Grace Thompson
People of Praise is a Christian community of families and single people that was founded in 1971 in South Bend, Indiana. It is a charismatic, ecumenical, and covenant community with 22 locations in the US, Canada, and the Caribbean. The community has no official ties with any Christian church or denomination, but the majority of its members are Catholics, with Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists, Pentecostals, and non-denominational Christians also represented. Members of the community are free to attend the church of their choosing and remain members of their local congregations.
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What You'll Learn
People of Praise is a Catholic apostolate
People of Praise was founded in 1971 in South Bend, Indiana, by Kevin Ranaghan and Paul DeCelles, who were involved in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement. This movement emphasized practices such as baptism in the Holy Spirit, speaking in tongues, and prophecy among Catholics. People of Praise is not a church, and its members remain part of their local parishes and congregations, attending their respective Christian services. The community has been referred to as a covenant community, where members can make a lifelong commitment to the group after a period of prayer and discernment.
The organization has approximately 1,700 members across 22 locations in the US, Canada, and the Caribbean. It operates three schools in the United States, known as Trinity Schools, which provide a Classical Christian education heavily influenced by Christian humanism. People of Praise also has priest members in two dioceses. The community has been associated with Judge Amy Coney Barrett, a Catholic, who faced scrutiny for her affiliation during her confirmation process for judicial appointments.
While People of Praise is predominantly Catholic, it is officially ecumenical, and people from various Christian denominations are welcome to join. Members are expected to support each other and assist each other in their needs, reflecting the defining characteristic of the group as Christian charity.
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It is not a church
People of Praise is a charismatic Christian community. It is not a church. It is a community where Christians from diverse church backgrounds can share life, work, prayer and mission while still maintaining active membership in their local congregations. Members of the People of Praise must attend Holy Mass or their respective Christian services at the churches they are members of. The People of Praise is a charismatic, ecumenical and covenant community with 22 locations in the US, Canada and the Caribbean. It was founded in 1971 in South Bend, Indiana, by Kevin Ranaghan and Paul DeCelles.
The People of Praise community is often associated with former Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett, a Catholic. Barrett's Catholic faith came under scrutiny in 2017 when she was nominated for the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals. During a confirmation hearing, she was asked about her affiliation with the People of Praise, which has been referred to in the media as a "cult".
People of Praise is a lay-run Catholic apostolate (a type of informal ministry) that is based on the ecumenical teachings of Vatican II. It is not a church but rather a Catholic lay apostolate, open to members from other Christian denominations. The People of Praise was founded as an ecumenical apostolate in 1971, in recognition of the Decree on Ecumenism signed at the Second Vatican Council in 1964. The group emerged out of the Catholic charismatic movement of the late 1960s, which blended Catholicism and Protestant Pentecostalism.
The People of Praise community is made up of Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Methodists, Pentecostals, Presbyterians and other denominational and non-denominational Christians. Members of the group are free to attend the church of their choosing, including different Catholic parishes. The community supports and encourages members in their individual congregational or parish commitments. While the People of Praise has no official ties with any Christian church or denomination, a number of Catholic men who are members of this community have sought to regularize their status with the Catholic Church to be ordained as Catholic priests.
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It emerged from the Catholic charismatic movement
The People of Praise is a Christian community of families and single people who seek to participate in the mission of the church and live their lives communally. It emerged from the Catholic charismatic movement of the 1960s and 1970s, which saw many Catholics and other Christians form covenant communities to deepen their faith. The People of Praise was founded in 1971 in South Bend, Indiana, by Kevin Ranaghan and Paul DeCelles, who were involved in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement.
The Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement blended Catholicism and Protestant Pentecostalism, with members from both denominations. It adopted practices such as speaking in tongues, baptism in the Holy Spirit, and prophecy. The People of Praise community modelled their lives on those of the early Christians in the New Testament Book of Acts, with some members selling their houses, relocating, and pooling resources to join communities that offered fellowship and support.
The People of Praise is officially ecumenical, with members from various Christian denominations, including Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists, Pentecostals, and non-denominational Christians. Each member attends their own church in addition to community worship gatherings. While the community has no official ties with any Christian church or denomination, some Catholic members have sought to regularize their status with the Catholic Church to become ordained priests.
