London: Catholic Charismatic Renewal Centre opens with celebration

l-r: Kristina Cooper, Tim Stevens, Maureen Evans, Gabriele Sedda

Our Lady of Dolours Church, in Fulham, west London, was packed on Monday night for a joyful Mass and reception to mark the opening of Catholic Charismatic Renewal Centre. The main celebrant was Archbishop Kevin McDonald, Emeritus Archbishop of Southwark, link bishop between the Catholic Charismatic Renewal and the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales. At the end of the Mass, Archbishop McDonald blessed the new centre, which is housed in the crypt of the church.

The centre has a large office, conference area, meeting rooms, prayer room, smaller side rooms and beautiful walled garden. As well as administering the CCR, the centre will be used for prayer ministry, healing ministry, Christian counselling and spiritual guidance.

Many groups were given a chance to explore the centre after Mass, while everyone else enjoyed a party in the parish colonnade. Among the delicious treats on offer was a huge cake, surrounded by many smaller ones - all decorated with with golden rays and white doves - the motif of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal. The cakes were made by Sonya Tissera, who runs and small prayer group at her parish in South Harrow.

Kristina Cooper, editor of Good News magazine, which will be based at the centre, said: "It is lovely to be here. This parish was the location for the first Catholic Charismatic Renewal office in the 1970s.

"Here Sr Mary Peter Scanlan OSA had a small room in the priory from which she sent out a tapes and information about this exciting new move of the Holy Spirit in the Church. It is interesting that the CCR office is now back where it started – even with the same parish priest in charge – Fr Pat Ryall, a Servite."

Although Catholic Charismatic Renewal is not a big movement numerically in the UK compared with countries in Latin America and elsewhere, it has always been very influential on the world stage through the work of its leaders. The current international president of ICCRS (the Vatican link organization for the CCR) is an English woman, Michelle Moran, from the Sion Community, who is also a member of the Pontifical Council for the Laity. Prior to her from 1992-2002 - Charles Whitehead, another English man was ICCRS president for 10 years and continues to be an international speaker.

The Catholic Charismatic Renewal Centre is based at: The Crypt, Our Lady of Dolours Church, 264 Fulham Road, Kensington, London SW10 9EL Tel: 0207 352 5298

For more information on CCR see: www.ccr.org.uk/