Spring & summer events

2019 Summer Institute

Registration is open

The NRVC will offer five workshops in Chicago July 9-24. All workshops begin at 8:30 a.m. and end at 4:30 p.m. The following courses will be offered, all of them on the campus of the Catholic Theological Union in the dynamic lakeside neighborhood of Hyde Park. Registration for Summer Institute will open in February.

Orientation Program for New Vocation Directors
July 9-13

Ethical Issues in Vocation and Formation Ministry
July 15-16

Behavioral Assessment 1
July 18-20

Due Diligence in Vocation Ministry
(for those involved in vocation ministry for four years or more)
July 18-20

Communication Skills to Promote Vocations

July 22-24

Click here to register now

Helpful information

Our annual Summer Institute will offer five workshops at Catholic Theological Union (CTU) in Chicago, July 9-24, 2019. Choose to attend one or several workshops. Located in the popular Hyde Park neighborhood at 5401 S. Cornell Avenue, CTU is easily accessible from both Midway (MDW) and O’Hare (ORD) airports by shuttle, taxi, and Uber/Lyft. CTU is located on the South Side of Chicago, on the shore of Lake Michigan and the home of NRVC. Parking and lunch are included in your workshop registration for both residents and commuters.

This year we are offering two workshops simultaneously July 18-20 to provide a membership density experience. You will have the opportunity to network with more people at breaks and lunch to magnify your experience for a greater impact in your ministry.

Overnight Accommodations

For the convenience of participants, affordable housing is contracted through CTU. Enjoy the convenience of having a private air-conditioned bedroom and bathroom, along with linen service, wi-fi and continental breakfast. It is within walking distance of several restaurants for supper (they also deliver), Lake Michigan, Walgreens, Office Depot, the Post Office, and the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry. The CTA bus comes frequently to go to the Chicago Loop just seven miles away. Limited rooms are available; make your overnight accommodations when you register for your workshop. Please do not call CTU for reservations as we are in a contract for blocked rooms.

If you need overnight accommodations at CTU, register as a resident (if you will drive to/from the workshops each day, register as a commuter). Reservations are contracted for arrivals after 3:00 p.m. the day before the workshop begins and check-out is at 9:00 a.m. the day after the workshop ends. This means you are responsible for the full payment of the room reservation, regardless of your arrival and departure date. Unfortunately, room reservations cannot be made for earlier arrivals or later departures. Please call us if you are traveling from overseas to check availability to accommodate your special needs. You can store your luggage at the NRVC offices until you are ready to leave on the day of your departure. If you are staying for the next workshop, you will not need to check out.

Please note that these accommodations are designed very simply for university students and short stays at an affordable rate of $115 per night, per person. If you need more amenities, make your reservation at local hotels located just a half mile away: LaQuinta Inn, Sophy Hyde Park Hotel, and Hyatt Place Chicago-South. Therefore, if you are staying elsewhere and do not need overnight accommodations at CTU, register as a commuter.

Daily Liturgy

As per our custom, Mass is celebrated daily during all workshops. We rely on our ordained participants to preside and welcome all others to assist in liturgical leadership. All workshops begin with communal prayer and there is a Chapel located on campus for personal prayer. The local parish is within walking distance.

Late Registration

Registrations for workshops received after June 23 will incur a $100 late fee per workshop.

Cancellations

Cancellations for workshops and/or accommodations must be received in writing before June 23 to receive a full refund, less a $100 processing fee per workshop. After the deadline, all fees are non-refundable for the cancellation of workshops and/or accommodations.

I really liked the location in Chicago because there are so many places to go for food and entertainment. I liked the hands-on approach in all the workshops. I will be using ideas from the presentations in my daily work.

--Sister Carolyn Brink, RSM

Summer Institute provides a variety of religious communities/orders the opportunity for sharing of experiences and rich insights from the presenters.

