A small, but significant group of worshippers in the diocese, recently got together for a spirit-filled day blending Catholic worship and charismatic spirituality at Christ the King Church in Beaumont Leys.
Inspired by On Fire Mission (OFM), an affirming and inclusive national organisation rooted in the Church of England, the group shared a day exploring the gifts of the Holy Spirit, featuring prayer ministry, worship, and contemporary music.
The aims of OFM are to be a spirit-filled, sacramental community which resources churches, leaders and individuals - equipping them to become agents of renewal in their local context.
The main expression is through their national conference which is held at Stone in Staffordshire each year. During the rest of the year individuals and areas are invited to lead regional events that are inspired by OFM and follow their guidelines.
Revd Rob Hinsley, who helped lead the gathering in Leicester, said: “Late last year, a group from the Midlands got together to see if it would be possible to organise something locally. Prior to the Covid pandemic, Fr Trevor Thurston Smith held these in the Wigston Benefice (read about it here) and with its space and location, Christ the King was an ideal venue.”
The day was built around two key elements - Mass in the morning and Benediction in the afternoon.
At each of these there was the opportunity to receive Prayer Ministry and, after lunch, Mother Kate Hough, gave a brief introduction to her MA research project exploring being Catholic and Charismatic.
Revd Rob added: “A blend of Catholic liturgy and contemporary music helped those attending into a deeper presence of Christ in the Sacrament of the Eucharist and to meet with Jesus in perhaps a new way.
“One person, for whom this was a new experience, described it as being ‘so amazing’ and said: ‘I have never seen the Altar like that. I was so close to crying and God was so close.’
“The day was aimed at being a taster for the conference, but it was so well received that we will be repeating it in Leicester again in the future.”
For more information about OFM including this year’s conference, go to: www.onfiremission.org
For information about future regional events, see the group's Facebook page www.facebook.com/groups/OFMMidlands/