Call to Holiness: Reflections on the Catholic Charismatic Renewal

The charismatic renewal is a sign of the continuing relevance of the Holy Spirit for the baptized and gives life and direction to the Church in its mission in the world. Appearing soon after the close of Vatican II, the charismatic renewal has been one of a number of movements of the Spirit in the Church marked by a call to holiness and evangelization.

Call to Holiness gathers the wisdom within the renewal, thirty years after its beginnings, to help guide its continued life. This document evolved out of several years of consultation with leaders, theologians, and bishops associated with the charismatic renewal from various national backgrounds. Theologians not associated with the charismatic renewal have also been consulted.

The document covers the vocation to holiness, the experience of the Spirit, Baptism in the Holy Spirit, the charisms, forms of community life, and the call to evangelize. Chapters are The Spiritual Renewal Coming from the Council," "The Experience of the Holy Spirit and its Fruits," and "Gifted for Mission."

Archbishop Paul Josef Cordes is President of the Pontifical Council Cor Unum. He was Vice-President of the Pontifical Council for the Laity from 1981-1996. For ten years he was, at the appointment of Pope John Paul II, the "Episcopal Advisor" to the International Catholic Charismatic Renewal Services (ICCRS) in Rome. In this capacity he followed His Eminence Cardinal Leon-Joseph Suenens, the late Archbishop of Malines, Belgium.