DOJ leaders visit Rome during Pentecost Week

Peter Mullins, Judy Mullins, and Sr Therese Mills MGL visit Rome to attend events for the Jubilee of Ecclesial Movements, Associations and New Communities and attend the Third CHARIS International Conference of Charismatic Communities.

The Jubilee events were held over the Pentecost weekend with a Pentecost Vigil presided over by Pope Leo XIV and a Holy Mass on Pentecost Sunday also celebrated by the Pope. Over 70,000 people were present at these events. The Pope invited the movements to be “deeply aware of [the] closeness of God, of His Spirit who joins our lives to that of Jesus” and emphasised that “in a divided and troubled world, the Holy Spirit teaches us to walk together in unity.” The Pope also called us to evangelization which is “not our attempt to conquer the world, but the infinite grace that radiates from lives transformed by the Kingdom of God” and we the movements should be “deeply attached to each of the particular Churches and parish communities in which you cultivate and exercise your charisms”.

The CHARIS Communities Conference was attended by over 200 participants from around 30 countries. The theme of the Conference was “Called to Live as a Prophetic Community”. The conference presentations included: Called to be Prophetic Communities; Characteristics of CHARIS Communities; Character of a Community Leader; Understanding the Founding Charism of a Community; Prophetic Call to Ecumenical Mission; and Prophetic Communities, Pilgrims of Hope. Peter Mullins, the DOJ International Leader, said that the conference was a great opportunity to share with leaders from other communities about their experiences, both the successes and challenges. Peter also said that the conference and Jubilee events were a time of encouragement as they remind us that the Spirit poured out Pentecost continues to move powerfully around our world and that we are part of this current of grace that is much bigger than we can imagine. Peter said that we are blessed to be part of this movement of the Spirit, but we must also recognise our responsibility to share this grace with everyone.