Charismatic Fellowship

The word "charismatic" is sometimes mistakenly used to mean free-spirited or emotional worship. While that can be an aspect, it actually refers to the presence of the charisms.

At St. Anthony there is a diverse mixture of people, growing in Christ’s call to deepen their faith in fellowship with Praise and worship followed by teaching and intercession for one another and the larger community.  Sharing the good news with miracles, signs, and wonders as Jesus has called us to do!  

“In Jesus Christ, God himself was made man and allowed us, so to speak, to cast a glance at the intimacy of God himself,” teaches Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. “And there we see something totally unexpected: in God, an ‘I’ and a ‘You’ exist. The mysterious God is not infinite loneliness, he is an event of love” (Pentecost 2006).

At St. Anthony join others at:

DC Divine Mercy Prayer Group  in Margot Hall on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays every month (except in August for summer break).  Sign up at [email protected] to be on the email list to find out local opportunities for renewal.

Couples for Christ (CFC) - DC Chapter Meet 3rd Sundays in Margot hall after 12pm Mass.

Opportunities for Renewal in the area and Save the Dates :

Nov 1-3 2024 Weekend of Rest Overnight Retreat with Fr. Fred Close, sign up for email notifications at [email protected] Carpool available

Fall of 2024! Encounter School Registration is Open and classes begin in August! The DC Campus is located in Gaithersburg, MD. 
Encounter School

Every Sunday Join Mother of God Community for Praise and Worship gathering, they invite you to join in person in the Mother of God School Gym in Gaithersburg. They will start at 7:00 pm and go until 8:15 pm. Please arrive early if you are coming to the gym.  You can also choose to join via their Mother of God Community YouTube Channel, where we continue livestreaming the entire gathering for your remote participation. If remote participants have prayer intentions you would like mentioned, you can submit them via the chat feature on YouTube.

if you have questions please reach out to Father Fred Close at [email protected] or contact St. Anthony Evangelization at [email protected].

Catholic Charismatic Renewal is a "Current of Grace" within the Catholic Church that incorporates aspects of both Catholic and Charismatic Movement practice. Charismatic Renewal is an experience and expression of the Holy Spirit which makes Jesus a living reality in the life of a believer. As Fr Raniero Cantalamessa says: "He [Jesus Christ] is no longer just a set of theses and dogmas.... no longer just an object of worship and of remembrance but a living reality in the Spirit". The Holy Spirit not only brings Jesus to life in believers, but also (as confirmed in the Catechism of the Catholic Church) gives them charisms (gratuitous gifts) for the building up of the Church.^[5]

Catholics who practice charismatic worship usually hold prayer meetings outside of Mass and feature such gifts as prophecy, faith healing, and glossolalia. In Ann Arbor, Michigan, a Catholic church describes charismatic worship as "uplifted hands during songs and audible praying in tongues." It further distinguishes a charismatic congregation as one that emphasises complete surrender to Jesus in all parts of life, obedience to both the Gospel and Catholic teaching, as well as Christ-centered friendships.

Perceptions of the Charismatic movement vary within the Catholic Church, although it has been favourably regarded by the last four Popes. Proponents hold the belief that certain charismata (a Greek word for "gifts") are still bestowed by the Holy Spirit today as they were in Early Christianity as described in the Bible. Catholics testify that their involvement with Charismatic Renewal has revitalised their faith and led them to a deeper devotion to Christ in the Eucharist and a fuller appreciation of the liturgy.

Washington DC Catholic Charismatic Service Committe

What Does "Charismatic" Mean?

Christians who experience certain manifestations are often called "charismatic." This is because the Greek word "charisma" means "gift" (which emphasizes that they are not an award for being good, but an aid to being good.)  Examples of these gifts of the Holy Spirit are visions, praying in tongues and healing.   

Before Jesus returned to heaven He promised His followers that he would send them the Holy Spirit, through which he would continue to live among them. The Holy Spirit first arrived in this new, special way at Pentecost, which brought about the explosive birth of Christianity.

