Spirited Gathering of Charismatics

Father Kevin O’Grady has come to see his parishioners and other Catholics as a family circle in constant motion, with only a few lingering near the center as most drift in and out.

But the Australian priest and others hope that a growing charismatic movement in Catholicism will hold them closer to the church.

“They come in and out, they are drawn away and then pulled back,” said O’Grady, one of the guest speakers Saturday at the Catholic Renewal Convention in Anaheim. “My job is try to slow them down when they’re in the middle. It’s always easier when they’re coming in than when they’re on the way out.”

Holding onto the faithful while luring new believers to the church is among the central issues at the event, which is expected to draw 12,000 people to the Anaheim Convention Center.

The convention is evidence of the growing foothold of the charismatic movement in the Roman Catholic Church. Charismatic Catholics retain the tenets of the church but combine them with traditional Pentecostal beliefs of personal infusion by the power of the Holy Spirit and using it for healing and prophecy.

Charismatic church services also are generally more demonstrative, which supporters say taps into the growing popularity of evangelical faiths.

That appeal is needed, according to church leaders who see attendance sagging. For many in the modern world, with its high-tech distractions, church has become a holiday ritual instead of an ongoing commitment, according to O’Grady, whose parish is home to computer industry workers and their families.

“It’s treble the crowd at Christmas and Easter,” he said with a chuckle. “You can’t get near the place. You just smile and hope you see them again next year. Or sooner.”

The convention continues today with workshops and youth programs, closing at 2:30 p.m. with a Mass led by Cardinal Roger M. Mahony of Los Angeles.

Mahony last year unveiled a groundbreaking pastoral letter that called for changes in the Mass to enliven and renew the faith of his archdiocese’s 3.5 million worshipers.

Among the proposed changes were nods to the sensibilities of the charismatic Catholics, such as encouraging parishioners to lift their arms with hands upturned during the Lord’s Prayer, a gesture long seen among Pentecostalists.

The theme of the convention, “Let the Fire Fall,” refers to the spirit of the charismatic movement and renewed enthusiasm in the church in the century to come.

Mark Ferrel, a leader with the Isaiah II Ministry Center in Santa Ana, said the charismatic movement has brought an energy and excitement to Catholicism, especially overseas, where the movement has been embraced more widely.

“Some people see it as a threat to the traditional ways, but we see it building on the traditional ways and bringing more depth to the relationship with God,” said Ferrel, who has performed missionary work in the South Pacific, Latin America and Africa. “It is strongest in family-oriented societies.”

The dwindling number of young priests, along with graying congregations in general, have made many within the church eager to reach out to the next generation of churchgoers.

But 18-year-old Brandy Lucas of Clovis said recruiting is only so effective among her peers.

“When someone tries to force you to do something, it doesn’t work,” she said. “It just makes them pull away even more. I just let a lot of my friends know what it’s like. But a lot of them think it sounds boring.”

Grace Shand of Venice said she thinks it’s anything but. Two decades ago, she said, she was in New York when she found herself in a Protestant prayer group.

“I went like this”--she held her hands aloft and feigned enthusiastic singing--”and I thought to myself, ‘Hey, I said I was never going to do this. How did this happen?’ But it just flows. It’s wonderful.”

Her friend Eileen Costa of Yorba Linda said the sizzle of charismatic Catholicism retained the tradition of her childhood but made her previous church and prayer experiences seem drab.

“The old religion is frozen steak,” she said. “The new religion is steak on a fire.”