Religious institutes today stand at a pivotal moment in their collective story. Institutes everywhere face the reality of a world in significant distress. Intertwined social, economic, and ecological crises are reshaping needs throughout the world and revealing the limits of former ways of responding. The call to mission endures, however, and responding to global challenges now requires more than adaptation. It demands a fundamental shift in understanding, expressing, and living mission locally and beyond.
Many religious communities are reexamining and clarifying their priorities for the future. They are coming to a deeper understanding of their mission and their reason for being. Some hold excess financial resources and wonder how they might use them to make a meaningful, systemic impact in a complex and rapidly changing world.
This moment invites considering a new model of philanthropy — one that draws on the rich traditions of Catholic Social Teaching, including spirituality, justice, and community, while reimagining how resources, social capital, and partnerships can foster systemic change.
Beyond charity: The need for systemic transformation
Traditional philanthropy often focuses on crisis response: emergency rooms, hotlines, shelters, and food banks. While these services are vital, they address symptoms rather than the structural forces that repeatedly push people back into crisis. Classic charitable giving may ease immediate burdens, but it does not dismantle the systems that perpetuate inequality.
In A Spirituality of Justice and Peacemaking, Richard Rohr describes social justice as the work of naming and transforming the political, economic, social, cultural, religious, and mythical systems “so as to name and change those structural things that account for the fact that some of us are unduly penalized even as others of us are unduly privileged.” Charity may respond to immediate need, but justice seeks to uncover and alter the underlying patterns.
These patterns and systems are often hidden, layered, and historically entrenched. They shape who succeeds and who struggles — not only people, but also regions, cultures, and creation itself. Practicing social justice means examining these forces, challenging them, refusing to participate where possible, and actively working to change them.
Religious institutes, grounded in long histories of service and spiritual reflection, are uniquely positioned to ask deeper questions:
- Do we want to respond to crises again and again, or do we want to help build resilience?
- Have we relied too heavily on a model that makes donors feel good instead of fostering true transformation?
- What does it mean to understand the systems that create the need for charity in the first place?
As Milton Friedman’s individualistic ethos of “pull yourself up by your bootstraps” still shapes economic and social thinking, Sr. Elizabeth Johnson, CSJ, says that the Christian experience and spirituality of today “prizes not isolation but essential connectedness; not body-mind dualism but the holistic, embodied person; not patriarchy but inclusive feminism; not militarism but expenditure for the enhancement of life; not tribal nationalism but global justice.”
This vision of global justice calls for a more honest appraisal of privilege, environment, and the conditions that shape people’s lives — holistically and communally. This vision expands beyond charitable acts to a worldview rooted in interconnectedness and mutual flourishing.
The power of social capital and community building
Many religious institutes have meaningful social capital. Their longstanding presence in their communities and strong relationships position them to bring people together, build trust, and create networks of support. This type of capital can be more influential than financial resources. Religious members often hold deep relational authority in their communities; they can convene conversations others cannot and draw in people who would otherwise remain on the outskirts of the conversation.
It is understandable, then, how religious institutes, and Catholic Sisters in particular, might be considered the model for “community organizing”: listening deeply, walking with people, building relationships across differences, and working together for the common good.
Community organizing in this way can be the catalyst for real systemic change. Such transformation happens in communities through partnerships that honor the agency of those most impacted, encouraging people to speak and advocate for themselves in spaces where people are actively and compassionately listening. We cannot define resilience for others, but we can create access points that allow people and communities to discover their own.
Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ, founder of Homeboy Industries and author of Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion, writes, “Compassion isn’t just about feeling the pain of others; it’s about bringing them in toward yourself. If we love what God loves, then, in compassion, margins get erased. ‘Be compassionate as God is compassionate,’ means the dismantling of barriers that exclude.” The compassion Boyle describes is not passive, nor does it allow for self-importance. This is counter cultural.
To pursue systemic change requires a shift toward intentionally engaging those whom society often pushes to the margins. Systemic change asks us to listen to people’s lived experiences, accompany them, and help address structural challenges rather than quick solutions. It also requires collaboration and meaningful partnerships.
Partnership as a pathway to impact
The goal of community organizing is not to replace existing work or to downplay the importance of charitable organizations, but to join with organizations already advancing justice or offering charitable services. Collaboration acknowledges that “we are better together,” not diminished by sharing mission with others.
Once a religious institute has identified your priorities for the future and you know your “why,” you might consider: What does a holistic view of global justice look like today? Who is already working for such a transformation? How can we join them?
You might consider the following:
- What authentic partnership means to you and what you would seek in a collaborative relationship (consider your values, charism, mission, and your priorities for the future)
- Evaluating your resources (unused property, investments, networks, or the wisdom and credibility of your community members) and what you can offer in a potential partnership
- Understanding the different models of philanthropy and discerning where your community can make the most meaningful impact
A philanthropy that appeals to the heart
Ultimately, transforming our social structures requires an appeal “so deep, so universal, and so moral” that people cannot turn away (Rohr). Resources drive much of our modern society, so a new approach to philanthropy could make a meaningful shift in our world. This shift will only succeed if it is profoundly connected to the heart of mission.
Religious institutes have long modeled this heart-centered approach. Today, their evolving philanthropic practices can extend that legacy by supporting the systemic work needed to bring about a more just and resilient world.
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The views and reflections expressed in this blog are solely those of the authors, shared in their capacity as consultants who primarily support Catholic religious institutes as part of the Plante Moran Realpoint religious institutes team. They do not necessarily represent the views, beliefs, or positions of Plante Moran or Plante Moran Realpoint. We provide this content for informational purposes to serve our religious institutes audience and do not endorse any particular religious tradition or affiliation.
