Welcome
Welcome to the Western Oregon Catholic Charismatic Renewal (WOCCR) website. Here you will find information about the Renewal, a list of events and newsletters to assist you in your growth in the Renewal.
The Renewal in Western Oregon is an integral part of the much larger Charismatic Renewal within the Catholic Church both nationally and internationally.
Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) — a Personal Invitation to Renewal
Please come and learn more about the Holy Spirit and the role He plays in our lives, beginning with the Sacraments of Baptism and Confirmation. Since we have the anointing of the Holy Spirit from our baptism on, how much do we know and rely on Him each day. The Renewal is all about helping each of us to grow closer to the Holy Spirit and become aware of the Spiritual Gifts He has for each of us. These Gifts are given to strengthen us spiritually, and to help our neighbors and to build up the Church
It’s a personal experience of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, who brings alive in new ways the graces of our baptism. The Holy Spirit not only sets on fire all that we have already received, but comes again in power to equip us with his gifts for service and mission.
There are no special, superior people in the Church called “charismatics” – but there are millions of ordinary men and women whose lives have been renewed “charismatically”, in other words by an action of the Holy Spirit. Cardinal Suenens reminded us that
Holy Spirit window, Christ the King Church, Ann Arbor, MI
charismatic Christianity is normal Christianity, because the Church herself is charismatic, and we were never supposed to live a Christian life without the full presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Sadly many Christians still attempt to do this.
“. . . we were never supposed to live a Christian life without the full presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Sadly many Christians still attempt to do this.”
So the aim of the Renewal is to bring the life of the Holy Spirit into every part of the Church by bringing it into the life of every Christian man and woman.
The Renewal exists to help people live a new life in the power of Sprit . . .
— Whitehead, Charles, (2003), “What is the nature of the Catholic Ch arismatic Renewal?”1Note: This article was originally posted on the United Kingdom charismatic website ccr.org .uk. The site was redesigned in March 2024, but the new design did not include this article p. 3. Mr. Whitehead was the former President of the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Service (ICCRS).
The CCR (Renewal)
The Catholic Charismatic Renewal is a “current of grace” within the Church that began with the work of the Second Vatican Council (1962 -1965). The renewal began in 1967, at a retreat for Duquesne University students. They had a very powerful encounter with the Holy Spirit and Jesus. We encourage you to read the personal testimony of Patti Gallagher Mansfield, who was one of the participants during that event. The “current of grace” of the Holy Spirit was so powerful that within five decades more than 120 million Catholics has received the Baptism in the Holy Spirit.
If you are new to the CCR
You have come to a good place. This website is filled with scripture, the catechism and life experiences from around the world. It also has current information on ways you can grow in the Holy Spirit and the love of Christ. It can seem overwhelming at first, but we are here to help.
If you are an “experienced” hand
If you are active in the Renewal and use the Spiritual Gifts, then let this site encourage you. Let it inspire you to open yourself further to the works of the Holy Spirit including His Gifts, Fruits and Charisms. Now is the time to put them into action for God’s people and for the Church.
Question: Why is it important to have the Holy Spirit and the Renewal in your life?
How would you answer this question?
Here are several responses from members of the CCR in Western Oregon.
I was raised Catholic and attended Catholic schools for 12 years. I believed everything I was taught. I seemed to naturally have the gift of Faith. Even when I strayed from the path, I knew I was wrong, not the Church, because the Church was founded by Jesus and couldn’t be wrong.
By my late 20’s, life had brought enough hardships that I had “low grade” depression all the time. After the birth of my second child, I realized that I had not smiled in a year.
My mother-in-law invited me to a “Life in the Spirit” seminar. It was a small, all-ladies group in a home. At the end, when I prayed to have Jesus baptize me in the Holy Spirit, I prayed in tongues, embarrassingly simply “Bababababa…”. I felt life in my belly. It rose and came out of my throat in laughter. I laughed so much that everyone in the room began laughing. It hurt my face because the laugh muscles were out of practice!
We all have ups and downs in life. After I was baptized in the Holy Spirit, my new downs were higher than my old ups! I continued to grow and learn in a group to which I was assigned by the nice ladies. I have been in ministry ever since — 44 joyous years!
