To mark the 40th anniversary of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) we are publishing a special edition of Goodnews in thanksgiving for all God has done for us over the past four decades.

The focus of this issue are the three main priorities that emerged from the Newman Consultation that was held in June 2004. Here 300 leaders from the CCR of England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales met together to discern what the Holy Spirit was saying to them at this moment in history and what was the way forward.

Among the conclusions that emerged was the primacy of the Baptism in the Spirit and how it is this that is key to opening people up to conversion to Christ, personal transformation and the empowering of the Holy Spirit in their lives. This can happen in many ways and is not the sole possession of the CCR, although it seems the Lord has entrusted the CCR with a particular understanding of it, together with tools like the Life in the Spirit seminars, which have been very effective in opening people up to the experience.

Another priority which emerged was a sense that in trying to help with renewal of Catholic parish life, the grace and commitment to Christian unity, that there was at the beginning of CCR had somehow been lost over the years. It was felt that the Lord is now saying that once again, we should make this a priority as Christian Unity is a part of the fundamental call of CCR, beginning as it did in an ecumenical context. The third thing the Holy Spirit seemed to be saying and doing is stressing the importance of reconciliation. This was understood especially through the way the Spirit had brought together the leaders of our four nations in an unprecedented way and called them to unity. But this call to reconciliation is not confined to simply overcoming divisions between countries, but is also part of a more general call to unity in the body of Christ, that there be no division or competition between us on any level, between individuals, groups, communities or churches.

In this issue we have tried to give some of the history and background of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, together with some personal testimonies in which people explain how Baptism in the Spirit has changed their lives and led them to serve the Church. We also have some reflections and teaching on the grace and call of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal by some eminent theologians and leaders. Finally we have a section on “What is the Spirit is Saying?” where bye we have asked various leaders of different ages, backgrounds and cultures to share with us their prophetic words and insights. Despite the differences of form and expression there is an amazing cohesion in these which is fascinating. This is followed by another section called, “What is the Spirit Doing?” where we gather together a selection of the wonderful ministries, communities and events that the Lord has given us and which are great works of the Spirit in helping form his people and bringing into being the kingdom of God.

THANKSGIVING FOR GOODNEWS

A celebration issue is a time of thanksgiving and an opportunity to thank God and others who have helped in the development of Goodnews over the past 30 years. Goodnews began in the early 70s as a couple of roneo-ed sheets of paper for the London Day of Renewal, which over time evolved into the newsletter for the CCR movement in England. Thirty years on it has become a 36 page spirituality magazine for the Isles (England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales) sharing the fruits and insights of the charismatic renewal with the whole Church.

Only those involved in publishing know the amount of work that goes into producing a publication, even something as simple as Goodnews. There are the prayer partners, who pray for us, the editorial committee (see across) which comes in every two months to share their wisdom, the writers, the proof readers (Anna and Shaun); Gabriele who does the layout and subscriptions, the artists and photographers who have contributed in recent years to our beautiful front covers, those who come faithfully to help with the packing and mail out, particularly John Edwards and his wife Anne. Then there are our sale and return agents who help us sell Goodnews and in Ireland Aidan McMorrow and his family from the Nazareth community who do the Irish distribution.

There is also Mike Oliver who maintains the Goodnews website and those who have enormously contributed to Goodnews over the years such as former editors Fr Ian Petit OSB (RIP) and Bob Balkam, now in the US, Vivian Sewell who ran the office for ten years, Sr Marian who did the subscriptions and Lucia Ossa, now back in Colombia. We also mustn’t forget Rufus Drake, our printer and his staff.

We thank you all and we also thank God, who has always provided us with the right people at the right time to help us develop and the financial resources through people’s generosity for this to be brought about. THANK YOU LORD.

Kristina Cooper