New Dawn in Scotland

NEW CATHOLIC CHARISMATIC FAMILY CONFERENCE

This year the first New Dawn in the Church in Scotland, will take place at Madras College in St Andrews from 5th-9th July. It has long been the dream of Douglas and Margaret Hunter to bring what they had experienced at the New Dawn conference in Walsingham home to Scotland. Douglas comments, “There is always a coachload of pilgrims from Scotland who go to Walsingham every year, but not everyone who would like to go, can afford it, so it has always been our ambition to hold something here ourselves, but with the same spirit as New Dawn.” They feel they have found the ideal location in St Andrew’s, more famous for its university and golf course.

The ancient town has remarkable parallels with Walsingham. It was a pilgrimage centre for centuries and pilgrims came from all over Europe to visit the relics of St Andrew and visit the church of St Mary on the Rock. The town also boasted the biggest cathedral in Britain after Norwich. All this, however, was destroyed during the Reformation when even the remembrance of these days was airbrushed out of local history. Although there had long been the desire for a Scottish New Dawn, the impetus this year came from a prophetic word received at the Scottish national shrine to Our Lady at Carfin. Every month for the last seven years the Tent of Divine Mercy has been meeting here for prayer and praise and healing.

When it began, says Douglas, there was only about twenty or so people who came, but the group stayed faithful. Two years ago, however, the organizing team felt led to be more open to the prophetic word, and to increase the emphasis on personal prayer ministry and praying over people for a new anointing and empowerment in the Holy Spirit. As a result the numbers coming soared, and now they regularly get 150 or so people each month. There are many healings and conversions. One man, says Douglas, a bus driver of one of the coaches, intrigued at what was going went up for prayer. To his amazement he was slain in the spirit and was shaking all over. Afterwards he told Douglas that everything wrong in his body was put right. So many people rest in the spirit at the meeting says Douglas, that the gatherings often look like a war zone with bodies lying all over the place.

This restoration of signs and wonders, has drawn more and more people to come, and it was twice at a ministry meeting for the gathering that the word came to start a New Dawn in Scotland. Following an evening of discernment an organizing team of three priests and three lay people was formed and a special Trust “Wells Springs of Hope” set up to support the conference. The team apart from Douglas and his wife Margaret, include Canon Willie Fraser, the chaplain of Craig Lodge, and the parish priest behind the setting up the Living Waters Youth Ministry. The other two priests are Fr Keith Hereira from Aberdeen and Fr John Keenan, the Glasgow university chaplain, and Margaret Duncan, a well known speaker and writer from Aberdeen.

For Douglas the timing has been perfect, as he has just reached retirement age and thus qualifies for a state pension. He comments, “This means that I don’t have to worry about my business, which has been falling off recently anyway, but I can concentrate totally on working for the conference. Before I wouldn’t have had the necessary time to dedicate to it.” He has been amazed at the ways that doors have opened providentially and volunteers have come forward or resources been donated to help bring things about. “Door after door has just opened. It has been incredible.”

Saundra Storch has been elected the new chairwoman of the DST for CCR in Menevia. She has taken over from Frances Graham who is the current chairwoman of the NST for Wales.

Welsh leaders Attend Charism School. Over 30 members of the Welsh NSC and DST’s including some prayer group leaders and members attended the Charism school led by Damian Stayne at the Cor et Lumen Christi Community in Chertsey in February 2010. Sheila Smith, one of the group, was healed of deafness and Mona Kruppa, another in the party, was healed of cataracts and hearing problems.

Cardiff News: New Prayer Team Following the Charism school, the Cardiff DST is developing of a Prayer Ministry team in the diocese. Led and Chaired by Fr Gareth Leyshon the team may be used in the DST’s monthly praise Masses as well as other events in the area. St David’s Cathedral Charismatic Fellowship in Cardiff has received the green light to run monthly Penitential Healing Services at the Cathedral with an outreach potential. Stations of the Cross in city centre. The Legion of Mary, supported by the Sisters of Charity and members of local charismatic prayer groups, witnessed to their faith by praying the Stations of the Cross in Cardiff’s busy high street shopping centre. About 60 Catholics processed along the street, milling together with the 80,000 fans who had come to watch Wales play Italy on Rugby International Day.

The day began with prayers at St David’s Cathedral. Then led by a Cross bearer, the group processed down Queen Street, stopping along the way for prayers to be said, scriptures to be read and hymns to be sung. Leaflets too were handed out to the general public. This caused a mixed and surprised reaction by many, who are not familiar with Catholics taking to the streets in Cardiff.

NEW SEASON OF MIRACLES

Damian Stayne said he was incredibly moved at the healings he witnessed earlier in the year at the New Dawn conference in Uganda, where he and Duncan Mitchell, also from Cor Lumen Christi community were ministering.

Lame child walks - Uganda

Apart from over 100 people being healed of deafness, 12- 15 people on crutches were healed. One old man had paid thousands of Ugandan shillings to a witchdoctor and stayed with him a week, with no change, but at a Word of Command, at the miracle service, the man was instantly set free and was able to walk. Another man on wooden crutches, had been attacked by burglars and had had his spine smashed. He had been operated on, but without success, but he too was healed, and sprinted round the field giving glory to God. Another little three year old who had only been able to hobble, was able to walk properly.

Damian commented, “If you are lame in Africa it is difficult to get married or get work. It also often means you would have to beg by the side of the road all day unless you have a family with money to support you, as there is no state help to support the sick. These miracles mean that people don’t just physically get better but they get their lives back in a way we can’t appreciate in the West.” Damian reckons that about 35,000 people have professed physical healings at their events over the last seven years. In the beginning, he said, they would interview everyone, because they were so thrilled to see such powerful healings, but now because of the sheer numbers healed they just will interview a few examples and get those healed to give witness, because the calling of the community is to preach the gospel and call to conversion and the healings are just part of the signs and wonders that accompany the preaching of the Word, as promised in the bible.

The community have produced a short DVD with a selection of the healings they have filmed over the last five years, which they often show at miracle rallies etc, to build up people’s faith. This can be seen free on their internet site, and is also available to buy for those wishing to show to others to encourage them in their faith in miracles. (Contact Cor Lumen Christi 01932 565747).

Damian and Cor et Lumen Christi community over the last 10 years have been running The Charism School all over the world, to train Catholics to minister in the gifts of the Holy Spirit themselves. At the end of February, about 300 people from all over the UK including a large group from Wales (see Welsh news) and a group from Poland attended the first Charism School in the UK for 3 years at the Salesian School in Chertsey near where the community live.

Here Damian taught and exhorted people to grow in faith and gave them the opportunity to pray for words of knowledge for people sitting near them. The majority of people had never done this before and were amazed at what God revealed to them as they prayed for people they didn’t know. Fr Aidan from the West country, who is not involved in the Charismatic Renewal himself, came with 12 parishioners. He was so touched personally by the healings of two of his group and the words of prophecy that people received, that he spoke about it at all the Masses in his parish when returned home.