The Archdiocese of St. Boniface is seeking a path forward for more lay Catholics to become dynamic leaders in their parish communities.

On Feb. 1, the Manitoba-based bilingual bishopric started accepting applications for the new St. Boniface Adult Faith Formation Fund.

This new annual bursary program financially supports mature men, women and groups from one of the archdiocese’s 76 member parishes who embark on an initiative directly related to growing deeper in their relationship with Jesus Christ. Candidates must commit to implementing what they have learned via active ministry.

The submission deadline is March 31. Decisions will be announced on May 31. Archdiocesan employees, the clergy, seminarians, consecrated religious, application review committee members and their immediate family members are ineligible.

Potentially fundable undertakings include enrolling in post-secondary studies or stand-alone courses directly related to faith formation, purchasing books and resources expressly about this subject or reimbursing the costs incurred to attend Catholic catechetical events. 

James Kautz, the archdiocese’s director of pastoral services, told The Catholic Register that he and his colleagues are intrigued to learn if this pilot project can enhance spiritual enrichment throughout the St. Boniface Catholic community.

“We're excited to be able to put this money to use because we know there's a real appetite for deepening one's faith, and there are many resources out there,” said Kautz. “And even though we're not in a position as an archdiocese to organize something holistic for that, we're happy to make the path a little easier for those individuals and groups that want to put the effort into it.”

This new fund is deemed by Kautz as a spiritual successor to the Nathanael adult faith formation program that was offered by the archdiocese — and by the Archdiocese of Winnipeg — beginning in 1988. For over three decades, this initiative named after Jesus’ disciple taught what it means to be a committed Catholic both inside and outside the Church within our contemporary society.

While participation in the Nathanael experience was predominantly robust during its 31-year run, by 2019, there was no longer enough interest. The prolonged COVID-19 pandemic that began the following year sealed this program’s fate. Nathanael remains active throughout the Winnipeg however.

Kautz noted that “one of the fruits of COVID was this blossoming of many online resources that helped people dive into their faith from their homes,” and this phenomenon translated into there “being less demand” to revive Nathanael in 2022.

For multiple years, an allotment of funds was “just sitting idly in an account,” said Kautz, “which isn't really the way that we want to operate as an archdiocese.”

Last year, archdiocesan staff discussed how to meaningfully use the money. They coalesced around offering a bursary to aid individuals and groups seeking to bolster their faith formation outside of the Nathanael setting. Kautz and his colleagues then approached Fr. Robert Campo, who directed the Nathanael program for many years, to ask if he thought it was appropriate to launch the fund. The pastoral team received an affirmative response and fine-tuned their concept.  

Based on what he has heard anecdotally, the pastoral services director is anticipating a solid batch of proposal letters.

To learn more, visit www.archsaintboniface.ca.