An Emerging Faithstyle: A research note on the Catholic Charismatic Renewal*

A survey of a random sample ofpersons drawnfrom a national mailing list of Charismatic Services provides background characteristics and attitudinal orientations of Catholic Charismatics toward CCR, society, and the Catholic Church. Utilizing a deprivation framework from Glock and Stark, the data suggest that CCR is nota potential schismatic movement. Rather it appears to be an emergent faithstyle: ah alternative answering to a combination of ethical and psychic deprivation experienced by some members of the Catholic Church. Selected comparisions are made with Fichter's earlier study of Catholic Charismatics. The purpose of this research note is to report salient characteristics of a sample of participants in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal (hereafter, CCR). The following de-scriptive and relational data are useful in attempts at assessing CCR in terms of its character as a religious movement. Although not designed asa comparative research monograph, frequent reference is made to Fichter's tudy (1975) of Catholic Charisma-tics, because it was also a national survey, at points where the comparison is felt to be meaningful and instructive. Glock and Stark (1965) suggest hat "deprivation " is a necessary condition for the ris