Richards said the charismatic movement that began in the mid-1960s has matured and really isn t even a movement any more. Instead he calls Bread of Life members Catholics who may pray charismatically. Richards dislikes the charismatic label because it s easy to dismiss people if you put them in a box. Jesus freaks or fanatics jumping around singing who don t seem very mainline at all. Take away the box, he said, and community members are a bunch of regular people, a lot of young couples with kids, who are very obedient to the Catholic Church.
Members come from throughout the area, usually bypassing their home parish.
Average attendance at Bread of Life is about 150, with about 500 spilling into the aisles for special services during the Easter season. It s the only church to offer its style of worship in the 225,000-member diocese, which covers 13 counties and nearly 160 parishes and missions. Members of Bread of Life must complete three evening classes before joining, rather than simply moving into the parish, but when a person and the service click, the results can be as fast-paced as Richards energy. Nancy Murray first visited Bread of Life on Dec. 13, 1998. I knew instantly on that day I was going to become a member of that worship family.