HOLY LAUGHTER

Two articles written in early 1995 about the emergence of one of the less defined fruits of the Holy Spirit, but something we could certainly have used a good dose of in the Sword of the Spirit Covenant Communities.
Posted on Saturday, July 28 2012 at www.scribd.com/bluaquarius by John Flaherty, Grand Island NE

Vol. 6 No.1

A bi-monthly publication of Saint Brigid's ~ssociatioD

$2.25

Jan./Feb. 1995

'1loIy Taughter"t'1be ,A.rrinking" . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Pro-lifeV~: tie Case arxi the Cure Teilllard de O:lardin: Extre.re Right Mects Left . . . . . . . . I.Jbe:aticn 'Theology atrl Sex Ed: Strange Bedfdlc,",s? Lenes to the Edi!.cr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .'. Qtxsicns Re tre Gen;nU~ of the Reman Missal ~ Faty Holy W~'fS ofSebaste. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 6 10 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . : . . . . . . 12 14 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16

"Hoh) Lauuhter" /"'Ihe RnOinkino"

By: Sylvia MacEachern They bark like dogs. They roar like lions. They oink like pigs. They leap like kangaroos. They prance like deer. They roll around on the floor laughing like hyenas. They get "pinned" to the floor with "holy glue" and can't get up. They twitch, jerk, gyrate, and tremble uncontrollably, They become "inebriated." These bizarre activities are part of a new "spiritual" phenomenon sweeping the world. It's known variously as "the Toronto Blessing," ''Holy Laughter,"" the Blessing," or "the Vineyard experience." One perceptive proponent called it "the anoinking." Whatever the name, it's the same phenomenon, which many refer to variously as "signs and wonders," a "renewal," a "revival," a second Pentecost, "the second wave," andlor a "refreshing." Given that the movement had been chiefly restricted to evangelical/Pentecostal circles since its inception, it would seem to hold little interest for the average Roman Catholic. But the "Toronto Blessing," or "Holy Laughter" phenomenon is no longer a "them out there" novelty. It has gained access to our Roman Catholic churches. Sad to say, it is not the laity who have ushered this insanity into our churches - it is clergy~ Before touching on the inroads "the anoinking" has made into the Catholic Church - particularly here in Ottawa - some background on this phenomenon is in order.

"The Toronto Blessing"

The "Toronto Blessing" has derived its name from events that transpired in Toronto, Canada in 1994. A church, known as the Toronto Airport Vineyard, one of a massive chain of Vineyard churches throughout the world, reported astounding spiritual blessings and "signs and wonders" which commenced 20 January 1994 and have continued unabated ever since. So astounding and phenomenal were the events that word spread quickly and, in short order, church leaders of all the major Protestant denominations were flocking to Toronto to witness the events. Large numbers, both clergy and lay, claimed to receive the blessing. They in turn took it back to their home parish and passed it on. Proponents describe "the Blessing" as infectious and contagious because it is transmissible from person to person. One excited proponent even goes so far as to liken it to the Beijing flu! The latter would seem to be an accurate depiction since "the Blessing" literally spreads like wildfire - from one "blessed" person to another. In England alone, between 2,000 and 4,000 churches - most of them Anglican - have been inculcated with "the Toronto Blessing." According to Vineyard literature ("God's Manifest Presence," by Mike Bickle & Michael Sullivant), current phenomena which may be observed in relation to this new wave of signs and wonders are:
"shaking. jerking. loss of bodily strength, heavy breathing, eyes fluuering, lips trembling, oil on the body, changes in skin color, weeping, laughing, 'drunkenness,' staggering, travailing, dancing.falling, visions, hearing audibly into spirit realm, inspired utterances (Holy Laughter: cont'd. p. 2)

-P.O. Box 71022

OITA'WA, ONTARioK2P2L9 TEl:lLI\X(613)

