"We've seen a great experience of youth ministry, it's been very much strengthened," he observed, highlighting that "there's been a real strengthening of the Church and a real engagement."
The "involvement of people in different vocations," emphasized the Cardinal, is one example of this strength, stating that this "stepping forward" also "depends a lot on how you take part in World Youth Day."
"If you go just for the big celebrations it doesn't have much effect, but it's a long preparation before and then really engaging for years to come, but that really makes all the difference."
Turning to different challenges which the Church in Canada currently faces, Cardinal Collins revealed that the "great degree of secularism" is a particular concern, adding that "it may well perhaps be even more secular than in the American context."
"A lot of the popular culture is very much affected by a great deal of individualism and things of that type."
He also stated that in the area of the family, something that is "common to our Western culture" is "the difficulty" of "people making permanent commitments."
"That's true with the priesthood and religious life and that's true of the family."
"I think that it is very important for people to joyfully enter into the permanent commitments that can transform their lives and to do so with great joy and courage," he said, "living one day at a time in the commitment that they've undertaken."
"We need to help people to experience the joy of long-term experiences," the cardinal continued, stressing the importance of celebrating "anniversaries of marriage or anniversaries of ordinations" because "it's a great strength for the whole community."
Despite these various challenges, Cardinal Collins affirmed that the Church in Canada is "strong," and "very vibrant."
"We've had to open a major parish every year for the last 10 years and we've got 3 more on the way coming in," he explained, "so it's a very vibrant reality which, in our case, is helped also by a great deal of immigration. So that's a great richness as well."
(Story continues below)
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
Elise Harris was senior Rome correspondent for CNA from 2012 to 2018.