In this 1973 article published in New Covenant magazine, Paul DeCelles emphasized the ecumenical and lay character of the work of God in the charismatic renewal and the freedom that is a hallmark of the Holy Spirit’s activity.
Reflections on the 1973 Conference
By Paul de Celles [sic]
Dr. DeCelles, professor of physics at the University of Notre Dame, has been active in the charismatic renewal since its beginnings in South Bend in 1967. He is a coordinator of the People of Praise Community and was recently ordained a permanent deacon in the diocese of Fort Wayne-South Bend.
Praise the Lord Jesus for the outpouring of his Holy Spirit at the Seventh International Conference!
I hope that during the coming year the news of what occurred during the conference will spread throughout the world. People here in South Bend and Notre Dame marveled at how well-run and peaceful the conference was. Strangers in the neighborhood of the stadium have reported how deeply moved they were by the beautiful singing that wafted out of the stadium during the general sessions. Others noticed the kindness and patience shown by the drivers as they drove from the stadium area. How much joy and singing and happiness there were as the cars paraded out of the parking lots, one after another.
However, some aspects of the general sessions have caused me to reflect on the orientation that the international conference seems to be taking. I think the administration of the conference was truly remarkable. The conference committee, and in particular the True House Community at Notre Dame deserve our prayerful thanks. But I would like to draw attention to some of the things which went on at the general sessions in the stadium which I think bear reconsideration.
I was surprised at the extent to which the conference differed from our ordinary community and prayer meeting experiences during the years. Many of the characteristics of our prayer meetings that seem to be so liberating were missing during the general sessions. The spontaneity, vivacity, enthusiasm, vitality, expectant faith, trust in God and trust in our brothers and sisters, the love of God and the overwhelming praise and worship to the glory of God, seemed to me to be somewhat missing. The general sessions did not accurately reflect the tone, temperament, culture, attitudes and life-style of the majority of the people who attended them. They seemed to be governed by a narrower mentality. This showed up particularly in the areas of ecumenism, authority, worship and large crowd control.
ECUMENISM
First, the relationships among the different faith traditions represented at the conference were unclear. From the beginning, our prayer meetings have been ecumenical. In fact, we were introduced to the baptism of the Holy Spirit and to a fuller understanding of many of the scriptural texts concerning life in the Spirit by some non-Catholics with whom we continue to have fruitful relationships. The origins of the Catholic Pentecostal movement are deeply ecumenical. Our prayer group in South Bend and many throughout the world remain ecumenical. The Catholics in our prayer group are faithful to the traditions of the Catholic Church, and participate fully in the life of the Church, just as the Protestants have full participation in the life of their churches.
However, I believe that the non-Catholics who are able to participate in our individual prayer meetings fully were not related to in a truly loving way at the conference. Our international conference, which has had a history of participation by Protestants seems to be becoming imbued with what I would call a strain of “super-Catholicism.” For example, I do not believe it is normal for members of prayer groups throughout the world to read L’Osservatore Romano, the official Vatican newspaper. It is neither representative nor entirely honest to be handing out articles from L’Osservatore Romano as the official literature of the charismatic renewal, as happened at the conference. We seem to be saying something like, “See how Catholic we are? We even read the L’Osservatore Romano!”
There are legitimate alternative ways we can behave in ecumenical gatherings which remain faithful to our Catholic traditions and which do not offend or violate the spirit of love that exists among Catholics and Protestants. How much must we require Protestants to change in order that they feel comfortable at our international conference? I believe that the criteria that we apply on our individual prayer meeting level are stringent enough. In fact, we should once again return to Protestants as a source of inspiration, expecting them to participate actively in the ministry of the conference itself as they have in the past. This might be easily accomplished by expanding the Word Gift servants to include more non-Catholic participants. Clearly, we could learn a lot from non-Catholics about how to deal with very large, rally-like crowds.
AUTHORITY
I thought the first half of the main address by Father Harold Cohen was excellent. However, the second half dealing with our fidelity to the magisterium of the Church, raised some questions in my mind. The question was dealt with extensively at last year’s conference in the addresses by Bishop Joseph McKinney and Kevin Ranaghan. I regretted seeing it come up again. While I believe that it is good to be obedient to the pope and bishops, and indeed to all our spirit-filled [sic] brothers and sisters, I do not think it is a wise policy to lead 25,000 people in an extraordinary public commitment of obedience. I am sure that for the overwhelming majority of Catholics who are faithful to the pope, the bishops and the traditions of the Church, this was the first time they had ever been in this position. I am not against obedience to the authority of the Church. What I oppose is a group situation in which obedience is not adequately explained, where people are swayed to make an act of obedience according to what they understand it to be. In many cases this obedience is a type of immature, dependent relationship and is often not even what the speaker meant. For example, in one case I know of, a bishop demanded that a certain prayer group disband. He did not dialogue with the group or its leaders, but chose to close it down because he didn’t believe in the charismatic gifts. The group obeyed. Six months later, as capriciously as he had stopped the meetings, he allowed them to start again.
