In the 2, 000 years of the Catholic Church there has been approximately 5 outpourings of the Holy Spirit, beginning with Pentecost, 50 days after Jesus died on the cross. We are presently living in the last outpouring which occurred 42 years ago.

In February 1967, a group of college students attending a retreat at Duquesne University in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania had a powerful and transforming experience in response to fervent prayer asking God to allow them to experience the grace of both baptism and confirmation. The account of this experience – which came to be known as “baptism in the Spirit” – quickly spread across the college campus and then to other campuses across the United States.

The Vatican reports that today over 300 million Catholics have attended a “Life in the Spirit Seminar” where such a experience has occurred.

Pope John Paul 11 has called the charismatic renewal “the father of the renewals” and Pope Benedict the XV1 has called it “the springtime of the church”.

CCC 799   “Whether extraordinary or simple and humble, charisms are graces of the Holy Spirit which directly or indirectly benefit the Church, ordered as they are to her building up, to the good of men, and to the needs of the world.

Here are some charismatic websites in the San Jose Diocese Northern California for you to explore.

Additional references:

For further information contact Liaison Victor Pioli at Pioli.Victor@yahoo.com., you may also request to be placed on the email list for the announcements of future events.