Thirty-three women religious representing diverse approaches to religious life gathered in Chicago, February 18-22, to talk, pray, and seek "next steps" for encouraging a robust future for religious life in the U.S. 

The goal of the gathering, convened by NRVC and supported by the GHR foundation, was to develop strategies for women religious to address new membership issues common to all women's institutes. As those strategies are put together, NRVC will keep its members informed.

An insight that emerged from more than one participant was:

"There is a growing synergy between leadership and vocation personnel as well as among religious congregations to build up the church and society by our combined witness." 
--Sister Michele Vincent Fisher, CSFN

Photos: Top, Panelists discuss membership-related issues.  Right, Small groups respond to questions.

VISION 2015 Year of Consecrated Life Survey will be be a main feature in the forthcoming edition of VISION. Be sure to take this short survey by clicking here. Your responses will remain completely confidential.

Also, a reminder that VISION 2015 ad reservations are due March 28 (material is due April 28).  You won't want to miss being part of VISION 2015. It will carry special features in honor of the Year of Consecrated Life, which commences in October of 2014.

Representing NRVC, Sister Deborah Borneman, SSCM, associate director of programs and resources, attended the annual membership meeting in Seattle, WA, of the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry (NFCYM) February 3-7. NRVC is one of over 40 paid, collaborating members who gathered together with over 200 affiliated diocesan members to discuss national priorities within the field of Catholic youth ministry and to forward the work of the NFCYM.  Sister Debbie also engaged in preliminary discussions about NRVC involvement in NCYC in 2015 (National Catholic Youth Conference).  For more information about NFCYM, read the NFCYM 2013 State of the Federation report, which was presented at the meeting.

Photo: Sister Deborah Borneman, SSCM, NRVC associate director, shares a smile with Carolyn Adrian, exhibits manager for the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry.

NRVC and VISION vocation guide are compiling photos of religious life for use in our publications and other media. We want to include as many good, clear, well-composed images as possible depicting the major themes in religious life:  prayer, community, ministry, etc.  We are seeking pictures of all types: color, contemporary, historical, black and white, etc.

If you are willing to share your wealth, we ask that you send us some of your best pictures, along with basic information, such as:

-- names of people in the photo,

--name of community,

--year photo was taken,

--any other details about the photo you would like to share.

Please direct questions to TrueQuest Communications Executive Editor Patrice Tuohy, pjtouhy@truequestweb.com or (312) 356-9900.

National Catholic Sisters Week is taking place March 8-14, 2014 with a series of events taking place at St. Catherine University, Minneapolis, MN and other events happening around the country. This first-ever commemoration of Catholic sisters has been spearheaded by a group affiliated with St. Catherine University and takes place during Women's History Month.

Learn more at the St. Catherine website,

NRVC is offering the workshop "Ethical Issues," by Father Raymond P. Carey,  July 8-9, 2014 at the DePaul University downtown campus in Chicago. This popular workshop has been well-attended for many years. It is part of the curriculum that NRVC suggests for every individual involved in vocation ministry.

Sister Palepa Ioane, SMSM, who attended last year's Summer Institute wrote this about the "Ethical Issues" workshop: "The number of participants was just enough for our workshop to run smoothly. There was enough time to answer each individual’s questions.  I got to know each person in our group in a way that spoke to us as collaborators in vocation ministry."

Sign up today by clicking here.

Full information about other Summer Institute workshops is here.

NRVC mourns the death of member Father Jim Madden, MM who passed away January 9, 2014. Born in 1933,  and ordained in 1960, Father Madden was an active member of NRVC and helped to host regional NRVC meetings at his community’s property in Maryknoll, NY.

A dedicated priest and missionary, when Father Jim began serving in vocation ministry three years ago, he wrote: " I can honestly say that I have enjoyed every mission assignment I have received in my 50 year experience as a Maryknoll Missioner."   His community posted this remembrance of him.

"Ten Questions Parents Ask about Church Vocations"  is a popular, colorful brochure with accurate information for parents about living religious life in the twenty-first century.  These make ideal handouts for parish gatherings, high school events,  confirmation retreats, etc.  They can easily be inserted into parish bulletins or left at ministry sites. 

Available in English and Spanish in packs of 25.  Member Price:  $10 for 25 brochures.  Non-member price: $15 for 25 brochures.

Catholics on Call invites young people, ages 18-30, who are considering a life of service in the church to attend in August its 2014 Young Adult Conference. Participants will have the opportunity to connect and pray with other like-minded young adults, to hear nationally-known speakers, discuss how to listen to God’s call, and to learn valuable skills that will help them to discern their vocation, whether it be to priesthood, religious life, or lay ecclesial ministry.

This five-day conference will take place August 5-9, 2014 at Catholic Theological Union in the Hyde Park neighborhood of Chicago. Registration is $100 and includes room and board. For an application, go to www.catholicsoncall.org, or for more information, contact Birgit Oberhofer at catholicsoncall@ctu.edu or (773) 371-5431.

Photo:  Young people react to a speaker during a Catholics on Call  summer conference.

The Religious Formation Conference is hosting a series of gatherings to commemorate its 60th anniversary. Entitled "From Center to Periphery: Relocating the Prophetic Witness of Religious Life," the keynote presenters for these gatherings will be Richard Gaillardetz, Ph.D.,  Joseph Professor of Theology at Boston College, and Caroljean Willie, SC, Ph.D., NGO representative at the United Nations, Sisters of Charity Federation.  The dates and locations:

May 2-3, 2014                  Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet   Latham (Albany), NY
September 19-20, 2014  Felician Franciscan Sisters                Chicago, IL
September 26-27, 2014  Providence Health and Services        Rennton (Seattle), WA
October 10-11, 2014       Atchison Heritage Conference Cntr  Atchison, KS
October 17-18, 2014       Our Lady of the Lake Convent           San Antonio, TX      

For more information and registration, click here.

How long have you been involved in vocation ministry?

I have been vocation director since 2009.

Are you part of a vocation team?

Yes, I oversee vocation ministry in our three regions: Western U.S., Eastern U.S., and the United Kingdom (England and Scotland.) The East and UK regions have a vocation team member who is responsible. I am usually the first contact made by an inquirer through our website or through VISION. I send information to the inquirer, and then, if she is in the UK or Eastern U.S., another team member gets in touch.

Has being a member of NRVC been helpful?

Yes, NRVC, both national and regional, has been an immense help to me. I have attended many NRVC convocations and workshops and always come away with new ideas, more connections with vocation ministers and a sense of celebration of who we are as a multi-faceted church. Father Ray Carey’s workshops have been most valuable to me in being able to identify “red flag” areas concerning potential candidates and determining how to proceed with an inquirer. The workshops on cultural diversity and canon law/immigration issues have also been extremely helpful.

What has been your best outreach effort?

In recent years our new members have been very diverse: e.g., Latina, Korean, Kenyan, Nigerian, Indian, Irish, etc. In 2012 our formation director and I planned and implemented a program for all three regions of our congregation called “Interculturality: Embracing Diversity in a Global World, Global Church, Global Congregation.” Sister Tere Maya, CCVI led the presentations and served as a resource on interculturality and its implications for vocation and formation ministry. This program helped achieve a greater consciousness among our sisters and associates about the value of interculturality as an expression of our charism of peace through justice.

I also use my graphic design skills for creating welcoming and attractive information materials (brochures, banners, PowerPoint presentations, etc.) for vocation ministry—both for our congregation and for our inter-community vocation work in the Pacific Northwest.

Do you have any words of wisdom to those who are new to this ministry?

I encourage people in vocation discernment to consider this question: “Where can I live out my dreams and hopes in a healthy, happy, and holy way?” As a vocation minister and a woman religious, I also try to live in a way that is healthy, happy, and holy!