749-1611

("Hoiy Laughter": cont'd. from p. 1) i.e. prophecy, tongues, interpretation, - angelic visitations and manifestations, jumping, violent rolling, screaming, wind, heat, electricity, coldness, nausea as discernment oj evil, smelling or tasting good or evil presences, ti'lgling, pain in the body as discernment oj illnesses, feeling heavy weight or lightness, trances-altered physical slate while seeing and hearing into the spirit world, inability to speak normally, disruption oj natural realm - i.e. electrical circuits blown. " Overlooked in this rather detailed list is the manifestation of people acting and sounding like animals, That, one can concede, is an understandable omission! However, the most typical sign seems to be the manifestation of "holy laughter." These bouts of hysterical laughter - often prolonged - are not restricted to the moments of "blessing." In fact, they can actually occur at any time and are frequently referred to as being uncontrollable. Likewise the twitching and jerking and gyrating. It too is referred to as being uncontrollable. Despite the fact that this hysterical and chaotic movement strips the afflicted of their free will, it is attributed to God. There is DO discernment process, just assurances that healings transpire, coupled with lame references to both the Bible and history in a vain attempt to show that, as much as this is new, it really is nothing new. It is merely a greater outpouring than ever witnessed before. Some more honest "Blessing" proponents recognize that there is no Biblical basis for the whole thing and have resorted to assuring Bible-based Christians that, really, everything's not in the Bible! All this is offset with some thinly-veiled threats that one should not question the work of God, or thwart the workings of the Holy Spirit. Jim Amott, pastor at the Toronto Airport Vineyard, seems to have no use at all for a process of discernment and simply says, "We should have more faith in God's ability to bless us than in Satan's ability to deceive us." In a similar vein, Ron Allen, speaking at the Toronto Vineyard (13 October 1994) said, "If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it's a duck. If it looks like Jesus and sounds like Jesus, it's probably Jesus." Although "the BleSSL'1g" become firmly associated with the has Toronto Airport Vineyard, its roots stretch across the sea to South Africa. So, to get a clearer picture of the "spiritual" beginnings of the movement and thereby be enabled to put it into its true religious context, let's look at the background of vthe Blessing" as stated by the Vineyard folks themselves.

':"'he[Rodney] said it was as though all oj a sudden somebody had taken gasoline and put a lighted match to it. The fire oJ God Jell upon him instantaneously, and he was immersed in the liquid fire oj the Holy Spirit. He became completely inebriated in the Holy Ghost. He was beside himself. Overflowing. he laughed uncontrollably. He went from laughter to weeping to tongues, back to laughter and weeping again. Four days later, the glory of God was still upon him, and by this time he was saying, "God, lift it. I can't bear it any more ... Lord, 1'm too young to die, don't kill me now. " This was to become the basis for Rodney Howard-Brown's ministry. In 1980, while still in South Africa, Howard-Browne exhibited his strange new power. The story goes that a woman in terrible pain asked for prayer, and, says the evangelist: "I was going to put my hand on her head.... And I lifted my hand and got it about here, Just like it looked like you'd pull a six-gun out of a holster and point it at somebody. And when my hand got about here, it felt like my fingertips came off, and out of my hand flowed a full volume of the anointing and the power of God, and it flowed right out oj my hand and it went right in to her forehead and she crumbled in [sic] the floor .... There was nobody in the room more amazed than me. And 1looked down at the woman and 1 looked at my hand, ...and 1'/I iell you what - my hand - the fire oj God- the anointing oJGod - the virtue - the dunamis [sic] was still coming out oj my hand. It Jelt like my hand was a fire hose. And now you start getting nervous - you think, '1'd better look out where 1 point this thing. This thing's loaded now. ' And so the rest of the team came in, and 1didn 't know what to do with it other than what we'd just done, so I said, 'lift your hands. ' Bam, Barn, Bam, Barn, Bam, they're all out in the back oj the vestry ... " Later that same evening Rodney 'ministered' to a crowd in the Methodist church. He relates the tale as follows: "And the Lord said to me ... 'Call all those that want a blessing. , ... Everyone raised their hands. So I said, 'all right, get up, come up, and line up. ' ..And so 1was going to go down and lay my hands on the first person's head. And the Lord said to me, 'Just be very careJul, and so don't put your hands on them because some people [will] think you'll push them over if you do. '... 1take my finger.

