Background, Emerging Vision
and Mission
Background
Emerging Futures Collaborative Limited (EFCL) has resolved to accept responsibility to put in place appropriate governance and management initiatives for religious institutes moving towards completion, and is a response to current circumstances and trends within Religious life in Australia which need to be acknowledged, addressed and planned for.
In the recent past in Australia and overseas, the role of canonical delegate for religious institutes not able to provide their own leadership has been accepted by the leader of another institute.
A Canonical Delegate performs the trusteeship functions for a Religious Institute that no longer has the members available or competent, to exercise leadership roles. The Canonical Delegate is appointed by an Ecclesial Authority, the Holy See in the case of a pontifical institute or the diocesan bishop in the case of a diocesan institute.
But the numbers of suitable religious to take the responsibility of Canonical Delegate are diminishing whilst the projected need will grow rapidly over the next 3 – 10 years.
In 2019, almost three quarters of professed religious (72%) were 70 years or older, whilst only 8% were under 50 years of age. In the 12 months from February 2019 to February 2020 the total professed religious have reduced in number from 5,680 to 5,409.
Some Religious Institutes no longer have members who are suitable to constitute Canonical leadership and many more expect to be in this position within the next 3 to 10 years. Larger Religious Institutes have already taken additional canonical responsibility for those Institutes currently in need of an appointed Canonical Delegate, but this is not sustainable as they themselves are diminishing at the same pace as the smaller Religious Institutes and the need for suitable religious to undertake the role of Canonical Delegate will grow rapidly over the next decade. At present there are 86 Religious Institutes with 20 or fewer members who are members of the peak body, Catholic Religious Australia.
Emerging Vision
Our emerging vision is unfolding in the context of our evolving story and we embrace God’s transformative dream of kin-dom and the interrelationship of the whole Earth community as a call to communion.
Being in communion with each other for mission
We seek to live into our evolving awareness of God’s communion which emerges from our common charism of apostolic Religious Life and drives what we create for the future. We are called to be courageous people of heart on mission in our world and to act together with common purpose and for common good.
Choosing to work together to create our future
We come together to create a shared vision and approach. We embrace the shared spirit that nurtures the sharing of life and mission and that gives expression to the different charisms, and we actively choose to work together to create our future.
Coming together to liberate and generate a freedom for energy and transformation.
We come together because that is who we are, and in so doing we generate a freedom for energy and transformation. We let go of ways that hold us back and use this freedom to walk forward with a common purpose, respectful of each unique context. Through deep listening to one another and to society, we discover new areas, and respond through our shared charism, anticipating a transformative experience which is yet to be revealed.
Creating a new picture of and for Religious Life
We now move forward together to create a new picture of and for Religious Life. This is our participation in a new expression of being church on mission in the world, which is collaborative, energetic, responsive, inclusive and with equal voice for women – especially in governance and decision making.
A platform from which new possibilities might emerge
Our next steps should be creative and new, and shaped to adapt to new, hopeful possibilities in a manner that provides a platform from which new possibilities for mission, apostolic Religious Life and communion emerge.
Governance and support for groups in need of assistance is a part of our emerging future
At this time of change, diminishment and new opportunity, part of our evolving process of reimagining apostolic Religious Life and mission in Australia is to ensure support is in place for Religious Institutes to address pressing vulnerabilities which would otherwise emerge as they move toward their completion.
Acknowledging the sense of urgency and acting now
The time when there are no longer members to take responsibility for governance and leadership has arrived or is not far away for many Institutes and we cannot afford to be unprepared for this reality. We acknowledge the sense of urgency and the need to act now.
Mission
EFCL has been established to support and serve Religious Institutes in transition, to provide access to a Canonical Delegate if needed and to provide shared services.
The aims of EFCL are to:
Be a mission led structure, holding the charism of each congregation within the charism of religious life.
Meet the needs of Religious Institutes in transition.
Meet the needs of Religious Institute members within the transitioning Religious Institutes.
Facilitate Religious Institute ownership of and trust in, their own transition and the new structure.
Be ‘Religious Institute focused’ providing services and support in keeping with a tailored ‘service and support agreement’ with each Religious Institute.
Proclaim a new way of living religious life.
Be accountable to the Religious Institutes, to their members, their stated wishes and their asset distribution plans.
Take responsibility for known and unknown obligations that are transferred from the Religious Institutes.
Be financially self-sufficient and to offer financial support to Religious Institutes in need of it.