| dc.description.abstract | This study examines the characteristic features of the Catholic Charismatic. Renewal reverberate. It further investigates: the role being played by this movement in the Roman Catholic Church in Kenya and worldwide.
The Roman Catholic Church has traditionally been associated with a staid liturgy. It also possesses a historical and theological uniqueness- In recent, years. however a wave of change has swept through the church which is characterized by mass crusades, faith healing, exorcism, claims of being saved and filled with the Holy Spirit among some Catholics. This change is attributed to the C. C.R a new, dynamic and enthusiastic movement that openly admits to. Pentecostal influence. This change has brought confusion, suspicion and skepticism in the. Church . Very little is known about this movement in Kenya, as. there is. little written work on it. It is. against this.
.background of suspicion, ignorance and misunderstanding that this study was carried out with an aim of shedding some light Oft what the Catholic Charismatic
Renewal Movement is all about.The main objectives. of this. study were: to. look at the main features. of the C. C.R; to. study the role played by the C. C.R~ in the ongoing renewal in the Catholic Church; and to study the ways. in which the C. C.R is helping the Catholic Church in her ministry.to the world.
In this study both library and field research methods. were used in the gathering of data, The material collected from the library formed secondary data while the field research material formed primary data In the field research oral interviews,
participant observation and questionnaire methods were used and they gave the desired data, which was analyzed using the descriptive method.
This study established that the C.C.R. is a relatively new phenomenon in the Catholic Church. It seeks to promote personal and Catholic Church's renewal and a recovery of the power of the Holy Spirit by emphasizing on the gifts of the Holy Spirit as they were in the Early church. Briefly it is an attempt to restore a way of life in the church that is perceived as having been lost.
The characteristic features of the C.C.R were identified as: spontaneous worship, freedom of expression, baptism in the Spirit, weekly prayer meetings, emphasis on personal conversion to Jesus Christ as ones savior and Lord and exercise of charismatic gifts especially prophecy, healing and glossolalia. Members of the C.c.R. are drawn from all classes of society and are recognized as prophetic; extraordinarily Spirit-filled people who are distinguishable from the other Catholics.
The C.CR. is also characterized by obedience 8t9-tltose in authority, respect and
honour to the church's doctrinal teachings and practices. This is one of its greatest strengths. There is also a tendency among some members towards Protestant- Pentecostal doctrines.
This study also found that the C.C.R. is playing a vital role of renewing the Catholic Church from within. It has helped in strengthening the faith of the members, in meeting many social and spiritual needs of the members especially the needs for friendship, love, appreciation, community and acceptance. It has also helped the
among them. It is therefore important to those interested m the ecumenical movement. | en |
