June 2010

Dear Friends,

It will soon be a year since my arrival as director of the CSE and time has come for me to assess how things are going. I have been blessed to work with wonderful people associated with the CSE, both young and old. My role as director has been challenging but very rich in experience. I strongly believe in the mission of the CSE and its potential in providing a vital learning environment for those who wish to better live their faith and to evangelize.

In order for the CSE to continue to grow and fulfill its mission, it needs a strong leadership that I can't provide at this time. I've realized that, although I love to work here, my gifts lie somewhere else. So, for the sake of the CSE, I have offered my resignation to the CSE Board of directors and will be leaving in mid July, seeking where God wants me to be.

Thank you for all of your support and friendship throughout the past year. I will keep you in my prayers.

Claude Lagacé

January 2010

Rise Up
Winnipeg Manitoba

A Winnipeg hotel conference room with 450 young adults and loud music is not a place for a 50+ person to be, except if it’s a Catholic Christian Outreach Rise Up Conference and the music is performed by Tuesday Bloom, a Catholic rock band. I had the privilege to be at the CCO’s Rise Up conference December 28th 2009 to January 1st 2010. It was so powerful to see young adults praying, praising, learning and just having a great time together.
Everyday started with Mass at 8:30 am. at St Mary’s Cathedral and you could just feel the excitement and spirit of Mass. The participation of the youth was a blessing, the church was alive and fulfilling the way it’s meant to be. The theme for the first homily was on decision,. Father said to really think about the decisions we make;even small, seemingly unimportant decisions can become stumbling blocks or stepping stones.

The theme for the conference was “…The Word Became Flesh and Dwelt Among us…”. Every speaker talked about how God is with us all the time and we just have to get to know Him so He can help us and in turn we can tell others. With different workshops to help answer questions, nothing was left out: Pro-life, culture of life, theology of the Mass, men’s and women’s sessions, leadership, discipleship and education,
Bishop Durocher talked about where the Church is headed. He showed us 3 distinct aspects of the Church. First, it is an institution; with, a hierarchy, rules and regulations for our survival, strength and stability. We know that its foundation is built on the Rock, the Church Christ founded under the leadership of St. Peter. Secondly, the Church is an association: relationships where in a community, charity flourishes because of the love of God for his Church, Mary being one of the greatest model of this love. And lastly, the Church is a movement where people are committed to a cause, to make things happen, to pursue at all cost. This is the stage our young adults are in now, the Church of St. Paul. It is about taking a stand, asking questions, seeking answers, evangelizing.
We, the Church, as an institution and association, need to guide our young people and form them in the Church’s teachings so as to enable them to be the missionary Church.

Just in case some of you are not yet convinced please picture this...
A priest brings out the Blessed Sacrament and places it on the altar. He turns around and sees 450 young adults singing and kneeling to pray. Even with 30 or so priests for reconciliation, the lines are continuous and a prayerful atmosphere engulfs the cathedral.
Where else do you see, at a convention, a room specifically used for adoration and reciting the rosary every morning? A chapel was always open for whenever someone needed time to reflect, since priests gave talks and manned the different vocation booths, the sacrament of reconciliation was always available .

What would you expect at a New Year’s celebration with 450 young adults and a live band?
Chaos, rowdiness, screaming kids, drunkenness? maybe at your celebration, but at a Rise Up Conference there is no alcohol, no rowdiness, no chaos...maybe Holy Chaos :) as young adults praise God with songs from midnight to about 12:30am. There is no better way to celebrate a new beginning than giving it all to the one who created it: God.

After this experience, I am convinced more than ever, that what we are doing at the CSE, in helping the youth find Jesus, is and will always be answering a great need. Like St.Paul, the youth need an avenue where they can learn, grow, walk the path to holiness and in turn evangelize the world. What a blessing it is to be an instrument in God's hand.

At the beginning of this New Year, I also pray that God may bless all of you, and that you may grow closer to Him, the One who brings true Joy, Peace and Love.

Claude Lagacé

October 2009

Dear Friends,

Let me introduce myself. My name is Claude Lagace and since August 10th, 2009, I am the new director at the CSE. I am very pleased to be here and I am looking forward to meeting and working with you. Now a little about myself...

My faith is something very important to me and for this reason, in the past, I have taken different courses to help me grow spiritually such as Nathanael, Scripture Studies, Batkol ( The Jewish view of scriptures) and Faith Studies through the Knights of Columbus. I am also presently discerning the diaconate.

I have always felt a calling to help young people grow closer to Jesus. As State Youth Director for the Knights of Columbus, I strongly believe that we need to invest in our young people because they are our future. But honestly, I had no idea that God would be calling me so quickly. When General Motors told my last employer “Brodeur Frères”, that they would be shutting them down at the end of 2009, I thought I was out of a job. Then, during the same time, Jude approached me about the available director position at the CSE... A long story short; here I am.
It has been a sharp learning curve but I know that with God all things are possible. I am counting on your patience, support and prayers. And please, if I make mistakes approach me so that I can learn from them.

Summer Camps 2009
Our summer camps have now concluded, and we were blessed to see God touching the lives of the many campers and staff that have come through our doors. This summer we welcomed 243 campers and 34 staff/volunteers. Here is a taste of what the campers shared with J. Kurt Nugent, our 2009 Summer Camp Coordinator:

“...that it was amazing, not what they expected, it helped them to grow in newer deeper ways, it was certainly an avenue for healing for some of them, they had a blast and a half of fun, and left challenged and excited to deepen their relationship with God, and strengthened to hold fast to their faith through the struggles and temptation in the world, and inspired to share God's love with others. Camps were also a special time for our staff to have an opportunity to look more seriously at their roles as Christian leaders, and they responded well by giving their all to God in their service to the campers.”

Current Activities

Retreats – Help needed
Because we don't have an Outreach Team this year, one of my greatest struggles is putting together teams of people to run retreats for parishes/schools that are requested from the CSE. If you have experience with organizing retreats and/or hands-on camp/retreat ministry and can help out either during the day or in the evening, please contact me.
Facility Rentals
I am working on a greater promotion of our facilities for rental purposes such as for other retreat groups, time away, professional development etc. If you are interested in cooking or hosting a rental group for a small stipend, please contact me for more information.
Winter Camps 2010
Winter camps are being organized and very shortly, information will be posted on our website: www.catholicway.ca If you want to volunteer, contact us so as not to miss the excitement. Or if you want to send your kids to camp, register for camps ASAP and you can save money with our “Early Bird Fee”!
Long Term Objectives
I hope to meet with the new Archbishop Mgr Legatt very soon so as to re-affirm the direction the CSE should be taking.
My hope is that together we can move forward in the mission of Jesus Christ by developing and equipping evangelists to share in the work and fruit of the New Evangelization of the modern world.

“Before people can ask the Lord for help, they must believe in him; and before they can believe in him,they must hear about him; and for them to hear about the Lord, someone must tell them." Romains 10:14 (NCV)

Claude Lagace
Director