According to Newsweek, Time and The Washington Post charismatics represent the fastest growing movement worldwide. Conservative estimates put the number of people involved with this movement at 650 hundred million people, with the strongest growth occurring in Asia, South America and Africa.

The word "charismatic" is sometimes mistakenly used to mean free-spirited or emotional worship. While that can be an aspect, it actually refers to thepresence of the charisms.

Gifts of the Spirit

Examples of some of the more common charismatic gifts that the Fellowship experiences are praying in tongues, prophecies, healing, receiving visions and receiving scriptures, a few of which are described below.

• Praying in tongues. Speaking (or praying) in tongues is an ability the Holy Spirit gives us to pray in a spontaneous manner using words and sounds we do not understand. We are conscious of praying to God and have the freedom to start and stop as we wish, but it is God moving our mouths and forming the phrases. He gives us the gift to help us worship Him and to aid in releasing the other gifts, such as prophecy.
• Prophecy. The apostle Paul says "I wish that all of you would pray in tongues, as I do, but I wish even more that you would prophecy. For the one who prays in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophecies builds up the body of believers." Prophecy is the ability granted by the Holy Spirit to speak forth words that proceed from God that do not come from the believer's understanding, reasoning or education. It is often in first-person and is generally not predictive. (Even in biblical times it was mostly a message for the present, used to encourage, teach, or correct.) Prophecy today does not give us new, additional revelation to the Bible, but simply is God illuminating that part of the eternal, unchanging Biblical truth that we especially need in a given moment.
• Receiving Scriptures. During the meeting someone may share a biblical verse saying that they "received the scripture" during prayer. This terminology often indicates that the Lord placed in a person's mind a specific chapter number and verse along with a sense of how the passage relates to us. Note that someone may share a biblical verse that is on their heart, which would be appropriate, but it should not be confused with the distinct charismatic gift of receiving scriptures, which is a more direct communication from God.

The term "Word gift" is used for when God speaks to us, such as through a prophecy or vision. At times the messages received will be clear and precise; at other times they may be shared more generally as a "sense from the Lord."   In any case all Word gifts need to be discerned. 

These charismatic manifestations are important because they allow us to more fully represent Christ's life in our own and because they are a sign to non-believers of His presence.

How Do I Receive These Experiences?

We each have them already.  A person experiences the gifts of the Holy Spirit simply by asking God to release them in child-like faith. They can first appear when a person is praying alone, but are more commonly first manifested after we have prayed with other charismatic Christians. The practice in the early church was to have those who already exercised the gifts place their hands on the one being prayed with, as an expression of unity in faith.

When we receive the Holy Spirit in this way it is often referred to as being "baptized in the Holy Spirit." (This is not meant as a replacement for water baptism or any other sacrament.  "Baptize" comes from a Greek word meaning "to immerse" and "baptism in the Holy Spirit" is seen as an immersion in the power and grace of the Holy Spirit.)

Some Christians understand being baptized in the Holy Spirit to mean the renewing of abilities already present, like the stirring up of settled chocolate syrup at the bottom of a glass of milk.  Others view it as a new type of relationship with the Holy Spirit. Whichever way you explain it, it is a powerful work of God.

Remember to avoid either extremes of (a) focusing on the gifts over the Giver, and (b) neglecting the gifts entirely. The goal is love of God and others, for which the gifts are an important aid.  (I Cor 12-14.)

Films, Books, Audio and More

• Discening God's voice in prayer [the book Surrendering to Abundance]
• Charismatic resources [from www.peterkreeft.com]
• Damian Stayne Healing video [YouTube]
• Pope Francis reaching out to Pentecostal leaders [YouTube]
• Alpha Courses -- Popular ten-week sessions at various churches in over 169 countries. 

Online Catholic Conferences for understanding gifts of the Holy Spirit and Miracle Healing here and here

Seeking a deeper understanding of the grace of Baptism in the Holy Spirit? See this webinar here.

Mother of God Community Online Praise and Worship Sunday evenings

Catholic Charismatic Renewal of Washington https://wccsc.org/
Catholic Charismatic Renewal of Arlington http://www.arlingtonrenewal.org/