Showing posts with label Father Joe Kane. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Father Joe Kane. Show all posts

Saturday, September 3, 2022

1981 Catholic Charismatic Conference Queen's University Kingston - August 1981

I'm like a dog with a bone I guess. I am searching for information on the Conference which was held at Queens University, Kingston ON, in August 1981, I remember staying with my parents in a large camper trailer in someone's back yard. I can't even remember who they were but they were acquaintances of my parents, Jim and Elaine Maloney. 

I have lost all information on the Conference so I decided to do a search of newspapers but I haven't had too much luck. I found these links below but I can't access the information because I need an account to do so and I don't want to do that for now anyways. 

 https://www.newspapers.com/search/?query=Catholic%20Charismatic%20Conference&t=27064

https://research.digitalkingston.ca/research-tools-and-tips/newspapers/1927-to-1984

I remember a packed auditorium for all the masses which were very lively with lots of singing and worshiping. Most of the songs I hadn't heard before but I loved them: mostly from  Carey Landry and the Saint Louis Jesuits as well as from the Songs of Praise books. 

There were numerous workshops and spectacular talks. I remember one of the workshops was entitled "Suffering the human condition" or something like that. The speakers were amazing and all the participants were filled with joy in spite of the rain which poured down on all of us throughout the entire weekend as we made our way about from one part of the University to another. . Since many of the workshops and talks were held simultaneously, we were limited in our choices. 

I can't find anything about the conference anywhere: diddly squat. But I'm not giving up

The Theme of the Conference was 

" Be it done Unto Me According to your word" and I remember the melody ( and most of the lyrics ) simply because we sang it over and over and over.  I am trying to find out who composed the hymn. It is very beautiful. 

BE IT DONE TO ME ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD  ( as I remember it )

  ANTIPHON  Be it done to me according to Your Word, let Your will be done!

VERSE 1 We will celebrate  Your call to recreate. We are your servants o Lord! 

VERSE 2 May our hearts be one with Mary and her Son: Sharing Your love with them!

VERSE 3 Holy Spirit come, Lord  of life, Lord of love, bringing the Word to flesh!

FYI  Below is some history of the Charismatic movement in Canada. 

My good friend Gemma O'Sullivan, the sister of Father Joe Kane O.M.I and my mother's first cousin Audrey Guillet, whom I have always called aunt Audrey, filled me in on some of the background of the Renewal in Ottawa. Both father Gerry and father Joe were missionary priests with the Oblates of Mary Immaculate at the same time, Gemma told me that her Brother Father Joe Kane was was really impressed with what he was seeing in this new movement: and urged her to see what she could do to start a prayer group in Ottawa 

I surmise that  Father Gerry Guillet approached aunt Audrey in the same way as well because she held the first prayer meeting in her home on Allen Blvd. in Vanier. I imagine Gemma was one of the participants but I'm not sure. Aunt Audrey invited several parishioners of Assumption Parish I believe but I am not exactly sure. She said there was a howling wind during the entire prayer meeting. She was happy the roof didn't cave in. 

Anyways  Gemma approached the priest at Saint Martin de Porres Church in Bells Corners and asked him if he would give permission to start a Prayer group at Saint Martin de Porre:  he cautiously said ok, but he said he would keep an eye on it to see how it goes  Her pastor was a newly ordained Priest Father Bob Bedard. Father Bedard got hooked! 

I don't know any of the dates of these events but I thought I would write this down before I forget everything. Probably the 70's? 

General Information on the Charismatic Renewal 

https://romans1015.com/catholic-charismatic-renewal/

https://teresa-httpsitesgooglecomsitefaithful.blogspot.com/search?q=charismatic

So far this is all I could find about this Conference but I'm not giving up


And I took a few odds-and-ends screenshots from the archives of Renewal Ministries around the same time ( 1981 ) but unfortunately for me I believe they only covered Conferences in the US 

As well I took a few screenshots from the Kingston Whig-Standard because that since they advertized the Conference that there might be a possibility that perhaps they covered some of it although being a secular newspaper probably they didn.t 

For what they are worth here they are











After that, I took my search to the Catholic Register in Canada and I found that they did have some viewable archives dating back to before the Conference but then I had trouble getting an account to view what they had so I just gave up cause I had a headache. Maybe one of these days I'll try again

Maybe, maybe not.