Catholic Dictionary

Find accurate definitions of over 5,000 Catholic terms and phrases (including abbreviations). Based on Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

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SLAIN IN THE SPIRIT

A phenomenon of pentacostalism and the charismatic movement, where a person is believed to be overcome by the Holy Spirit. The experience is temporary, during which the individual collapses in a faint, although the faculties of thought and volition remain intact. The "slaying" takes place when a charismatic, already possessed by the Spirit, lays his or her hands on the head of another person. It is considered one of the external signs of a special outpouring of divine grace.