Montreal is a great place to live out God’s call in service to others. The city’s geographic location, history, and demographic makeup offer many unique ministry opportunities and challenges.
Cultural and Linguistic Diversity
Montreal’s rich diversity means that it is on the frontlines of confronting some of the most significant challenges of our time. Immigration is transforming the city, creating a mosaic of different communities, languages, and cultures. Faith-based organisations like Jesuit Refugee Service Canada journey alongside refugees through their experience of displacement, providing education, food, financial support, and assistance with political negotiations.
A Port City
Located near the mouth of the St. Lawrence River, many seafarers stopover in Montreal during long stints out at sea. Unique organisations like The Ministry to Seafarers provide spiritual and physical support to seafarers visiting the port of Montreal, offering a safe place to relax and get in touch with their families, clothing, food, and personal hygiene items, advocacy on their behalf with the appropriate authorities when necessary, and spiritual counsel in their language of choice.
The Old Port of Montreal
Urban Creation Care
Maintaining green spaces and sustainable initiatives is integral to the well-being of our planet and the people who inhabit it, but it can be hard to feel connected to God’s creation amongst the cityscape of urban centres. This makes Montreal a great place to explore creative ways of making and maintaining green initiatives that allow the beauty of God’s creation to flourish. At Saint Columba house, for example, staff and volunteers maintain a rooftop garden with two beehives and use the space to educate children and youth about the importance of pollination in urban agriculture.
Reconciliation
A large population of Indigenous people in the city and in nearby reserves means that reconciliation is always before us. Social inequity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people is readily visible on the streets of Montreal. According to a 2020 study, Indigenous people in montreal are approximately 27 times more likely to be homeless than non-Indigenous people. Work in many homeless shelters like St. Michael’s Mission and Acceuil Bonneau deal with these inequities everyday and work hands on to provide care for those who are struggling with the structural injustices that create roadblocks toward reconciliation.
Montreal Dio ministry students in conversation with members of the Cree Nation of Wasanapi
A Culture of Secularism
Quebec has a unique relationship with Christianity compared to other provinces in Canada. Quebecers lived under a Roman Catholic theocracy for much of the province’s history. During the Quiet Revolution in the 1960s, Quebec gradually became a more secular society. There remains a strong reticence toward Christianity in general and a fear of theocracy, made manifest in controversial laws such as bill 21 which prohibits employees in the public sector from wearing any kind of religious symbols in their place of work. While Quebec society is characterized in large part by a fear of organized religion, there remains a need and a desire for spiritual fulfillment. This makes Quebec a fascinating place to participate in ministry work, with many unique challenges and opportunities.
St. Joseph’s Oratory