Dear friends,

As this year of transition continues, and as Advent and Christmas are quickly coming upon us, I am pleased and proud to pen this letter to you to let you know about some of the encouraging things happening at the college, and to ask you to support of our educational mission.

Early in my one-year mandate as acting principal, I made some important choices. First, I decided that I would concentrate on making the transition year as smooth as possible for the students, paying particular attention to their academic counselling, their growing sense of vocation and their life together in worship and community. I am happy to report that the mood at the college is upbeat, full of hope, and our students are being well prepared for the changing world into which they are called. The renewal of the church of which they will be a big part has genuinely begun in them.

As many of you also know, for many years the college enjoyed a close, collaboration with the diocesan Centre for Lay Education, which shared our offices and classrooms. Earlier in 2016 we learned that the funding for the Centre for Lay Education would be discontinued. At almost the same time, our visioning exercise had signaled that lay education would be one of the central pillars of our mission, key not only to our own growth and development as a college, but also to that of the dioceses that we serve.

This felt like an opportunity for the college: how could we begin to explore new initiatives for bringing educational opportunities out into the wider diocese? I shared my concern with several of my clergy colleagues and out of our conversations Theology in the Laurentians was born, a collaboration of the college, the McGill School of Religious Studies, and the Laurentian Regional Ministry. This year, over several Saturday mornings in the fall, we held a book study in St. Sauveur that proved so popular that we had to close off the registrations at 50 people!

Our idea of bringing lay education out to the people filled a real need, and we realized that the people who participated were already asking for more. We will be building on this success, and are currently looking for a location to run another study, this time on either the West Island or the South Shore. Look for us when you are planning your own Lenten disciplines. As a college, we aim to be out there, working and studying together with the good people of this diocese, fostering our life together and furthering the mission to which God calls us all.

We are thankful during this time of transition to have been able to depend on the support of so many people, and to be remembered so often in your prayers. It is also true that every year an important part of our income comes from our supporters, and your generous support of this college is crucial now more than ever. We are proud of the work we do, and are especially proud of our graduates. They are the concrete proof of both our effectiveness and your faithfulness. Please give generously. We pledge to use your gifts wisely.

Finally, I would like to wish you and your family, along with the people you serve in the places where God has called you, a meaningful Advent and a very Merry Christmas. God bless you in the work you do in God’s Kingdom.

Yours in Christ,
Karen L. Egan
Acting Principal