Pathways, July 2010
The preliminary findings of a new survey on religious life in Australia was discussed and reflected upon by delegates at the National Assembly.
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Fr Noel Connolly SSC
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In introducing the draft report of the 2009 Survey of Religious Life in Australia, Father Noel Connolly SSC said the image that comes to him is from Chapter 43 of the Book of Isaiah.
"In this passage the people are sitting by the waters of Babylon and longing for the temple in Jerusalem but Isaiah says do not remember the things of old, the new is emerging but you cannot see it."
With survey authors, Stephen Reid and Robert Dixon, Father Noel coordinated the 2009 Survey of Religious Life in Australia, which was undertaken on behalf of Catholic Religious Australia (CRA) by the Pastoral Planning Office of the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference.
The survey was commissioned by CRA to get a picture of the membership at the present time, to consider trends for the future and to understand more fully the important role that Catholic Religious play in the Australian Church and society.
The survey is the first one to be undertaken since 1976. While the 1976 survey was conducted with individual priests, brothers and nuns, this survey was with religious congregations. One hundred and sixty one congregations, orders, societies and associations responded to survey, which could be completed online or in print form.
The 2009 survey identifies that there are around 8,500 Religious in Australia. The average age is 73 with Religious women making up just over 70 per cent of all Religious. A quarter of priests, nuns and brothers are retired and 47 per cent of all congregations in Australia have fewer than 26 members, while a further 21 per cent have between 26 and 50 members.
While the survey shows that Australia's Religious are ageing and decreasing, they are also broadening the type of ministry they are involved in with a movement away from institutional apostolates like education to the more social and pastoral apostolates found on the margins of society.
Father Noel said the most important question from this survey was what form would religious life take in the future.
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Sr Patty Fawkner SGS
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Speaking at the National Assembly, Sister Patty Fawkner SGS commented that religious life has evolved since the days of the desert fathers and mothers.
"This report for me highlights the continuing evolution of religious life. Religious life will continue to evolve even in its diminishment. I think at this particular time in our evolution, God is calling Religious to deeper communion with each other, deeper communion with our lay partners, deeper communion with our bishops, not by any default dynamic, but by a mutually enriching dynamic at the service of God's reign."
Father Tim Norton SVD said from the survey we can easily see that in Australia, Religious are a much older group, yet there is much energy.
"There is now a great diversity in ministry as compared with the 1976 survey so the questions that come to me are: how do we use that energy, what is enabling us to minister for longer and what do we need so that we can keep ministering."
Father Frank Moloney SDB said the future of Religious would not be like the past and Religious could not go on doing what they were doing so well.
"New frontiers there must be, but these must be determined by our own interpretation of religious life rooted in our experience and passion for God."
Father Frank said that more than ever today, the light that should shine from religious life in Australia should not come from structures and institutions.
"It must shine forth from our identity, credibility and visibility, our experience as consecrated persons, living in quality communities, reaching out to new frontiers."
He said this would only be possible if Religious have a strong sense of the mystical, the result of their experience of God, the following of Jesus Christ and their availability to be led wherever the Spirit is leading them.
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Fr Stephen Curtin SJ
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Father Steve Curtin SJ also sees a more mystical future for Religious men and women.
"As the theologian Karl Rahner said, 'The Christian of the future will be a mystic or he will be nothing at all'," commented Father Steve.
He said there would always be young people who have God as the love of their life and they'll continue to join religious orders.
"It is our duty to nurture that vocation and that mystical love affair with God."
Father Steve said it was not as important that religious orders survive as that the Gospel is lived and not just preached.
"We need to be building partnerships with lay people and forming lay people and reaching out beyond our institutions. What we do is much less important than who we are and what we are. It's the reason why Catholic people want religious life to survive because they have a sense that we are connected with God and they want that."
Outgoing CRA President, Sister Clare Condon SGS added that the survey report was a work in progress.
"It is CRA's hope that it will be a catalyst for much reflection, prayer and discussion. Religious life is always dynamic. There is nothing static about our lives and service. Charism, the work of the Spirit, defies limitation, categorisation or statistical charts. However, the data and information contained in the report may be a source from which we can explore more fully our current reality and our future directions."
CRA expects to publish the final report of the survey by the end of August this year.
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