"THE HOLY GHOST BARTENDER"

"Holy Laughter" or "the Toronto Blessing" traces its OriW~l1S to 1979 and an evangelist named Rodney Howard-Browne, then an eighteen year old youth in South Africa. According to an article by Richard M. Riss, "A History of the Revival of 1993-1995," (available on the Internet), Rodney had an increasing spi-itual hunger which resulted in his calling out one night during a prayer meeting, "God, either you come down here tonight and touch me, or I'm going to die and come up there and touch you." Nex , the persistent young man began to shout. For twenty minutes he shouted out, "God, I want your fire." Understandably, his actix ities frightened most of those present. But, presumably, his prayer was answered. The incident was described by Heward-Browne fifteen years later. The following is excerpted from a Vineyard account '(by Richard Riss) of the event:

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P.O. Box 71022

OTTAWA, O"'TARiO I<'..2P 219 Tf!:i[AX (6 J;) 749 - 161 J

...put it on the forehead of the first person and I said, 'in the name of Jesus. ' ... It looked like an angel stood there with a baseball bat and smacked them up the side of their head. And the person hit the floor. And I went down the line. Barn, Bam, Bam, Barn. The whole row was out under the power of God ... Some of the people were pinned to the floor .... for an hour and a half .. "

Cast that garment off. '" ItICHA.RD ROBERTS (Oral Robert's son who had met up with Heward-Browne. Both Oral and Richard are proponents of "the Blessing"): "... That fresh baptism hit me at Lakeland. 1 was not prepared. But it has stayed 011 me. I was flying home, reading a book on an airplane and just began to laugh uncontrollably. The flight attendant thought there was something wrong. The people around me thought there was something wrong. [Laughter.] And I've been in business meetings and someone would come and say, 'here's something and we don't have the money to pay for it, ' and J would just fall and laugh. [Laughter.] ... God by His Spirit spoke to me and said, 'the same way that you're laughing here you're going to laugh while I pay off the forty million dollar debt. '" RWDY CL.4.RKE (the evangelist who, on invitation from Pastor Arnott, led the revival which commenced 20 January 1994 at the Toronto Airport Vineyard): "... At the third meeting that they attended, Randy fell under the power when Rodney prayed for him. In 1984 in the Baptist church and then in 1989 at the Vineyard, he had been filled, but with shaking But this time, there was no shaking, and this caused Randy to doubt that the experience was real. He thought, "I'm weak minded. I'm just falling under suggestion." But when he tried to get up, he found that he was unable to do so. It was as (hough he was pinned to the floor. He had been in a line of people who had been filled, and "two bodies down from me, there was somebody oinking" This caused Randy to start laughing, and he couldn't stop. After hefinally got up, he got more and more drunk in the Spirit. It was a one mile walk to his car, and he walked the whole way laughing. "

Then, for a period of nearly ten years, Rodney hit a dry spell. What was referred to as the "anointing" seemed to be gone. One assumes his hand no longer acted like a fire hose, nor were there any angels stepping forth to smack people on the side of the head with a baseball bat! Regardless, by December 1987, Rodney M. .Howard- Browne decided to head off to the United States to evangelize. Within two years, he was suddenly "experiencing continuous revival during his meetings." In an interview, Heward-Browne said of those years:
"The power of God fell in the place without warning 81. ddenly. People began to fail out of their seats .... rolling on the floor. The very air was moving. People began to laugh uncontrollably while there wasn't anything funny:.. The less I preached, the more people were saved. "

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Strangely, Rodney Howard-Browne, along with his countless infected laughing disciples, was becoming a phenomenon. Thousands heard him preach. Thousands laughed and barked and twitched and jerked. A video "The Laugh Heard Round the World," was recorded documenting the spread of this "revival" throughout the Philippines, Singapore, Russia and Africa .' And Rodney, who, incidentally, likes to be called "The Holy Ghost Bartender," was having a profound influence on some of the big name evangelists and church leaders in the USA IT'S NO LAUGHING MATTER For a very brief glimpse at what was happening, the following portions of italicized text are taken from the article by Richard Riss. They describe Rodney Heward-Browne's encounter with several key evangelists:
KE1'I'NErn COPELAI\'D: Howard-Browne "prophesied" over Kenneth Copeland as follows: "Rise up this day.... To drink, 10 drnk; to drink, to drink, to drink, to drink, to drink, to drink, to drink [tongues). We drink [tongues} [he laughs). 0 yea, yea, yea, yea, yea, we don't wony about what other people say. No, it doesn't matter what they think Ha, ha, ha, ho, oooh [tongues). " (this

