2022 Convocation

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2022 Convocation

Registration is open

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Join us for Convocation!

Registration is open for our biennial Convocation hosted by the Pacific Northwest Member Area, in Spokane, WA, November 3-6, 2022.

The venue is the Davenport Grand Hotel, 333 W Spokane Falls Blvd., Spokane, WA. The NRVC has contracted a block of rooms for three days prior and 3 days after Convocation for a reduced rate of $122 per night plus 18% taxes. While it may be cheaper for reservations elsewhere, the NRVC depends upon your reservations to keep the overall rate of the conference affordable. If we do not meet our contracted rooms, the NRVC will be penalized financially. Thank you for reserving your hotel room through NIX.

Check out the four Pre-Convocation workshop choices:

Convocation Registration in three easy steps

1. Register at the NRVC online store for the conference, pre-convocation workshops, and trip before October 1, 2022.

2. Reserve your room at the Davenport Grand Hotel by October 1 directly with NIX here. Please do NOT call the hotel for reservations or use a third party option. A credit card is needed to make your reservation but you will not be charged until you check in. Register through NIX here.

3. Book your round trip travel to Spokane Airport (GEG) through the airline of your choice: Alaska Airlines, Allegiant Air, American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Southwest Airlines, or United Airlines. Your ground transportation choices include taxi, Uber, Lyft, or car rental to/from the hotel which is just 10 miles from the airport.

Schedule

PreConvocation workshops, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., November 3, 2022

First time attendee gathering, 4:45 p.m., November 3, 2022

Opening Ritual begins at 7:00 p.m., November 3, 2022

Closing Banquet ends at 9:00 p.m., November 5, 2022

Optional bus trip to Idaho: November 6, 2022

Planning your budget

An opening reception on Thursday evening, lunch on Friday and Saturday, along with the closing awards banquet on Saturday, are all included in your registration fee. There are several restaurants within walking distance from the hotel. There is also a restaurant in the hotel and breakfast available for $12-$18.

NRVC member early registration rate: $500

Non-member early registration rate: $750

Pre-Convocation Workshop member rate: $180, includes lunch & 2 workshops

Pre-Convocation Workshop non-member rate: $270, includes lunch & 2 workshops

Post Convocation Excursion to Idaho: $125 includes lunch

Hotel overnight rate is $122 plus 18% taxes. This rate is available from October 31 through November 9, 2022.

Late registration fee after October 1: $100 more

Cancellation fee before October 1: $100,.All registration fees are non-refundable after October 1, 2022.

If you need financial assistance, the NRVC Misericordia Fund is available to help with Convocation registration fees. For information and applications, please click here.

Rewind the Future Roundtable Conversation

Ten years ago in 2012, the NRVC published the Keys to the Future video unpacking the 2009 NRVC/CARA Study on Recent Vocations to Religious Life. The NRVC has invited five Keys to the Future video participants to a roundtable conversation with Sr. Miriam Ukeritis, CSJ, one of the researchers from the Future of Religious Orders Study published 30 years ago in 1992. What changes have they experienced in religious life since 1992 and 2012? How do they keep moving forward in hope? This lively roundtable will include time for table conversation for all Convocation participants to ponder aloud what we percieve to be the keys to the future of religious life. Rewind the Future Roundtable presenters can be accessed here.

Keynote Presenters

Sister Barbara E. Reid, O.P. is a Dominican Sister of Grand Rapids, Michigan and holds a Ph.D. in Biblical Studies from The Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. She is President of Catholic Theological Union and Carroll Stuhlmueller, CP, Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies. Sr. Barbara has taught at CTU since 1988 and served as Vice President and Academic Dean from 2009-2018. She has led may study tours and retreats in the Holy Lands. Sr. Barbara is author of twelve books and numerous articles, most recently the two-volume commentary on the Gospel of Luke that she co-authored with Prof. Shelly Matthews in the Wisdom Commentary series for which she is also General Editor.

