Faithful find spiritual renewal at Catholic Charismatic Conference at University of Scranton

Melona Barber of Brooklyn, N.Y., attended the 31st annual Catholic Charismatic Renewal Conference at the University of Scranton on Saturday for spiritual revival and was not disappointed.

"When you come here, you're, like, renewed. You renew your spirit," said Ms. Barber, who has attended the event the past five years. "You let go of all of your problems. You feel like the Holy Spirit is within you."

She joined some 1,850 other Catholics who attend Mass and confession and listen to guest speakers at the conference, which began Friday and ends today.

Most attendants are from the eastern United States, particularly New York and New Jersey, said one of the organizers, Bob Valiante of Moosic. He started the annual event 31 years ago after his own personal conversion experience.

"I knew there was more in my spiritual life than just participation in Sunday Mass," said Mr. Valiante.

Many conference participants attend either as a result of having such a spiritual awakening or hoping to have one, he said.

"There may be some here seeking that experience or living that experience," he said. "It's ongoing."

During Masses, many people worship in a Charismatic style, such as singing while clapping hands or swaying raised hands in the air. It's a more exuberant tone than one would find in a typical Catholic service.

"They used to call us the Catholic Pentecostals," Mr. Valiante quipped. "It's spirit-inspired. It's a joyful, Christ-centered experience."

One speaker Saturday was Cuba native Maria Vadia, who was 10 years old when she and her family fled to Florida, and who is active in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal of the Archdiocese of Miami.

"We Catholics have been too passive. That has to change. The spectator mentality has to change," Ms. Vadia told her audience. "Being a Catholic Christian is not just going to Mass and going back home. Being a Catholic Christian is walking in the full purpose that God has for you.

"And I'm not talking about dying and going to heaven. I'm talking about entering into the prophetic destiny that he has for you here, in this planet. There is a purpose why we're here, now."

Contact the writer: jlockwood@ timesshamrock.com, @jlockwoodTT on Twitter

Source: http://thetimes-tribune.com/news/faithful-find-spiritual-renewal-at-catholic-charismatic-conference-at-university-of-scranton-1.1530917

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