Sowing Boun fully WOMEN’S RELIGIOUS LIFE IN ZAMBIA: FORMATION, MINISTRIES, EDUCATION

Sowin

“Sowing Boun ully” is a summary of an in-depth study of women’s religious life in Zambia. The full report is available in English on the website

of the Interna onal Union of Superiors General and can be accessed through the following link - (bit.ly/2bwpzaw).

ASPECTS OF WOMEN’S RELIGIOUS LIFE IN ZAMBIA:FORMATION, MINISTRIES, EDUCATION

Three-fold Collabora on

The study “Women’s Religious Life in Zambia: Forma on, Ministries and Educa n” represents the collabora ve e ort of the Interna nal Union of Superiors General (UISG), the Zambia Asso on of Sisterhoods (ZAS), and the GHR Founda n (GHR). It is intended to spur conversa n among mu ple stakeholders—religious, educators, donors and others—and to lead to more produ ve investments in women’s religious life in Zambia and beyond. UISG is a worldwide, canonically approved organiza on which provides a forum for Superiors General of religious congrega ns of women, encourages collabora on among these congrega ns, and fosters networking and solidarity. The Zambia Asso on of Sisterhoods (ZAS) provides a forum for its forty-two member congrega ns to discuss issues of mutual concern and to plan responses. GHR is a private founda n inves ng in e orts that build the capacity of congrega ns of women religious for strong spiritual witness and e ec ve service to the most vulnerable.

Paul’s second le er to the Corinthians invokes the image of a farmer to stress the importance of generosity in the work of evangeliza on: “Now this I say, [the one] who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and [the one] who sows boun y will also reap boun lly (New American Standard Bible – 2 Corinthians 9:6).” Religious women in Zambia clearly hope to be in the category of persons who sow boun y in order to reap boun y.

What we ask determines what w What we nd determines how w How we talk determines how we imagine togeth How we imagine determines what we achi

- GHR Founda on convening on women's religious life, November 2015

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Figure 1: The growth of priests and religious in Zambia from 2004 to 2013, based on

gures from www.catholic-hierarchy.org

0

500

1000

1500

2000

Males 2004 Males 2013 Females 2004 Females 2013

Number of Priests and Religious in Zambia 2004 and 2013

Diocesan Priests Religious Priests Religious

The study of Zambian women’s religious congrega ons was conducted in two stages. In both stages, researchers set out to listen to the voices of congrega onal members and to develop a greater apprecia on and understanding of the forces that a ect congrega onal planning and e ec veness in Zambia. In par cular, the study was designed to help congrega ons re ect on the changing context of mission and the implica ons for forma on, the choice of ministries and educa on and training. Through conversa ons about these areas, the challenges the congregations experience, and the ways in which they deal with them, the study documents good p es that can be shared with other congrega ons. The study also iden es ways to build capacity and to maximize investments in the educa on and training of sisters in order to create greater and more sustainable ministerial impact.

The rst stage of the study was a ques onnaire sent to all member congrega ons of ZAS seeking informa on about numbers and how congrega ons handled key areas of congrega onal life.

The second stage centered on eight congrega ons chosen from ten who volunteered to engage in an in-depth conversa on about issues raised in the ques onnaire. These eight congrega ons represented over 600 sisters. Six were diocesan congrega ons and two were interna onal congrega ons. The numbers in any one congrega on varied from a total of 34 in two of the diocesan congrega ons to 201 in the province of one pon al ins tute (of whom 153 were assigned to Zambia). The age distribu on of sisters in these congrega ons shows that the median age is between 30 and 39. This re ects a large propor on of young Zambian/ African sisters. Some local congrega ons are only now beginning to have sisters over 60 and, therefore, living on pensions.

The interviews from the second stage are summarized here under three themes which outline the main concerns of the congrega ons: forma on in charism, ministry choices, and educa on and training.

Aspects of Zambian Women’s Religious Life: Forma n, Ministries and Educa on

“Leaders should focus on g the charism

with local com , helping them to celebrate it

in crea e ways, so that it is

eternally new.” 3

Religious congrega ons witness to at leas t three di erent charisms (gi s of the Spirit for the common good) within the life of the Church: rstly religious life itself as char ism within the Church; secondly a par cular form of religious life (e.g., contempla ve, ac ve) and nally a speci inspira on and tradi on within a par cular form. Congrega ons are cal led to witness to the Gospel in the Church and in the world, but eac h has a special mission an d spirituality which stems from their founding inspira on and their subsequent trad i on. This l er char ism is seen in the qual ity of personal an d communal living of the members (a kinship in grac e) an d in their external expression of apostolic service.

