Dr. Paul Vance, Board President and fr. Wayne Cavalier, OP, Director, represented the Congar Institute at the 2024 Annual Meeting of the Association of Graduate Programs in Ministry (AGPIM).
AGPIM is committed to promoting the quality of ministerial education in service to the Church and society. It serves as a platform for collaboration among graduate programs, fostering excellence in ministerial formation. AGPIM aims to equip future leaders with the necessary skills, knowledge, and spiritual grounding to serve effectively in pastoral ministry. Participants actively contribute to shaping the future of ministerial leadership.
AGPIM held its 2024 Annual Meeting on February 15-17, 2024, at the Jesuit Retreat Center of Los Altos in California. Participants gathered from various Catholic graduate programs in ministry to engage in meaningful discussions and share insights around the theme, “Ministerial Formation in a Synodal Church.”
AGPIM provided resources for attendees, including a guide to help participants prepare for the meeting. To prepare themselves spiritually for the meeting, participants were asked to spend some time in silence and prayer and then read the 2023 Synthesis Report, “A Synodal Church in Mission.” This thought-provoking document explores the concept of a synodal church and its implications for ministry and ministry formation. During the meeting, participants engaged in a “Conversation in the Spirit” exercise based on reading prompts.
Because the Congar Institute for Ministry Development shares a similar mission with AGPIM, which is focused on preparing leaders for effective service in pastoral ministry, we participate as organizational members. We agree that the Synod on Synodality makes important demands on forming leaders for a synodal church in mission and that this is a rich and important area for reflection and planning. With this in mind, we will begin a series of articles exploring this topic. Our first reflection in our next quarterly newsletter will be written by Paul Vance.