Besides being the canonical heads, religious superiors are also the administrative heads of the religious communities and of their apostolic works. Therefore, the superior is appointed the Vice-President/Secretary of the Governing Board of legal institutions and as an authorized signatory to all the bank accounts of both the community as well as the works. By virtue of their appointment to various offices, supeiorrs have the faculty within their limits to exercise their authority for ordinary administration. However, for acts of extraordinary administration, they need the required canonical permission of the Provincial.
- Superiors’ Role in Temporal Administration
At the local level, superiors have the responsibility to administer the goods. They administer the goods they are responsible for diligently and faithfully, in accordance with the laws of the Church and of the Religious Congregations they belong to. They exercise their administrative role in the following manner:
- They administer the goods of the works through the Heads of the institution and the Treasurer. Once a responsibility is delegated to a subordinate, superiors need to respect the principle of subsidiarity and allow them to function with the necessary freedom and support them in the decisions made. However, they coordinate and animate all the ministries of their communities.
- Through regular meetings with the heads of the institution, the superiors keep themselves informed and take a personal interest in what is happening.
Fr Alex G. SJ
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