Dear Members, Partners, and Friends,
As we continue our journey into the Christmas season, we know that the graces and gifts of this time will continue to unfold. We’re excited by the creativity and possibilities that await us in the year ahead!
In this time of new beginnings, we would like to share an important update on the pilot initiative between the Religious Formation Conference (RFC) and the Leadership Collaborative (LC).
In April 2023 the LC and the RFC announced a 3-year pilot initiative that embraced shared leadership and collaboration between the two organizations. During the spring and summer both organizations explored what this initiative would look like and began to take first steps in its implementation. We focused these initial efforts on operational collaboration, which included time for both staffs to get to know each other better, a survey of programming synergies, and the opportunity to embrace new modes of administrative oversight. We’re grateful for all we’ve learned over the past several months and thank the teams at both organizations for their excellent work.
At our November joint board meeting we determined the need to shift collaboration to the Executive Committees and Boards of both organizations.
Over the course of the next several months, the Executive Committees and Boards of RFC and the LC will identify ways in which the organizations can best work together in service to religious life. We trust that the Spirit will lead us in this process, and look forward to the fruit our committed efforts will bear.
During this time of discernment, the organizations will operate independently. This includes Linda Buck, CSJ resuming her role as Executive Director of the LC and Ryan Hoffmann, DMin serving as Executive Director of the RFC. In addition to executive leadership, staffing, programming, and administrative tasks will return to their respective organizations.
At the outset of our initial discernment last spring we acknowledged our uncertainty around where this path would lead us and our organizations. At this time, we believe the Spirit is inviting us to slow down, listen deeply, build relationships, and continue to discern how we’re being called to collaborate in this focused time of synodality in our Church. We are motivated by the wisdom of Pope John Paul II, shared by Timothy Radcliffe, OP at the retreat prior to the opening of the Synod on Synodality: “affective collegiality must precede effective collegiality.”
As this New Year takes root, we’re mindful of the promise of new beginnings. Please keep us in your prayers as we continue to build affective and effective collegiality and lean into this new time. We will be sure to communicate well as our discernment unfolds.
Blessings in the year ahead,
Mary Hughes, OP and Montiel Rosenthal, SC | Leadership Collaborative| thelc.global
Adaku Helen Ogbuji, CCVI and Wayne Fitzpatrick, MM | Religious Formation Conference | relforcon.org