Letter to Members: CoR AGM Invitation

Conference of Religious Annual General Meeting (AGM) for Leaders 2026

New Realities, Challenges and Possibilities: Migration, Asylum, Refugees and Trafficking — Their Impact on Our Mission

Wednesday 6th – Thursday 7th May 2026 Facilitated by Jo Kennedy Highgate House Conference Centre, Northamptonshire

Dear Leaders,

We are delighted to invite you or your delegate to the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Conference of Religious, which will take place from Wednesday 6th – Thursday 7th May 2026, at Highgate House Conference Centre, Northamptonshire (NN6 8NN). The meeting will commence at 10am on the 6th and conclude at 4pm on the 7th.

This year’s AGM theme is New Realities, Challenges and Possibilities: Migration, Asylum, Refugees and Trafficking — Their Impact on Our Mission, and the meeting will offer space for reflection and shared discernment around these important realities.

Following last year’s successful gathering, and to provide some continuity, we are pleased to again have the very experienced facilitator, Jo Kennedy, with us for this year’s AGM. Alongside the formal business of the meeting, the meeting will include a range of contributions from individuals with knowledge and experience of the themes we are exploring.

The AGM agenda will include presentations from CoR’s leadership and key Committees, together with any required leadership elections. We will also receive the Annual Accounts from CoR’s finance lead, David Marretts, and Amanda Francis will join us to provide an overview of our audit arrangements for 2026 and beyond.

You are all encouraged to attend because the AGM provides a valuable opportunity for members to come together to network, share experiences, and to reflect on how our leadership roles impact our Communities and their work. The AGM also provides a platform for us to listen and hear experiences from each other, as we continue to strive to strengthen our ties with one another and as one Church.

Initially spaces for this year’s meeting are limited and each congregation is invited to send one leader or their representative, so your early registration is advised and welcomed. The cost of attending this year's AGM will be £300 per person, which includes a one-night stay, meals, a celebration dinner and tea and coffee throughout the event.

Please register as soon as possible using the following link: CoR AGM Booking Form 2026 – Fill in form.

For further information or assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact the Secretariat.

We look forward to welcoming you to this important gathering and to sharing in your insights and contributions as we discern together how we are called to respond to these realities.

Further details, including a finalised agenda, will be shared as the date of the AGM approaches.

With every good wish,

CoR Secretariat

Susan, Irene and Charlotte

On behalf of the Executive Committee

Letter from the CoR Collaboration Committee: 2026 Workshops

6th January 2027

Dear Members,

I hope that you have had a blessed and restful Christmas and a peaceful entry into 2026!

First of all, we want to thank you very much for completing the evaluation forms following last year’s Collaboration workshops. We were greatly encouraged and helped by your appreciation of the individual sessions as well as the annual programme as a whole, and we were most grateful for your suggestions for topics for this coming year. When we met to reflect on your feedback, it was clear to us that one or two topics need revisiting and could appropriately and usefully be held on-line rather than in person. In addition, we noted that issues other than those we have prioritised for the past two years - leadership, governance and management – are also in need of mutual exploration and collaboration.

We are therefore offering the following programme for 2026:

1. Vocations and Initial Formation.

On Thursday 26th February from 10.45am (coffee 10.15) to 3.30pm at Selly Park Conference Centre, Birmingham. This session will be an opportunity to explore the topic in the context of today’s world and the current life of Congregations. Sr. Liz Dodd SSJP will join others in contributing their thoughts and experiences.

2. Archives – a follow-up workshop

On Wednesday 11th March from 1.30 – 3.30pm. This will be held on-line by Zoom and will be led by Ms Jenny Smith, whose practical input was so much appreciated when she spoke at last year’s workshop.

3. Community dynamics and working with challenging behaviours.

On Wednesday 10th June from 10.45am (coffee 10.15) to 3.30pm at Selly Park Conference Centre, Birmingham. A psychologist will explore some of the dynamics at work in community relationships and how these can be better understood and worked with.

4. Transitioning to CIO – managing Governance and trusteeship.

On Thursday 9th July from 1.30 – 3.30 pm. This will be held on-line by Zoom and will be led both by professional advisors and religious leaders who have successfully transitioned to CIO.

5. Spirituality of Ageing.

On Thursday 24th September from 10.45 (coffee at 10.15) to 3.30pm at the Convent of the little Sisters of the Poor, Vauxhall, London.

As previously, we invite up to two representatives of each Member Congregation to attend the workshops. Attendees do not need to be the Provincial or leader, and could also be a lay colleague or collaborator involved in a particular area of the administration, community life, etc.

There is no cost for attendance and sandwich lunch will be provided; this is covered by your annual subscription.

Nearer the time, we will send out invitations relating to each of the workshops and ask you to book your place.

The booking form for the first two workshops is available here and should be completed and returned to admin@corew.org.

We look forward to seeing you at the 2026 Workshops, and to all our Members collaborating together as we move forward into the future.

Wishing you every blessing on you and your Congregation for the coming year,

Jane Maltby RSCJ

On behalf of the CoR Collaboration Committee