What the Catholic Charismatic Renewal is. And what it isn't. The Catholic Charismatic Renewal is not a single, unified worldwide movement. It does not have a single founder or group of founders as many other movements do. It is a highly diverse collection of individuals, groups and activities - covenant communities, prayer groups, small faith sharing groups, renewed parishes, conferences, retreats
, and even involvement in various apostolates and ministries - often quite independent of one another, in different stages and modes of development and with different emphases, that nevertheless share the same fundamental experience and espouse the same general goals. The common thread for the Movement is the ‘baptism of the Holy Spirit’. For many people, this new, powerful, and life-transforming outpouring of the Holy Spirit takes place in the context of a specifically designed seminar called ‘Life in the Spirit’, although many have been ‘baptised in the Spirit’ outside of the seminar. The Catholic Charismatic Renewal is present in 238 countries and has touched the lives of over 100 million Catholics. In some countries the number of participants seems to have diminished in recent years, while in other places the number continue to rise at an amazing rate.
