Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C.,  executive director of NRVC, was invited by America magazine to share his thoughts on the vocation impact of the December 16 Apostolic Visitation Report. He emphasized that although the numbers are fewer than in the past, some 1,200 women are in religious formation in this country, and several thousand others are in serious discernment.

See his commentary here.

The Sisters of Charity of Nazareth during a 2013 open house.

The World Day for Consecrated Life will be celebrated in U.S. parishes the weekend of February 7-8. The three U.S. leadership conferences and the U.S. bishops are encouraging religious communities to host open houses so that the public can learn about and celebrate religious life.

Click here to learn more about the open houses.

For resources, see the links below.

World Day for Consecrated Life materials
Year of Consecrated Life resources by VISION-NRVC
Vocation Resources for classroom, youth, young adults
 

For more from the leadership conferences about the open houses, see:

Leadership Conference of Women Religious

Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious

Conference of Major Superiors of Men

Loved the convocation? Or wish you could have attended? Click here to see this visual round-up of the highlights created by NRVC member Father Toby Collins, C.R.

It's not too late to purchase video or audio recordings of the convocation by calling AVM at 1-888-763-1464.

Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C. greets the newly installed Archbishop Blase Cupich of Chicago after his installation Mass.

NRVC executive director Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C. was invited to attend the November 18 installation Mass of Archbishop Blase Cupich, the Chicago area's new leader. Brother Paul had the opportunity to renew old acquaintances with Archbishop Cupich, as he served as the last chair of the former U.S Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Vocations when Brother Paul was a consultant. In 2007 the NRVC board met with Archbishop Cupich in Rapid City, South Dakota, his former diocese, as he also was the NRVC liaison to the bishops' conference.

NRVC encourages you to renew your membership today so you do not miss a single benefit, including the forthcoming Winter HORIZON. (The Winter edition will include all the keynote addresses from the recent convocation, perfect for reflection and community encouragement.)

For the easiest and fastest service, renew online by clicking here.

Two new video series on vocation discernment have become available for free online.

The U.S. bishops have produced a six-video series named “What is your call in life?” It is specifically aimed at Hispanic young people who want to understand their own life-vocation. Each video is available in both Spanish and English.

The Australian religious order Missionaries of God’s Love has produced an animated four-part series called “Discernment for Dummies.”

Of interest to vocation directors who work with men and women from abroad, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recently published “Guidelines for Receiving Pastoral Ministers in the United States," 3rd Edition. The chapters on financial and immigration law can be seen here. The same link also has information about workshops being offered January 8, March 12, September 10, and October 22 in different parts of the United States. Workshop registrants will receive a copy of the published guidelines. Others can order a copy here.

NRVC extends its condolences to the loved ones of two dedicated vocation ministers: Father Bob Lucero, O.F.M. and Ed Verbeke.

Father Bob Lucero, O.F.M.

Father Robert Lucero, O.F.M. was associate vocation director for the Franciscan Friars, order of St. John the Baptist, and was a resident of Cincinnati, Ohio. Also a longtime editor with St. Anthony Messenger, the 64-year-old friar passed away December 20 of cancer. A short tribute to this beloved member of NRVC can be found here.

Edmund Victor Verbeke was executive director of Serra USA Council for many years. A committed Catholic and friend of vocation ministers everywhere, Ed was well known to many in the National Religious Vocation Conference. The 80-year-old passed away December 4 of pancreatic cancer. A full obituary may be seen here. (No image of him was available.)

May the souls of these two faithful ministers, and the souls of all the faithful departed, rest in peace.

"God, Grant Me a Discerning Heart" is a popular resource, and this Spanish version of it contains materials for discerners and vocation ministers. Organized by topic, each subject area has recommended Scripture passages, open-ended questions, and specific questions based on a  behavioral assessment. While intended for individual discernment with adults, this resource can be adapted to use at discernment weekends. This month’s sale pricing is $6 for members and $9 for non-members. Order here or contact nrvc@nrvc.net.

Put HORIZON on your smartphone by following these easy steps.

1) Download the free Kindle app. Android users can download it from the Play Store. iPhone users can get it on iTunes.

2) Download HORIZON by logging into nrvc.net, searching for the edition you want in the upper-right search bar, then opening that edition. The site allows readers to download  a tablet-form file (.epub), Kindle-form file (.mobi), or pdf (which can be read on any device but is most suitable for a computer).

3) If your device does not automatically open your downloaded copy of HORIZON (or if you simply prefer to do most of your searching and downloading on a computer), then send the downloaded file by email to your Kindle email address. That is, use your regular email, attach a copy of the HORIZON file, and e-mail that file to your Kindle email address. If you aren’t sure what your Kindle email address is, see this link.

Once you’ve sent the file to your Kindle e-mail, your Kindle app will sync, and HORIZON will be in your Kindle library.

How long have you been in vocation ministry?
Four years.

Are you part of a vocation team?
Yes. We have a vocation team in the Los Angeles area and at each of our three universities (University of Dayton; St. Mary’s University in San Antonio, TX; and Chaminade University in Honolulu). Each team has a regional leader or coordinator. Our goal, of course, is to encourage all of our Marianist brothers, priests, and sisters to play a role in vocation ministry.

Has belonging to NRVC been helpful?
Definitely. The professional workshops have provided much practical guidance in everything from ethics to using technology and social media. The relationships, both occasional and ongoing, with other vocation ministers throughout the country have also been especially enriching and encouraging.

What has been your best outreach effort?
Our vocation discernment retreats have continued to be most helpful—they allow time for sharing information about our congregation, for prayer, and for interaction among young people who are asking some of the same questions about God’s calling in their lives. After that, the one-on-one companionship with candidates has been critical in the discernment process, and this can begin as early as the first time an inquirer contacts us through our website or through another brother, priest, or sister in one of our ministries.

Any words of wisdom to those who are new to this ministry?
There are best practices for vocation ministry, which NRVC shares so well, but there is no one way to do vocation ministry well, so don’t over-worry about finding the “right strategies.” Experiment and seek the advice and perspective of others, within and outside your congregation. Also, I remind myself regularly that vocation ministry is a mysterious work, a matter of faith and relationship with God—we can do much to help, but much is also out of our control and beyond the need for our control.

What do you find most rewarding about vocation ministry?
Working with men and women who are seeking to discover God’s call in their lives—it puts me in touch with my own vocation and relationship with God, and it calls me to greater integrity in living my own life as a Marianist brother. Naturally it’s also satisfying when someone does choose the life of a Marianist brother and persevere.