee and share their resources so they could put on a big Latin American conference with international speakers called “Hosana 09”.This will take place from 8th-10th May 2009 at St Anne’s Church in Whitechapel, East London. Alex Chaves, who is the leader of the Morada Nova prayer group in Willesden commented, “We realised we needed to work together, so we could be strong.” (see page 22 for an interview with him )

The Shalom Community, an international Brazilian community, have been in London about 7 years. They are based at St Patrick’s in Soho and, recently have started an English speaking group after the 5pm Brazilian Mass to evangelise people locally. The community also play music and sing at the parish mass in St Monica’s church in East London and do street evangelism once a month in Soho Square. Recently they have founded two English speaking prayer groups in Bournemouth, which brings together, Portuguese, Polish and English speaking students.

Gesù Risorto is another international community, with its origins in Italy. The members in the UK are from Latin America and meet at Clapham Park. Their meetings take place after the Spanish Mass at the parish there and they regularly conduct the Life in the Spirit seminars.

Lirio Dicksen, from Brazil, who only came back to faith last May(08) is part of an English speaking multi-national prayer group in Ealing. He explained that he was converted through the preaching of Fr Jonas Abib from Canção Nova and Fr Marcelo Rossi, two famous preachers in Brazil who have big TV ministries. “The word of God,” he said, “has to be preached through the television, radio and internet.” Canção Nova has a small group of Friends, associated with the Latin American chaplaincy at St Anne’s in Whitechapel. The charism of the community is evangelising through music and the media and is the biggest Catholic media group in the world.

The Lord wants to do something very special in the UK

Jorge Negrete from the Missionaries of Jesus said “We started two and half years ago and I believe that we will see revival soon in England. This year I believe something very big is starting in London, which is why so many people have come today.” The Missionaries of Jesus, which was founded by Neil Velez, from Puerto Rico, have as their charism preaching faith. Neil Velez himself will be speaking at the Hosana conference in London in May.

Jesus Youth, which had its early beginnings in England in 2001, is now well established in the UK. Founded in Kerala it is in 23 countries worldwide. It has two streams, working with both youth and families providing spiritual support and formation both for recent immigrants from India and from those who are well established here. Their eventual vision is to outreach to native English people as well. This summer they are organising a second European convention in Wales. Their famous outreach music group, The Rex Band, who appear regularly at World Youth Day will be coming to the UK on 21st August.

Ancil D’Silva, from Spiritual Revival Ministries founded by Brother Stanley in India, shared about the all night vigils they were organising and the importance of intercession and deliverance as preparation for evangelisation and Bastian Bennet, the chairman of the Kerala Association, spoke about the prayers and fasting they were doing and the devotion of people from Kerala generally.

The Good Shepherd Community has branches in Portugal, France and Italy but those in London are all from Angola and are based at St Charles Borremeo Church in Ogle Street. Their dual mission is evangelisation and visiting the sick and they are both contemplative and charismatic in their spirituality. They visit hospitals, gaols and the old and sick people and run all night vigils for Portuguese speaking people on the first Friday of the Month as well as having a healing and deliverance ministry. These take place sometimes in the church and sometimes in people’s homes. They are a very marian group and part of their ministry is to share the riches of the Catholic faith with those who have left for other denominations.

The Ghanaian group at St Scholastica’s has just started. They started with 23 people but now have about 40 who come to their meetings. They organise all night vigils and ministry to children and young people.

Charismatic Renewal is bringing back those who have left the Church

Kalate Raki from the Eritrean chaplaincy explained that CCR is generally seen negatively among the Eritrean community who see it as Pentecostal. This is reinforced by the fact that many people have left the Etritrean Orthodox church to become Pentecostals. Their group in London was started in 2005 by a Cistercian priest. They meet every Thursday and every six months hold a retreat for their members. They are finding, he says, that those who have left the Church to join the Pentecostals are now coming back to the Catholic Church through their ministry as they discover the power that comes when the Spirit, the Word and the Sacraments come together. They started as a small group of ten but have grown so much that they are now looking for a new place to meet.

Simon Maduekwe from Thornton Heath, said he felt that it was important that the leaders from foreign groups didn’t become ghettoized and felt that the groups should become more integrated with the CCR generally in this country rather than be seen as foreign groups. Dominique Ferry, as well as being a member of the English NSC is also the leader of the Chemin Neuf, a French community, here in the UK. He moved to England nine years ago. The community have a retreat centre in the West Country where they run Ignatian retreats and formation courses. Dominque and his wife are currently university chaplains for South London university at New Cross. At the end of the day there was a desire not only to meet up again, but to do something together. As it was too late to organise anything together for Pentecost it was suggested that the various groups might offer their services to the Spirit in the City initiative organised by the four central London parishes from 11th-13th June.