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Given the stewardship nature of the role, it is important that the charity trustees have a degree of continuity and that changes are made gradually and if possible, over a long period of time.
When appointing charity trustees, usually through the superior, the institute, needs to consider not just the next term of of ce (often four or ve years) but how the charity will continue after that date. It is important to consider whether those charity trustees currently serving or being appointed will be in a position to serve another term of of ce to ensure continuity. Furthermore, as institutes consider restructure and future needs, they need to ensure that suitable individuals are on hand to implement those long-term plans.
For each institute the pace of change is different and a matter of personal preference and resources. The close relationship between the charity and
the institute often means that the charity is seen as part of the “family”. The thought of allowing “outsiders” into the management of the family is for some, unthinkable. However, there remains a need to balance appropriate skills on the trustee body.
In July 2012, the San Francisco Auxiliary Bishop Robert McElroy in discussing the issue of introducing lay trustees in US Catholic Schools took the view that charity trustees often fall into the pitfall of: “Treating the mission as an artefact that ceases to be living and renewable. While acknowledging the inheritance of great traditions, the mission cannot remain rooted in the last century.”
A much more positive view was put forward by Mary Reynolds RSM in addressing CORI in 2005: “Religious congregations do not envisage the
handing over of trusteeship ... as a “closing down” but rather the passing on of something that they have pioneered and developed. The handing over, which is likely to be a gradual process rather than a one-off event is full of opportunity
for empowerment and partnership. To engage with the future lay trustees in developing a theological foundation for trusteeship, to co-devise ... the canonical and legal structures that allow them to assume public trust of ... their responsibility ... is an exciting and enriching project. This is a time when congregations can be heroically generative as they transition their legacy to new forms and empower and trust others to bring it forward.”
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