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Charismatic gathering slated for May 27 in Ida Grove
By RENEE WEBB, Globe editor
May 17, 2007Persons
who find spiritual nourishment in the form of charismatic prayer are
welcome to attend a prayer and praise service at 2 p.m. on May 27 at
Sacred Heart Church in Ida Grove.
Father David Hemann, a member
of the spiritual renewal pastoral team in the diocese, mentioned that
the team thought Pentecost Sunday would be a good day to hold a
gathering. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the birth of the
charismatic renewal ministry in the country.
"We wanted to invite people who have had experience in charismatic renewal to attend this gathering," he said.
The priest acknowledged that there isn't a big agenda for the upcoming gathering.
"We
want to open our hearts to the Holy Spirit as the apostles and the
Blessed Mother did. We will ask that the Lord refresh us and renew us
in our various states of life and our various ministries throughout the
diocese," said Father Hemann.
They plan to start off with
charismatic songs and have a prayer meeting that will include
spontaneous prayer and openness to words that the Lord may share with
the group.
"We want to gather to praise the Lord and listen to the Lord," he said.
Father
Hemann, who will lead the praise music, also anticipates offering a
brief teaching on how people may deepen their prayer lives.
He pointed out that through this prayer service, they hope to deepen the connection that people have with God.
"All
of us would have already celebrated Pentecost Sunday in our respective
parishes," he said. "It's open to everyone but if they do come they
should expect some of the traditional charismatic gifts operating in
the meeting." For instance, some may pray or sing in the spirit.
The word charismatic comes from the word charism, which means gift or grace.
"We are open to the graces and gifts of the Holy Spirit, operating and moving in the assembly," said Father Hemann.
Quoting
Scripture where the Lord says, "Wherever two or more are gathered in
prayer - there I am in their midst," Father Hemann said that by
gathering with others in prayer, God can work in a deeper way as he
communicates through others.
Father Hemann noted that the
spiritual renewal pastoral team plans to offer a fall gathering -
possibly in October around the Feast of St. Francis.
The May 27
gathering - which is expected to last 90 minutes to two hours - will be
held in the basement of the church unless signs indicate otherwise.
There is no cost or pre-registration to attend. |
