1967 · Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States (Duquesne University)

Catholic Charismatic Renewal

In 1967, a group of Catholic students and faculty at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh experienced what they described as a 'baptism in the Holy Spirit,' launching a movement that brought charismatic worship — speaking in tongues, healing prayer, spontaneous praise — into the heart of the Catholic Church.

It started over a weekend retreat in February 1967. A group of Catholic students and professors at Duquesne University, a school run by the Holy Spirit Fathers, had been reading David Wilkerson's The Cross and the Switchblade and a book about the Pentecostal movement. They were looking for something more in their faith — more fire, more experience, more of the Holy Spirit they read about in Acts. During the retreat, several of them reported experiencing what Pentecostals call 'baptism in the Holy Spirit': intense prayer, speaking in tongues, a felt sense of God's presence that was overwhelming and immediate. Word spread to the University of Notre Dame and the University of Michigan. Within months, prayer groups were forming on Catholic campuses. Within a few years, the movement had spread worldwide. It was strange territory for the Catholic Church. Speaking in tongues, raising hands during worship, spontaneous prophecy — these looked and sounded like Protestant Pentecostalism, and plenty of Catholics were alarmed. But the movement's leaders were careful to stay within Church structures. They went to Mass, they received the sacraments, they submitted to episcopal authority. Cardinal Léon-Joseph Suenens of Belgium became a prominent supporter and helped give the renewal theological credibility. Popes from Paul VI through Francis have offered cautious encouragement. Paul VI told charismatic leaders in 1975 that the renewal was 'a chance for the Church.' John Paul II called it 'a sign of the Spirit's action.' Francis, who had been skeptical as Archbishop of Buenos Aires, became more supportive as pope, telling charismatics in 2014 to share what they had received 'with the whole Church.' Today the renewal claims over 120 million Catholic participants worldwide, with its strongest presence in Latin America, the Philippines, Africa, and parts of the United States.

Why it matters

Brought charismatic spirituality — experiential prayer, gifts of the Spirit, and exuberant worship — into the Catholic mainstream, becoming one of the largest movements of spiritual renewal in modern Church history.