La Sagrada 23/2/10

Before coming to Peru I had not heard of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement within the Catholic Church, but in doing a bit of research I discovered that it originated in Pennsylvania in the late 60s, so has actually been around for awhile. The parish I work at, St. Francis of Asisi, has its own charismatic group that gathers every Tuesday afternoon for two hours of song and prayer. I have a good friend who helps with the music for the charismatic group and I was intrigued to see what exactly it was like so I went yesterday afternoon. (Yesterday was actually the second time I've gone; I went for the first time 2 weeks ago). One of the powerful things about the Charismatic movement, at least as I experienced it in our parish, is that during their worship services there is a very palbable energy and spirit present. That was probably my favorite part, sitting and being present to the incredible energy created by this group that sang with their whole heart, danced, prayed with honesty and humility, cried, and made sure to greet all those around them. There was a real sense of community amongst all who gathered and even to new faces like mine who weren't regulars.

Latinos (appologizing for the generalization) in my limited experience are very dynamic people, and I think there is a definite need that the Charismatic movement fills in the freedom to relate to God through more dynamic means in song, dance, and spoken prayer. While the whole worship service in general utilizes much of the language or imagery I take issue with in the liturgy as well, the charismatics do much better to include Mary and all three persons of the Trinity instead of solely focusing on God the Father or Jesus. I was also incredibly intrigued by the demographics and roles. It is 95% women who participate in the Charismatic services each Tuesday. It is women who lead the service, who reflect on the scriptures, who offer prayer, and who animate the crowd. From where I stand, I saw the Charismatic movement, at least in this parish, as a space that women have found and claimed for themselves. In this service women have a voice and it is heard and echoed by their sisters. While I still think the voice being spoken is often more of a reflection of the patriarchy of the church ingrained in their psyches, I still recognize the value of a space where women can gather, preach, and lead worship, and I appreciate the Charismatic movement for helping provide that space.