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2020-12-31-accounts

Mater Ecclesiae College

Charity Trustees’ Annual Report and Accounts for the period ended 31 December 2020

Registered Charity No: 1186431

Contents

Pages
Charity Trustees 2
Governance and Management 2
Explanation of the work of the CIO 3
Activities 3
Achievements and Performance 4
Financial Review 4 - 5
Plans for the future 5
Declaration 5
Independent Examiners report 6
Receipts and payments account 7
Statement of Assets & Liabilities 8
Statement of Accounting Policies 9
Notes to the receipts and payments account 10

Mater Ecclesiae College P a g e | 1

Registered Charity No: 1186431

Mater Ecclesiae College

Charity Trustees’ Annual Report for the period ending on 31 December 2020

Charity Trustees

The charity trustees are pleased to present this first report of Mater Ecclesiae College (referenced later as the CIO) which was registered as charity number 1186431 on 19th November 2019. The registered office is at St Mary’s University, Waldegrave Road, Twickenham, TW1 4SX.

The CIO was formed to advance the Catholic religion for the benefit of the public, by:

a) Conducting the Ecclesiastical Faculties of Theology and Philosophy founded by the English Province of the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits) in Leuven in 1614 and transferred from Heythrop College to St Mary's University on 17th July 2019;

b) Conducting any other ecclesiastical faculties that may be erected in addition to the ecclesiastical faculties mentioned in (a) above, whether as an ecclesiastical university or otherwise;

c) Providing such other education and formation as is incidental to the objects set out in (a) and (b) above.

The Charity Trustees for the whole of the period were as follows:

The Most Revd Bernard Longley The Right Revd Professor Charles Roderick Strange The Revd Dr Simon George Gaine OP The Right Revd John Francis Sherrington The Most Revd George Stack Professor Gavin Gregory D’Costa The Most Revd Malcolm Patrick McMahon OP The Most Revd John Wilson

Governance and Management

The governing document of the charity is the Mater Ecclesiae College Constitution adopted by the charity trustees in August 2019, which became recognised by the Charity Commission when the Charitable Incorporated Organisation was registered on 19[th] November 2019. The Charity Trustees are the Governing Body of the Ecclesiastical Faculties of Theology and Philosophy conducted by the CIO under the canonical Statutes of the Faculties made by the Governing Body and approved by the Holy See.

Under the Statutes made by the Governing Body, operational details are delegated to the College’s Operational Board, which meets 3 times each academic year.

The Charity Trustees work entirely on a voluntary basis.

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Registered Charity No: 1186431

Explanation of the work of the CIO

Mater Ecclesiae College, the Pontifical Athenaeum based at St Mary’s University, Twickenham, opened at St Mary’s in autumn 2019. Mater Ecclesiae College is the latest civil incarnation of the Ecclesiastical Faculties of Theology and Philosophy founded by the English Province of the Society of Jesus (The Jesuits) in Leuven in 1614. Known most recently as the Bellarmine Institute, it had been a part of Heythrop College, a chartered college within the University of London. The Jesuits’ decision to close Heythrop as a College of the University of London was finalised in 2018, when students who had been studying for civil degrees there completed their courses.

With the closure of Heythrop College, it became urgent to re-locate the Ecclesiastical Faculties of Theology and Philosophy to St Mary’s University as Mater Ecclesiae College, in order to continue the intellectual formation of the students at Allen Hall, the seminary of the Archdiocese of Westminster.

Activities

The main activities of the CIO are:

Firstly, to provide opportunities for the study, teaching, and research of Theology and Philosophy in a way that promotes a more profound knowledge and understanding of Christian revelation, and of those matters connected with it; to enunciate systematically the truths contained therein; to consider in the light of revelation the most recent progress of the sciences and to present them effectively to the people of today.

Secondly, to provide students with an education in Catholic doctrine in the first, second, and third cycles (baccalaureate, licence and doctorate); to prepare them to carry out their future tasks effectively and to provide for the continuing education of the ministers of the Church.

