Instead of Archbishop Donald Bolen and a select group of speakers offering keynote presentations, the 200 expected conference attendees will engage in “conversations in the Spirit” akin to the Synod on Synodality at Regina’s Resurrection Parish on Sept. 21.
Lisa Polk, archdiocesan director of pastoral services, said ArchRegina Congress organizers and table moderators will urge parishes “to take a hard look at themselves” with the line of questioning.
“One of the key questions we're going to be asking is, ‘what do we hear God calling our Church to be now and into the future?' ” said Polk. “(We’re) listening for the presence of the Holy Spirit through each other. So, there will be intense times of listening and reflecting on this question. Where do we see God calling us to the future here in southern Saskatchewan?”
A key aspiration of this elevated Spirit-driven discourse is to invite clerics and congregants to provide answers that transcend observations centred around the financial calculus of the archdiocese. Rather than discussing if certain Catholic houses of worship should close or be amalgamated, the participating voices will dialogue on how the faith can be imparted more vibrantly throughout the region.
Polk anticipates the “conversations in the Spirit” will strike Regina Catholics as “exciting,” but recognizes this approach may “bring some trepidation” to people. A desire to change the format was expressed by members of the archdiocese parish council and by individuals at various gatherings staged in recent months. They wanted to create a forum for people to talk and listen to each other.
“We are putting it back into the hands of the people and taking it out of the ‘we're going to tell you from the archbishop’s or the archdiocese staff’s point of view,' ” said Polk. “This is in the hands of all of us together. How are we going to move forward all together?”
Because of the one-day gathering — outside of the opening statement from Bolen — being wholly centred around small group breakout discussions, the decision has been made not to live-stream the congress to YouTube, unlike previous years when the itinerary was chockful of guest speakers. If rural community parishes cannot travel to Regina, organizers will look into providing a Zoom link.
Bolen’s remarks will centre on “Pilgrims of Hope,” which is the thematic statement of the 2024 ArchRegina Congress, and also the theme of the 2025 Jubilee declared by Pope Francis. He will provide insight into what it means to live as people of hope.
Seeds of hope are already at work in southern Saskatchewan. Polk said a new pilot program through the archdiocesan youth and young adult ministry is “showing beautiful fruit.” The archdiocese is covering a percentage of the salary for parish youth ministers at the outset to help get them on their feet. In addition to giving them the security to continue evangelizing at their parish, the ministers are spending time fostering connections within the Catholic schools. Additionally, a cohort of spiritual directors is beginning work and progress continues to be made on strengthening relations with Indigenous communities.