These var ious char isms cons tute a val uab le inheritan ce within the African Church. However, challenges exist for both interna onal an d local congrega ons. How do the congrega ons fai thfully integrate the inherited expressions of these charisms with trad i onal African val ues in a way that speak s to an African culture an d witnesses to God at work in an d through that culture? How do they respond to the cultural val ues an d experiences of newer, younger members who some mes ques on tradi onal ap proac hes to forma on? The rst congrega ons were missionary congrega ons whose focus was ini al evan geliza on. They cam e to Africa an d to Zam bia mai nly from Europe with a rich heritag e. Today , congrega ons must shi from the energy as sociat ed with the challenges of a missionar y church to the energy required to mai ntai n and deepen the fai th of those who hav e al read y been evangelized. How does this shi impac t forma on in ministry an d community?

Forma on is the process by which sisters grow into their iden ty as persons, as vowed women, as members of a speci c religious congrega on. The congrega ons interviewed ar e deeply commi ed to forma on. All congrega ons reported hav ing a Forma on Han dbook outlining the core experiences and criteria for progress from one forma on stag e to the next. All hav e forma on team s with a sister dedicat ed to eac h of the di erent stag es: voca ons promo on, postulan cy an d novi at e, temporar y profession, an d on-going forma on. In many congrega ons, one sister on the leadership team has a special responsibility for forma on.

116

153

51 34

42

111

72

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Size of Congrega ns/Provinces in the in-depth study

ism

Figure 2: The number of Temporary Professed and Finally Professed sisters working in Zambia who belonged to the congrega ons or provinces of congrega ons in the in-depth study.

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Decides to enter convent and

explore voca n at deeper level.

Wears habit.

A rms voca on and takes public temporary vows

which she renews.

Commits her life fully to the

congrega on with permanent

vows.

Aspirant/ Candidate

Postulant

Novice

Temporary Professed (Junior)

Finally Professed Sister

Figure 3: A general picture of the pathway through di erent stages of the forma on programme, indica ng public ceremonies associated with the transi ons from one stage to the next.

E orts to set clear guidelines regarding membership are o en in tension with anxiety concerning numbers of new members. Formators spoke of how di erent their own upbringing was from that of the young women who enter today. Most of the young women are very self-con dent and independent, leading to behaviours such as ques oning authority and seeking explana ons. Many have di erent a tudes toward tradi onal devo ons and prayers. Some nd it di cult to be open and willing to share in the experience of accompaniment. One formator lamented, “These young women know a lot and have been exposed to a lot, and they know more than we do.” How do congrega ons balance the need to educate and train formators with the demands for personnel in ins tu onal and new ministries? What analysis is necessary to develop e ec ve strategic plans around forma on? What understandings regarding religious life and charism/tradi on might assist these e orts?

High levels of ri on o en accompany empts to see to the pro fessional training of temporary-professed sisters and, if they have been away from community structures during training, to integrate them back into the congrega on. A ri on rates a ect capacity building. In the early stages of forma on, using resources to assist in the discernment of a voca on is seen as a good investment, although some persons felt this process could be more e cient in the acceptance of aspirants. The departure of young women who have made a formal, if temporary, commitment to the congrega on and have received professional training impacts nega vely both nances and morale. Not only does the congrega on lose the investment in educa on, it also loses the income this individual might have generated. The data did not indicate a high level of ri on among professed sisters; although some interviewees indicated that it was a more serious and persistent problem than reported.

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Ini al forma on (postulancy and novi ate) involves an apprecia on of the patrimony and charism of the congrega on, experience in prayer through spiritual accompaniment, study of Scripture and religious life, and immersion into community life and ministry. A few congrega ons include programmes on Catholic doctrine and the sacraments which may be a founda on course for some young women. Sessions on African cultural values are enhanced in some congrega ons by the inclusion of lay “wise women” to talk to newer members about human and Chris an values, hygiene, respect and humility. This helps to ground the programme in African quali es and values. Newer members are given di erent responsibili es in the forma on community as well as an apostolic inser on in another community in the nal months of the novi ate experience.

