2026 Diocesan Study Days
Collaborative Parish Leadership: Activating the Laity for Shared Leadership in Parishes
When: Friday, Oct 23 and Saturday, Oct 24
Note that both days will have the same content. Attend the one that works best for your schedule.
Doors open at 9:00 AM
Program runs from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM
Lunch is included.
Where: St. Timothy's Parish, 135 John Forsyth Rd, Winnipeg MB (map link)
Speakers
Leah Perrault
Leah Perrault is a fumbling and faithful disciple of Jesus. By day, she is the Executive Director of Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre in Cochrane, Alberta. Over her career, she has served in senior leadership at the Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, in Catholic Healthcare throughout Saskatchewan, and in the disability sector. On the side of her day jobs, Leah has spent more than 20 years speaking in churches, schools, and work settings across Canada and the US. She is a regular columnist for the Catholic Register and an author of three books. All the time, Leah is a happy partner to her husband, Marc, and a proud parent to four fabulous kids between the ages of 8 and 18. Leah has a master's degree in pastoral theology from St. Michael's College at the University of Toronto and a bachelor's degree in English from Campion College at the University of Regina. She is an enthusiastic knitter of mittens and sweaters, a baker of great cookies and pie, and surprisingly (to her!), a person who likes biking to work - year-round.
During Study Days, Leah will bring a focus on how leadership in the world and the Church is changing, moving toward collaborative approaches. She will highlight practices for collaboration that are grounded in our baptism and called forth by the Holy Spirit. We will focus on where our church communities are now and how we can work together as we move forward to serve the world.
Learn more about Leah at www.leahperrault.com.
Marquis Bureau
Marquis Bureau is a professor at Saint Paul University in Ottawa, where his teaching and research focus on human relations, leadership, spirituality, community practice, and accompaniment. He is also Director of the Centre for Aging, Community and Human Flourishing and brings extensive experience in organizational leadership, facilitation, and community development. His work explores the relational and psychospiritual dimensions of leadership, with particular attention to listening, discernment, shared responsibility, and the conditions that enable individuals and communities to flourish. He has worked with community, educational, and faith-based organizations in developing more collaborative approaches to leadership and collective discernment.
During Study Days, Marquis will explore the human and relational dimensions of collaborative parish leadership, including the conditions that allow genuine collaboration to emerge. Through reflection and experiential practices, participants will consider how presence, trust, listening, mutuality, and shared purpose can help clergy, parish staff, lay leaders, volunteers, and parishioners listen, discern, and act together.
Learn more about Marquis at ustpaul.ca/en/staff/marquis-bureau/
Note: Presentations will be in English with simultaneous interpretation available in French. Small group discussions will be in English or French according to the group’s needs.
Registration & Cost
Suggested fee to help cover the speaker fees and their travel is $75. If cost is an obstacle, pay what you can.
Quick Links
To register for Study Days, click here:
To download the poster, click here:
