I am NRVC
I am NRVC
I've been the director of vocation ministry for the De La Salle Christian Brothers, Midwest District for three years.
Yes, currently four of us are on our vocation team; we are each located on one of our three university campuses.
Yes, enormously helpful, right from the start. I started right as the pandemic hit, so unfortunately my orientation was all online, hardly ideal in a ministry that is so relational, but I found the sessions and manual very helpful. Brother Chris Patiño, F.S.C. was a true mentor for me, and he recommended that I get involved with NRVC both nationally and locally. And so I have! The 2022 convocation in Spokane was delightful, letting me finally meet my peers in person, rather than on a screen.
The most helpful for me has been all the screening information for new candidates and the ethics around responsible sharing of information. I also find HORIZON very helpful and full of ideas and suggestions.
I serve as an agent for my province, and while I certainly advocate for a new candidate and his possible progression in formation, I must always remember that my primary concern is to assess whether this young man is a good fit for our province and culture.
Accompanying young people as they inquire and discern God's call in their lives. As a former teacher and campus minister, I feel at home with young people and their energy and concerns.
During a January term in college in Minnesota, I took a calligraphy course taught by a Benedictine nun, and those four cold winter weeks learning calligraphy have served me well for all these years.
Sister Rejane Cytacki, S.C.L. thinks big when it comes to vocation ministry. She converses with women from around the world who are interested in “a nun’s life,” which is also the name for the longstanding ministry that she heads up, A Nun’s Life Ministry. A member of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Kansas, she is also part of a five-person vocation team for the Charity Federation. Read more...
Sister Jean Rhoads, D.C. says that more recently she has been trying to strengthen her relationship with campus ministers so that she can be invited to events they are already doing. Prospective discerners will participate more when an event is already a part of campus ministry. Learn more here. Read more...
Sister Kathleen Persson, O.S.B. of the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia became vocation and formation director just as COVID hit the nation. The good news is that she wasn’t already used to doing lots of in-person activities. Seeking a way to virtually connect with people, she turned to YouTube and became the producer of “Benedictine Bytes.” Read more...
Consecrated life runs in the family for Sister Jill Reuber, O.S.B. She's a triplet, with one of her sisters belonging to another Benedictine community. Find out what ideas for vocations are working for Sister Jill these days as she walks with women considering life as a Ferdinand, Indiana Benedictine. Read more...
"It is essential that vocation ministers have a good support system of friends and 'truth tellers' who will keep us honest, support us in those difficult times, and challenge us in times when we might become complacent," says Father Joe Nassal, C.PP.S., who has been involved in vocation work for decades. Read more...
As part of their successful "Vocation Culture Project" Augustinians annually hand out 30,000 mini-posters of their men in formation. They ask people connected to their ministries to display the poster as a reminder to pray for the men in the poster, for themselves, and for all discerners. Read more...
"NRVC has been a wonderful source of support and encouragement in my ministry," says Sister Anna Maria Lionetti. "I have received much in the way of formation by attending the convocations, and these moments have helped me network and be enriched by the experience of other vocation directors." Read more...
"Listen, listen, listen. Be available to young people. Go where they are and stay awake, literally as well as figuratively. Their schedule is not 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday! Don’t be afraid to ask lots of questions, especially of seasoned vocation directors. Don’t get stuck on numbers. Be faithful to your call as a vowed religious, and live with joy!". Read more...
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