While all congrega ons, even smaller ones, invest in a forma on process, these programmes are always not resource rich. Struggles exist in maintaining quality and focus in the forma on process. The nancial and human resources needed to provide quali ed personnel and updated materials for e ec ve intellectual and spiritual programmes for postulants, novices, juniors and

nally professed sisters compete with other cri cal, congrega onal needs. Sisters in charge of postulants and of novices spoke of the lack of funds to bring in suitably quali ed people to animate the di erent courses.

Formators o en u lize suitable materials prepared for distance-learning, but several felt they did not have the skills to make the best use of that material. There was no evidence of forma on courses using informa on technology and li e evidence of collabora on among congrega ons in areas of common interest. Opportuni es for such collabora on exist in Lusaka, but loca ng younger members to this city for forma on programmes is not an op on for most congrega ons. Some interna onal congrega ons have a collabora ve novi ate where Zambian novices join with novices from other provinces in Africa.

Pathway to Sisterhood

Figure 4: A word cloud where the size of the word represents how frequently it was men oned, indica ng the desired quali es of a sister in forma on and the criteria used for progress from one stage to the next.

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Desired Quali es of a Sister in Forma

Finally, congrega ons are aware of the need for on-going forma on programmes for professed sisters to encourage them to re ect on and integrate their experiences of ministry, prayer, and community. Congrega onal leaders are conscious of how hard their sisters work both in ministry and income-genera g ac vi es (IGAs) and are jus bly proud of their achievements. The leaders also desire a corresponding depth of commitment in the area of prayer and spiritual growth. However, the high level of engagement in ministry, a growing tempta on to individualism and careerism o en leads to a weakening of community life, to burn-out and, in some cases, to departure from the congrega on. One par cipant commented, “We have a heavy ministry workload and we are more into professionalism: at what cost?” Congrega ons make every e ort to engage spiritual directors, to provide annual retreats and workshops on topics concerning Church teaching, human development, and prayer. Limited

nances, however, impact the quality, consistency and quan ty of these desirable supports to on-going forma on. How would collabora on among and between congrega ons ease the stress of limited

nances? What spiritual disciplines and personal skills would enhance growth in the identity of professed religious women (e.g., discernment, theological re ec on, and counseling)?

par cularly important in community-owned apostolates and in apostolates where sisters have no access to professional development. Serious consequences could result from a lack of upda ng because of new government regula ons. Congrega onal leaders also invest in retraining in order to move a sister to a di erent apostolate or because a congrega onal policy requires retraining (for example, sending a sister who has been appointed novice mistress for training as a formator). Planning for this type of development tends to be reac ve rather than proac ve. There is li le evidence of a needs analysis within the congrega ons and/or within ZAS in terms of training people in, for example, spiritual direc on, theology, canon law; and involvement in new areas of service, such as communica ons; it seems to be opportunis c rather than strategic. How can congrega ons plan together the need for educa on and training of certain sisters in key pastoral areas and for speci opula ons?

Congrega ons in general take a u litarian view of training, with the overall aim of maintaining the current ministries of teaching and nursing. Many congrega ons struggle to

nance further quali a ons for sisters and experience a par cular pressure to upgrade quali a ons in line with new government standards. A number of congrega ons are sending sisters for professional training in nancial management and administra on to meet compliance needs within their ins tu ons. In addi on, congrega ons also invest in training sisters to meet the needs of the congrega on: forma on, nances and leadership. There is some evidence of congrega ons building new capaci s for ministry by training sisters in pastoral theology or communica ons.

Sustainability in a religious congrega on involves strength of iden ty, forma on and ministry, and the capacity to work at a consistently high level of e ec veness in expressing the charism. Well-trained and capable sisters are the basis of such sustainability. In today’s world, educa on and training are intertwined. Both dimensions are core to the congrega on’s mission. Educa on is linked with developing human capacity in an expansion of horizons and experience and focuses on the liberal arts. Training is associated with developing speci skills for a par cular task. Both educa on and training are seen to be essen al in rela on to sustainability, par cularly in making the congrega on known and in a ng new members.

