Fr. Dean Buttrick, diocesan liaison for the Charismatic Renewal, concelebrates Mass on the Solemnity of Pentecost at St. Joseph’s Church in Rice Lake on May 20. Fr. Buttrick celebrated 55 years as a priest May 1. (Catholic Herald photos by Jenny Snarski)
Jenny Snarski
Catholic Herald Staff
Planned by the core team for the Diocese of Superior’s Charismatic Renewal movement, the May 20 Pentecost event at St. Joseph’s in Rice Lake celebrated the presence and action of the Holy Spirit.
Mass began after a time of praise and worship. The priests’ red vestments stood out against the white walls of the church, as did the many people wearing red in the congregation. Beneath resplendent stained glass windows, the Spirit Seekers choir led the worship music and all sang welcoming the “different gifts but the same Spirit.”
Bishop James P. Powers’ homily highlighted that “today all of the events of salvation history come together and we celebrate it all.” He commented on the various liturgical seasons and celebrations of the Church’s calendar year and how “without Pentecost, we wouldn’t celebrate any of that.”
The bishop asked, “For how many of us does that receiving (of the Holy Spirit) have the same power as it did in the lives of the disciples?” He affirmed that “God sends each and every one of us forth to proclaim his message every bit as much as he did those in that upper room that first Pentecost.”
He preached that “God calls, commissions and sends each and every one of us,” clarifying that God’s call is not to save the world, because he has already done that. “He simply calls us to live as though we believe we are saved … to live as people of hope … as a people who believe and trust in the One and True God.”
Speaking on the gifts of the Holy Spirit, Bishop Powers encouraged those present to acknowledge the gifts they had received and not to give into the temptation of focusing on the gifts others have been given.
“We’re not bragging, rather acknowledging God’s love,” he said and then spoke on the commonalities of those gifts – freely given and as a service or ministry for others.
For information about the Charismatic Renewal and the movement’s activities within parishes and the Diocese of Superior at large, visit www.catholicdos.org/charismatic-renewal or contact Mary Joan Sutton, Core Team chairperson, 715-441-9699 or .
