Letter to Members: Invitation to Vocations Forum

Dear Members,

Following changes within the National Office for Vocation (NoV), the Religious Life Promoter role has come to an end, and the Bishops’ Conference is now undertaking a review of the National Office for Vocation.

CoR remains very conscious of the importance of supporting and encouraging vocations to Religious Life, and we are considering how we can best continue to support this work within the limited resources available to us.

As part of this, we are in contact with the regional vocations groups and are working with them to consider how CoR can best support this important area of work going forward. CoR has very limited financial resources which significantly limits our ability to fund anything substantial unless other sources of income can be identified.

We also know that many of our members have Sisters, Brothers and Priests who are actively involved in vocations work, and we would very much value their experience and ideas.

We are therefore inviting members to join an online Vocations Forum on Thursday 15 October, from 10am–11.30am, led by Sr Mary Deane PBVM, a member of the CoR Executive.

The forum will provide a space to hear from those involved in vocations work, share experiences and ideas, and consider together how CoR might best support this important area going forward.

We recognise that this invitation is being sent primarily to congregational leaders and that you may not personally be involved in vocations work. We would therefore be very grateful if you could forward this invitation to the appropriate people within your congregation who are involved or interested in vocations.

Please register for the forum using the Zoom link below. Once registered, you will receive the joining details directly: https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/hn8YSGOQT0yn_95r0TlYcg.

We very much hope you, or those involved in vocations work within your congregation, will be able to join us.

With many thanks and best wishes,

CoREW Secretariat

Letter from Sr Dr Una Coogan CJ Lead Religious for Safeguarding Regarding CSSA Survivor Reports

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Re: Downloads

Survivors Experience of the Catholic Church CSSA Report July 2026
Survivors Experience of the Catholic Church CSSA Summary July 2026

The Catholic Safeguarding Standards Agency (CSSA) has recently published a significant report capturing the lived experiences of survivors of abuse. These testimonies are a vital contribution to our shared safeguarding mission, offering honest insight into how the Church’s actions are felt by those who have suffered harm.

I strongly encourage you to read and reflect on the reports (a summary and the full report). They provide important guidance for all Religious Life Groups, helping us to strengthen our practice, deepen our understanding, and make our engagement with victims and survivors more meaningful and responsive.

The voices within these reports call us to a deeper listening, a more honest reflection, and a continuing conversation about how safeguarding is embedded consistently across the Church and within our own communities. Their experiences challenge us to grow, to learn, and to ensure that our commitment to safeguarding is lived out with integrity, compassion, and accountability.

Thank you for your ongoing dedication to this essential work.

With every good wish,

Sr Dr Una Coogan, C.J.
Lead Religious for Safeguarding
Strategic Council for Catholic Safeguarding (SCCS)
Mobile: 0773 5535123