Pentecost 2023 - Come Holy Spirit and Renew the Face of the Earth

 Dear Holy Spirit,

I want this again!

( I was there and wow what a grace and a joy )

7,000 at Charismatic Conference

Catholic Register, August 24, 1985

and this 

Charismatic Conference August 1981 in Kingston ON

thank you

From Catholic Register, August 24, 1985

Father Bob Bedard pastor of Saint Mary's and Director of the Catholic Renewal Centre in  Ottawa concentrated on the need to evangelize. "Great trials are coming, we have been warned time and time again. Our highest priority as a Church must be the ministry of evangelizing. 

We should bring others to Christ" he said

Fire on the Earth

Transcribed by me below for easier reading

PS. links to all things Charismatic Renewal related at the bottom of the page 

The Holy Spirit is so profoundly wonderful I  feel compelled  to find out whatever I can about The Third Person of the Holy Trinity ( so I can share with You )

7,000 at Charismatic Conference

Catholic Register, August 24, 1985

7,000 persons took part in the ninth annual Ontario Charismatic Conference held here, on August 2, 3, and 4. 

The Conference was a call to Revival/85. Its title Fire on the Earth was based on Words from Scripture " I have come to light a Fire on the Earth. I wish the Blaze were ignited." ( Luke 12:49 ) Those present praised God with Prayers music and song asking Him to "set the mighty fire in their hearts." so that they might carry it to others, 

Ontario Charismatic Conferences are organized by the Catholic Charismatic Services of Ontario a body that supports and organizes conferences and provides pastoral guidance to the Charismatic movement in liaison with Ontario Bishops. The CCSO chairman for the past three years has been Father Peter Coughlanm Pastor of Saint Patrick's Church in Hamilton and editor of Bread of Life and Ontario publication which has become national this summer. 

The first Ontario Conference was held in Toronto in 1976. The number of participants increased during the next few years. From 1979 however, they were steadily decreasing until this year. Organizers believe that this marks the time of spiritual revival. 

Bilingual

Four bishops, almost 40 priests, and many Sisters took part in the 1985 Conference. Auxiliary Bishop John Beahan of Ottawa sent a message of welcome and blessing. An innovation for Ottawa was a truly two-language Conference, Only the opening ceremonies and Sunday Eucharist were bilingual. Other sessions were held consecutively in English and French in different sections of Lansdowne Park. 

The Keynote Speaker was Father Jean-Paul Regimbald who welcomed the full assembly on Friday Evening saying "We are here to celebrate the Theme, Fire on the Earth" by allowing ourselves to be revived renewed restored into the fullness of being in  Jesus Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit. 

A Theme of awakening and revival was carried out throughout the next two days. Marc Gauthier who together with his wife Rosemary was the Conference co-chairman posed a question " What is a revival? It is the rekindling of the first grace which we received at Baptism and at Confirmation. It means giving God control of our daily lives. This gives richness and joy which only God can give."

Father John Randall, Pastor of Saint Charles' Parish in Providence Rhode Island suggested that every renewed Christian must also be prepared for a "trial by fire" and pass through three steps: "wisdom" when he is enlightened by the Holy Spirit, "Desert", which takes him on a journey along winding roads and "trust" in God. Wandering away from God leaves people alone and lost.

Commitment

Father Coughlin, the homilist at the Saturday Eucharist spoke about commitment and surrendering to God's Will. He said that God takes and uses what we surrender to Him, no matter how little it might be. he also talked about Prayer:  Commitment involves responsibilities. It is important to hear first of all to hear what God is saying to us. The celebrant was newly ordained. Father John Vandennaker

The revival meeting on Saturday night was Ecumenical. Father Bob Macdougall, formerly of 100 Huntley Street,m and now the host of his own weekly television program, and Dean Bareca, lay evangelist from the same program invited those assembled to step forward and make a commitment to a life of service to God. The crowds walked to the front singing "Alleluia"

Father Bob Bedard pastor of Saint Mary's and Director of the Catholic Renewal Centre in  Ottawa concentrated on the need to evangelize. "Great trials are coming, we have been warned time and time again. Our highest priority as a Church must be the ministry of evangelizing. We should bring others to Christ" he said

Bishop R. Despatie of Hearst, who was the homilist at the closing Eucharist on Sunday summarized the conference as the need to learn, teach, spread the Good News and pray. 

He recommended that every priest should go through a 30-hour course to learn about the Charismatic Renewal, told the conference participants that each of them can be a healer if they pray for one another, and suggested three hours of silent prayer every day. 

At the end, the bishop thanked all Charismatic leaders for the work they have been doing in the Church. Auxiliary  Gilles Belisle of Ottawa was the celebrant

Enthusiasm

Various people experienced the conference in many different ways for instance, Teresa a participant from Pius the 10th Parish in London Ontario said "It helped me to understand that God is always with me in my trials and that I become purified and strengthened by them."

Zita, a parishioner of Saint Mary's church in Ottawa was especially enthusiastic about the revival meeting. The whole assembly  participated in the Conference in a lively way

There was a word of special challenge from Father Regimbal directed towards the bishops and priests to "take advantage of the fruits of the Charismatic Renewal..., make a decision how you are going to use your lay people. They need to be instructed and educated. They are on fire with the Holy Spirit ready to work for the Lord. Where do they go from here?" asked the speaker.

The organizers felt that the 1985 Conference was a tremendous success. Next year it will be held at McMaster University in Hamilton under the title "The Spirit and the Bride Say Come!"

