May 13-17, 2024
Convocation 2024
St. Albert, AB
May 13-17, 2024, we will gather as a Province in St. Albert, AB, for Dare We Hope? – Convocation 2024.
The title for Convocation 2024 is Dare We Hope? Scripture invites us always to be ready to give an account for the hope that is within us [1 Peter 3:15], and the 37th Chapter, Pilgrims of Hope in Communion, reminds us:
“Hope is our way of being in the Church. It is foundational in all that we believe. It carries us forward in mission…. This hope that we bear, in turn, brings hope into our own religious life and commitment.” IV.3.
But sometimes, hope is difficult. As a Province, we need to read courageously the signs of our times, recognizing that our diminishment and aging are real. Difficult decisions regarding ministries and communities will have to be made. Where do we find hope within that reality? What grounds us, personally and communally? What might we dare to hope together?
With the ‘Forward Together Strategic Plan’ as our backdrop, we will prayerfully reflect on our realities and hold discerning, synodal conversations regarding our present and future in OMI Lacombe Canada. Together, we might articulate the hopes we hold and support each other as we walk as pilgrims of hope in communion.
We invite you to reflect on this excellent article on maintaining hope in difficult times, written by the esteemed writer and speaker Margaret Wheatley. It offers a great challenge to us all. We invite you to ponder it over the next weeks, asking yourself how it resonates in your heart and spirit. How does it fit with your own stories of hope and way of hoping? Margaret Wheatley – The Place Beyond Fear and Hope