Monitoring the on-going professional training needs of professed sisters is a key responsibility of leadership,

The key challenge for congrega ons, of course, is planning for and funding the training of sisters for apostolic or congrega onal needs. Many are dependent on help from founda ons, but current mechanisms of such funding do not allow for strategic, mul -annual planning. Decisions about sending sisters for professional training are usually made a er temporary profession when they have some experience in an apostolate. The decision is usually made in dialogue with the sister, evalua ng her talents and previous experiences, her academic results, the needs of the congrega on and the resources available. Sisters are trained mainly in two professional areas, that of teaching and nursing. The Diploma Level is founda onal, but higher levels of quali a ons are now needed in many areas. In par cular, government requirements make demands for degree or masters quali a ons for leadership posi ons. Nursing provides built-in opportuni es for professional development through workshops and seminars, but congrega ons must invest their own resources in extra quali ca ons for sister-nurses and teachers.

Salaries are determined by quali ca on levels and experience – whether a sister has a diploma or a degree. For the sake of the mission sisters need to upgrade from diploma to degree level. The cost of upgrading by distance learning in a government college while costly can be spread over 4 years. An important considera on for many congrega ons is that the nancial investment could be recouped in the rst year(s) er up-grading and the nancial bene ts remain in the following years.

Congrega ons were asked in the ques onnaire to indicate how important each of e sources of income were in funding ini al educa on and training for sisters. Funds set aside from salaries and s pends as well as dona ons clearly ranked highest in terms of sources. Few congrega ons were u lizing investments for educa on and training. Congrega ons in the in-depth study relied heavily on current income which uctuated with varia ons in sisters’ salaries, annual dona ons, and founda on grants. Congrega ons who could rely on an interna onal support system seemed to have a slightly more secure funding base.

The main concern of nancial investment in educa on/training was to ensure that the congrega on bene ted from the educa on/training individual sisters received. Financial crises were iden ed when the congrega on did not bene t because a sister le the congrega on or did not follow up her training with employment.

Sisters educated/trained for internal service to the community also posed some challenges. The rst reac on of many sisters who are appointed as formators is fear and anxiety, some mes compounded by the fact that they were given li e

me to prepare for their role.

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However, most of the format ors interviewed had now ended the trai ning course at Kal undu (Zam bia) which is organ ized by ZAS and some had a ended program mes at St. Anselm (UK) and Chemichemi (Kenya) . One had tak en an extended course at Regina Mundi in Rome. S ll, some others had no direct trai ning an d relied on short courses in counselling that they had

ended as par t of their own development. The general opinion seems to be that the Kal undu Forma on course is a good basic course, but more is needed in spiritual ac compan iment, counselling, and in informa on technology. When seeking to enhance the resources av ailab le to the forma on program me, formators tended to u lize sisters from the congrega on to enhan ce courses in scripture, the vows, liturgy, an thropology, sac ram ental spiritual ity, as well as in providing spiritual direc on. There was a general consensus on the need to hav e short courses an d workshops available at a reas onab le cost for purposes of on-going forma on. Responses indicat ed an openness to running these courses on an inter-congrega onal basis through ZAS.

Likewise sisters cal led to lead ership fac e par cular needs for educa on/trai ning. For most congrega ons, leadership has a team dimension, but some General Leaders clai med that there was a lac k of clar ity about func ons and roles on the team . Others focused on the need for a strat egic plan for the congrega on or province. Interpersonal skills, fac ilita on skills and con ict man ag ement skills were al so nam ed as importan t in lead ership.

In general, educa on/training in rela on to the need to mai ntai n the ins tu ons of the current ap ostolat e an d the bas ic man ag ement of the congrega on/ province dominat ed the concerns of those interviewed. However, leaders were al so looking to new needs which were partly linked to enhan cement of current pas toral work an d par tly a recogni on of a popula on of new poor persons to whom congrega ons could respond within their char ism.

Several possibili es were nam ed: media an d journal ism, which al so had a spin-o in be er internal an d external communica ons; counselling, clinical psychology, psychiat ric and geriatric nursing; community development studies, sociology, anthropology, agriculture/ag ronomy. There was al so a focus on the areas of spiritual ity and theology, especial ly pas toral theology, liturgy, can on law an d church history. These considera ons indicat e that sisters ar e developing their iden ty as African religious women, moving away from dependence on mal e mentors, an d forging new par tnerships with mal e mentors/leaders.