Barbara HettwerYour thoughts should be from the heart, clear and concise. It should be about four or five sentences, so the reader can capture the idea without being overwhelmed by too much detail.
Your personal testimony will replace this text.
The goal of including your testimony is to allow the Lord to speak through you. To explain what the Renewal has meant for you.
Please record your response and send it by email to woccrteam@woccr.org
We hope to use these testimonies to explain to show visitors that the Renewal is Real. It is Now. And it is important to real people.
Can we count on you to add your own story?
I was baptized two weeks after birth and confirmed at age seven. I knew about Jesus and our Father, but they were a long way away in the heavens. The Holy Spirit was just a “dove.” Meanwhile, I tried to be faithful and follow the rules.
Fifty+ years later, I attended a “Life in the Spirit” seminar. It changed my life.
Since then, I depend on the Holy Spirit who lives in me. I have fallen in love with Jesus and listen for his voice. My life was completely transformed by personally experiencing God and His love. I return His love by seeking to follow his will and to serve His people. I put the fruits, gifts and charisms of the Holy Spirit to work in my life for His people and His Church.
Jack ArdnerI have known many people in the Charismatic Renewal who have been Holy all of their lives. I was not one of them. My path was going decidedly downward when in 1989, St. Henry’s in Gresham, OR advertised a Bible Study that following Friday night. I was interested in that so I showed up.
It turned out to be a “Life in the Spirit” seminar and it changed my life. I wasn’t looking to change my life but the Holy Spirit did it anyway. It was very painful giving up all my sinful behaviors, but the Holy Spirit is a very gentle God and one by one things fell away. It was a Bible study after all and finally I could understand it. I have never looked back but only forward and up.
Jackie MorganWe would love to hear about your personal experience with a “Life in the Spirit” seminar and the Renewal. Please send it to us by clicking on this email link: WOCCR Team.
Resources for Your Journey
Featured Events
One of the missions of WOCCR is to provide you with a wide variety of charismatic and catholic events. Here is the current list of Featured events for your information. We invite you to participate in one or more of these upcoming events.
In addition to these Featured events, please visit the Events page to see a number of local Prayer Groups and other activities.
Newsletters
Newsletters help keep us all “in the know” about charismatic events, happenings, experiences, and other activities. Here are the latest editions.
Newsletter: We are pleased to announce a number of events that are planned for this year. They include: School of Healing; Healing Service; two Healing Masses this Summer; and a Mini-Conference with Ralph Martin. Here are the current details on these events. Please see the events page for updated information. Mark you calendar and plan to attend.Jesus promised, “These signs will accompany those who believe…They will lay hands on the sick and they will recover”(Mark 16:17-18). Jesus has called us to do what he did, and that includes healing the sick. The Encounter School of Healing is a two-day conference to teach, impart and activate Catholics to be a more effective minister of Jesus’ healing in the world! Jesus wants to use you as an instrument of his divine healing. Are you going to give him the chance?
Newsletter: One of the strengths, and indeed the beauty, of Catholicism that we can embrace different expressions of our faith. Many people find that expression within the context of a parish community, while others find it within what we call ecclesial communities. The Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) is one such community. The CCR, however, is not a single community, but rather a variety of entities which have formed for different purposes, such as evangelization, prayer, service, worship, healing, catechesis, and youth ministry. What unites these various groups is that at the heart of every group, and every member, is the desire to draw on the graces that flow from the Holy Spirit — described by the term, “Baptism in the Holy Spirit”.
Newsletter: Brothers and sisters: What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword? No, in all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us. (Romans 8:35, 37 The rousing declaration above, “… we conquer overwhelmingly,” is likely more familiar as, “… we are more than conquerors.”
To see previous Newsletters, please go to the Newsletter Archives.
If you have an article, observations, photographs, etc. about things happening in your area, we would like to know. Please submit your materials to the WOCCR Team for their review.
Thank you for visiting
We appreciate the time you spend with us. If you are interested in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, please use these pages to find encouragement and resources for your journey.
We also welcome your questions and comments. Please send your thoughts by email to the WOCCR Team.
In any case, browse a bit now and come back as often as you can. Expect the Holy Spirit to guide you and bless you each day!
Note:
- 1Note: This article was originally posted on the United Kingdom charismatic website ccr.org .uk. The site was redesigned in March 2024, but the new design did not include this article