JOHN ARNOTT (pastor at the Toronto Airport Vineyard):

"Speaking of the Airport Vineyard in Toronto, John Amott said, 'when some oj these things first came to our church, it sort oj shut down our office. For the first three days, our receptionist could not talk Then, after that, she could only speak in tongues. But she got so filled, the joy of the Lord just transformed her and her husband John, our sound man, and their kids. He just got so drunk, drunk, drunk ... "

repetitive phenomenon seems to be a familiar mark of many of the socalled prophecies) After this, Howard-Browne and Copeland together "ministered" to someone attending the meeting: "Kenneth Copeland then said to rr=========================:;t
him, 'Take a deep drink Take a deep drink of the Holy Ghost.' Rodney then laughed, and the man fell down to the floor. Kenneth Copeland then spoke in tongues. Similar prophetic words were then spoken to other people, but at a later point in the same meeting, this person was back on his feet and prophesied as follows: 'My people after Calvary got nothing out of religion. And the Holy Ghost came because they got nothing out of religion. Well, you silly thing Oh you silly goose. What will you get out of religion? For the Jews got nothing out of religion after Calvary. So Jet it go. Release religion.

ROMAN CATHOLIC CLERGY SUCCUMB There's much, much more to be said about "the Toronto Blessing" but, at this time, space just doesn't permit. Rest assured though that this is simply the tip of the iceberg. Hopefully it is sufficient to alert Roman Catholics that this phenomenon, which can be categorized either as sheer lunacy or diabolical - more probably the latter - is ("Holy Laugbter": cont'd. p. 4)

DID YOU KNOW? According to the Christian Research Journal (Winter 1995), Richard Roberts (son of Oral Roberts)
reported: "My little nine-year-old daughter Jordan came to the first night serviceand Rodney [Heward-Browne]laid hands on her. She fell to the ground and laughed for an hour and 45 minutes. When we tried putting her to bed, she fell out laughing. We finally had to put her in the bathtub."

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P.O. Box 7J 022

OTTAWA,

O"lARio K2P 2L 9 TEl:!fAX (61 J) 749,

1611

JA".lFrb. 1995

(pub!ishEd MARCh '95)

Bigotry a Blessing
One of the marks of the Church that is not sufficiently insisted on is that it shall always be persecuted. The violence of bigotry will always be directed against it. This is her blessing by divine right. We should be even jealous when others are called upon to share it. L'1the light of our history we have never escaped the enemy who traduced us, who libelled us, and who lied about us. Only when we needed the lash of the critic, did we most miss it. One thing that has proven, that whilst the Church can never die or decay, the nearest it came 10 both was when the Church had power, wealth, flattery Therefore, we ought not to be too thin-skinned when bigotry comes in the guise of persecution based merely on human considerations . "Blessed are you who suffer persecutions for justice's sake," an; the reverse might be well put, "Cursed are ye when men fawn on yc."
(R.everend c. F. Donovan M.A, Our Faith an.~ the Facts, 19'17)

was Father Gerry McCormick, spiritual director for Courage ..,.(organization for homosexual Roman Catholics who wish to lead a chaste hfe) and chaplain at the Royal Ottawa Hospital (hospital for the mentally ill). Fathers Muldoon and McCormick are diocesan priests. FACT: Both Fathers Muldoon and McCormick readily admitted they had attended the Toronto Vineyard. Throughout the above mentioned meeting, both were actively promoting and defending "the Toronto Blessing." FACT: One St. John the Apostle parishioner who has been specially "blessed" attended the tNO hour session. She twitched, jerked, smiled and grunted her way through the meeting. All the while her hands circled and flailed in the air repetitively and uncontrollably. The group was informed that she is perfectly healthy and does not suffer from any neurological or nerve disease. This "blessing" generally afflicts her at home and/or in church. It is reported that her son also received the "blessing" and exhibits the same symptoms.

