Hispanic Catholics help fuel resurgence in the Charismatic Renewal

Has been a wellspring of grace, inspiration

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CLICK HERE to read the first part in this series. 

This is the second installment of a two-part article on the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the Jefferson City diocese:

By Ilsi Palacios

The Hispanic portion of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal in the Jefferson City diocese dates back to July 20-22, 2007.

That weekend, a small group of laypeople led by Ovid and Pedro Almazan convened the first Life in the Spirit (Vida en el Espíritu) seminar at St. Peter parish in Marshall.

The retreat director was Francisco “Panchito” Araujo, with Clarita Valverde assisting.

The community’s response was great.

The people were hungry and thirsty for the Word of God, community prayer and the experience of a personal encounter with God the Father, the Risen Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Soon after that weekend, several members of the Hispanic community in Marshall contacted the diocese to ask for Mass to be offered there in Spanish every Sunday instead of once a month.

The community grew in number, in the strength of its faith and in the desire to receive the Eucharist and the other sacraments more frequently.

Father Thomas Alber was assigned to the Marshall parish.

With the support and welcome of Father Kevin Gormley, who was the pastor, the Hispanic Charismatic community began to flourish and grow.

Justo González, who was diocesan director of Hispanic ministry at that time, was instrumental in helping the movement take hold.

Diocesan Hispanic and Cross-cultural Ministries have continued to serve as a bridge between the diocese and the Charismatic Renewal and have provided the support and resources necessary for the growth of the movement.

Thus, the flame of the Holy Spirit began to spread.

Through God’s power

From that first Life in the Spirit seminar, new Charismatic prayer groups were formed in the Hispanic communities of Milan, Columbia, Sedalia and Camdenton.

Mr. and Mrs. Almazan were the founders of the prayer group in Marshall. Juan and María Pedroza planted the movement at Sacred Heart in Columbia.

Edwin and Clelia Pacheco got things started at St. Mary in Milan. The founders in Sedalia were Ilsi and José Palacios, and the founders at St. Anthony in Camdenton were Ethan Pérez and Juan Baldomero.

God has been generous and shown His immense power in this diocese — just as He did in the experience of Pentecost narrated in the Acts of the Apostles, and as it happened in Duquesne University in Pennsylvania in 1967.

Hundreds of people from the Hispanic communities in this diocese have experienced the power of the Holy Spirit in these past 12 years.

In 2009, the first Charismatic Diocesan Congress was held at St. Peter in Marshall, with Mr. Araujo and the Ministry of Music “Los del Camino” returning as guests.

People from the Jefferson City diocese and the neighboring Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph attended.

It was a celebration of the unity among the prayer groups, the conversion of all those who have decided to undertake a new way of life, and the service of God’s hand in the Church and under the particular charism of the Charismatic Renewal.

Growing family

As a movement within the Catholic Church, the charismatic family is extensive.

In 2010, the movement established ties with the Hispanic Regional and National Renewal Committees. This has enriched the movement here in the diocese.

In 2014 and 2015, about 100 leaders and servants took part in a two-year training course designed by the National Committee and presented with the support of the diocese’s Hispanic Ministry office.

Each year, delegates from the diocese participate in the National Renewal Conference to share what they have learned and bring new information back to the people here.

In addition, the diocese ensures that ongoing formation and accompaniment are provided to the movement.

The Diocesan Committee of the Hispanic Charismatic Renewal was established at the diocesan congress in 2015. This committee is made up of leaders representing the different parishes that have a prayer group.

The committee’s main objectives are to support the carrying-out of Life in the Spirit seminars, ensure the unity of the movement in the diocese, provide advice and support for the Charismatic communities and serve as a leaven for the creation and formation of new groups.

“Totally Catholic”

The diocesan congress held in 2017 in Marshall marked the 50th anniversary of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.

It was a bilingual congress in collaboration with the Service Team of the Charismatic Renewal for the English-speaking people of the diocese.

The theme was: “Totally Catholic, Totally Charismatic.”

The guests were Jim Murphy, who at that time was the international coordinator of the Charismatic Renewal (ICCRS), and Andrés Arango, national Hispanic coordinator.

Bishop Emeritus John R. Gaydos, who led the diocese from 1997 to 2018, celebrated the closing Mass with other priests.

Also in 2017, the Diocesan Committee, supported by an evangelization team made up of members of the various prayer groups, conducted Life in the Spirit Seminars in Camdenton and Columbia and in the Archdiocese of St. Louis.

On June 15 and 16 of this year, an evangelization from Marshall organized the first Life in the Spirit Seminar for St. Brendan parish in Mexico. People from Jefferson City, Marshall and Columbia also attended.

“Current of grace”

In these dozen years since the Hispanic Charismatic Renewal movement in the Jefferson City was founded, hundreds of lives have been transformed through the Life in the Spirit seminars, growth retreats, Pentecost vigils, congresses, weekly prayer assemblies and in the sacramental and parish life of the Church.

Many have definitely rediscovered a continuous Pentecost, as Pope St. John Paul II said, in his homily for the celebration of First Vespers of Pentecost in 2004:

“Thanks to the Charismatic Movement, a multitude of Christians, men and women, young people and adults have rediscovered Pentecost as a living reality in their daily lives. I hope that the spirituality of Pentecost will spread in the Church as a renewed incentive to prayer, holiness, communion and proclamation.”

The sainted Pope’s words have been prophetic throughout the world and continue to echo in the diocese.

With the emergence of the movement in 2007, evangelization has continued here and beyond the borders of the diocese, announcing the Good News to many.

With the support of Bishop W. Shawn Mc-Knight; the diocesan director of Hispanic and Cross-Cultural Ministry; and the parish priests serving the various communities, the evangelization continues year after year, as Pope Francis requested in 2015 at the Third Worldwide Priest’s Retreat:

“I ask each and all of you that as part of the current of grace of Charismatic Renewal, you organize seminars of Life in the Spirit in your parishes and seminaries, schools, in neighborhoods, to share Baptism in the Spirit.”

Encouraged by these words of Pope Francis and with the Power of the Holy Spirit, the Renewal advances its commitment to evangelization.

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