Our Holy Spirit spoke to Methodist layman Franklyn Darling in 1965 and he subsequently joined the Catholic Church- and a bit further on he decided to become a diocesan priest in the Diocese of Springfield, Mass. After ordination, he was assigned to be an Associate Pastor in a parish and during this time he was further led by the Spirit to meet with seven of his parishioners to pray and to further discern the will of God in their lives. 

This group decided to keep on meeting and in 1969 formed the Emmanuel Prayer Community. Among these seven members was Ray and Doris Terfera of Longmeadow –who emerged as the leaders of this group- which became the core of the Charismatic Renewal in the Diocese of Springfield, Mass. 

History will show that from this small number of people which were led by the Holy Spirit to meet for worship every week would expand into weekly meetings which would be attended by upwards of 600 people in the 1990s. One of the members attending each week was a Mr. Gerry Brady who was also inspired to attend seminary and who subsequently became Father Gerry Brandy- and who eventually succeeded Father Darling as Diocesan Charismatic Spiritual Director. 

Weekly prayer meetings morphed into Saturday morning prayer breakfasts which were held every month and were attended by upwards of 100 people who enjoyed Mass followed by bacon and eggs and which also included an inspirational speaker. 

After a few years,- in 1974 the Spanish Charismatic Community also was formed and they began to hold weekly prayer meetings and formed a large community in the Diocese of Our Lady of Sacred Heart Parish- which has grown and today also included a Spanish language radio station WZCS-FM which broadcasts at 102.5 FM 24 hours per day, seven days a week. 

Diocesan Outdoor “Fire Rallies” were another Charismatic inspiration of the Holy Spirit. They were started in on the grounds of Sacred Heart Parish in Agawam and are held on two successive days- Thursday and Friday of third week in August. Ecumenical in style- all people are invited to attend- Diocesasn Clergy- including the Bishop- have been featured speakers- which also included various lay-people; there are also “Confession Stations” throughout the grounds along with booths for food sales and for the promotion of various diocesan programs and organizations. 

About seven years after the weekly prayer meetings and Saturday morning Prayer, breakfasts began, the next logical inspiration for the Holy Spirit was to having Diocesan people request the first Charismatic retreat which was held in 1983 at the Passionists Retreat Center in West Springfield under the leadership of Art Hendricks. 

This event soon became an annual event and when that House closed in 2004, the now Annual Charismatic Retreat moved to Holy Family Passionist Retreat Center in West Hartford, CT, under the leadership of Peter Albondi- where we have been meeting ever since. The Retreat Center has assigned us the last weekend in October, also known as Halloween Weekend. 

In October of 2021, we were blessed to celebrate our 46th Annual Diocesan Retreat with 96 retreatants and our preacher was Father Jim Blount of the Society of Our Lady from Covington, Georgia. 

For our 47th retreat weekend in October 2022 we have invited Fr. Dan Nassaney, OMI, from Tewdesbury, MA, Order of Mary Immaculate to be our preacher. More information about DioSpringfield Charismatic Community can be found on http://diospringfield.org/catholiccharismaticrenewal/.