Regional Encounters

Formation and Spiritual Renewal Days in Canada

CCIS Executive Council

On May 16th in Quebec City and October 27th in Montreal, the Canadian Conference of Secular Institutes (CCSI) organized regional encounters for secular institute members present in Canada. These encounters were held in a fraternal setting filled with joy. In Quebec City, more than 70 persons answered the call with 50 more who met in Montreal.

The goal at the onset was to present two important documents from the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CICLSAL) published in the past year: Consecration and Secularity – a letter addressed to the bishops of the world presenting the secular institute vocation – and the document New Wine in New Wineskins in which the CICLSAL invite the institutes of consecrated life to adapt to the Church and the world’s new realities.

During these days, two experienced pastors presented these documents. Father Marcel Caron, president of the CCSI and a member of the executive council of the World Conference of Secular Institutes, presented the background, origins and important aspects of Consecration and Secularity. In this letter addressed to the bishops, Father Marcel was able to present the dynamism that upholds this vocation in the world.

Father Marcel also reminded the members present that even though the document is written foremost as a letter to bishops, it can equally serve as an instrument to present secular institutes to people interested by this secular vocation or as a document for initial formation.

The document New Wine in New Wineskins was presented by Bishop Louis Corriveau, auxiliary bishop of Quebec. He also promotes consecrated life in the Archdiocese of Quebec. In a simple and accessible language, he invited the members to adapt their institutes to new situations that they encounter. The pastor’s outlook invited us to dare to invent new answers for new challenges in the midst of today’s world and the Church. His insistence on adaptation was a wake-up call for all participants. It is an inescapable condition to continue to be up to date in a world and Church that are experiencing profound changes. 

During these two regional encounters, the members of different secular institutes present in Canada were able to find time to share their reality, know one another better and turn together towards the Father to celebrate the gift of vocation. These encounters were very uplifting and the secular institute members expressed the hope that this experience can be renewed in the coming years.

 

Photos © Renée Ntagungina