Join this year’s supporter events across Western Canada
Dear friends,
This fall we are again preparing to host “supporter evenings” across Western Canada. These are uplifting culture-building events to which you are warmly invited. Contact Victor Carpay at VCarpay@GregorytheGreat.ca for details or an invitation.
Last winter, the Institute hosted about a dozen such evenings across Alberta and Saskatchewan. At these evenings, Dr. Topping provided a short lecture based on Catholic history describing patterns of renewal; Mr. Carpay described initiatives the Institute has launched to encourage renewal; we also spent time listening to insights from participants on where God is acting today.
As we prepare to host with friends a new series of “supporter evenings” beginning this September 2026, we thought we would give a brief overview of insights gained from last year’s events.
A running theme through these evenings was that God is always preparing us for renewal. Often, when Christianity seems to be on the decline or when a tragedy occurs in our lives, it can be tempting to fall into the vice of despair.
Thomas Aquinas says that despair occurs when we stop hoping for a future in which a difficult good can be attained. God, however, has “no problem with decay,” as our Executive Director, Dr. Topping, shared. It is in the midst of decay that grace can flourish, and where God plants seeds to renew our culture.
Here are the top 5 signs of renewal listed by participants in our evenings:
- Canada’s Catholic youth are becoming more energized and more traditional
Individuals shared their enthusiasm, encouragement, and joy because young Catholics are increasingly becoming committed to their faith. Fewer come to Mass than two generations ago, but those that do are on fire. (See Dr. Topping’s recent video citing statistics on the rise of young-adult religiosity in Canada.) Guests shared that many young Catholics attend daily Mass, pray with Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration, participate in Church programs, get married and start building families, and make the Faith a reality each day. If you are a young Catholic reading this and need a community of like-minded young adults, consider attending a CYEG Mass here or getting involved in Calgary’s chaplaincy program.
2. Increasing numbers in RCIA classes
Numerous guests shared how their parishes were seeing record numbers of new people attending RCIA, largely young people beginning an adventure with Christ. No doubt, God is bringing good people into the Church so that they, in turn, can share the Church’s goods with culture. We are excited to continue serving many converts in our programs. One RCIA teacher told us how their parish typically had four or five new aspirants to the faith; this past year, however, they had dozens, and had to turn some away because they ran out of capacity.
3. Growing interest in Classical Education
Many parents and grandparents shared how delighted they are with the increasing number of classical education options available in Alberta and beyond. They noted that they see in their kids and grandkids a happiness and joy in their faith nurtured by classical education. (See our recent episode from our Reasonable Passions YouTube series on the rise of Classical Education.)
4. Appreciating Beauty in Liturgy
Many shared how impressed they were with the Archbishop’s Schola at the Basilica. Worship is an act of love we make to God, and in worship we should always give God the best we can. I was inspired to see people rejoicing in the goods of culture happening right here in our Archdiocese. You can purchase our Magnalia, which includes an article on Palestrina and the music produced by the Schola Cantorum for the glory of God. If you wish to come and hear the Schola, consider coming to the 10:30 AM Mass at St. Joseph’s Basilica.
5. Promising Seminarians
Many shared how much hope the Seminarians at St. Joseph’s Seminary gave them. People said the seminarians at St. Joseph’s are on their way to becoming great Priests, and give us much cause for joy. See here for a list of our seminarians so that you can keep them in your prayers.
Regardless of whether you are a glass-half-full or a glass-half-empty person, here are five signs of renewal in our culture in our area for which we should give thanks to God.
What do you think is best about these 5 signs? I first noticed that all of them are local to Western Canada, hurray!
Do you want to come to a Supporter Evening? Email Victor Carpay at vcarpay@gregorythegreat.ca, or if you wish to become an ambassador, you can do so here: https://gregorythegreat.ca/support/ambassadors/
As we approach the fall, our Institute will once again be hosting a number of supporter evenings seeking your help to assist us in growing, so that we can equip even more leaders to renew culture in the light of Faith and Reason. Get in touch with Victor Carpay if you would like to join us, or bring a friend.
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