Future Loreto Committee – The Story So Far

Setting up a Ministerial Public Juridic Person (MPJP)

The Future Loreto committee, set up recently to investigate the establishment of a Ministerial Public Juridic Person (MPJP) for the Loreto Province of Australia and South East Asia (Province), held its first meeting in April 2021.

The committee, chaired by Sr Mary Wright ibvm, comprises Sr Anne Kelly ibvm, Sr Margaret Endicott rsm, Ms Margaret Kennedy – Loreto Ministries Limited (LML) Board Chair, and Sr Margaret Callaghan ibvm. All meetings to date have been held online due to the pandemic. Sr Mary is an experienced canon lawyer who has acted as a consultor to many Australian religious orders on this subject, while Sr Margaret Endicott has assisted with the establishment of several MPJPs in Australia and New Zealand.

We have planned a four-stage process over approximately two years. The process will cover investigation, decision making, transition, and operation.

During the investigation phase, the focus has been on communication with all key stakeholders in the Province. This commenced with letters from Sr Wendy Hildebrand ibvm to all Loreto Sisters (followed by a Q and A Zoom meeting), then to the LML Board and staff, and school Board Chairs and Principals. Meetings with the LML Board and school Board Chairs have subsequently been held. This newsletter will be sent out to all interested stakeholders every few months or as necessary.

After initial investigation and discussion, the Province Council accepted the committee’s recommendation to set up a MPJP.

We have now established three working parties to address: Mission and Formation, chaired by Sr Margaret Endicott rsm with Sr Christine Burke ibvm and Ms Carolyn Thompson; Legal issues chaired by Sr Mary Wright with Ms Nikki Patten and Sr Marie Marsh csb; and Finance and Property issues chaired by Mr Chris Pidcock with Ms Jill Ireland, Mr Frank Glynn and Ms Alison Brown. These working parties will make recommendations to the Future Loreto Committee, which in turn will decide on recommendations to the Province Council.

The working parties, and others as necessary, will be responsible for assembling the required documents for the petition to be sent to the Vatican, we hope, by mid-2022.

Author: Sr Margaret Callaghan ibvm