As stewards, God has given us many diverse gifts for the building up of the Kingdom of God. Some, like talents, are natural gifts which can be inherited from our parents, while others, such as charisms, are spiritual gifts of the Holy Spirit.

What are charisms?  

Charisms are special graces given by God to all Christians. These special gifts of the Holy Spirit, whether extraordinary or wonderfully humble, are given to us for the benefit of others. The Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “Charisms are special gifts of the Holy Spirit which are bestowed on individuals for the good of others, the needs of the world and in particular for the building up of the church.” (160)

Working out of our charism is a joyful, energizing experience because we encounter the deep happiness of being an instrument of God as we help people to encounter our Lord. As Cardinal Leo’s preached in his 2023 Stewardship Sunday homily. “Ministering out of a charism, be it in our parish communities and other modes of communal Christian living, always energizes us, fills our daily living with joy, freedom and meaning.”

As a member of the faithful who was given a new life at Baptism, do you have a God-given charism? The answer is yes you do! If you would like to learn more about charisms, we have created an FAQ on charisms here.

To watch a recording of a webinar our office organized for our Parish Vitality Webinar Series titled, “A Catechesis on Charisms” with Most Rev. Scott McCaig, C.C., Bishop of the Military Ordinate of Canada, click here. 

Cardinal Leo recently preached a homily about sharing our God-given gifts, including the charisms, which can be found below. (The homily was preached at St. Michael’s Cathedral on the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Nov. 19, 2023.)

Where can I learn more about charisms?

1. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) recently held a webinar on charisms in their Call of the Catechist series titled, “Discerning Charisms” with Sherry Weddell, the co-founder of the Catherine of Siena Institute. To watch the webinar, click here (then scroll down).
   
   
2. The Catherine of Siena institute has a downloadable brochure on Charisms here.
   
   
3. An outline of a talk on Charisms given by Anthony Schratz, Director of Ernescliff College in Toronto can be found here.

If you have any questions, please contact

Quentin Schesnuik

Associate Director - Parish Vitality & Stewardship in the Office of Formation for Discipleship

   quentins@archtoronto.org

   416-934-3400, ext. 568