In the wake of the recent Synod of Bishops on Young People, the short story of Acts 20:6-12 offers us a challenge. In it, Luke recounts that after a week-long visit of Saint Paul to Troas, the disciples gathered together on the day before his departure to hear him one last time and to celebrate the Eucharist with him.
Read moreWhen we agreed on the theme of dialogue and communion for this issue, it occurred to me that the process of theological reflection and some of the models of theological reflection I have experienced provide a structure and a space for developing skills for dialogue and for engaging at a level that brings about communion. This article gives a brief description of theological reflection, and highlights its potential for growth in dialogue and communion, in religious congregations or the broader church community.
Read moreIn his letter to young people, Christus vivit (CV) no.35, Pope Francis invites the Church to be open to renewal. And this ecclesial renovation is not without affecting the renewal of the institutes of consecrated life. Among the possible considerations on this subject, one question arises for many of us. In these times of transition through which our communities must live, what space do we give to the word and action of younger people in the challenges to be met to enter into a “new” youthfulness?
Read moreHuman beings are innately dialogical, they instinctively wait to be addressed by the other. Herein lies their freedom to question and respond. Ultimately their questioning and searching leads them to find God, source of their freedom, who has first chosen to enter into dialogue with them.
Read moreHow does a community open up spaces for youth in search of spirituality? The Cistercians of Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth abbey (Rougemont, Québec) have a few years of experience in this matter. Founded in 1932, the community has made younger generations a focus of their mission. In this interview, Fr. Jacques Van Vliet, novice master, shares the lessons learnt and challenges discovered on the journey.
Read moreThe Trinity is amongst the most mysterious of the articles of our faith to which we bear witness each Sunday in our recitation of the Creed. Indeed, for many of us, the Trinity is so much in the realm of mystery that we consider it to be beyond our understanding and thus we miss out on the gift of God that is revealed to us as we ponder something of the depths of our God.
Read moreIn recent decades, ecclesial documents have given significant space to the reality of communion. […] In the deployment of this ecclesiology of communion, particular mention is made of a “missionary communion” or even of an “evangelizing communion,” thus highlighting the intimate bond that exists between communion and mission.
Read moreIn his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Christus vivit, Pope Francis begins by collecting “some of the richness of the sacred scriptures, since they often speak of young people and of how the Lord draws near to encounter them (CV 5). After speaking about Joseph and Gideon, Francis writes: “Samuel was still a young boy, yet the Lord spoke to him. Thanks to the advice of an adult, he opened his heart to hear God’s call… As a result, he became a great prophet who intervened at critical moments in the history of his country (CV 8). A re-reading of the story of Samuel’s vocation might offer us some paths for dialogue between the generations.
Read moreConsecrated life is in transformation. […] In the face of these challenges, it is necessary to return to the source of consecrated life: a desire for communion, a call to witness to an alternative way of life, a thirst for the humanization of the world. Louis Cinq-Mars, outgoing president of the CRC (2018-2020), was a social worker before joining the Order of Friars Minor Capuchin. […] He brings his perspective on the future of consecrated life to this interview.
Read moreThis is the first book in English on priesthood in religious life to be published in twenty years. Its fourteen contributors search for new ways forward in the understanding of the distinct identity and ministry of religious men—committed to community, the prophetic lifestyle of vows or promises, and the particular charisms of their congregations—who have also answered the call to priesthood.
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