When the Spirit rushes to offer a ride, fly with it

In their nearly 50 years of shepherding the Catholic Charismatic movement in the Archdiocese of New Orleans, Patti and Al Mansfield often have felt like awestruck bystanders standing on the shoulder of the German autobahn, watching the Holy Spirit fly by.

Patti Gallagher Mansfield was just 20 years old in February 1967 when she was among 25 Duquesne University and La Roche College students who attended a weekend retreat at The Ark and The Dove Retreat House just outside Pittsburgh.

 Something on that “Duquesne Weekend” changed her life forever, and that weekend ultimately would change the life of the Catholic Church worldwide.

The cherished 5-by-8-inch notebook Patti was given on the retreat to record what she had experienced – what she calls “the baptism of the Holy Spirit” – still has a treasured spot in her home with her most cherished family heirlooms.

“You know,” Patti said, “what happened to me on February 18th, 1967, was life-changing for me, but the awesome thing is that it was life-changing for the life of the church. We could never have imagined that such a thing could happen to a little, insignificant group of young people and that there would be any worldwide impact. But, 125 million Catholics all over the world have had this experience of being baptized in the Holy Spirit.”

As the Mansfields conclude their official ministry as archdiocesan liaisons of the Catholic Charismatic Renewal – handing over the reins to Deacon Larry Oney and his wife Andi – they continue to be amazed, not by what they have accomplished, but by what has been accomplished through their presence and then by just getting out of the way.

The Spirit moves fast on the autobahn.

They have seen lives transformed, from the powerful and famous to the meek and unassuming.

A scholarly Italian priest, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, was a renowned Scripture scholar and professor who one day wrote to Patti because he had recalled reading one of her magazine articles that explained the baptism in the Spirit – what Patti calls simply a “release” of the graces of baptism and confirmation.

“Prior to his encounter with the Charismatic Renewal and the baptism in the Spirit, he was very much an intellectual, a theologian, a professor,” Patti recalled. “Being in contact with the baptism of the Spirit – he puts it this way, ‘I had two lives. One before, and one after.’”

Father Cantalamessa, who served as the preacher to the papal household, giving annual Lenten and Advent retreats to the pope and his aides, was recently named a cardinal by Pope Francis. He and the Mansfields have shared such close friendship and spiritual fraternity that he has been to New Orleans six times to preach at charismatic retreats.

“His motto as a cardinal is ‘Veni Creator Spiritus’ (Come, Creator Spirit),” Patti said. “Prior to his encounter with the Charismatic Renewal, I don’t believe that could have been chosen. He sent me a picture of his pectoral cross, and it’s a cross with a great big dove in the middle of it. We find great joy in the fact that not only has he come into our lives as a friend and a spiritual father, but also that this grace now, through him, is making its way into every level of the church.”

Al Mansfield is equally overwhelmed by what he witnessed the Holy Spirit do in the life of the late Mercy Sister Mary Victor Allain, whose unassuming, joyful personality was perfectly aligned with her role as a school librarian.

“Sister Mary Victor was the librarian at Holy Name of Jesus School, but she started coming to our prayer meetings,” Al said. “She was so quiet and reserved, but let me tell you, she was like a powerhouse of prayer. She was just this sweet and holy person, and she wound up ministering to the women at the Orleans Parish Prison. She didn’t say much, but she always impressed me as a person of holiness. She was the salt of the earth.”

The Mansfields said what they have been able to do in the name of the Holy Spirit would not have been possible without the help and inspiration of others: Jesuit Father Harold Cohen, who founded the Charismatic Renewal in New Orleans in 1969; Father Emile La Franz, the director of the Center of Jesus the Lord for many years; the four archbishops who blessed their work; and the legions of staff and volunteers who felt compelled by the Spirit to organize weekly prayer meetings and the annual Southern Regional Charismatic Conference, which this year was postponed due to COVID.

Al is 75; Patti is 74. They have four children and 11 grandchildren, with another grandchild on the way. They feel God has told them the time is right to pass the torch to the Oneys.

They are thankful to God and for each other.

“On our wedding day – Dec. 22, 1973 – we took this little verse as our marriage verse: ‘Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart’ (Psalm 37:4),” Al said. “We put that on our invitations, our brochures, everything. We still have it framed in our home. You know, I looked at this the other day and just said, ‘Thank you, Lord.’ As I look back on it now, after almost  50 years, it’s just amazing.”

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