Thirdly, to collaborate closely in the work of evangelisation with the hierarchy and with the local and universal Church.

Fourthly, to establish fruitful collaboration with other Ecclesiastical faculties and with nonEcclesiastical faculties and centres of Theology and Philosophy.

Under the arrangements with St Mary’s University, Twickenham, students will typically study a civil Bachelor’s Degree in Theology (‘BA (Hons) in Theological Studies’) awarded by St Mary’s, and also a Sacrae Theologiae Baccalaureus or Bachelor of Sacred Theology (‘STB’) which is awarded by Mater Ecclesiae College.

Since the autumn of 2019, while many courses were being taught at Allen Hall Seminary, students also attended the St Mary’s campus each Thursday. They quickly came to appreciate the arrangements that had been made for them and the opportunity to meet and mix with St Mary’s undergraduates who were taking similar courses.

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Registered Charity No: 1186431

Achievements and Performance

The academic year 2019-20 was the first full academic year for MEC. The college thus approved the prior studies of STB students who had previously completed their studies for the STB in 2018-9 at with Bellarmine Institute and/or KU Leuven, along with teaching and administering the studies for STB students in year 2 and year 3. For year 1, the first cohort were enrolled on the ‘dual award’ degree, beginning both STB and BA studies, which will enable them to graduate with both an ecclesiastical and a civil degree in 2022. As mentioned above, the pattern of study involves both delivery at Allen Hall seminary and one day a week at St Mary’s Strawberry Hill campus in Twickenham.

During the following academic year, 2020-2021 (part of which fell within this accounting period) there have been 37 students studying at Mater Ecclesiae, 21 following the joint degree, civil and ecclesiastical, while 16 have been studying for the STB alone. In the coming academic year, 2021-2022, there will be 25 students pursuing the joint degree (STB and BA) and 13 visiting students for the STB alone, topping up and validating what they have already done. With sundry others there will be 45 students altogether who are students of Mater Ecclesiae. At the end of the academic year in 2022 the first joint cohort of students should graduate.

This past year 12 students from Allen Hall were due to graduate and at the same time, proposed for graduation, were 4 other students from Allen Hall and 5 students from St John’s, Wonersh, whose BTh was transferred to an STB. A further 5 students who began at St John’s will be proposed for graduation next year. And it is worth noting that among those graduating this year were a Norbertine and an Oratorian. The student body includes at present two other Oratorians, a Vincentian, Augustinian and Salesian, and they will be joined by another Oratorian and three more Salesians this coming September. It is encouraging to see Religious Orders forming links with Mater Ecclesiae in this way. There is moreover the possibility next year of a lay student from Hong Kong who would be studying for an STB.

It is also worth noting that there will probably be some students at Mater Ecclesiae quite regularly who, because of studies they have completed previously and qualifications they have acquired already, are only studying for an ecclesiastical degree. However, these variations which seem complex during this transition period, will no doubt become simpler as procedures become more settled.

Financial Review

This is the first period for the CIO. Whilst Mater Ecclesiae College is an independent institution, it has a collaboration arrangement with St Mary’s University, Twickenham. Under this arrangement, the teaching is arranged by St Mary’s and much teaching takes place on the premises of St Mary’s University.

A Service Arrangement exists between the CIO and St Mary’s, and there is a charge of £50,000 plus VAT per annum to the CIO, for the University’s provision of the following services:

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Registered Charity No: 1186431

Financial Review (continued)

The College’s students are permitted to have access to library facilities at Allen Hall Seminary.

The charges are reviewed on an annual basis and may be increased to reflect the scale of costs, activity levels and inflation.

Management and transactional accounting for the CIO is carried out by St Mary’s Finance Department. The charity trustees are grateful to the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales for providing funding for the above costs.

During the period ended 31 December 2020, the entirety of the College’s income was paid to St Marys University by way of the agreed service charge, with all the running costs of the college being covered by the University. The College therefore had £nil net receipts or payments during this period. The College did not have its own bank account during this period, and it had no assets nor liabilities as at the period end.