In some interviews, leaders spoke of a desire to mobilize more resources in line with the char ism of the congrega on. Their focus here was on lay people who worked with the sisters with whom they might shar e their char ism and tradi on, for the bene t of the individual s as well as the ap ostolat e. Others spoke of giving great er en on to those they had tau ght, building on the experience of charism from school-day s, an d perhap s elici ng more support for current projects. These comments were within a general real iza on of the need for networking, especial ly with other congrega ons and within the Church.

Choice of Ministry Congrega ons express their iden ty by who they ar e an d by what they do. Ministry is the way in which congrega ons express their char ism in service to the Church an d the world. Three mai n ar eas dominat e the work of sisters in Zam bia – educa on, heal th car e, an d social /pas toral work. These are trad i onal ministries, but some of the services o ered, especial ly in heal th car e an d social work, hav e been fron er projects in the fac e of local crises (HIV/AIDS, gender-based violence, etc.). A core chal lenge for all congrega ons is the con nued eval ua on of estab lished ministries and new ministries vis-à-vis delity to the char ism/trad i on of the congrega on. The thought of several responders is cap tured in this comment: “We ar e living in changing mes; some things will require new skills an d we ar e trying to move with the

mes.”

Two striking feat ures in the dat a were the number of ins tu ons being man aged by the congrega ons, an d the fact that the sisters’ ministries were in ins tu ons that were man ag ed by the congrega on or the diocese. Ministries car ried out in ins tu ons man ag ed by the congrega on were either in privat e, for-pro t ins tu ons owned by the congrega ons or in gran t-ai ded works through which the congrega on bene ts from salar ies pai d by the government to the sisters an d other personnel. Clear ly, congrega ons ar e growing in con dence in their cap ac ity to establish and run e ec ve organ iza ons, an d to man ag e a large number of co-workers. 8

Finally, there is ministry which focuses on short-term projects which respond to local needs and are nanced by founda ons; and a number of small community-based income-genera ng ac vi es (IGA) aimed at helping people in the local area and giving some extra income to the community.

A key challenge in the sustainability of the ministries of a congrega on is development of a good work-life balance within the congrega on. Such commitment involves a human balance of work/leisure, as well as the maintenance of a spiritual and community life that supports the congrega onal vision and dedica on. There is growing awareness of the need to develop ministry partnerships with other congrega ons and other organiza ons to sustain both individual ministries and a good work-life balance for the congrega ons.

Since independence in 1964, there has been a gradual increase of government involvement in educa on and health provision. This has resulted in a more equitable spread of ins tu ons, increased regula on, and support for these areas because of their importance in economic development and in social welfare. The ques on arises: is there a need for religious congrega ons in these areas, now that the needs are being looked er by other agencies, and their quality is monitored by the government? The ques onnaire yielded various responses to this ques on and suggests the need to develop a theology of apostolic life that clearly iden es these ins tu onal engagements in terms of response to Gospel mandates, evangeliza on, Chris an witness and discipleship – and inspires well-educated sisters in mind as well as in heart.

O en congrega ons maintain ins tu ons and works out of loyalty to their history and the people with whom they work. While the ini al involvement in an apostolate may have been a response con ngent on par cular circumstances, there is now a link between that history and the way members and others see the congrega on. O en such ins tu ons contribute signi antly to the nancial sustainability of the congrega on through sisters’ salaries and ins tu onal pro ts. Many congrega ons have also reflected on the speci needs of people in their area and sought new ways of responding to them. For some in rural areas, they have acquired land and operated it as a farm where members of a local community are bene ries and the sisters also gain from the produce. They have been to the forefront in responding to families hit by HIV/AIDS and s ll run home-based care services. Some adapted their mainstream apostolate of educa on by se ng up Community Schools for those who were forced to drop out of school because of the hardship caused in families by HIV/AIDS and other issues. In other cases they focused on speci ssues such as Jus ce and Peace, gender violence, pastoral work, catechesis, youth and family ministry. In some instances, congrega ons have entered into funding arrangements with interna onal donors to support these works.

Congrega ons also respond generously to requests to engage in diocesan ministries, especially in parishes. While congrega ons receive a s pend for the service of individual sisters, frequently this s pend does not cover the costs of suppor ng a sister. In addi on, individual sisters feel discouraged that they cannot contribute to the nancial sustainability of the congrega on, crea ng a major challenge to balance a sense of mission and the human sa sfac on that is derived from paid professional work. Congrega ons di er in their ability and willingness to engage in nego a ons on the jus ce issues involved in these situa ons. What conversa ons might be ini ated by ZAS to explore the complexi es of the ques on of remunera on and to develop a sense of mission that embraces congrega onal works (community or diocesan or government) from the perspec ve of service rather than nances?

