In May 2018, the Emerging Futures Committee of Catholic Religious Australia (CRA) commissioned the ACBC National Centre for Pastoral Research (NCPR) to design a survey to send to all institutes of Clerical Religious, Religious Brothers and Religious Women in Australia. The survey was designed to gather empirical data about the current reality of religious life—the numbers, age groups, ministries and planning that was already occurring. A similar survey was undertaken by the office in 2009. The final report, See, I am Doing a New Thing!, was published in 2010.
The findings of the previous research predicted a decline in the religious population in Australia, owing to resignations, deaths, reassignment of individual religious to other parts of the world and permanent closure of provinces or congregations with members leaving Australia. The findings also suggested that arrangements for the ownership, governance or operation of institutions owned by religious congregations would continue to change in the future.
Research Objectives and Methods
The 2018 study had two aims:
1. To evaluate and record each congregation’s membership and demographic details.
2. To record details of the ownership, governance or operation of institutions owned by religious congregations and the creation of new PJPs (Public Juridic Persons).
The CRA and the NCPR invited all congregational leaders in Australia to complete a survey questionnaire online or in hard copy. The survey opened on 29 May 2018 and closed on 15 October 2019. 156 completed responses were received. Of these, 105 responses were from Religious Women, five responses were from Religious Brothers, 35 responses were from Clerical Religious, four responses were from Institutes of Consecrated Life, six were from Societies of Apostolic Life, and four were from Associations of Christ’s Faithful.
The data gathered in the survey included:
- membership numbers,
- numbers of first professions,
- deaths and departures,
- ages of members,
- locations by state,
- birthplace of members,
- ministry involvement,
- institutions owned, sponsored or operated by religious congregations, and
- Public Juridic Persons (PJPs) created since 2009.
Report
A final report was provided to the CRA in December 2019. The survey findings were intended to help the CRA Emerging Futures Committee gather concrete data about the current reality of religious institutes: the numbers, the age groups, the ministries, and the planning already occurring. This would ensure that the CRA was better placed to assist leaders and leadership teams in the future.
The findings of the survey are also due to be published soon in the Australasian Catholic Record. Further details will be provided in due course.