Lumen Gentium Forum already showing impact
- Brendan Steven
- Jan 31
- 2 min read
Canadian society needs Catholic social teaching. The truth, beauty and goodness of the Catholic faith has the power to transform our country for the better. The time is now. Threats to the dignity of the human person are multiplying. Since the legalization of euthanasia, thousands of our fellow Canadians have ended their own lives. In politics and the professional world, ideologies dominate. Canada is becoming more secular, with growing hostility to religious values. We need Christian leaders who passionately love and live their faith, and can lead the New Evangelization within our culture.
Yet many Canadian Catholics lack a strong understanding of the teachings of our faith, and of their call to mission. A 2024 survey by the Canadian Christian think tank Cardus found that less than one out of three Catholics agreed with the statement, “It is essential for me as a Christian to encourage others to embrace the truth of Jesus Christ.” In the words of Archbishop Emeritus Thomas Cardinal Collins, “In the way we try to dialogue with the world, the world is colonizing us... we need to know who we are.”
There are powerful signs of hope: an emerging generation of young Catholics hungry to love Christ, live their faith, and transform the world through Catholic social teaching. Nearly six out of ten Christians ages 18-34 agreed with the survey statement above, in sharp contrast with older generations. Young Catholic leaders are hungry to evangelize their neighbours and bring Christian principles alive in their families, careers, and communities. We need to help them do it, by forming and equipping themto live out their calling to “go and make disciples of all nations.” (Matthew 28:19)
Last September, CAPP-Canada launch the Lumen Gentium Forum as a community where young Catholic professionals can become lumen gentium, a “light to the nations”. We aim to set young hearts on fire for Christian mission, as it is lived by lay people in the secular world through professional work and civic leadership. We want to send magnanimous, well-formed Catholic leaders into society, ready to serve others and rebuild a culture of life and human dignity. Leaders like these are the future of the Church.
We are excited to share the January 2025 Lumen Gentium Forum Impact report!
Click below to download the pdf.