“Leaders give priority to forma n programmes, seeing investment in forma on as an investment in the future.”

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As men oned earlier, St. Paul’s second le er to the Corinthians invokes the image of a farmer to stress the importance of generosity in the work of evangeliza on, but elsewhere Paul invokes the image of the human body to stress the importance of many laborers in the eld: “Now there are varie es of gi s, but the same Spirit… to each one is given the manifesta on of the Spirit for the common good… For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ (New American Standard Bible -1 Corinthians 12: 4,7,12).” Religious women have already begun to discern that sowing boun y in today’s eld of evangeliza on and service will require appre on of and collabora on with the many gi s present in individual congrega ns, in networking among and between congrega ns, in partnerships with ZAS and with dioceses, in coali ns within Church and society.

In most of the congrega ns interviewed, the leadership teams share responsibili es for governance and team members have a strong sense of their stewardship role regarding the gi s and the assets of the congrega on. Their dilemma is highlighted in this par pant observation: “The challenge for us all is to understand [the charism] and not just recite it – some es that rela nship between the head and the heart is s not there. Our Cons tu on was wri en by others – people who were trying to help us. It’s only now as we are w ng and re-wri ng that we are coming to understand it for ourselves.” That self-understanding is key to stewardship as is the development of a theology of apostolic life that would give greater understanding of the conne on between the works of the congrega n and its charism and trad on. Sharing the charism of each congrega on with a wider circle of persons is also an important considera on for future vitality of works and of congrega nal life.

Within the congrega n the primary resource of any congrega n lies in its individual members, therefore, nurturing the human and spiritual growth of each sister is founda nal to the vitality of the congrega n, its charism/ trad on. Leaders will need to ensure a quality programme of in al and on-going forma n. Here collabora on with other congrega ns and/or ZAS seems essen al so that formators are well-prepared and high quality resources are assembled for key forma ve modules. Likewise, partnerships, networks, and collabora ons within the local Church, with ZAS, and with all persons of good will are essen al. These will necessitate pastoral and strategic planning, short- and long-range analysis of nancial and personnel resources. In add on, since the works of the congrega n best reveal the talents and gi s of individual sisters, nding crea ve ways of funding the educa n and training for the apostolate is an urgent need.

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Partnerships with founda ns are central to the sustainability of religious congrega ns in Zambia today and into the near future. These partnerships will enhance the e e veness of congrega nal contribu ons and ensure greater equity in the strategic distribu on of funds for service and community. One respondent ques oned: “Are there donors who would commit themselves to fund a congrega n for a period of 3 – 5 years – not the way we go now with this donor, another e with another donor,…because then it would make us more secure than the one o funding.” In par ular, these partnerships can help dis nguish between system-level needs and the needs of individual congrega ns; facilitate investment in quality forma n programmes; and develop mu -annual approaches to funding in al training for ministry and training to upgrade quali ons, with a par ular emphasis on in al training.

ZAS might serve as a coordina ng body to involve congrega ns in planning and designing the partnerships with founda ns. The hope for such a future is caught in this interview response: “[It will be] very good if we can cooperate. I think it’s coming, sure it’s coming - even at ZAS level we should cooperate, share resources, share knowledge so that we learn from others and we are not just on our own. We will be very rich if we bring our resources together.” Clearly, combining the images of sowers and laborers, Zambian religious congrega ns steward a eld rich for harves ng. How will the various gi s be joined to produce the best possible yield for the Church and the world?

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“For a leader it is important to create a culture where individuals grow throughout their lives….there is a sense that individuals

sh when they use their God-given talents in his service.”

It is envisaged that this research although focused in Zambia will raise similar or add onal ques ons in other contexts an d cultures. This research instrument, together with the following ques ons, can provide a fru ul ground for comparison and re e on for individual congrega nal leaders and their leadership teams or for forma n, nance and other planning groups within congrega ns. The longer version of the report can be accessed in English only by using the link bit.ly/2bwpzaw

May your re e ons and conversa ns bear fruit.

