(EDITOR’S NOTE: Charles A. Mueller was among the local participants in the International Charismatic Conference at Notre Dame. Archbishop Donnellan was present for a preliminary session the day before the meeting.)

The dynamic impact of 30,000 people coming together in love and freedom of the Holy Spirit was witnessed again at Notre Dame, June 14, 15 and 16.

The annual International Charismatic Conference at South Bend, Indiana attracted great crowds of singing, praying and joyful Christians from throughout the United States and the world.

Approximately 1,000 priests, 20 bishops and Cardinal Leo Suenens of Belgium concelebrated the Eucharist on Saturday night. The liturgical celebration was climaxed by a candlelight service that reinforced the conference of “Jesus Christ is the Light of the World.” This spectacular evening was one of the high points of the Conference.

The charismatic renewal as it is called has been gaining momentum in the Catholic Church; from a beginning about 20 students at Duquesne University in 1967 to now what is estimated at over 500,000 Catholics in the United States. This growing renewal showed the expression of the Holy Spirit from the start of the first conference on Friday night at the Notre Dame football stadium.

The weather forecast called for rain the entire weekend and it was raining for a healing service. The leaders asked all to pray and called upon the Lord to take authority over the elements and within ten minutes it stopped raining.

There were many spectacular healings and everyone in the crowd saw people healed and “Praising the Lord for His goodness.”

Over 100 people from Atlanta attended and some of them not only witnessed healing but were themselves healed both physically and spiritually; a broken nose made whole, a slipped disk of a religious sister healed, eyes healed of near-sightedness, etc.

Saturday’s conference sessions featured many of the charismatic communities from Maine to California; Canada and Mexico giving explanations and teaching of their prayer communities’ rapid growth.

Saturday night’s Liturgy was the climax of the weekend. The tremendous procession of 1,000 priests, bishops, archbishops and cardinal, robed in red and white, entered the huge stadium to the tumultuous singing and praising of the Lord by the 30,000 plus charismatic Catholics was a moving experience.

Sunday morning featured special seminars on many of the charismatic ministries. Cardinal Suenens gave a talk on the Blessed Virgin’s role in the charismatic renewal.

Father Francis McNutt gave a seminar on healing. All of the various seminars featured leaders in the charismatic renewal explaining our Lords movement of His Holy Spirit in the restoration of his ministries now being brought for them in his Church just as was witnessed at the first Pentecost.

On Sunday afternoon the concluding session in the stadium was a beautiful Ecumenical service featuring Dr. Robert Frost, an outstanding Protestant clergyman; Ralph Martin, a lay leader in the charismatic renewal and Cardinal Suenens’ final address. There were also testimonies from a number of the joyful Christians who were healed so dramatically of serious infirmities through the love of our Blessed Savior.

The entire weekend can best be described as a magnificent manifestation of how the Holy Spirit is moving in the lives of people today, restoring His Church as it first began.

Next year’s International Conference will be held in Rome, Italy; Pentecost weekend. St. Peter’s will be the focal point.

The Atlanta Charismatic Communities are planning a special charter flight.