FACT: A few days later, tbe above mentioned lady was spotted ("Holy Laughter": cont'd. from p. 3)
on the move and coming right 111to Roman Catholic parishesour ushered in by Roman Catholic priests' And, despite what may be said about "the Toronto Blessing," it's no laughing matter! Should we as Roman Catholics be concerned. Yes, and here's why:
,1

FACT: American Roman Catholic clergy are promoting "Holy Laughter" in the USA. Monsignor Vincent M Walsh (presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Rectory, Wynnewood, Pennsylvania), attached a two page commentary to his parish bulletin (January 1995). He talked about attending a Rodney Heward-Browne "Camp Those are the facts for now. More to follow. Meanwhile, be on your Meeting" in July 1994. He talked about the "Toronto Blessing." He guard: the laughing, twitching - and highly contagious - genie is talked about "a new move of God's spirit taking place." He talked out of the bottle and starting to infect both clergy and laity in the about'Holy Laughter." He invited those who wish to experience this Roman Catholic Church! "new anointing" to attend any of the regularly scheduled charismatic In closing, we would do well to recall the "prophetic" words events. contained in a previous quote: FACT: Last summer a group offour Ottawa priests, Fathers Roger Vandenakker, Bob Bedard, Dennis Hayes, and Mark Slatter, 'Mypeople after Calvary got nothing out of religion. And the Holy journeyed to Toronto to see first hand what was happening at the Ghost came because they got nothing out of religion. Well, you Silly Toronto Airport Vineyard. All four priests are "Companions of the thing. Oil you silly goose. What will you get out of religion? For Cross," a group of charismatic priests currently seeking erection as a the Jews got nothing out of religion after Calvary. So let it go. canonical order. Father Bob Bedard is the superior of the "order." Release religion. Cast that garment off '" FACT: Both Fathers Dennis Hayes and Roger Vandenakker wound t up on the floor of the Toronto Airport Vineyard twitching, jerking and laughing. FACT: After plans for an alternate Ottawa facility fell through, SaH':lt: RtgfD/ maR(Y Of IRelann B Vineyard Church speakers were invited to conduct a three day seminar at Saint John the Apostle (Ottawa, February 1994). The ask fOR as aLLt:onaJ' pastor, Father Joseph Muldoon. agreed that his church could be used. tbe cO[JR.Qge no go'"O' SBrn'Dfog to FACT: Day I of the seminar commenced with Mass. The church was packed. People attended Mass chewing gum and drinking from wbat:eveR 'the zoonl n rnqy sOJl cans of pop. Many in attendance were extremely disturbed by what they witnessed and said it was a fiasco. t:be gRace 'to Be st:Rong OD'Dvaliant: FACT: Father Dennis Hayes was down on the aisle floor of St. John t:he gRace co Be st:Rong ann tRae the Apostle twitching, jerking and laughing. He reportedly said that he felt he was pinned to the floor. the gRace 'to Be fo1'tb.p:.ll.. aLu.:>(l(YS FACT: Pastor Father Muldoon held a meeting (Sunday 19 February "to gO'D/ bIs mOLbeR" ann (Yoa 1994, St. John the Apostle) to allow those upset by the Vineyard fiasco the previous week to air their concerns. Present at the meeting Ib=========================
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attending the noon hour Mass at SaL'1tPatrick's Church in downtown Ottawa. She twitched and jerked uncontrollably for the duration of Mass. At Communion time, she could barely walk and just managed to sort of lope up the aisle to the communion rail. FACT: Archbishop Gervais says he does not give "the Toronto Blessing" his bJessing, however, for the time being, he will tolerate it. FACT: Archbishop Ambrozic (Toronto) has, according to a secretary in the Toronto diocesan offices, told his priests verbally that they are to have nothing to do with the Toronto Airport Vineyard.

