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Following the June Consultation at Newman College between
250 leaders of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in England, Ireland,
Scotland and Wales, the Committee of the Isles met at Porthcawl in Wales
over the weekend of September 9th to 11th to continue the process of
seeking the Lord's will for the CCR in our islands. This short report
is an attempt to highlight three key things that have come up at this
point in the consultation process, but there is much more work to be
done before clear conclusions and a plan of action can be achieved.
The Committee felt, however, that it was important to come up with some
key things as quickly as possible, so that people know what is happening
and the process is seen to be continuing.
We have a wealth of material to work through:
- the small discussion group reports and the personal comments of
each delegate
- the texts of the 3 keynote addresses and the homilies from the
daily Masses
- the prophetic words and inspired thoughts that were given or displayed
on the notice boards
- the reflections of the intercessory groups and of our ecumenical
guests who shared in the weekend
- the questionnaires that were completed by more than 1,000 people,
and the letters we received before and after the weekend.
It is also important to remember that the National Service
Committees of the four countries are meeting to form their own conclusions
and programmes, and that all the delegates who came to Newman will also
be sharing and discussing with their groups and communities. The Newman
Consultation is an on-going process, and it is the hope of the Committee
of the Isles that it will be shared as widely as possible in all the
many groups, ministries, and communities that make up the Catholic Charismatic
Renewal in our islands. Others around the world are also watching the
process with great interest, and everyone is eagerly awaiting the results.
We are committed to working as efficiently as possible and will do our
best to produce regular information as the process continues, but we
are determined to continue to listen to the Lord and to each other and
not to be tempted to come to instant conclusions. What you read below
are some of the reflections of the members of the Committee of the Isles,
interpreted by one member of the Committee, so please accept my apologies
for the inevitable limitations.
At this point in the process we believe that the following
clear points have emerged:-
1. The Baptism in the Holy Spirit
The primary gift of the CCR to the Church and the world is the Baptism
in the Holy Spirit - the Pentecost experience. We see this as normal
Christianity, but we recognise that we have not been living the grace
to the full. We must avoid the danger of simply maintaining our own
baptised in the Spirit lives, and reach out to all who need to receive
this amazing gift, given for the whole Church. We have been empowered
to go out to proclaim the Gospel, and the call is much more urgent than
we have realised. We must look beyond the prayer groups, and find a
new vision for parish renewal.
2. The Coming Together of the Isles
The fact of our coming together was in itself a remarkable thing - a
prophetic sign. It was a wonderful experience to be together with such
a sense of unity of purpose, but we also recognised that there is great
diversity among us. An important beginning has been made, but there
is much more to come. There has to be greater unity in our groups, ministries
and communities, and between our countries. This will happen if we always
put the Lord first. We are trying to discern exactly what He is saying
to us, and how we are to move forward together. The faltering steps
taken on the Saturday night towards national reconciliation showed that
the Lord is at work to heal the wounds of the past - we have a history
and we need to know it and to own it, to be reconciled and to move on.
Those present at the weekend will understand that the Saturday evening,
when we tried to be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit, did not
go as we had expected. We felt humbled by the experience, but recognised
that the Lord did some important foundational things, and in our weakness
we need to cry out to Him.
3. The Call to Unity
It was made very clear to us that a major blockage to the work of the
Spirit is our lack of real unity. This was highlighted for us by the
presence and participation of our ecumenical friends, and we felt challenged
to rediscover the ecumenical dimension which was so important in the
early days of the CCR. At Newman College we experienced a brief living-out
of this unity between brothers and sisters in Christ, and we felt called
to a much greater appreciation of each other and to closer co-operation.
We were moved by the love for us clearly expressed by our guests from
the other churches, and by their commitment to serving us and working
with us whenever this is possible.
This is not intended to be a comprehensive analysis and
report on all that happened in and around the June weekend at Newman
College - there is much more to come. We will be recommending some practical
steps in prayer and reconciliation, and we ask your patience, understanding,
and prayerful support as we make this journey together. It's only the
beginning.
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Charles Whitehead
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