This paper reports a pilot study of " Catholic Pentecostals," or as they are now more commonly known, " Catholic Charismatics." The study is based on participant observation and interviews among Catholics from 3 prayer groups in Southern California. The study was completed in June, 1972. It forms the basis of continuing research for a dissertation. Catholic participation in the Charismatic Renewal is considered as a renewal movement in relation to the Catholic Church. The analysis seeks to discover tendencies experienced by Catholic charismatics with respect to participation in the Catholic Church, and the ways in which these tendencies are compatible or incompatible with aspects of the Catholic Church. To analyze tendencies experienced by Catholic charismatics, a typology developed by Ernst Troeltsch is employed. Socio logists are familiar with the church-sect typology associated with Trocltsch. Few are familiar with a third type elaborated by Troeltsch: mysticism. It is this third type, mysticism. that this writer has found fruitful in analyzing aspects of Catholic participation in the Charismatic Renewal. The outlook of a " typical " Catholic charismatic is des cribed, with the intention and hope that : first, important aspects of a participant's experience are accurately and contextually represented: and, secondly, essential features of participants outlook are shown to correspond to the mystical type. Finally, a comparison is made of aspects of participants' outlook (mystical type) in relation to the Catholic Church (church-type : sacraments, hierarchy). The points of com parison are : 1) relationship between sacramental baptism and " baptism in the Spirit;" 2) Eucharist ; 3) basis of authority. Such a comparison will make more explicit aspects of the relationship between Catholic participation in the Charismatic Renewal and membership in the Catholic Church.