THE IrVANDERER

APRIL 27, 1995

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Of Hysteria Is Spreading In Church

By PAUL L1KOUDIS O'FTAW A - F.or45 minutes, 8. bearded man with 8 thick mane .of hair - we'll call himthe Lion King - roared and roared deafeningly, as he lay pinned t.othe floor, held by some mysterious "holy glue." As he struggled to free himself, alternately twitching violently, kicking his legs, and collapsing in fatigue, his roaring gave way to long bouts of hysterical laughter. Finally. he unpinned himself and dragged himself to a nearby wall, staggering as he tried to pull himself up. Inebriated out of his senses, he slithered along lite wall, collapsed, and began roaring again. Huddled in a nearby comer was a young woman, obviously having lite sexual experience of her lifetime. Meanwhile, hundreds of other Christians were reeling over backward; some were - literally - Oying in circles on the floor, howling like wolves, cackling like chickens, crowing like roosters, oinking like pigs. This scene is not from an insane asylum, but from a gathering of lItousands of charismatic Christians, including many Catholics, having a "Vineyard experience" at lite Tudor Hall Inn convention center near lite Ottawa airport earlier this month, "I've never seen anyllting like it in all my life," _ Sylvia MacEachern, editor of ~ Orasor, a lay-edited Catholic newsletter, told The Wanderer. "People were shrieking like nothing I've ever heard, writhing in agony, flopping around lite hall like they were being hit by baseball bats. This one very attractive young girl willt long hair caught my eye, and I saw her head bobbing violently back and forth, then her entire body smack! smack! - backward and forward. "It was like sitting on lite edge of a circus. One minister started walltiug toward me when he was smacked and fell backward, then he rose up, laughing hysterically, and fell Oat 00 his back again. Another man came forward, and was touched by lite minister, and he practically died laughing, Then a woman walked up, and lite second man just barely touched her ankle willt his finger; aud she fell down Oat, and started laUghing uneontrollably. ". just stood lItere, wa~hing, fingering my rosary beads and saying one Hail Mary after another, Jioping nobody would touch me. " The . scene MacEachern described wa., from a three-day Vineyard conference held March 30th through April lst, She attended lite conference to catch a firsthand look at lite Vineyard phenomenon, now spreading through Ottawa's Catholic parishes, across Canada and the United Stites, and indeed, around lite world, from lite Philippines to England. -_. A video, The Laugh Heard 'Round the World, records the phenomenal spread of lite "giggling Sea "hystarla I. spreading" p. 8

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Hysteria Is Spreading
and then south across the border. The Internet now carries dozens of IIOries recording the phenomenon. Once established in a region, the Blessing spreads like wildfire. In England, for example, as many as Origins 4,000 Anglican cIwrches bave been The Vineyard, known variously caught up in !his new "opin,tual as the Toronto Blessing, Holy awakening" since South African Laughter, or, simply, the BlessiDg, Christian Rodney Howard-Brown began spreading through Canada launched the movement in 1980, after a pbenomenallcadership COlIyear after he had his first spiritual ference at the Toronto Airpon experience .t age 18. Vineyard, one of a ehain of VineHoward-Brown likes to refer to yard churches that circle the glD!><, himself as "the Holy Ghost barlas' January. tender," and he is having. powerJohn Arnott, pastor at the ful influence on both Catholic Toronto Airport Vineyard, priests and Protestant ministers, described what happened to his such as Richard Roberts, son of receptionist after the "anointing" Oral Roberts - both of whom are spread among his flock: DOW promoting the Blessing. "When some of these things first The origins of the Vineyard go carne to our church, it son of shut back some 15 years to 8 night clown our office. For the firm three prayer meeting the young Howarddays, our receptionist could DOl Brown attended, wrote Richard M. talk. Then, after that, she could Riss in his history of the Vineyard, only speak in tongues. But she got A History oj the Revival oj so filled, the joy of the Lord just 1993-1995. transfonned her and her husband, As everyone prayed, HowardJohn, our sound man, and their Brown began shouting. "God, eikids. He just got so drunk, drunk, ther you come down bene tonighl drunk .... " The throngs that packed the and touch me, or I'm going to die church quickly caught the attention and come up there and touch you." Then be began screaming, "I want of the Canadian Broadcasting Company (CBe) and The Toronto your fire!" Riss then described what Star, which broadcast news of this Howard-Brown told him: "It was latest manifestation of the charismatic movement across Canada as though all of a sudden somebody had taken gasoline and put a ligLted match to it. The fire of God fell upon him instantaneously, and he was immersed in the liquid fire of the Holy Spirit. He became completely inebriated in the Holy Ghosi. He was beside himself. Overflowing, be was laughing uncontrollably. He went from laughter to weeping in tongues, back to laughter and weeping again. Four days later :he glory of God was still upon him and by this time he was saying, 'God, lift it. J can'( bear it (COntinued from Page 1) for God" sensation in the Philippines. Singapore, Russia, and Africa.

