From October 31st to November 2nd, the Montreal Catholic Challenge Movement gathered for its 47th retreat, a powerful weekend filled with faith, friendship, and renewal.

This time, while many were out celebrating Halloween, nearly 60 young adults chose to spend their weekend celebrating something much deeper: life, faith, and community. Over 20 new Challengers joined the movement by experiencing their first Challenge retreat, marking a beautiful moment of growth for our community.

Held during the Feast of All Saints and All Souls, the retreat was a time of reflection, joy, and encounter with Christ. Through talks, discussion groups, prayer, adoration, music, games, and plenty of surprise elements, participants experienced the heart of what Challenge is all about: building bridges, deepening faith, and walking together toward Jesus.

This year, Challenge has been blessed to collaborate and strengthen relationships with many communities, including CCO, Mission Jeunesse (the Archdiocese of Montreal Youth Ministry Office), St. Laurent Parish, the Holy Cross Congregation, Maria Ausiliatrice Parish, Jesus Light of the World Parish, Holy Name of Jesus Parish, Corpus Christi Parish, Ste-Geneviève Parish, and others. Together, we are witnessing a spirit of unity and renewal that continues to grow.

The retreat also sparked deeper conversations about the revival of the Catholic Church among young adults, a sign of hope in this Jubilee Year of Hope. As our movement continues to grow, we’re looking ahead to expanding our presence and supporting more young adults and parishes across Montreal. Challenge is becoming a hub for faith formation, leadership, and community-building initiatives.

We’ve also begun introducing French elements into our gatherings, with the dream of one day opening a French-speaking branch of Challenge.

The coming months promise to be transformative for our movement. We can’t wait to see where the Holy Spirit leads next.

Stay tuned. God is doing something amazing through Challenge!

Mario Zakhour
Co-Lay Director
Member of the Mission Jeunesse Volunteer Service Team