1. “How we talk determines how we imagine together” (GHR Convening on Women’s Religious Life.) What are the important conversa ons that leaders of congrega ons are having among themselves and with others in your geographical region?

2. Where do you see collabora on, networking and solidarity happening across congrega ons and how might this be deepened and extended? 3. The research in Zambia iden ed forma on, educa on and training and choice of ministries as key areas for re ec on and future planning. Are these priority areas for your

congrega on? What other topics might you add? 4. How e ec ve is pastoral and strategic planning so that the charism of the congrega on is clearly linked with short and long term analysis of personnel and nancial resources in

order to crea vely plan for ministries which answer the needs of today, make best use of the gi s and talents of the sisters and help them to balance the demands of ministry and the deepening of their religious commitment?

1. Is the founding charism of the congrega on clearly expressed and understood? Are formators given su cient me to prepare for their roles? Do you o er a quality programme for ini al and on-going forma on?

2. How to balance the need for personnel for ministry with discernment of voca on to your par cular congrega on and charism? What kind of accompaniment and discernment processes are in place or need to be developed so that suitable candidates are accepted for forma on?

3. How to faithfully integrate the inherited expression of the charism of a congrega on in a way that speaks to local culture and witnesses to God at work in and through that culture?

4. How to respond to newer younger members who some mes ques on tradi onal approaches to forma on? 5. How to nd the human and nancial resources needed to provide quali ed personnel for e ec ve spiritual and intellectual forma on programmes? Might this be an

opportunity to involve the wider Chris an community and invite suitably quali ed persons to help animate di erent courses? 6. Has your congrega on explored the use of e ec ve spiritual and intellectual materials or programmes used for distance learning as part of forma on? How best to

share resource personnel across congrega ons? 7. “High levels of ri on o en accompany empts to professionally train temporary professed sisters.” Has this been your experience? What steps have been taken to

analyze ri on rates and as a result to adapt the forma on processes? 8. Integra ng sisters who have been away for long study periods during temporary profession back into community life has been a challenge? Has there been a system of

accompaniment when they were away from community and what steps have been taken during and a er study to reintegrate them? 9. To what extend is individualism and careerism a growing challenge in female congrega ons in your geographical region? 10. In conversa on with sisters who are studying have you iden ed spiritual disciplines and personal skills that would deepen their growth and iden ty as professed

women religious?

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1. How are the ongoing professional training needs of professed sisters monitored? Has a needs analysis been undertaken?

2. How to plan ahead so that personnel for speci congrega onal roles e.g. novice mistress, bursar, management of ins tu ons etc. are well prepared in advance?

3. Can Conferences of Religious plan so that speci roles which enhance religious life can be provided for e.g. canon law, spiritual direc on, theology and spirituality?

4. What new areas of need are emerging? Can congrega ons and other organiza ons working within a diocese address the need for par cular pastoral training to answer speci eeds?

5. How to plan for ongoing leadership training, team leadership, personal development, con ict management etc.?

6. How to educate lay people in the charism of the congrega ons?

7. The need for educa on and training has been iden ed in new areas such as – communica on, media and journalism, counselling, clinical psychology, psychiatric and geriatric nursing, community development, sociology, anthropology etc. Have these or other areas been priori zed in your congrega on/regions?

Educa n & Training Ch ic Ministry

1. How to balance commitment to tradi onal ministries with the demands of the new fron rs of ministry, especially when the former contribute to the nancial sustainability of the congrega on and the later need nancial support?

2. How to respond crea vely to newly emerging local needs? 3. How to balance a sense of mission and ful llment in mission

that is not linked to remunera on and where the sisters feel valued from the perspec ve of their service?

4. How to create a sense of common mission where the gi s of all are valued and where the remunera on of some sisters is seen as a resource to enable others to go where the need is greatest?

5. Has a good work-life balance been developed within the congrega on?

6. Are partnerships being developed between congrega ons and with other organiza ons in order to sustain ministries?

7. “As governments get more involved in the provision of educa on, health care and social services there is a clear need to demonstrate how congrega onal involvement in these sectors is in response to Gospel mandates, evangeliza on, Chris an witness and discipleship.” How to evaluate and document the di erence that sisters are making in these areas?

“As leaders let’s n w n is la n; it will be v d i can ate… We will be very rich i bring e her.”

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Notes

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