A Catholic Charismatic Covenant Community in West St. Paul
Community of Christ the Redeemer (CCR) makes its home at 110 Crusader Avenue West on the north side of West St. Paul, a short drive across the river from downtown Saint Paul. From that one address, the community serves families and singles from across the Twin Cities who have joined their lives together around a shared Catholic way of life in the Holy Spirit. CCR gathers its members for praise, forms them in a structured way, and sends them out as lay disciples in their workplaces, schools, and neighborhoods.
CCR is established in the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis as a Private Association of the Christian Faithful and is a member of The Sword of the Spirit, an international network of covenant communities. New ecclesial movements like CCR were strongly affirmed by recent popes, including John Paul II's 1998 address to Members of Ecclesial Movements and New Communities. Members are lay men and women, not vowed religious, who continue to live and work in the everyday world while holding one another to a deeper way of life.
Community, Disciples, Mission
Three short words sum up CCR's identity. Community is the network of families and singles who "love and serve one another, building deep relationships and sharing a common way of life." Disciples means living the Catholic faith in a practical daily way, "calling one another on to walking more closely with Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit." Mission points outward, with members working together "for the spread of the Gospel, especially through evangelistic and formative work among young people and families."
The community's covenant statement spells out the same shape in older language. Members commit to actively pursue holiness of life, to love one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, and to work together for the spread of the Gospel and the building up of Christian life in today's world. CCR anchors that calling in baptism, with members pledged to "put on Jesus Christ," to "love one another as He has loved us," and to "be one with one another" as they live and serve together.
Enthusiastic Worship in the Catholic Charismatic Tradition
One of the first things visitors notice at a CCR gathering is the worship. Members lift their voices in free praise, often with hands raised and bodies engaged, giving thanks for who God is and for everything he has done. CCR describes the style as "old and traditional," rooted in the Bible and the early Church and renewed in recent decades through the Catholic charismatic renewal. The community holds to the gifts of the Holy Spirit listed in 1 Corinthians 12, encourages expressive praise, and participates fully in the liturgical life of the wider Catholic Church.
The community gathers for Mass and for its own praise gatherings. Men's and Women's Praise Gatherings are held several times a year, and community Masses mark special occasions such as the annual conference and seasonal feasts. The Lord's Day is shaped by a printed booklet called Celebrating the Lord's Day, with companion Lord's Day Prayers.
Six Core Practices
The everyday life of CCR is built on six core practices. Members commit to regular participation in the liturgical life of the Church, daily prayer, the study of the Scriptures and the teaching of the Church, practices of self-denial, expressive praise and worship, and growth in Christian character. A printed guide called The Bundle walks through each practice in more detail and is available to newcomers online.
Three Stages of Commitment
No commitment is required to start getting to know CCR. People who want to go further pass through three stages. The Initial stage opens the door to formation, a small group, and other parts of community life. The Underway stage is a defined season, typically one to two years, of fuller participation. The Covenant stage is a public, long-term pledge to the community and its mission, intended to last a lifetime. As the community puts it, "We're in it together, through thick and thin for the long haul."
Overall Gatherings and Small Groups
Two gatherings give CCR its basic rhythm. Overall Gatherings, sometimes called OGCG's, bring the whole community together monthly for praise and worship, a formative talk, religious education for children from pre-kindergarten up, and a chance to catch up over food afterwards. Small groups meet two to three times a month for discussion, prayer, and mutual support in the Christian life, and every CCR member belongs to one.
Longer teaching happens through Formation Courses, which run monthly across the school year and cover topics from basic Christian principles to vocation, relationships, and CCR's way of life in community. A separate monthly Formation Night carries the same teaching in a private setting for those further along in the process. Recordings of recent Life in the Spirit Seminars are available to watch.
