Catholic Charismatic Renewal Conference

I'm packing up and getting ready to leave to go to St Paul MN for their conference on the Charismatic Renewal and the Catholic Church.

I'm totally excited about it because for a long time I've wondered just where the two fit together.

I grew up in the Renewal, so I am extremely comfortable with it. However I have always wondered what it means to be a Charismatic Catholic-at least in theology. That is, when we speak of being "baptized in the Holy Spirit" how does the jive with Catholic teaching that we receive the Holy Spirit at Baptism and the work of the HS is deepened in our Confirmation. However, scripture also talks specifically about being baptized in the Holy Spirit-so...?

I am intruiged as well to see where the Renewal is going in the United States. It seems that a great deal of my compadres who are committed to an orthodox Church reject the Charismatic Renewal as a bunch of emotional ya-hoos, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact most every Charismatic I've met -no, I'll say every Charismatic I've met-are very loyal to the Holy Father and the teachings of the Church. They desire to be in line with Church teaching. It's just that we express our joy and delight in God in a well, expressive way and are drawn into the throne room of God through our Worship of Him.

At any rate, I am very excited to go-even more excited to be spending this time with my sister-in-law and my sister. St Paul is a great city and I'm looking forward to a great weekend.

PS Bishop Sam Jacobs from Houma-Thibbdaux, LA is the lead speaker.