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| People of Praise has an ecumenical character, and members belong to many Christian denominations. More than 90% of the members are Roman Catholic. Among Protestant members, Lutherans, Episcopalians and Presbyterians predominate. All members of People of Praise are committed members of their churches and participate in their parishes and congregations. Some members serve their churches as ordained clergy. | People of Praise has an ecumenical character, and members belong to many Christian denominations. More than 90% of the members are Roman Catholic. Among Protestant members, Lutherans, Episcopalians and Presbyterians predominate. All members of People of Praise are committed members of their churches and participate in their parishes and congregations. Some members serve their churches as ordained clergy. | ||
| In the People of Praise each member has a head, a person who acts as a spiritual advisor. Men have other men as their heads. Married women are headed by their husbands. Single women have other women as their heads. | |||
| The People of Praise |
The leadership of the People of Praise consists primarily of men. The highest leadership position possible for a woman is that of handmaid. The handmaids of each branch act as the spiritual guides for all of the women of the branch. Men and women have specific roles in the People of Praise. "Men gather in men's groups to plan and decide how to care for their families, branches, neighborhoods and wider communities." Women "pack up houses in preparation for moves, cook and clean for sick sisters, throw People of Praise-style baby showers" | ||
| ==Joining the People of Praise== | ==Joining the People of Praise== | ||
| There are two stages of membership in the community, underway and covenanted. While a member is underway he or she is gradually brought into the life of the community. The period usually lasts three to six years. Underway members use this time to test whether they are called by God to commit to the People of Praise for life. | |||
| In order to become a full member of the People of Praise, members first undergo a trial period. This period, which usually lasts from 2-6 years, is also known as being "underway." During this period the underway member is to discern whether or not s/he wishes to commit to the POP for life. If they decide to stay on, they are known as "covenant" members. After being covenented, it is often difficult to leave the community. Members who wish to leave must be granted approval. Also, after a member leaves the group, often s/he is reentereing into the mainstream world after being among an isolated group for a long period of time. This often leads to post-cultic shock. | |||
| ==Former members of the People of Praise== | |||
| For ex-People of Praise members, there exists a support group in order to offer a place in which to safely express one's feelings regarding the group. This group is unnamed and underground (they don't wish to be further proslatized and further shunned by their former community). | |||
| ==Servant Branch== | ==Servant Branch== | ||
Revision as of 03:08, 22 October 2006
The People of Praise is an ecumenical Christian covenant community. It consists of 21 branches in the United States of America, Canada, and the Caribbean, with a total of approximately 3,000 men, women, and children.
The People of Praise was founded in South Bend, Indiana in 1971 by Paul DeCelles, Kevin Ranaghan, and 27 other adults. It has origins in the charismatic renewal, liturgical, ecumenical, and Cursillo movements.
Most members are married couples with children. Some single men and women in the community live with families, sharing a common life; others live together in households of single men and women or alone. There are also single men and women who have chosen to embrace celibacy for the service of God, many of whom have formed a Brotherhood and Sisterhood within the People of Praise.
People of Praise has an ecumenical character, and members belong to many Christian denominations. More than 90% of the members are Roman Catholic. Among Protestant members, Lutherans, Episcopalians and Presbyterians predominate. All members of People of Praise are committed members of their churches and participate in their parishes and congregations. Some members serve their churches as ordained clergy.
In the People of Praise each member has a head, a person who acts as a spiritual advisor. Men have other men as their heads. Married women are headed by their husbands. Single women have other women as their heads.
The leadership of the People of Praise consists primarily of men. The highest leadership position possible for a woman is that of handmaid. The handmaids of each branch act as the spiritual guides for all of the women of the branch. Men and women have specific roles in the People of Praise. "Men gather in men's groups to plan and decide how to care for their families, branches, neighborhoods and wider communities." Women "pack up houses in preparation for moves, cook and clean for sick sisters, throw People of Praise-style baby showers" (1)
Joining the People of Praise
There are two stages of membership in the community, underway and covenanted. While a member is underway he or she is gradually brought into the life of the community. The period usually lasts three to six years. Underway members use this time to test whether they are called by God to commit to the People of Praise for life.
Servant Branch
The Servant Branch of the People of Praise is located in Bloomington, Minnesota. Its offices are in the River Ridge building, sharing the building with Trinity School at River Ridge. Their members live throughout the Twin Cities. They have a brotherhood, some of whose members teach at Trinity. The branch has a campus division with a men's and women's house at the University of Minnesota.
Trinity Schools
See the main article: Trinity Schools
The People of Praise own and operate three schools. Trinity Schools provides classical, Christian education for grades seven through twelve. The schools follow a common academic core curriculum which includes six years of mathematics, science, writing, literature, history and foreign language. They also take four years of music, drawing and painting and two years of drama. The schools are ecumenical and students take a course in the doctrine of their own denomination. Trinity Schools are distinguished by small classes, single-sex instruction and the use of original texts and seminars.
There are three locations:
- Greenlawn, in South Bend, Indiana
- Meadow View, in Falls Church, Virginia
- River Ridge, in Bloomington, Minnesota