Reserves policy

The CIO is in the early years of its formation, with its activities being funded by a donation from Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales, received via the Catholic Trust for England and Wales. The trustees will develop a meaningful reserves policy in the next few years.

Plans for future years

Whilst in these early days we are concerned with admission of students to the STB, we are also planning to offer other ecclesiastical degrees in the future, the STL, STD, and JCL.

Meetings have also been held with St John’s Seminary, Wonersh, so that their students too might take advantage of what Mater Ecclesiae College has to offer; a number of their students have since visited and been welcomed.

Declaration

The charity trustees declare that they approved the report and accounts for the period ended 31 December 2020 on 25[th] October 2021.

Signed: John Sherrington

Bishop John Sherrington, Chairman of the Governing Body on behalf of the Charity Trustees

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Registered Charity No: 1186431

Independent Examiner's report to the trustees of Mater Ecclesiae College

I report to the trustees of the Mater Ecclesiae College (the charity) on my examination of the accounts of the charity for the period from 19 November 2019 to 31 December 2020.

Responsibilities and basis of report

As the charity trustees of the Charitable Incorporated Organisation you are responsible for the preparation of the accounts in accordance with the requirements of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Act’).

I report in respect of my examination of the Trustee’s accounts carried out under section 145 of the 2011 Act and in carrying out my examination I have followed all the applicable Directions given by the Charity Commission under section 145(5)(b) of the 2011 Act.

Independent examiner’s statement

I have completed my examination. I confirm that no material matters have come to my attention in connection with my examination giving me cause to believe that in any material respect:

I have no concerns and have come across no other matters in connection with the examination to which attention should be drawn in this report in order to enable a proper understanding of the accounts to be reached.

Amanda Francis, Independent Examiner 27 October 2021 (Member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) Buzzacott LLP 130 Wood Street London EC2V 6DL

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Registered Charity No: 1186431

Mater Ecclesiae College

Receipts and payments account for the period 19 November 2019 to 31 December 2020

Notes Total funds*
£
Receipts
1
Donations 60,000
Sub Total (Gross income for Annual Return) 60,000
Asset and investment sales —
Total Receipts 60,000
Payments
2
Service charge paid 60,000
Sub total (Gross expenditure for Annual Return) 60,000
Asset and investment purchases —
Total Payments 60,000
Net receipts/(payments) —
Transfers between funds —
Cash funds last period end —
Cash funds this period end —

*All funds are unrestricted

There are no comparative figures because the CIO was registered on 19 November 2019.

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Registered Charity No: 1186431

Statement of Assets & Liabilities at 31 December 2020

----- Start of picture text -----
Total Funds
£
Total Cash funds —
Other monetary assets —
Investment assets —
Total Assets —
Liabilities —
Total Net Assets —
Total Reserves —
----- End of picture text -----*

*There are neither Assets nor Liabilities as at the period end

There are no comparative figures because the CIO was registered on 19 November 2019.

Signed on behalf of all the trustees

John Sherrington

Trustee Date 25[th] October 2021

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Registered Charity No: 1186431

Statement of Accounting Policies

A. Basis of preparation

The accounts are prepared on a receipts and payments basis as permitted under section 133 of the Charities Act 2011 (‘the Charities Act’).

B. Fund accounting

Unrestricted funds are general funds that are available for use at the charity trustees’ discretion in furtherance of any of the objectives of the charity.

C. Comparative figures

There are no comparative figures because the CIO was registered on 19 November 2019.

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Registered Charity No: 1186431

Notes to the accounts 31 December 2020

Total funds
1 Receipts
£
Donations – Catholic Trust for England and
Wales-Contribution towards running costs
60,000
Total
60,000
2 Payments
£
Service charge to St Mary’s University
60,000
Total
60,000
3 Related party transactions

The Most Revd Bernard Longley, a trustee of the CIO, is also a trustee of the Catholic Trust for England and Wales, a charity that has donated £60,000 to the CIO as contribution towards its running costs.

There were no other related party transactions.

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Registered Charity No: 1186431