I take issue with the notion that we should automatically obey a bishop who asks us to stop participation in the Catholic charismatic renewal. It seems to me that the immediate response should not be “Of course, Bishop. I will no longer participate,” but rather to begin a serious effort to improve the prayer meeting. The bishop should not test to see if this is a good group of Spirit-filled people by ordering the prayer group to disband. That is a bad test. There are other criteria to apply to determine whether a group is in the Spirit. On the face of it, an order to disband only tests whether the bishop or whoever is in authority has the power to have the meeting stopped. It does not automatically mean that the meetings should be stopped. Basically it is a test of power, not a test of the Spirit. For example, suppose that something terribly out of the Spirit occurred in a group, the bishop ordered it stopped, and the people obeyed. Six months later the bishop might say, “Well, since you stopped that terrible thing and you’re in such good faith, you may start it up again.” That would be a terrible test of the Spirit. If the problem was bad before, it remains bad. The problem would not be cleared up simply because people were obedient to authority.
Throughout the world, the charismatic renewal is marked by a very strong participation on the part of the laity. In many places there are no priests participating in the prayer meetings, a fact which everyone I have talked to regrets. That being the case, however, it should be reflected in the general sessions at the conference. For whatever reasons, the Lord is working in prayer groups all over the world with a new type of emerging ministry, a new type of broad spectrum of service in the meeting. Yet we find at the major conference assemblies a concentration on participation of priests and bishops and a strong reference to obedience to the bishops and to the pope, with the major addresses being given by priests and bishops. I believe that this is not bad, but rather that it is indicative of a trend toward a clericalism which does not reflect the Spirit-led attitude of thousands of people in the charismatic renewal.
WORSHIP
At the general sessions, we were urged repeatedly to be quiet, peaceful to let the Lord work deeply and richly within our hearts. Being quiet was referred to frequently as a new way to pray. I don’t believe it is a new way to pray. Many Catholics have been praying quietly in church pews for generations. It is not a better way to pray. It is simply quieter. Indeed we pray differently in our own prayer group. An international conference of local prayer groups in which quiet prayer is anything but characteristic should allow for a freer form of prayer and worship.
We need to show more trust that the Spirit of God is active among the 25,000 people present and that we can relax in the Lord. As Fr. Michael Scanlan emphasized in his closing conference remarks, we can expect him to move in marvelous, new and wonderful ways every time we meet. We should in fact make every effort to figure out ways to share the experience of what God is doing in such a large crowd of people, to tap the resources of the Holy Spirit at work among all the people during the conference itself. We should not approach the conference as basically something we “put on” for all those who are coming. Rather let us adopt the attitude that we are facilitators, servants, working to make it possible for God to work in the crowd, to be shared and lived more fully by all present.
This attitude of humble service should dominate our approach to ecumenism, authority and all the other difficult problems we face in the charismatic renewal. When we reach a matter of teaching where there is a difference of opinion, we should not simply call for loyalty to the Catholic position. We should explain the consequences of the Catholic position by some wholesome explanation in the Spirit of God. This would become a great opportunity for all of us to grow together more solidly in the Lord.
THE FUTURE
When we called the first International Charismatic Conference in 1967, all of us were fresh in the Spirit. So much had happened in such a short time that we decided to gather to reflect on what the Lord had done and let the Lord refresh and guide us together. We came together seeking. This attitude of seeking pervaded the first several conferences. We need to return to it. To rediscover it will require extensive pre-conference communication among the conference committee and prayer groups and charismatic communities throughout the world.
I think it is inappropriate for the speeches at the general assemblies to be developmental, theological, apologetic, or policy-setting. A developmental talk makes an argument and draws conclusions usually with a lot of therefores and thuses in it. The general assemblies should be celebrations first of all. Celebrations of God’s glory, his constant mercy, and our salvation. They should be more happenings than classes. They should be healing, saving, miraculous[,] lively and fully participatory. General assembly addresses are best when they build us up in the love of God and all men by signs and wonders and demonstrations of his power.
Let’s open up in the confidence that the Lord will do an even greater marvel as we meet in his name next year.
New Covenant (August, 1973), pages 24-5.