History

The City of the Lord evolved out of the movement of the Holy Spirit known as the Catholic Charismatic Renewal, which broke forth in the late 1960's.

Our various branches had their beginning in the early 1970's and began working together planning conferences for the western region of the Charismatic Renewal from 1973-1981. In that way, relationships were built over the years. In February of 1984 the Phoenix and Los Angeles branches merged to become one community under the name City of the Lord, and were joined in 1986 by the San Diego Branch, and in 1988 by Monterey Bay.

In 1990, the City of the Lord was one of the original twelve communities invited to become a founding member of the Catholic Fraternity of Catholic Charismatic Communities and Fellowships, established by the decree of Pope John Paul II. We are under the jurisdiction of Cardinal Stanislaw Rylko, who heads the Pontifical Council for the Laity.

The City of the Lord has established or worked with numerous outreaches and ministries, including Youth Arise North America, local FIRE conferences, and Living Water Retreat Center. Our Founding Charism is "Receptivity and Commitment to the Person and culture of the Holy Spirit, particularly Covenant Love." Our members seek to serve the Church with our gifts and talents, and especially to bring Catholics to a greater awareness of the centrality of Jesus as Lord and the power of the Holy Spirit.