OUR MISSION & VISION
As lay people, we “seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and by ordering them according to the plan of God… [working] for the sanctification of the world from within as a leaven… [making] Christ known to others, especially by the testimony of a life resplendent in faith, hope and charity” (Lumen gentium 31). The Lumen Gentium Forum exists to empower the leadership of young Catholic professionals living this calling in their careers. We do this by offering our Lumen Gentium Fellows intensive education in Catholic social teaching and its practical application for their personal missions, as well as the telos (ultimate aim) of the institutions within which they serve: the common good and the human dignity of all. Through this method, we are building towards a vision of “enriching and permeating society itself with the Gospel” by restoring Christian culture (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church). Our charism is evangelization through the magnanimous civic leadership of well-formed Catholic lay apostles who, shaped by God’s grace, become lumen gentium—“the light to the nations.”
“I invite you to carefully study the social doctrine of the Church so that its principles may inspire and guide your action in the world. May the Holy Spirit make you creative in charity, persevering in your commitments, and brave in your initiatives, so that you will be able to offer your contribution to the building up of the ‘civilization of love.’ The horizon of love is truly boundless: it is the whole world!” —Pope Benedict XVI, Message for World Youth Day (2007)
OUR VALUES
fidelity to christ in his church and catholic teaching.
In all things, we strive to be fully faithful to the teachings of the Catholic Church in their entirety, and obedient to Christ and His bishops—in particular, to our Holy Father, the Pope, recognizing the central role papal teaching has played in the tradition of Catholic social doctrine.
missionary dynamism.
We strive to live “missionary dynamism which will bring salt and light to the world” (Evangelii gaudium 81) through an active and intentional apostolate—seeking to bring others to Christ and His Church through the truth, beauty and goodness of Catholic social teaching and virtuous leadership. We aim to empower and form Catholic professionals who seek also to live as missionary disciples in their careers, and to animate Gospel values in secular society.
service to the common good.
Knowing that the Lord has called us to “seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you” (Jeremiah 29:7), we strive to form Catholics and people of goodwill in the vision of Catholic social teaching, confident that this vision is the surest blueprint for realizing the common good. By forming Catholics who love and serve their neighbours through magnanimous civic leadership, we help build the Kingdom of God here in Canada.
affirming the christian value of work.
Recognizing that “work is a fundamental dimension of man's existence on earth”, we affirm both the objective and subjective dimensions of work; that work is good, aiding the sanctification of the worker and the furthering of the common good; and that “the proper subject of work continues to be man.” (Laborem exercens)
THE IMPORTANCE OF EACH CHRISTIAN’S UNIQUE GOD-GIVEN MISSION.
Pope Saint John Paul II wrote that “every initiative serves true renewal in the Church…insofar as the initiative is based on adequate awareness of the individual Christian’s vocation.” (Redemptoris hominis 21) That vocation is only discovered through a life of prayer and holiness, Christian community, and growth in wisdom and understanding of Church teaching. Affirming the indispensable value of personal mission in the life of each Christian, we accompany lay people on an adventure through the Catholic social teaching tradition and virtuous leadership principles, wherein they can discover their unique calling for the common good and the building up of the Kingdom of God. “The fundamental objective of the formation of the lay faithful is an ever-clearer discovery of one’s vocation and the ever-greater willingness to live it so as to fulfill one’s mission.” (Christifidelis Laici 58)
Consecrated to Saint Joseph
Guardian of the Redeemer, Guardian of the Church, Patron of Workers, Patron of Canada, Patron of the Poor