Cultivating fertile soil: Formation for canonical governance

The fall in the number of religious staying in or joining religious life has become a significant issue for the governance of Church ministries, especially those in health, education and social welfare. Increasing numbers of lay people are becoming involved in senior management and governance responsibilities. The level of involvement of the laity had not been envisaged in the Code of Canon Law. Further the nature and importance of such roles raises the question of appropriate formation of the laity in governance informed by, and under the jurisdiction of Canon Law, i.e., canonical governance. This study researched the formation needs of lay people to undertake canonical governance roles and sought to develop a framework which would be relevant to address their needs.