Several times Pope Francis spoke to us about being generous in sharing the experience of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit with everyone and the importance of the New Life in the Spirit Seminar. He emphasized this to us especially in the audience of 3rd November 2023.
The method of the New Life in the Spirit Seminar is formidable and has borne fruit all over the world on millions of people for more than five decades. Whilst this is a fact, it is also a fact that the world we were addressing this resource with has changed a great deal over the years. While the need for Jesus Christ remains urgent, the way we address it in order to proclaim Him must take into account the reality of today’s context.
The Second Vatican Council taught us this, but St Paul taught it even before when he adapted his Proclamation to this or that audience. It is not a question of changing themes, for they are essential and evangelical, and they effectively meet the needs of the people of today.
CHARIS has worked scrupulously to produce an updated version of this magnificent tool. We believe it is a true service the stream of grace can offer to the Church and to the whole world.
Whom are we addressing this message to?
The purpose of this project is for many people’s hearts to convert to Jesus Christ through a personal encounter with the Savior. Whether they are Catholics, non-Catholics, gathered in groups, alone at home, in a prison, in a club, among friends, in a parish, etc.
A way of truly preparing for Pentecost in the Holy Year 2025
The new version will be a high quality fully audio-visual one; initially in 5 languages. We will deliver the material in time so that any other language that would like to translate it can do so achieving high quality and use it.
We will upload it to our Training Platform to give it more containment and invite anyone who needs more material, connections, documents, think tank contacts, etc. to use all that we have, taking advantage of this opportunity for many more to become familiar with the wealth of content on our platform.
When
We will start on the octave of Easter, one theme every week.
Each week a specialist on the theme will give a 30-minutes teaching | preaching.
At each chapter, there will also be two short testimonies. A personal-pastoral one in line with the theme and a personal one given by a renowned personality who has turned her | his heart to Christ.
We shall also have a music ministry each week from a different world culture.
It will culminate at the Vigil of Pentecost, we will do it online-live, broadcasting from several cities around the world, e.g. the Holy Land, Malawi, Alaska, Tierra del Fuego, Rio de Janeiro and Rome.
It will be ready by April 2025 and will be offered to everyone free of charge. However, we will ask for a voluntary donation.
Pope Francis’ recommendation will help many parishes to consider this Course as a preparation for a New Pentecost in every locality in this Holy Year.
Each charismatic group and community can become a driving agent for this kerygma to be included in the pastoral plans for 2025 in each diocese.
It might be that the usefulness of this New Life in the Spirit be welcome in different ways.
- For example, some parishes or groups might say: ‘For seven Saturdays we will meet in the parish to experience the New Life in the Spirit’ and project the chapters on a screen.
- Others might use this material as a model and have local animators preaching it.
- Others might be able to pass on the teachings but presentations and music will be local.
- Others might watch it in their homes, in a club, in schools or in jails.
It is a free tool.
Help us promote this initiative in your locality so that many others can also live this experience.
