Caritas Canada
In the Diocese of Mackenzie–Fort Smith, Development and Peace – Caritas Canada is carried locally by a small but remarkably steady diocesan council that helps the wider Church “live” Catholic social teaching in a northern key: prayer that becomes action, education that becomes solidarity, and fundraising that stays connected to real people and real struggles.
Because parishes and missions in the diocese are so widely dispersed and often isolated, the council’s work tends to be both practical and relational. One account of a visit to Yellowknife describes the council as the most northerly diocesan council in the country, working to keep the organization visible across a vast region and to translate national campaigns into something that actually works on the ground—among busy parishes, long distances, and limited local resources. Development and Peace – Caritas Canada
A key strength has been long-term local leadership. The same account highlights Suzette Montreuil as president of the diocesan council, sustaining a “small but dedicated” presence for more than three decades, and helping form a core group committed to justice and solidarity in the North. Development and Peace – Caritas Canada That kind of continuity matters in a place where volunteer energy can be stretched thin and where relationships—across cultures, communities, and church groups—are everything.
The council’s ministry also shows up in creative campaign life. For example, during a Share Lent campaign, the group prepared reused jars with Solidarity “coin box” labels already attached and the collection date written inside the lid—an intensely northern kind of practical genius that made participation easy for parishioners as they left Mass. The same account describes their efforts to make campaign workshops feel special and well-attended, and notes that St. Patrick High School in Yellowknife became the most northerly school registered in the organization’s schools program. Development and Peace – Caritas Canada
The council is also portrayed as well-connected—able to speak with media, schools, clergy, Indigenous communities, politicians, and other social-justice groups—so that global solidarity doesn’t remain “somewhere else,” but becomes part of local Catholic life. Development and Peace – Caritas Canada And it has strong episcopal encouragement: that same report names Bishop Jon Hansen as an active supporter, noting his involvement and his role on the organization’s national council. Development and Peace – Caritas Canada+1
If someone in the diocese wants to plug in, a good practical doorway is the regional animator for Alberta and the Northwest Territories (including Mackenzie–Fort Smith) Carmen Michaud Carmen.Michaud@devp.org
Mackenzie-Fort Smith 