Years ago Fr. George Montague, SM and Fr. Bob Hogan, BBD felt the call to found a charismatic religious order. Their goal was to show that the Charismatic Renewal is not meant only for those people who like a particular style of prayer, but is intended by God to renew the entire Church, including religious life and parish life. Their desire came to fruition with the founding of the Brothers of the Beloved Disciple.

A few years later they were entrusted with the care of St. Mary Magdalen parish in San Antonio, Texas. They intended to show that an entire parish can be renewed through a deeper focus on the Holy Spirit. Fr. Will Combs is currently the pastor of the parish; he strives to form lay people to recognize and use their charisms for the building up of the Church.

I joined the community almost six years ago. I had been involved in the Charismatic Renewal from my youth, so I was happy to discover a religious order whose primary mission is to open others to the full role of the Holy Spirit, including the charisms. I have just finished my pastoral year as part of my seminary training. The pastoral year is focused on engaging in a wide variety of ministry rather than taking classes. Besides the knowledge and skills I have gained and my deepened love for God’s people, I have also had a lot of practice trusting the Holy Spirit. When I am scheduled to give a talk, lead prayer, or do some other form of ministry for which I have inadequate skill or insufficient time to prepare, I hand it over to the Holy Spirit, trusting that he cares more about the people than I do and will enable me to minister effectively.

Our community is happy to announce that Fr. Bob Hogan has recently released his first book, Celebrating a Charismatic Jubilee. It is a fresh look at the history and nature of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal as well as an explanation of the charismatic and hierarchical dimensions of the Church. Anyone who wants to be able to explain and defend the Renewal would be helped greatly by this book.

We appreciate your prayers for the growth of our community in holiness, apostolic effectiveness, and number.

BBD-and-DLJCBy Br. Sean Stilson, BBD (Brothers of the Beloved Disciple)