Catholic Renewal Service of BC
Praise the Lord!
Come, Holy Spirit!
Now is the time
to share the flame
Welcome to the website of Catholic Renewal Service of British Columbia, the provincial service committee for the Catholic charismatic renewal. The Holy Spirit is on the move across Canada and in the Church around the world. We are invited to be part of that current of grace, advancing the Kingdom of God in our lives and in the world around us.
In the power of the Spirit, and at the call of the Pope and the Church, we are being asked to share baptism in the Holy Spirit with everyone in the Church; proclaim Jesus as Saviour to all the world; work toward unity among Christian denominations; and embrace the needs of the poor in face-to-face encounters.
It’s a tall order, but it’s also why the Holy Spirit descended on the Apostles at the first Pentecost, 2,000 years ago, and it’s still our job today.
WHAT IS THE CATHOLIC CHARISMATIC RENEWAL?
The Holy Spirit was poured out on the first Christians at the very beginning of the Church on the first Pentecost nearly 2,000 years ago (see Acts, chapter 2), and has been the driving force and the guide of all that our faith has accomplished ever since. But while the Holy Spirit never left the Church, the average Catholic’s awareness of the Spirit’s role declined greatly over the centuries.
Then, almost 60 years ago, the Spirit was poured out within the Catholic Church again in a new and powerful way. Since that first outpouring in 1967 the Catholic Charismatic Renewal has grown to be the largest ecclesial movement in the Church worldwide, with more than 100 million participants.
While strongly faithful to the Mass, the other sacraments, traditional prayer, and the teaching authority of the Church, the renewal also offers a vibrant new way of prayer and worship, and a new power for life, ministry and service to God. (For more information, see “Who We Are” on this website.)
As the provincial service committee for the renewal, our task is to foster baptism in the Holy Spirit, charismatic worship, exercise of the biblical gifts of the Spirit, evangelism, growth in personal holiness, and above all conversion to Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour. This website is intended to offer news, resources, and inspiration for Catholics and all Christians seeking those goals.
In the service of the Spirit,
Richard Dunstan, chair
Catholic Renewal Service of BC
POPE LEO BLESSES CHARISMATIC LEADERS AT MEETING IN ROME
Pope Leo XIV welcomed several thousand Catholic charismatic leaders from all over the world to the Vatican May 30. During his audience, he recalled the support given to the renewal by Popes St. Paul VI, St. John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and Francis, and promised to continue “the relationship of mutual respect and support between the See of Peter and the great family of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal.” “May the Holy Spirit always be a source of light and strength on your personal and communal journey,” he said before giving the group his apostolic blessing.
For an account of the meeting from the website of CHARIS, which organized the event, see https://www.charis.international/en/pope-leo-xiv-to-charis-may-the-holy-spirit-always-be-light-and-strength-on-your-journey/
For the full text of the Pope’s address, see To Members of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal (30 May 2026)