National organization in Canada Catholic conscience is launching a new annual conference, “Building a Culture of Life and Dignity,” with its inaugural 2026 gathering set to tackle one of the deepest problems of contemporary society: the breakdown of our shared social covenant and the erosion of human dignity from conception to natural death.
2026 conference,”Restoring the Covenant: Catholic Social Teaching as a Common Social Basis,De La Salle will take place at Oaklands College in Toronto on Saturday, May 30.
The gathering is based on Catholic social doctrine and inspired by Pope Leo XIII rerum novarum, In which he says: “Since the end of society is to make people better off, the chief good that society can have is virtue,” said Matthew Marquardt, executive director of Catholic Conscience.
Open to Catholics and all people of goodwill, it aims to offer Catholic social teaching As a roadmap for renewing public life, Marquardt said.
The conference is intended to be a space where young professionals, potential volunteers and philanthropists can begin matching their skills and resources to the Church’s most important projects.
The day will feature religious observance and prayer as well as plenary talks and theme-based breakout sessions, all drawn from the perspective of Catholic social teaching on human dignity and the common good.
Speakers include Bishop Mark Hagemony of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon; Peter Copeland of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute; Tucker Sigourney, John and Daria Barry Postdoctoral Fellow at Harvard; Moira McQueen, a leading lawyer and consultant in moral theology, who until recently served as executive director of the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute; and Kathleen Muggeridge of Young Professional Catholics of Toronto and the Office of Social Work of the Archdiocese of Montreal.
In an education session, Catholic Register Publisher Peter Stockland will host a discussion examining the influence of news and media in shaping social values.
In a world of radical individualism, moral relativism and what organizers described as a “culture indifferent to the dignity of life”, the conference proposes Catholic social teaching as a unifying framework for rebuilding the bonds that make us a true covenant people.
For example, Catholic social teaching provides a Catholic lens for evaluating and interpreting government welfare indices, such as quality of life framework Recently adopted by the Government of Canada.
Marquardt, who is also president, said, “Our social covenant is broken and needs to be restored.” Canadian Catholic News. “And each of us has a responsibility to do that. We belong to each other and each has a role to play in society.”
The conference grew out of months of discussion about the fragile state of Catholic missionaries in Canada and a surprising appetite among young Catholics for serious engagement, he said.
“If you go to church in Toronto since the pandemic, attendance is up tremendously,” Marquardt said. “The difference is that a lot of young people are very enthusiastic. They say they want to do something.”
Organizers say the event aims to:
- Advance civil dialogue on restoring a shared social contract based on common principles and values, as an alternative to the social currents pulling people away from God and from each other.
- Bring together Canadian Catholic social and civic initiatives – alongside other groups of goodwill – to raise awareness and promote collaboration among them.
- Promote volunteer, employment and fundraising opportunities for these initiatives, helping them find the skills and support they need to survive and thrive.
The vision goes beyond theory. In recent years, smaller Catholic organizations such as Catholic insight, Catholic conscienceAnd Canadian Catholic News Has struggled with increasingly complex regulatory demands, particularly those affecting interactions with agencies such as the Canada Revenue Agency, and the practical burden of running lean operations with minimal staff.
this story was first published Reprinted here by BC Catholic and with permission.
