On April 23 2026, ministry leaders and those who offer pastoral accompaniment gathered for a day of renewal and formation, conducted in French, hosted by the Carrefour intervocationnel in partnership with the Institut de formation humaine intégrale de Montréal (IFHIM).

The day's theme, Better Equipped to Better Accompany, reflected its core purpose: to offer concrete tools to those who dedicate themselves to walking alongside others, whether in vocation discernment or in the broader work of human and spiritual accompaniment.

Those present included members of religious communities, secular institutes and faith-based organisations, as well as lay men and women engaged in various ministries. Facilitator Lili Gauthier guided participants through a programme that balanced small-group and large-group discussion with well-targeted theoretical content and structured personal reflection on lived experience.

The day proved genuinely resourcing. Participants came away with practical strategies for managing their energy more sustainably across the demands of daily ministry, beyond the pull of immediate emotion or obligation. Equally valued was the encounter itself: the diversity of backgrounds in the room opened a natural space for exchange, leaving each person with a richer human and relational perspective than the one they had arrived with.

And that is something truly precious.

Sylvie Bessette
Deputy Director for Mission
Carrefour intervocationnel