“Pray Aggressively for a Higher Goal—The Unification of All Christianity”: U.S. Catholic Charismatics and Their Ecumenical Relationships in the Late 1960s and 1970s

In July 1977, 50,000 Christians from different backgrounds and traditions converged on Kansas City to participate in the Conference Charismatic Renewal Christian Churches. Catholic charismatics played a key role its organization, relying all their ecumenical contacts built since origins of (CCR) 1967 at Duquesne University Pittsburgh (PA). If conference represented zenith shared unified vision for charismatic Christianity, it also showed emergence crisis which affected communities connection with Rome. This paper will explore U.S. charismatics’ relationships other denominations groups initial development CCR, particularly structuring communities, perspectives tension between needs legitimization (by Vatican) self-expression.