El Shaddai (Hebrew word which is literally translated as “God Almighty) is the biggest Catholic Charismatic Renewal group in the Philippines, claiming to have 8 million members throughout the Philippines and other chapters across the world. It is currently headed by Bro. Mike Velarde, its Servant Leader and Founder. Bishop Teodoro Bacani of the Roman Catholic Church serves as its Spiritual Director.

In 1984, Velarde initiated a weekly Bible radio-show on DWXI, inspired by his heart ailment recovery in 1978. The acquisition of the radio station was part Velarde’s real estate deal. He named the show El Shaddai after he found the words in a religious pamphlet.

Mike Velarde also held once-a-month prayer rallies outside the vicinity of the radio station. Eventually, it was made a weekly rally and with the growing number of attendees, it was transferred to bigger area until it finally found its place in a field outside the Philippine International Convention Center, which is near Manila Bay.

In Vienna, the El Shaddai group started through a Filipina, Lin Ponce who learned about the movement through an El Shaddai magazine sent by her brother from the Philippines. Eventually, when she went home to the Philippines in 1991, she joined one of the El Shaddai prayer rallies there, which had great impact on her. Returning to Vienna after the vacation, she with Arlene Radam, started the El Shaddai prayer meetings. It was a small beginning. The prayer meetings started in small numbers in Filipinos’ houses and eventually in a Saal in 17th District. While this was going on, communication was sent to Bro. Mike Velarde, who in turn, acknowledged the group as an El Shaddai chapter in Austria.

After nearly two years since it began the meetings, Fr. Calixto Artemio Lumandas, then chaplain of Filipinos, envisioning one charismatic group for the whole chaplaincy eventually combined El Shaddai with another charismatic group, God’s Love. From that time on, became the place of El Shaddai meetings.

The El Shaddai group meets every Saturday at 6 in the evening for the prayer meeting. The prayer meeting consists of singing praise songs, testimonies, prayers of healing and other petitions and a biblical reflection and study. Once a month, the group also holds a Mass.