Father vănThanh Nguyễn, S.V.D., is a missionary priest of the Society of the Divine Word and has served on the Catholic Theological Union faculty since 2005. He is Professor of New Testament Studies and the holder of the Francis X. Ford, M.M., Chair of Catholic Missiology at CTU in Chicago, IL. He is an associate editor of the Journal of the International Association for Mission Studies (2013-present), and the managing editor of the Journal of Association of Asian/North American Theological Educators (2013-present). He has authored several books and numerous articles including, “Acts” in The Jerome Biblical Commentary for the 21st Century, and “What Does the Bible Say About Strangers, Migrants, and Refugees?”

Nominations for Awards now being accepted

As we look forward to our upcoming Convocation in November, we ask for your prayerful consideration to recommend candidates for the NRVC Outstanding Recognition award. This award is given at the Convocation banquet to acknowledge an individual NRVC member who has made an outstanding contribution to vocation ministry. All nominees must be NRVC members for at least 3 years. Please read the qualifications, complete the nomination form by August 1, 2022. Any NRVC member can make a nomination and all NRVC members are eligible to be nominated for this prestigious award. The NRVC Board selects among the nominations.

The Mustard Seed award is presented to an individual/group who has made a significant impact on vocation ministry through small, local initiatives that have taken root and expanded to include the efforts and contributions of other individuals, groups, and organizations, thus growing a culture of vocation that raises awareness locally and even nationally. This individual does not have to be a member of NRVC or a vocation director. Any NRVC member can make a nomination for the Mustard Seed award and must be nominated by August 1, 2022. The NRVC Board selects among the nominations.

Donation Custom

It is the custom of the Host Area to select a local non-profit organization for the collection taken at the closing Mass at Convocation. The Pacific Northwest Member Area has selected Transitions. This organization works to end poverty and homelessness for women and children in Spokane. Catholic Sisters from the Sinsinawa Dominicans, Sisters of the Holy Names, Sisters of Providence and the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia came together in 1995 and combined these services, founding Transitions. At Convocation 2020, 169 NRVC members donated $5200 to the National Black Sisters Conference.

Liturgy

Communal and personal prayer are important values of the NRVC. Each day, Mass will be celebrated along with opportunities for Communal Prayer. A prayer room will be located in the hotel for those who seek a quieter, contemplative space.

Travel excursion

Join us for an extra day on Sunday from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm on a chartered bus trip to visit the Historic Silver Valley in Idaho: beautiful Lake Coeur d’Alene, Old Mission State Park, Cataldo Mission, Sacred Encounters (a world class exhibit, telling the story of the Jesuits and Coeur d’Alene Tribe), Lunch at the Snake Pit built in 1880 for fur traders and miners, and the Crystal Gold Mine with unusual crystal formations. We'll be home in plenty of time to enjoy a free evening to relax in downtown Spokane!

This excursion requires some walking, the tour company states: "You walk into the side of the mountain, the ground is flat and it is fine for seniors. All participants in activities and use of facilities contracted for shall be undertaken by each individual at his or her own risk. Group Coordinators shall not be liable for any claims, demands, injuries, damages, actions, or causes of actions whatsoever to person or property arising out of or connected with the use of any services or facilities arranged for or the premise where the same are located, or arising out of acts of active or passive negligence on Group Coordinators, its owners, servants, agents or employees."

Cost: $125 which includes bus transportation, meal, entrance fees, and driver tip. Register here.

Convocation Logo

This vivid artwork embodies the 2022 Convocation theme: Call beyond Borders, recognizing God’s endless call to holiness. The swirling waters, gusty wind, and airborne dove speak of the vibrant symbols of the Holy Spirit moving freely beyond borders. The Spirit beckons us to be fearless in following Christ through vowed religious life in community, prayer, and ministry; living interculturally and intergenerationally, across multiple frontiers.

The Convocation Logo was designed by Sister of Providence, Joni Luna, S.P. who integrated her Native American heritage to create this beautiful, colorful Convocation logo. Sister Joni entered her congregation in 2012 and made her perpetual profession in 2021. At Sister Joni’s thirty-day retreat before profession, an Ojibwe elder gave to her the Native American Spirit name, Gidagaamegwandookwe, which translates to spotted feathered woman. Sister Joni is an NRVC member, currently serving as vocation director for her congregation. She participated in the 2021 Summer Institute.