Robert_Wild_-_Catherine_Doherty_Servant_of_God

Movements convened in May, 1998, in Rome, by the
Council for the Laity. The second is The Ecclesial
Movements in the Pastoral Concern of the Bishops. It contains
the proceedings of a seminar held in Rome June 16-
18, 1999, again promoted by the Council for the Laity. In
using citations from these books I will simply refer to the
numbers #2 and #4 respectively, their publication numbers
in a series of books. (Available from: Pontifical
Council for the Laity, Palazzo San Calisto, 00120 Vatican
City).
Theology of the Ecclesial Communities
I begin with the Church’s own mature assessment of
the 20th century lay “movement of communities” because
it highlights an inspiration of the Holy Spirit which unifies
one of the main directions and purposes of Catherine’s
life.
Pope John Paul II saw the new ecclesial movements and
communities as the providential response of the Holy
Spirit to fulfill the great need for mature Christian personalities
and communities at the end of the millennium.
Some of the lay apostolic ventures of the last century—but
not all—evolved into these ecclesial realities. In addressing
the above-mentioned World Congress of the Ecclesial
Movements in Rome, May, 1998, he said:
What is meant today by ‘movement’ The term is often
used to refer to realities that differ among themselves, sometimes
even by reason of their canonical structure. Though
that term certainly cannot exhaust or capture the wealth of
forms aroused by the life-giving creativity of the Spirit of
Christ, it does indicate a concrete ecclesial reality with predominately
lay membership, a journey of faith and a
Christian witness which bases its own pedagogical method
on a precise charism given to the person of the founder in
specific circumstances and ways. #2/18
9