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THE NEWMAN CONSULTATION What is it?
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The Century of the Holy Spirit The twentieth century is sometimes called The Century of the Holy Spirit. What was so special about this particular 100 year period? From 1900 through to the end of the century. God acted in an amazing way to bring new life into the broken body of Christ, by touching millions all over the world with the power of his Holy Spirit. Beginning at midnight in the year 1900, we find Pope Leo XIII praying for all Christians in his private chapel, inviting the Holy Spirit and singing "Come, Holy Spirit". His friend, Sister Elena Guerra, had suggested he dedicate the century to the Holy Spirit, which he did by writing an encyclical letter, "Divinum Illud Munus". On the other side of the world, just as Pope Leo was singing "Come, Holy Spirit", a group of Methodists in Topeka, Kansas, were also praying for a new outpouring of the Spirit. As people were prayed for and hands laid on them, tongues and other gifts were manifest. In 1903 there was revival in Wales, again with amazing signs of the presence of the Holy Spirit, but it was in Los Angeles in April 1906 that an event occurred which was to have world-wide repercussions. In Azusa Street, a mixed ethnic church group lead by a black pastor, William J. Seymour, experienced a powerful out-pouring of the Holy Spirit. Such was the effect that Christians from all over the world came to Azusa Street to experience the presence and the power of the Spirit. As the main-line churches closed their doors to these " tongue speakers", they formed themselves into new groups and soon became the fastest growing part of the church - the Pentecostals. The Charismatic Renewal The middle and later years of the twentieth century saw the beginnings of the charismatic House Churches, and the Holy Spirit moving powerfully in the mainline Protestant denominations. Then in February 1967 at Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, we have the birth of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. Following closely on the work of the Spirit in the Second Vatican Council, the Charismatic Renewal helped bring to reality many aspects of the Council's new vision for the Church. The Renewal spread more rapidly than any other grass-roots movement in the history of the Church, and is present in almost every country in the world, impacting the lives of over 120 million people. So today, one third of global Christianity describes itself as Pentecostal or Charismatic, and this grouping remains the fastest growing part of the Christian churches. It is, therefore, with some justification that many refer to the nineteen hundreds as "The Century of the Holy Spirit", and in April 2006 there will be a worldwide gathering of Pentecostal and Charismatic Christians in Los Angeles to commemorate and celebrate the Centennial Anniversary of the Azusa Street Revival, a significant moment in the history of the church. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit At the heart of all these sovereign actions of God is an amazing grace which has become known as the Baptism in the Holy Spirit - an outpouring of the transforming love and power of the Holy Spirit in the lives of individual Christians. It therefore seems an appropriate time for the Catholic leaders in England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, to come together to be re-envisioned by seeking God's will for our future direction. One of the significant things the Spirit is already doing, is to bring into a much closer relationship the members of the Charismatic Renewal National Service Committees (NSCs) of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales. The full committees met for the first time at the Sion Community house in Brentwood in May 2003, and a smaller group has met twice since then in England and Scotland. A third meeting is planned for April 2005 in Ireland, and one of the fruits of these meetings is the Newman Consultation. This desire to come together across national boundaries is a clear sign of the Holy Spirit at work, and can also be seen in the European meetings taking place in Prague this year and in Budapest in 2005. The Newman Consultation - June 2005 So what are we hoping to achieve by meeting at Newman College next
June? The primary reasons for meeting are to give thanks to God for
all that he has done through the Charismatic Renewal, to evaluate
our present situation, and to seek his direction for the way ahead.
We will be inviting young and older leaders, people with special ministries,
theologians and pastors, and those with valuable experience to share.
To do this together, as leaders of the CCR in our islands, will have
far greater impact and significance than doing it in our individual
countries. Chapter 2 in the book of Acts begins with the words: How will the Newman Consultation work? When we gather in Birmingham, there will be prayer, praise and worship; celebrations of the liturgy; keynote addresses; times of Adoration, listening and quiet prayer; small group discussions; and an evening given to worship, listening, prophecy, and ministry to one another. Our invited speakers are Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa and Archbishop Kevin McDonald OFM Cap, who will bring their own understandings of what the Lord has done and wishes to do through the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, and how we can play our part in using our gifts to meet the needs of his Church. We believe that the Newman Consultation will provide an opportunity to take stock and to seek the Lord's direction and priorities for the years ahead. It's appropriate that the meeting will be at a college named after Cardinal Newman, whose vision for the Church and the role of lay people was truly prophetic. If our vision for the Consultation is to be realised, we will need a powerful network of prayer, and in this we are counting on your support. We will give you regular information about our prayer needs in future issues of GOODNEWS. The Newman Consultation - an evolving process What we are beginning is a process which will evolve over the months ahead. We do not want to bring our own agendas to the Consultation, but to seek the Lord's plans. As a background to this we need to reflect on what has occurred since the Duquesne Weekend in 1967, to look at our present reality and the needs of the Church, and to see what opportunities face us. From this platform, with the help of our invited guests and speakers, we will be in a better position to begin to hear the Lord together. Pope John Paul II has already spoken to the Charismatic Renewal and to the Ecclesial Movements and New Communities very clearly on a number of occasions, affirming us and guiding us in our mission. The Newman Consultation will be one more step forward. I am convinced that the Lord will pour out his Spirit when we come together, and will speak clearly to us. After all, the Charismatic Renewal is called to be prophetic, and Scripture tells us: "Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan to his servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7).
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Consultation for 300 invited leaders in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal
from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, will be held at Newman
College, Birmingham, from June 24th to 26th 2005. This very significant
meeting comes at a time when some in our countries are pointing to
the falling numbers and increasing age of those attending prayer groups
as a sign that the Catholic Charismatic Renewal has had its day. This
is a view I totally reject - the need for the Baptism in the Holy
Spirit is even greater today than it was in 1967 when the Catholic
Charismatic Renewal began. But we must be very careful that we are
not limiting the Holy Spirit to our old, well-tried and comfortable
structures - he is always moving us forward, and we must be open to
all the new things he wants to do among us. So this is an appropriate
time to consult the Lord and each other, to encourage our leaders
both young and old, and to ask the Holy Spirit to give us guidance
for the journey ahead. As we do this, it's important that we remember
our history and look back at the journey already made, so that as
we evaluate the present reality we are honest about our weaknesses
and failures.