The fall season brings not only cooler weather here in San Antonio but also a renewed sense of gratitude in my heart. I give thanks to God and to you, all our friends, sponsors, and ministry partners for the work that together we continue at the Congar Institute. From the beginning of the pandemic, we at the Congar Institute have been committed to accompany our partners in ministry, to respond to the signs of the times we are living as a church, and to be a sign of hope amid the disruptions to pastoral ministry and our communities of faith.
I give thanks that God has guided the Congar Institute through the difficult times in the last 1 and ¾ years of the pandemic. Thanks to the diligence of our deeply committed Board, we now have a 4-year strategic plan in place. At the same time, we have ramped up our fundraising efforts on all fronts, including a coordinated Annual Fund. I know you will also be interested in our 2nd annual gala fundraiser, scheduled for February 24, 2022. There are many ways for you to participate, in person and from afar.
I give thanks to, and for, all our Resource Persons whose generosity and commitment to the mission have been incredibly steady over our 16 years of existence. Many of them continue to contribute their deep spiritual reflections to our weekly blog, Eucharist in the Time of Corona. They remain open to sharing their expertise and spirituality with our ministry partners and collaborators in the digital and occasional in-person forums that are currently available. They are always at the ready to contribute their considerable talent and experience to lay ministry formation.
While we are indeed challenged financially as most institutions are these days, I remain thankful because the Congar Institute continues to be a beacon of hope for the Church today. As pastoral leaders identify the ministerial and social needs that have arisen in their dioceses due to the prolonged pandemic, Congar is ready to respond. An example is one of our current projects that has us working in collaboration with Deacon Clemente Villa, Director of Hispanic Ministry in the home mission Diocese of San Angelo, TX.
Read about all these initiatives and more in this newsletter. Hope does indeed abound for the Congar Institute and all those who participate in one way or another in our mission. For this, I give thanks.