The People of Praise is not a church, and members remain part of their local parishes and congregations. They are expected to attend Holy Mass or their respective Christian services. The community is a lay-run Catholic apostolate, or auxiliary ministry, that works alongside churches of different types. It is based on the ecumenical teachings of Vatican II and was founded in recognition of the Decree on Ecumenism signed at the Second Vatican Council in 1964.
The People of Praise has been referred to as a cult by some, and there have been concerns about undue influence over members' decision-making. However, members are free to make their own choices and maintain their individual congregational or parish commitments. The community provides support and friendship in Christ, especially in an increasingly secular culture.
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It is ecumenical
The People of Praise is a Christian community of families and single people. It is a charismatic, ecumenical, and covenant community with 22 locations in the US, Canada, and the Caribbean. It was founded in South Bend in 1971 and has 1,700 members.
The People of Praise is not a church. Its members remain members of their local parishes and congregations. They are free to attend the church of their choosing, including different Catholic parishes. The community is made up of Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Episcopalians, Methodists, Pentecostals, Presbyterians, and other denominational and non-denominational Christians.
The People of Praise is a lay-run Catholic apostolate (a type of informal ministry) that is based on the ecumenical teachings of Vatican II. It was founded as an ecumenical apostolate in recognition of the Decree on Ecumenism signed at the Second Vatican Council in 1964. The community is open to members from other Christian denominations.
The People of Praise emerged from the Catholic charismatic movement of the 1960s, which blended Catholicism and Protestant Pentecostalism. It was influenced by the communitarianism of the 1960s counterculture and the Charismatic Renewal movement, which sought to deepen faith by forming covenant communities. The community has been described as "theologically conservative with a hierarchical leadership structure."
While most members of the People of Praise are Catholic, the group is officially ecumenical. The community has been criticized for allegedly exerting undue influence over family decision-making and pressuring children to commit to the group. Some have also described it as a cult. However, members of the group say that it supports and encourages members in their individual congregational or parish commitments.
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Members are expected to help each other
People of Praise is a Christian community of families and single people who seek to participate in the mission of the church. It is a charismatic, ecumenical, and covenant community with 22 locations in the US, Canada, and the Caribbean. The community has 1,700 members, most of whom are Catholics, but it also includes Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Pentecostals, and non-denominational Christians.
Members of People of Praise are expected to help each other, look out for each other, and assist each other in their needs. This takes the form of spiritual direction and pastoral care, which is considered an important service within the community. Each member has a "head" who acts as a personal adviser, giving encouragement, correction, and help in decision-making. Men have other men as their heads, married women are headed by their husbands, and single women and widows usually have other women as their heads.
The community is also committed to providing for those in need. The Action Division aims to "provide those in need with an experience of God's love" by offering jobs, affordable housing, strong families, and prayer for physical healing. Members work together to meet the material, financial, spiritual, intellectual, and social needs of those they serve.
In addition to this, members of People of Praise are heavily involved in each other's lives, both spiritually and practically. They often share tasks such as grocery shopping, cooking, and caring for children, and they may also marry each other and attend each other's weddings. This closeness can be "amazing," but it has also been described as "suffocating" by some former members.
While members are expected to remain active in their local congregations, the community supports and encourages them in their individual congregational or parish commitments. This means that membership in People of Praise does not constitute membership in a church. Instead, it is an auxiliary ministry designed to work alongside churches of different types.
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Frequently asked questions
The People of Praise is a Christian community with members from various denominations, including Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, Methodists, Pentecostals, and non-denominational Christians. The majority of its members are Catholics.
The People of Praise is a charismatic covenant community that emerged in the 1970s as part of the Charismatic Renewal movement in American Christianity. It is not a church, but a lay-run Catholic apostolate, open to members from other Christian denominations.
The People of Praise community encourages communal living and sharing of finances among unmarried members. They practice spiritual direction, where members are supervised by a more "spiritually mature" person called a "head". They engage in weekly meetings that include religious teachings, Scripture readings, witnessing, and prayer.
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