THE WANDERER APRIL 27. 1995

What's panicularly frightening oboul the spread of the Vineyard in Onawa churches said MacEach, em, is that it""';' to II!I'ICI ~ any more. - " Lord, I m too and laity who "tend to bave their )'OWl8 to die, cIon'l WI me now'." beads sCrew..! 0tJ right. In. 1980, Howard-Brown ~.,. "The priests who have beCOme marufestmg his newfound power 10 involved were the ones who we publiC. At a South African MeIhkDew wore the scapular and prayed odist church one evening ~ felt the rosary, and we bave been sur!his enormous power ~ 10 his prised by the lay faithful who have ann, and began pomung his band become involved." II people "like a six-shooter.'.' At SI. John's, Fr. Hayes related He aimed il at woman claimhis first ViDeyard experieoce to the iDg Ihe suffered from eoormous assembly. "God fell allover me pain, " .. , and out of my band that night in ways Ididn't expect. flowed. fuU volume of the anomt'Carpel time' is now pan of my ing and the power of God, and It vocabulary. I laughed all the way wenl right into her forehead and clown the 40 J. , .. she crumpled .to the floor. There "After my Communion service was nobody 10 the room more _ Euc:hari.sl _ I ooticed a kinda amazed than me. And I looked new power. In fact, people were down at the woman and I looked falling allover the place [laughter at my band ... and I'll tell you from the assembly]. You're nol whal- my band .,...the fire of God supposed 10 <10 that a whole lot - the anointing of God - the VITanyway in Catholic church. But rue .. the dunamis [sic} was still it's great" (hooting and hollering coming out of my band. It fell like from the assembly). my band was a fire hose. And now Fr. Hayes described the physical you start getting nervOUS - you sensations and experiences he bas think, 'I'd better look out where I enjoyed, characterized them as an point this thing. This thing's \ooded outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and now.' And so the .rest of the team said he wanted to bave more of came in, and Ididn't know what to them. At that point, the special do with it other than wbat we'd JUS! guest speaker, Mark DuPont from done, so Isaid, 'Lift your hands.' the Toronto Vineyard, said, "Let's Barn, Barn, Barn, Barn, Barn, pray for Dennis," and the assernthey're all out in the hack of the bly began chanting, "More, More, vestry. . . . Give him more. Fill him' FiJI him And the Lord said to me . .. more!" 'Call all those that want a blessThen Fr. Hayes began twitching, ing' .... Everyone raised their jerking, and laughing in the sanehands. So I said, 'All right, get up, wary, and feU to the floor. Another come up, and line up.' And so I moment of "carpet time." was going to go down and lay my On March 17th, there was a hands on the first person's head. Vineyard "bealingservice" at Our And the Lord said to me, 'Just be Lady of Perpetual Help Church in very careful, and so don't put your Onawa, with Fr. Hayes, Fr. Peter hands on them because some peoCoughlin from Hamilton, Deacon pie [will} think you'll push them Jim Heffernan, and at least 400 over if you do' .... 1take my finpeople packing the entire church, ger, put It on the forehead of the including the center and side aisles. first person, and I saiQ, 'In the After Fr. Coughlin, the featured name of Jesus' .... It looked like speaker, gave a little address, the an angel stood there with a ~healing service began. All those ball bat and smacked them upside who wanted to be healed were inof their head. And the person hit vited to identify themselves by rais- , the floor. And J went down the ing their hands. Then, those who line. Barn. Barn. Barn. Barn. The were there to pray for the afflicted whole row out under the power of were invited to stand and pray. God. . . . Some of the people were After two boUTs three rounds and pinned to the floor ... for an hour of praying, the healing began, with and a half." six teams of ministers spread OUt For the next seven years, around the church, two in the hack, .Howard-Brown had no power, and two in the center, and two in the then he decided to evangelize sanctuary. , California, where hIS mystenous People started lining up for heal"zapping" power returned and he ing, and when they were 4zapped" manifested it through his followers or "smacked," they began "dropfrom Los Angeles to Sacramento. ping like flies/' said MacEachern, who atlCllUlledto v~ , In Ottawa event, but w~ stopped during the The Vineyard was introduced _.::beali!y!~ ~,-"",~,. -.:n;,'CiWiWio'. Catt"ili,: cfllirclocs by '--;iil tile ~,Fr. Hayes befour Onawa priests, FatherS Roger gan pointing at people, and one afVandcnakker, Bob Bedard, DenniS ter another, they dropped to the Hayes, and Mark Sla!ter, all memfloor, littering the sancwary with bers of a new neligious order, the bodies crumpled in every direCbOD Companions of the Cross, which IS . currently seeking canonical apBasic Doctrines pro val. Two of the priests, Hayes From their books and conferand Vandenakker , attended the "Catch the Fire" meeting in Ocences, Vineyard enthusiasts aflinn ... leaders they are launching a new church 000 V sober for 2, meyarc which will reveal to the world the from 20 countries held at the Toronto Airport Vineyard, wbere power of the Holy Spirit, a church they experienced the sensation of that is built on' "the Rock" - Jebeing pinned to the 1100r with sus Christ, ;,gains! which the gates "holy glue." . of Hell wili not prevail. This past February, the pnests The new church, they say, will sponsored a three-day Vineyard be "transdenominational." seminar at St. John the Apos1le,beAs DuPont explained at SI. John ginning with a Mass forboth Cath- the Apostle in February, "What is , olics and non-Cathohcs, many happening in many churches nght chewing gum and drinking from now, God is pouring out His spirit cans. of pop throughout the long and He is saying, 'No more besiness as usual,. .. The time is

