- Sharing assets within a Religious Institute: models, experiences and criteria.

SHARING IDEAS AND EXPERIENCES:

      *   12 religious families shared their experiences.

      *   Plurality and richness of identities, methods, expressions, but also SIMILARITY of problems, e.g. in the areas of training; identity as consecrated and worldly values (individualism, power struggles, capitalisation, consumerism, etc.); practical situations of sharing and related difficulties; joint funds; relationships between the Central Government and the provinces, as well as between one province and another; lack, in some cases, of a proper financial system…

            *   Need to understand the prime importance of finance, to change our outlook, not to be afraid of it, but to make it an object of interest and training.

SUGGESTIONS

1)   Sharing: a question of CULTURE

      - It has been noted that there is generally less willingness to share assets (which is a feature of consecration and the vow of poverty) and an increase in individualism, which makes people lose their sense of living in and belonging to a community, forgetting that what the religious produces or earns does not belong to him, but to the religious family and to the poor.

      - We need a new OUTLOOK, to bring back the sense of sharing.

      - Faced with the danger of all becoming alike, we need to bring our specific charisms back into the forefront.

      - We need to provide PRACTICABLE SYSTEMS that will give COMMITMENT TO DIFFERENT CULTURES an important place in the face of the financial situation and the change of outlook.

2)   Sharing: a question of TRAINING

-         Training for RELIGIOUS:

-    We are not trained in financial matters: we need to be trained to take responsibility, not to be dependent.

-  Finance should be compulsory in the Formation syllabus; include special courses as part of normal formation.

-         Training for TREASURERS:

-   Provide for specific studies and/or suitable courses.

-   Pay particular attention to treasurers in poor countries: well trained, independent treasurers are the first step in true sharing, something that is essential to help the poorer Provinces.

3)   Sharing between Congregations: an ASSOCIATION of GENERAL TREASURERS

-         Italy already has the CNEC (National Centre for Community Treasurers), but this is a little used source of information

-         Create an Association (Union) of General Treasurers

-         Envisage a “commission” (office or department) of the USG for financial matters / Each Institute to make materials it has produced regarding finance available to everyone, by depositing it with the USG

-         How can we get financial representation in the CIVCSVA, IOR, etc.…?

4)   Sharing between Congregations: A JOINT FUND

-         Many kinds already exist, with different names, structures and purposes:

                  Common fund (account)

                  Shared fund

                  Joint assets fund

                  Central fund

                  General aid fund

                  Solidarity fund

                  Fund for inter-provincial development

                  Fund for future commitments

                  Formation fund

                  Fund for grants (study awards)

                  Loan fund

                  Mutual fund

-         Structures: voluntary contributions or contributions fixed by the Council/General Chapter; the entire management surplus is paid in (from the community to the Province – from the Provinces to the Central Government); management by the Council, by an ad hoc Commission, by an international Commission; the General Council presents an annual budget for its own requirements (and a Statement of Account: how the monies have been used), Provinces in need put in requests for aid.

-      Questions relating to the import and ethical nature of capitalising goods and money, on the basis of evangelical criteria and the need for justice.

5)   Sharing and advice from non-religious consultants

      - A “community” of religious and laymen for “technical” aspects of finance

      - The aid of professional lay experts to give ADVICE

      - The need to educate these experts in the Charism of the Institute in order to achieve results that satisfy the demands imposed by our values.

      - We must avoid co-opting laymen because of friendship, keeping down the costs, favouritism, etc.

6)   Shared programmes and accounting plans

      a)         A programme of GENERAL PRIORITIES, which is above and which takes precedence over provincial and local priorities; the priorities at the latter levels should refer to this plan.

      b)         A CODE (Regulations) for the administration of assets.

      c)         The creation of legal BODIES apart from the Congregation, which should have their own autonomy, but which should work in a relationship of dependence and co-ordination with the Congregation.

      d)         Strategic planning of each individual Work against the overall framework of the Congregation and Province; the need for outline plans and estimated BUDGETS.

      e)         Joint accounting: accounting programmes that are the same and equal for the whole Institute, with the same codes of reference and methods of book-keeping.

7)   Sharing and transparency

      - The need for TRANSPARENCY at all levels

      - The need for everyone to have sufficient KNOWLEDGE of the subject

      - Shared INFORMATION: all the financial data of each Province and of the Central Government should be distributed to all the Provinces: in order to share assets we must know what and where they are / develop a communications network to enable the possibility of inter-provincial subsidies

      - Regular MEETINGS on financial issues at various levels (general, provincial, local)

8)   Sharing as an expression of solidarity

      a) Ad intra:     by means of a Common Fund and inter-provincial subsidies

                             aiming for and maintaining financial self-sufficiency in the Provinces

      b) Ad extra:     in favour of those who are poorest

                             the need to be more courageous in our view of the future, by condemning what is bad and giving a real and practical demonstration of poverty (“we are seen as a rich Church”).