Brother Stephen Kpunsa, F.M.S. from Poughkeepsie, NY

2019 NRVC Workshop Information

Schedule & fees

General Information

This year, NRVC is offering nine workshops intended for vocation ministers, formation teams, communicators, religious leadership, and others entrusted with the assessment of discerners and candidates. Workshops are designed from the NRVC three-component curriculum for those who wish to deepen their understanding of the complex theological, spiritual, psycho-sexual, ethical, and diversity issues often present in contemporary vocation ministry.

These workshops are in line with the mission of the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) to provide membership with educational opportunities, resources, and other supportive services that strengthen and enhance the practiced ministerial skills of those serving in vocation ministry. NRVC strongly suggests that vocation ministers participate in continuing educational opportunities not only to attend to their own vocation and faith formation and to further develop their professional competencies, but to keep up-to-date on trends, issues, skills, and best practices in the field of vocation ministry.

2019 Workshop Schedule

Summer Institute at Catholic Theological Union, Chicago, IL

Orientation Program for New Vocation Directors, July 9-13

Ethical Issues for Vocation and Formation Directors, July 15-16

Behavioral Assessment 1, July 18-20

Due Diligence in Vocation Ministry, July 18-20

Communication Skills to Promote Vocations, July 22-24

Fall Institute at Marillac Center, Leavenworth, KS

Behavioral Assessment 2, October 8-9

Behavioral Assessment 1, October 11-13

Orientation Program for New Vocation Directors, October 15-19

The Art of Accompaniment and Discernment, October 21-23

Workshop registration fees

Workshops are open to NRVC members at a discounted rate and for non-members at an affordable price. All NRVC workshops (which includes lunch) are consistently priced at $175 per day per NRVC member, regardless of the topic or speaker. Non-members pay $260 (an additional 50%) per person per day for each workshop. If you would like to become a member to receive the discounted rate, click here. Overnight accommodations are $115 per night for anyone in need of housing regardless of membership status. Registration begins in early February.

Late Registration

Registrations for workshops received after the following dates will incur a $100 late fee per workshop:

Summer Institute: The late fee begins on June 23

Fall Institute: The late fee begins on September 22

Cancellations

Cancellations for workshops and/or accommodations must be received in writing before the dates listed below receive a full refund, less a $100 processing fee per workshop. After the deadline, all fees are non-refundable for the cancellation of workshops and/or accommodations.

Summer Institute: The cancellation deadline is June 23.

Fall Institute: The cancellation deadline is September 22.

Financial assistance available

To assist NRVC members with their professional development, the Misericordia Scholarship Fund is available. Scholarship funds can be applied to NRVC workshops, however they do not cover the cost of transportation, accommodations, meals, or personal expenses. If you need financial assistance to attend an NRVC workshop, please email Sr. Debbie at debbiesscm@nrvc.net for an application.

The programme was very well organized. I appreciated the schedule and the interaction from the presenters and participants. Everything was close in proximity, access to food, Mass, internet, etc.

—Sister Winfridah Chileshe, R.S.C. from Dublin, Ireland

I appreciated Sr. Debbie’s knowledge, helpfulness, insights and generosity. I feel the members of our vocation and leadership team ought to attend these workshops.

--Sister Cheryl Wint, O.S.F. from Honolulu, Hawaii

National Catholic Sisters Week, March 8-14

National Catholic Sisters Week (NCSW) invites all to celebrate women religious from March 8-14.

NCSW is an annual celebration that began in 2014 to honor women religious with a series of events that instruct, enlighten, and bring greater focus on the lives of these incredible women. It’s a chance to recognize all that they do, with the hope that as more young women learn about women religious, more will choose to follow their example.

Visit the NCSW website, nationalcatholicsistersweek.org, to learn about the organization, find an event near you and join in honoring women religious, or plan an event of your own and spread the word.

Check out the new curriculum developed by the National Catholic Sisters Project in English and Spanish.

World Day of Prayer for Vocations, April 25, 2021

Resources and links to Pope's message

World Day of Prayer for Vocations Prayer Card — NRVC Vocation Prayer Card. Order your copies from the NRVC store.

