Cardinal Raniero Cantalamessa has stepped back as the Ecclesiastical Advisor for CHARIS. He informed us he would be doing so at the elective assembly in Rome at the end of October last year. He has been a stalwart presence in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal for many years. Many of us have been greatly blessed by his wisdom, his teaching, his preaching, and especially his prayers.
Shortly after he became involved in the Renewal he was appointed as Preacher to the Papal Household by Pope Saint John Paul in 1980. This was normally a five-year assignment. That five-year assignment has continued until today, forty-four years. He has served three Popes, Saint John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and now Francis. For years many of us have looked forward to his Advent and Lenten sermons to the Papal household, as well as his Good Friday homilies in St. Peter’s Basilica. These are the responsibilities he will focus on going forward. He spends most of his time in the Friary as a good and faithful Franciscan Capuchin.
His great contributions to the faith come in four main areas:
- First as preacher to the Papal household.
- Second, as a great presence as a teacher and guide for the worldwide Catholic Charismatic Renewal.
- Third, as a driving force for Christian unity in the Church and in the Renewal.
- Fourth, as a wonderful source of spiritual wisdom and guidance for so many of us.
All this is built on a deep foundation of prayer, humility, and simplicity of life.
I was very fortunate to attend the retreat he did for the American bishops in Chicago in January 2019. Pope Francis had asked him to do this. Almost every bishop attending agreed that it was a time of great grace, spiritual refreshment, and wisdom at a time of difficulty. It was a wonderful gift from the Holy Father, Fr. Raniero, and the Holy Spirit.
Pope Francis acknowledged Fr. Raniero for his great contributions to the Church, the Renewal, and Christian unity, by naming him a Cardinal in November 2020. Reflecting his Franciscan commitment to simplicity of life, he received his Cardinal biretta and ring at St. Peters while wearing his Franciscan habit. Another sign of his Franciscan simplicity was that he chose not to be consecrated a bishop when made a Cardinal, an option that priests who are named Cardinals do have.
I would strongly encourage us all to read as many of the articles and books by Cardinal Cantalamessa as we can. They are translated into many languages. I keep extra copies of his books to give away to people who ask for deeper spiritual reading and seek to open their lives more to Christ. In addition, some of his talks and presentations are available on video on social media. These are well worth watching and listening to.
His Advent and Lent sermons are published on our CHARIS website, in five languages. Another website lists the more recent presentations by Cardinal Cantalamessa. It is in four languages. You can find it at this web address: www.cantalamessa.org
Cardinal Cantalamessa’s coat of arms reflects his life and his faith. The shield has the Holy Spirit featured very prominently. His motto is “Veni Creator Spiritus” which is “Come Holy Spirit. On top there is the arm of St Francis of Assis with the stigmata, and the arm of Christ, both in front of a simple cross.
May we all join Cardinal Cantalamessa and pray, “Veni Creator Spiritus”, now and every day.
Monsignor Peter Leslie Smith
CHARIS Ecclesiastical Assistant