Children, Youth, and Young Adults
CCR's mission leans hardest into young people and families. Children's formation begins with Religious Education programming during Overall Gatherings and continues with Wednesday evening programs organized by grade. Junior high and senior high youth groups meet regularly, with retreats, summer events, and camps on top of the weekly rhythm. A Youth Leadership Team develops teens into mentors for younger members. The children's ministry lead supports an internal initiative known as Essential 3 (E3) alongside the Wednesday Youth Nights.
The youth ministry staff includes a Youth Director, a Children's Ministry Lead, a Youth Group Program and Religious Education Lead, and a Youth Group Administrator. Together they run youth group, recruit and train volunteer leaders, organize retreats, and oversee summer programming.
For post-college singles and young professionals, the community runs Emmaus, a distinct track inside CCR. Emmaus hosts large monthly prayer meetings, smaller Koinonia formation nights, mentor relationships, and small groups. Monthly Emmaus Prayer Meetings are open to guests in the young adult demographic, and a dedicated Program Director oversees the work.
Marriage and Family Life
Marriage enrichment is woven into community life. A two-year marriage program supports newly married couples through monthly formation talks and small group meetings designed to deepen their relationship with one another and with the Lord. Quarterly family formation events bring families together around similar stages of life.
Annual rhythms include men's and women's weekend retreats, an Annual Community Conference, community Masses on special occasions, men's and women's praise gatherings a few times a year, and a Women's Advent brunch. A community picnic and other family events round out the social calendar.
Four Districts
CCR is divided into four districts so that members can do life together in a more local setting. Districts host social events, prayer meetings, and other gatherings roughly every other month. Breakwater District and Anchor District are highlighted as welcoming guests at large district events. Emmaus functions as a parallel track for the community's young adult members outside the four geographic districts.
Service Ministries
Members serve one another in three main streams, each with its own commitment rhythm. Overall Event Service covers setup, hospitality, food, and the many practical tasks behind a CCR gathering, with members encouraged to sign up about twice a year and email reminders sent a week before each signed-up event. District Event Service runs similarly through district teams. Mission Fields are longer, year-long commitments to specific areas of service, discerned in conversation with the local district team rather than through an open sign-up.
Leadership and Staff
CCR is led by a team of senior coordinators who serve alongside a priest chaplain. David Groppel serves as Senior Coordinator, with Anne Bielejeski as Presiding Senior Women's Leader. Fr. Brian Fischer serves the community as priest. The senior leadership team also includes a roster of district coordinators and a Previous Coordinator, Jeff Wald.
An Office Staff carries the day-to-day work under a Director of Operations. The team includes a Youth Director, a Children's Ministry Lead, an Event Planner, a Communications Manager, an Office Administrator who also serves as Safeguarding Officer, and a Bookkeeper. A Special Needs Contact supports the inclusion of families and individuals with special needs across the community's gatherings and programs.
Safeguarding
CCR maintains a published safeguarding policy in two parts, Safeguarding Our Children and Protocols for Handling Safeguarding Issues, along with an annual Child and Youth Worker Code of Conduct signed by every adult who serves with children and youth. The Office Administrator serves as Safeguarding Officer.
Giving and the Elexio App
Tithing is the community's primary financial practice, and members are invited to discern an annual tithing pledge. Giving is available online through the Elexio giving platform. The Elexio Community app allows members and donors to update contact information, view the directory, register for events, and make donations from iOS or Android devices.
First Steps for Visitors
Visitors are warmly welcomed at Overall Gatherings, district events in the Breakwater and Anchor Districts, and the monthly Emmaus prayer meetings for young adults. High school students are welcome at youth group large group meetings, with the Youth Director contacted in advance when a guest is coming. Anyone who would like to be put in touch with the Welcome and Connect Team can reach CCR by phone at 651-451-6123 or by email at info@ccredeemer.org, or fill out the form on the New Here page.
At CCR the parish keeps its identity simple: a lay-led covenant community in West St. Paul, gathered around the Eucharist and the gifts of the Spirit, sending disciples out into the Twin Cities with the Gospel.