The purpose of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations is to publicly celebrate vocations to ordained ministry and religious life in all its forms. Many parishes and religious institutes commemorate this day with prayer for vocations and vocation promotion events. Considering that 73 percent of women and men professing final vows participated in one or more parish activities and 88 perecent served in one or more parish ministries before entering religious life, our presence and participation in activities that mark this special day is essential. Consider asking parishes for opportunities to speak, pray, provide bulletin inserts, prayer cards, and conversation before and after Masses, in religious education programs, RCIA and confirmation formation classes on this day.

Dear friends, on this day in particular, but also in the ordinary pastoral life of our communities, I ask the Church to continue to promote vocations. May she touch the hearts of the faithful and enable each of them to discover with gratitude God’s call in their lives, to find courage to say “yes” to God, to overcome all weariness through faith in Christ, and to make of their lives a song of praise for God, for their brothers and sisters, and for the whole world. May the Virgin Mary accompany us and intercede for us.

--Pope Francis, World Day of Prayer for Vocations, 2020.

Prayer for World Day of Prayer for Vocations

Holy Spirit, stir within us the passion to promote vocations to the consecrated life, societies of apostolic life, diocesan priesthood, and permanent diaconate.

Inspire us daily to respond to Your call with boundless compassion, abundant generosity, and radical availability.

Help us to remember our own baptismal call to rouse us to invite the next generation to hear and respond to Your call.

Inspire parents, families, and lay ecclesial ministers to begin a conversation with young Catholics to consider how they will live lives of holiness and sacred service.

Nudge inquirers and motivate discerners to learn more about monastic life, apostolic life, missionaries, cloistered contemplative life, and evangelical Franciscan life.

Ignite our Church with the confident humility that there is an urgent need for religious sisters, brothers, deacons, and priests to live in solidarity with those who are poor, neglected, and marginalized.

Disrupt our comfortable lives and complacent attitudes with new ideas to respond courageously and creatively with a daily 'YES!' Amen.

Additional vocation prayers

Resources offered by the USCCB

Resources offered by Serra International

Rosary for Vocations with the Luminous Mysteries

World Day of Prayer for Vocations Doodle

NRVC member, Sister Chela Gonzalez, O.P. was inspired to create a doodle for World Day of Prayer for Vocations. This coloring page can be used with all ages who want to pray through art. Sr. Chela used the rosary as the core focus of her design, using any Mystery of the Rosary. The lower left swirl is for the Apostles Creed while the lower right swirl is for the Hail, Holy Queen. Each of the diamonds (two at the top and three at the bottom) are for the Lord’s Prayer, while each row of circles represents five Hail Mary prayers. The Glory Be prayer is prayed after praying ten Hail Mary prayers, and the artist can color in the design around the circles. This design is meant to intentionally bring one into prayer while coloring. The person can prayerfully name those who are discerning vocations, those who have already committed to single, ordained or vowed life, as well as asking for direction to answer God’s continuous call to holiness.

Papal Messages for World Day of Prayer for Vocations

2020 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message

2019 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message

2018 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message

2017 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

2016 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal messsage.

2015 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

2014 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

2013 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

2012 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

2011 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

2010 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

2009 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

2008 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

2007 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

2006 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

Religious Brothers Day, May 1

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Religious Brothers Day is held annually on May 1, the feast of Saint Joseph the Worker. All religious brothers are recognized during this international event. Prayer services and reflections for celebrating this day are available at ReligiousBrothers.org

For more information about Religious Brothers that may assist you in celebrating this vocation, download:

The NRVC has published a series of Abundant Hope videos which includes Brothers. The following videos are publicly available to share for Religious Brothers Day and at other events to promote the vocation of Brother:

Here are the links to the NRVC member institutes with religious brothers:

Alexian Brothers

Augustinian Friars, Eastern Province

Augustinian Friars, Midwest Province

Augustinian Friars, Western Province

Augustinians of the Assumption

Barnabite Fathers and Brothers

Benedictine Monks, Assumption Abbey

Benedictine Monks, Christ the King Priory

Benedictine Monks, Mount Michael Abbey

Benedictine Monks, Newark Abbey

Benedictine Monks, Saint Procopius Abbey