Our History
Beginnings in Newark
Inspired by the dreams of two priests, RENEW took root in the Archdiocese of Newark. In 1976, Monsignors Tom Kleissler and Tom Ivory realized that they shared the same vision for a renewed Church. With the blessing and encouragement of Archbishop Peter L. Gerety (now retired) they worked together on the fulfillment of this dream.
On September 26, 1976, sixty people gathered to brainstorm this spiritual renewal process called RENEW. Twenty of those people continued to pray and work together for the next two years, giving birth to RENEW. At that first meeting, Msgr. Tom Kleissler was appointed coordinator of the process. He continues to lead RENEW International and the endeavors of an international team that services dioceses and clusters of parishes in the United States and worldwide.
The dream, the idea for RENEW, grew out of a desire to implement in a very concrete manner the vision and pastoral direction of the Church that was endorsed and encouraged by Vatican Council II, particularly the following documents: the Dogmatic Constitution on the Church (Lumen Gentium) and the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (Gaudium et Spes).
Expansion at Home and Abroad
From 1978 to 1980, the people of the Archdiocese of Newark enjoyed the spiritual growth and unity that this process engendered. Over forty thousand people in Newark, including those of 28 different languages and cultures, were involved in small groups during those three years. Even as RENEW was being developed and experienced in Newark, other dioceses around the country began to hear about its success. The Dioceses of Steubenville, Ohio, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, were among the first to invite Msgr. Tom Kleissler to speak to their leadership and to use the RENEW process.
Dreams take flesh and spur further dreams. For many years, Msgr. Tom Kleissler had been asked if there were going to be a second RENEW process. In 1996, he worked to develop a new process based on Pope John Paul II's Apostolic Letter, Tertio Millennio Adveniente, (As the Third Millennium Draws Near) and the United States Bishops' document, Go and Make Disciples. Drawing on themes from both documents, RENEW International developed the three-year RENEW 2000 process as a preparation for the Great Jubilee Year and for the ongoing spiritual renewal and evangelization of the Church into the third millennium of Christianity. Over 50 dioceses (including 22 clusters of parishes) in the United States and Canada were involved.
RENEW International has been gifted over the past twenty-six years with talented, committed team members who have provided ongoing reflection and leadership. The team, including priests, laity, and religious, are extremely dedicated to servicing dioceses and parishes involved in the RENEW and Why Catholic? processes as well as the ongoing development of the parish as “a community of many small communities.”
Positive Reaction to RENEW's Work
Blessed by the Holy Spirit, the ministry of RENEW International has been commended by many people over the years. In a report on the development of small Christian communities in the U.S., a research team identified RENEW as the “single most important factor in the broad-based move to establish” such communities on the parish level. The report, prepared by Professor William V. D'Antonio of the Catholic University of America, was issued by Loyola University Institute for Ministry in New Orleans.
Rev. Frank DeSiano, CSP, Provincial General of the Paulist Fathers and co-author of Go and Make Disciples, declared at an evangelization gathering in the Archdiocese of Newark on September 18, 1999, that “RENEW is one of the best ways to evangelize in our country today.” RENEW participants would enthusiastically agree. A 1999 survey conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), Washington, D.C., revealed an overwhelmingly positive response to RENEW by participants. Over 90 percent cited spiritual growth, developing a greater sense of community, integration of faith into daily life, as well as an increased commitment to and appreciation of the Catholic Church as key outcomes of RENEW.
RENEW International continues its work of parish spiritual renewal and evangelization, creating the climate for God’s transforming grace in and among individuals and communities, neighborhoods and the world. Small Christian community development stands at the heart of this mission. RENEW International’s twenty-six-year record demonstrates service to over 25 million Americans in 13,000 parishes and 130 dioceses in 22 other countries.
These worldwide engagements include Australia, Belize, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, El Salvador, England, Ghana, Guam, Honduras, India, Ireland, Lithuania, New Zealand, Nigeria, Philippines, Republic of South Africa, Rwanda, Scotland, Slovakia and Uganda.
RENEW Today
In the early twenty-first century, RENEW International responded to the critical events in the Church and the world. In 2001, RENEW developed and distributed free of charge, its faith-sharing resource, Grieving the Death of a Loved One along with a session fromThe Discipleship of Non-violence in response to the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. Healing the Body of Christ was created to help parishes and people find healing and reconciliation in the wake of the sexual abuse crisis in the Church. A major peacebuilding initiative was launched in the Central African republic of Burundi to deal with inter-tribal conflict and genocide.
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