• 1976 in Toronto 
• 1977 August 19th to 21st, Queens University - Kingston Charismatic Conference August 1977 Kingston ONKingston ON
• 1979 Hamilton
• 1980 Conference August  in Thunder Bay ON
Charismatic Conference 1980 in Thunder Bay

• August 14th to 16th, 1981 Queens University - Kingston ON

The Theme  of the Conference'Be it Done Unto Me according to Your Word"

Charismatic Conference August 2081 in Kingston ON

• 1985 - Ottawa-  Charismatic Conference   7,000 at Charismatic Conference Catholic Register, August 24, 1985

•  April 29, 2023 Clothed with Power Conference -  Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, Ottawa, ON CCRSO Conference Speakers 
   
  Bishop Scott McCaig C.C. Dr, Ralph Martin, Renewal Ministries

• 2023 Pentecost Sunday 

• History of the Charismatic Renewal in Canada

• A Sharing Venture  - by an Evangelical Missionary and friend of Father Joe Kane

Palm Sunday Mass -March 4-5 2020

In the Weeks Ahead Let Us Remember His Mercies

I managed to find a pen and a piece of paper in my messy purse to jot down a few words from Deacon Marc's homily at mass yesterday and I'm glad I did because I have a terrible memory and would have forgotten it all by the time I got home. 

"Lent is a time to go into the wilderness like a pilgrim people in an alien land"

"Without the mercies and Grace of God poured out by Him where would we be? Without God's mercy, without God's love we are nothing. "

" In the Weeks Ahead Let Us Remember His Mercies." 

 Hosea- Come Back to Me
from the Monks of the Weston Priory

1...Come back to me with all your heart. Don't let fear keep us apart.
Trees do bend, though straight and tall; so must we to others' call.

Refrain:

Long have I waited
For your coming home to Me
And living deeply our new life.

2...The wilderness will lead you to your heart where I will speak.
Integrity and justice with tenderness you shall know.

3....You shall sleep secure with peace; faithfulness will be your joy.

Process/Pattern of Increase - Deacon Marc Gauthier

I asked Deacon Marc if I could post the homily he gave at the Tuesday morning mass this week and here it is: 

Thank you Deacon Marc

Processes of Failure and Increase

2020-03-04

The foundation of the two processes mentioned below are based on the Kingdom Principle that God’s gauge for faithfulness is character development and cooperation with the ministry of the Holy Spirit.

The following are two Kingdom of God processes, or we could call them Character Processes - one that leads to failure and the other leads to increase, especially an increase in God’s grace in our lives so that we may live as faithful disciples. The word process best describes what happens, as one stage leads to another. I give you both so that you can appreciate the difference, but I will lay out a more detailed description of the Process for Increase.

First, the Process of Failure: four stages, or whatever you want to refer to them as, roughly happening sequentially - Deception, Distraction, Dislocation and Destruction.

The Process of Increase involves Identification, Involvement, Investment and Increase.

The process produces an increase of Sanctifying grace within us - the work of the Holy Spirit bringing about holiness and communion with the Trinity of Love.

We must first Identify with our Lord as the disciples did - in the first chapter of St. John’s gospel when they chose to seek out the Lord. Jesus awakens in them a desire to know more about Him, and He invites them to follow Him.

As the disciples watched and listened, day by day, they, and we, begin to get involved. I’m reminded of the distribution duties the apostles had at the event we know as the multiplication of loaves and fishes (see Matthew 14).We should want to be Jesus’ hands and feet, and spread the wonders of His love with others.

Then comes the Lord’s prayer into our lives.

“One day He was praying in a certain place. When He had finished, one of His disciples asked Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray as John taught his disciples.’” (Luke 11:1)

Jesus was/is a Rabbi in so many ways. His disciples, like the disciples of any Rabbi, wanted to know the prayer of their Rabbi. In this way,  as Jesus offered them His prayer, they would be welcomed deeper into His life (“Put out into the deep…” Luke 5). They, we, would need to invest ourselves, go “all-in” as it were, and call God our Father.  Bit by bit we begin to discover what it means to live as His children, to seek His way of righteousness in all things and to trust in Him for all things.

We learn to live in ways that others will know that we receive the grace to love, as He loves us, from Him. Then, as He sends us out with His message of reconciliation (see 2 Corinthians 5:19), His Sanctifying grace increases in us so that He may be glorified.

Deacon Marc Gauthier

Be Christ Bearers for the World

Today Father Rob Arsenault celebrates his 25th Anniversary as a priest.  How blessed are we as a parish to have been able to join in this celebration with the beautiful mass this morning followed by adoration until 4:00PM with Deacon Marc Gauthier

Father Rob and Father John concelebrated mass and Father Rob gave the homily. He spoke of sacrifice: offering up to appease God.. He quoted from Bishop Baron "Catholicism is an inversion. God offers Himself up to appease us.

On the altar we offer the simple elements of bread and wine. We offer this to God who in turn gives us the Body and Blood Soul and Divinity of His Son, Jesus Christ.

When you eat food, your body breaks it down. It becomes you. When we receive Holy Communion worthily we become more like Christ for the benefit of those who were not at mass today.

If the priest is willing to sacrifice himself for us, our role is to sacrifice ourselves for the world: to be evangelizers, to be Christ bearers.

If God can use simple elements like bread and wine He can use you and me.

Be a Christ Bearer and do not be afraid.

Father Rob also asked us to pray for priests

Annunciation of the Lord - Parish Feast Day- March 25, 2019

I have heard it said that the Feast of the Annunciation is greater than any other.
This evening we had a beautiful Mass celebrated by Fr. John Likozar. Fr. Rob Arsenault and Fr. Dennis Hayes and assisted by Deacon Marc Gauthier and Deacon Will Read. Father Rob's homily was awesome and the music provided by Janet Warren was wonderful. I will provide a link to Father Rob's homily when it is on the Parish website.

Pro Life Mass, Annunciation of the Lord Parish, Ottawa, ON, May 20, 2017

At the lovely reception put on by the CWL