Bishops, laypeople and ministry leaders from dioceses across the province gathered Sept. 15-17 for the Grande Assemblée missionnaire (Great Missionary Assembly). The three days of reflection, listening and discernment were built around a single question: how can the Gospel be lived and proclaimed in Quebec today?

A delegation of nearly two dozen people from the Archdiocese of Montreal was among the participants.

The assembly took place during the fall plenary of the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Quebec (AECQ) and was designed above all as an exercise in communal discernment.

Through prayer, discussion, listening and conversation in the Spirit, participants spoke about life in their communities, their challenges and their hopes for the Church's mission in Quebec. Conversation in the Spirit is the prayerful listening method used at the Synod on Synodality, the worldwide consultation Pope Francis launched in 2021.

The assembly was part of a process that began in 2025-26, when diocesan teams and the bishops' partner groups were asked, among other tasks, to identify the "signs of the times" and "signs of hope" where they serve. Their reflections helped shape the three days of discussion.

Seating bishops and laypeople at the same tables also opened a valuable space for listening and dialogue. Together, participants reflected on the changes needed and on concrete ways to continue the journey toward an ever more missionary Church.

The three days offered a reminder of an essential truth: mission begins with encounter, listening and relationship. It proved a fruitful time to keep discerning and walking together in service of the mission in Quebec.

Maribel Mayorga
Press Officer, Archbishop's Office and
Director, Communications and Media relations
Archdiocese of Montreal