Dear Friends,

March finds us well into Lent. It slows us down enough to hear again what gets buried under noise.

That patient work lies at the heart of the Catholic Information Center. To form. To equip. To send. Lent reminds us that these movements cannot be rushed or separated. Formation that never turns outward grows inward. Service without formation eventually runs out of breath. Lent keeps them together without rushing.

In February, we began the second year of our Leadership Formation Institute – a year long process that helps lay Catholics deepen their prayer, grow in confidence, and discern how God is calling them to serve. Forty-six parishioners from five parishes and one diocese in Canada are walking this path together. They arrive with different hopes for the Church and for themselves. What they share is a readiness to be shaped by prayer, by one another, and by God.

This kind of formation happens by showing up again and again in prayer, in conversation, and in the work of listening. Much of Lent unfolds this same way, gradually, without urgency.

As we journey through this Lenten season, I invite you to hold these learners and leaders in your prayer and for all who are involved in our Leadership Formation Institute. Pray for openness and courage, that what is being formed in their hearts bears fruit for the communities they serve and for your own life of faith.

Much of God’s work begins out of sight and takes longer than we expect. We are grateful for your continued and steadfast support and allowing us to walk together in this new season of grace, trusting God with what comes next.

With gratitude and hope,