over when we can just COIICinue and be led by tradition. Tradition is fine. Tradition can be very good. It can be an incredible steppingstone from lool::ing at the past the past bistorical moveS of God and looking into the future. But there comes time when it doesn't matter whether tradition is SOO ' years old, SO years old, or even five months old. There comes a time wbcrt if IIlIdition replaces the Ic:adingof the Holy Spirit it can actually be a demonic stronghold." The Marc:h 3Oth-ApriJ 1st conference in Ottawa also revealed the revolutionary nature of the Vineyard movement. Titled, "The Father Loves You," the conference's featured speaker, Californian Ed Piorek. explained in his 45-minute talk that, since Adam and Eve, every father bas sinned against bis children by II()( giving them the image of the Father they should have, Therefore, the thousands of peopie listening to him should forgive their fathers for sinning against them, fo' not being good fathers, and for not presenting the true im-

age of God the Father. Then, be absolved everyone 'from their sins, and issued a call for all those who have never experienoed the Father's love in their own father to come fo~rd. As he issued Ibis call, an unearthly, ear-sbattering barking and . howling erupted from :be convention center and hundreds of people began screeching, cackling, laughing, twitching, and dropping to the floor. Seeing Ibat the "healing" was happening ahead of sebedule, Piorek ordered the nine-member rock band to start playing. To a very loud, heavy heat, the rock musicians performed for 45 minutes, and bundreds more in the assembly started jumping, swaying, and clapping the music - while ' others simply dropped to the floor in holy laughter.

to

Footnote This past February, after the Vineyard was promoted at St. John the Apostle, MacEacbern oontacted

Ottawa's Archbishop Marcel Gervais to inform him of this new spiritual "awakening" occurring in his churches. Gervais" spokesman. Guy Levac, asked MacEachern to provide some information on the Vineyard. At this point. according to Levac, the Toronto Blessing does oot bave the archbishop's blessing, but he will, for the time being, tolerate it. Meanwhile, the Vineyard is engaged in an ambitious program to recruit high school students and younger children tc initiate them into the new experience of the Holy Spirit, to make them "gigglers for .God" and "prophets" of the Vineyard.

(For IOOre information on the Vineyard, see the Jaooary/ February issue of T"" Orator, the newsletter of Ottawa's St. Brigid' 5 Association, P.O. Box i1022, Ottawa, Ontario, K2P 2L9.)