CHARIS

The term ‘CHARIS’ stands for ‘Catholic Charismatic Renewal International Service’. At the request of Pope Francis, the CHARIS statutes were erected on 8 December 2018 and the first International CHARIS General Assembly was held in Rome on the feast of Pentecost in 2019.

Up until this point, Catholic Charismatic Renewal (CCR) had been served by two bodies at international level – one serving covenanted communities and the other serving prayer groups and other organisations in CCR. Both bodies were recognised at Pontifical level as ‘private associations of the faithful’ (i.e. undertaken by the faithful on their own initiative).

Pope Francis desired to see CCR reach a new level of unity and commissioned work in order to bring about one single service rather than two service bodies. As a result, CHARIS was established as the new and only international service for the entire Catholic Charismatic Renewal, with a ‘public juridical personality’ (i.e. carried out on the initiative of the ecclesiastical authority of the Church).

CHARIS aims to serve and create communion between all the realities existing in Catholic Charismatic Renewal for the good of the entire Church and the proclamation of the Gospel in the world. In order to do this effectively, CHARIS invites each country to develop a CHARIS National Service of Communion (CNSC) and the CNSC invites each diocese to establish a Charismatic Diocesan Service of Communion (CDSC).

CHARIS in the Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle

In the Diocese of Hexham & Newcastle, the CDSC is integrated within the Department for Formation & Mission (DFM) which provides support and ensures sustainability. Both the CDSC and the DFM will work towards the following shared objectives based on 3 key priorities given to CHARIS by Pope Francis:

• To deepen and promote the grace of baptism in the Holy Spirit and the exercise of charisms throughout the whole Church.
• To promote the ecumenical dimension of CCR and foster the commitment to serving the unity of all Christians.
• To promote service of the poor and social action.

The CDSC is subject to the authority of the bishop and will operate in keeping with the guidance of the CHARIS National Service of Communion assuring coherence with the spirit of the CHARIS statutes. Fr Shaun O’Neill has helped to establish the CDSC in our Diocese.

The Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle offers a group who will pray Prayers of Intercession for the Diocese.

You may submit your prayer requests using the online form using the button opposite.

Prayer Intentions:

Fr Shaun O’Neill

My first encounter with charismatic prayer was, when in sixth form, myself and a friend went along to a week’s retreat during the summer holidays run somewhere near Longbenton as far as I remember. Here we experienced great welcome, teaching, praising in tongues, providence and true fellowship. Ever since the Holy Spirit seems to have been following me around and judging me in various directions and into various experiences, CHARIS being the latest. God has always been part of my life, always there blessing, helping and protecting and sorting things out – may this continue. I went to Bradford University to study chemistry, then did a PGCE at St Martin’s College, Lancaster before entering Ushaw College in1990 and being ordained priest in 1996.

Frank O’Neill

Frank was baptised in the Holy Spirit aged 17 at St Mungo’s prayer group, Glasgow. With degrees in Theology and Religious Studies and a passion to teach Religious Education, he has taught mainly in Hexham and Newcastle Diocese, where he became a headteacher. Frank is married to Christine and they have four grown up children and four grandchildren. Ordained a permanent deacon in 2005, Frank ministers in St John XXIII parish in Washington. Now retired, he serves as a member of the CNSC and is a trustee of the CREW Trust and The Peru Mission charities.

Kelechi Dibie

Jason and Cherryl Lucero

Jason and Cherryl were both brought up as Catholics and with 23 years of marriage, they are blessed with 3 wonderful children. They thought that married life was just about bringing up the family, until they had a deeper encounter with the Holy Spirit when they attended the Christian Life Programme. They have been members of Couples for Christ for over 12 years. Since then, the Holy Spirit has been prompting them to have a deeper relationship with God, serving and attending various activities, the most recent of which is being part of this CHARIS group.

Alison Rebello

Alison did his bachelor’s degree in Commerce and post-graduation in Business Administration and Public Administration. Family wise, he has been married to Joby for 26 years with two children. He has worked in marketing, sales, journalism, call centres and not for profit organisations. Currently he is Chair of the Catholic Writers Guild of the North East and regularly contributes in the Northern Cross. Alison has been an Indian community leader since 2006, as well as being a retreat organiser, parish council member, school foundation governor and is currently training to become a permanent deacon.

Christine Dixon

Born in 1960 to Anglo-Irish parents and raised in Walker, Christine is a lifelong parishioner of St Anthony, Newcastle. Aged 20 her life changed, after developing a lengthy illness. She opened herself to Jesus, guided by Fr Michael Conaty. Attending a prayer group in 1981 she experienced peace and real curiosity. Later being anointed with, gifted by, the Holy Spirit she joined the wonderful ‘Anawim’ prayer group, Diocesan Service Team (now Emmanuel) and recently the Parish ‘New Wine’ group, all of which enrich Christine’s renewal journey. In 1984 she began working for the St Anthony of Padua Community Association Charity, where she remains. Christine married Graham in 1983 and have two, now grown-up, children. Their joint experience opening Christine to a particular love and understanding of people with additional needs.

Joseph Philip

I am a project manager within the IT industry, and I am deeply passionate about spreading the gospel globally. Married to my lovely wife, Sharon, we are blessed with three young children. We recently relocated to Newcastle from Poole, Dorset, where I actively engaged in ministry within my parish, St Mary’s, for over a decade. I held various roles, including youth leadership, catechist, Eucharistic minister, and parish pastoral council member. Additionally, I supported international mission activities in Africa and India. I find great joy in sharing my faith, assisting others, and encouraging their spiritual growth. From a young age, I have been profoundly moved by the promises of the Lord and spiritual breakthroughs. In 2013, during a challenging phase of my life, I experienced a profound encounter with the power of God, leading me to commit myself to His kingdom. The Holy Spirit has been a constant presence, guiding me and empowering me to accomplish His good works.

Andy Drozdziak

Andy is a qualified journalist with a passion for spreading the Gospel through the media. He is Web Editor for charisuk.com, the website for Catholic Charismatic Renewal in England and Wales and has a passion for using the media to share the light of Christ and to ‘proclaim the Gospel from the rooftops.’  He longs to see individuals and communities filled up with the power of the Spirit, transformed by Christ’s love, and ready to serve and evangelise in the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle and beyond. Andy lives in Barnard Castle with his lovely wife, Marie, and their three beautiful children.

John Wheeler

John was baptised in the Holy Spirit in 1972 during the early days of the Charismatic Renewal in the UK. John is married to Marie with six children and six grandchildren and worked as a Social Worker/Family Therapist in a Child Mental Health service. John and Marie came back to the Charismatic Renewal through being invited to be trained in the Inner Healing Ministry by Alan and Betty Guile in 1999 and have provided healing ministry at various events in the Diocese since then. John has been a parishioner at Saints Mary & Thomas Aquinas, Stella since 1977 where he runs the music group and, with Marie, delivers Marriage Preparation course with Marriage Care.