Abstract

This thesis will study the phenomenon of Catholic parish renewal movements before and after the Second Vatican Council. It will focus on four renewal movements: the Redemptorist Mission, Cursillo, Charismatic Renewal and RENEW. Although these renewal movements were operative in both Europe and the Americas, this study will be limited to the Island of Montreal and the effect that the movements had on the life of those parishes which experienced them. A history of each of the movements studied will, however, be outlined in order to situate the milieu of its origin. Renewal movements stimulate the latent piety of the individual and there is evidence of a resurgence of popular devotional practices. This thesis will examine both collective and individual forms of worship by describing communal devotion and personal piety. It will do so by looking at some of the more popular devotional practices such as the veneration of saints and the cult of Mary. It will also examine the efficacy of parish renewal movements and the impact that clerical leadership had on success or failure. An introductory chapter will posit the theory held by acknowledged sociological experts that religion is a social and individual phenomenon. It will outline movements which formed communities and examine those which were grass roots movements and those which were organised by church authorities. It will also describe some of the forms that devotional practices took and try to analyse their persistent hold on the piety of devotees. The second chapter will begin the examination by describing the Redemptorist Mission Movement, pre-Vatican II and the present efforts to re-vivify the movement according to post-Vatican II norms. Subsequent chapters will investigate the Cursillo movement, the Charismatic Movement and RENEW. The epilogue will show how renewal movements, and the subsequent devotional life of the membership, nourish the community and prepare participants for leadership roles in the parish setting. It will illustrate the role the importance of Pastoral Care in the restructuring of parishes into Small Church Communities (SCC)