April 2015 newsletter

April 2015 newsletter


International Vocation Conference

Builds collaboration

NRVC sent members a report on March 15 about the International Vocation Conference, which convened in Rome February 23-27. The report discussed some of the common challenges that vocation organizations experience.  It also looked at signs of hope and opportunities for the future. 

Find the full report here.  To see photos of the conference, click here. For a video report about the conference, click on this link to a Rome Reports production.

Top left: Participants meet with representatives from the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life (CICLSAL). Top right: A small-group discussion between Father Christopher Jamison, O.S.B. (England), Sister Nanise Degei, S.N.D. (Fiji), and Father Hank Lemoncelli, O.M.I. of CICLSAL. Bottom left: Brother Paul gave some of the participants a tour of St. Peter's early in the day. Bottom right: All participants of the International Vocation Meeting.



NRVC board meets

Reviews projects, appoints members

The NRVC board met at Mundelein Seminary outside of Chicago from March 11-15. The board reviewed the status of the various grant projects and the progress made on the NRVC strategic management plan, especially as it pertains to the NRVC administrative structure. The director of Member Relations and Services, the director of the National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations, and Patrice Tuohy from TrueQuest Communications gave reports in their respective areas.

Father Toby Collins, C.R.

Sister Kristin Matthes, S.N.D.deN.

The board and NRVC staff also enjoyed a combined in-service training on communications given by Father Dominic Grassi from the Archdiocese of Chicago.

The following board members were renewed for another two year term: Sisters Maria Iannuccillo, S.S.N.D.; Priscilla Moreno, R.S.M.; Michele Vincent Fisher, C.S.F.N.; Brother Thomas Wendorf, S.M.; and Fathers Donald Miller, O.F.M. and Vince Wirtner, C.P.P.S. Sadly, Mr. Mark McGuthrie has resigned from the board for personal reasons.

The board also appointed two new members:

Father Toby Collins, C.R., a Resurrectionist Priest from Waterloo, Ontario, has been vocation director for three years. Having served four years previously as an associate pastor, Father Toby brings to the board great skills in media and communications.

Sister Kristin Matthes, S.N.D.deN., has been a member of her province vocation team for three years. A founding member of Giving Voice, Sister Kristin currently serves as a pastoral associate at St. Camillus Church in Silver Spring, Maryland.



Workshop for Spanish-speaking sisters

NRVC and Catholic Extension collaborate

The group that is planning a workshop for Spanish-speaking sisters gathered recently in San Antonio.

 

In late March NRVC and its partner, Catholic Extension, held the first planning meeting for designing a workshop for Spanish-speaking sisters from South America who minister in the United States. The meeting took place at the Oblate Renewal Center in San Antonio, Texas.

The workshop's aim is to assist these sisters in becoming relevant, proficient, and credible pastoral ministers who are also confident vocation promoters. This event will include presentations, small-group activities, and time for participants to network with one another. This workshop will address the Theology of Call; Clarity and Appreciation of Culture; Role and Responsiblities of Vocation Promoters; and Building a Culture of Vocations.

This one day workshop will be offered on June 2, 2015, at the Sacred Heart Retreat House in Alhambra, CA. The workshop is entitled, Vocaciones sin Fronteras en un Mundo Cambiante/Vocations without Borders in a Changing World.

A limited number of spaces are available for NRVC members who are Spanish speaking Sisters to participate. There is no workshop fee, however transportation and lodging are the responsibility of the participant.  To register for this workshop, please email Ms. Erika Cedrone, Catholic Extension, Director of Mission, at ecedrone@catholicextension.org 

Sister Deborah M. Borneman, SS.C.M., NRVC director of member relations and services, is coordinating the  project. Members of the design team include: Sisters Raquel Ortez, S.S.N.D.; Mary Jane Gawlik, C.S.S.F.; Elsa Garcia, C.D.P.; Teresa Gomez, H.H.S.S.; Elyse Ramirez, O.P.; and Ms. Ana Bojorquez.

Presenters for this workshop are NRVC members, Sisters Elsa Garcia, CDP, and Raquel Ortez, SSND.

 

Sr. Elsa E. Garcia, C.D.P. is currently serving as Pastoral Associate, Social Ministries Coordinator, in Midland, TX. She is an NRVC member and has served on its national board, leadership team, and as the board chair. Sister Elsa also served as vocation director for 14 years for her community, the Congregation of Divine Providence.  She earned a Masters Degree in Social Work from Our Lady of the Lake University and is a licensed Social Worker (LCSW) with experience in psychiatric, hospice, foster care, HIV counseling and direct services. She brings this wealth of experience along with a special interest in promoting Hispanic vocations.

 

Sr. Raquel Ortez, SSND, has wide experience working with people from many cultures and backgrounds.  She is an NRVC member and has been serving in vocation ministry for 3 years as a vocation team member.  Her prior ministries include 15 years in formal education in Honduras, Social Work-Case management in Catholic Charities for 8 years, and Pastoral ministry in the Diocese of St. Louis for 6 years.  Sister Raquel is a native of Honduras, has multicultural experience in ministering in Honduras, Brazil, Guatemala, and USA.  She earned a Masters in Social Work from Saint Louis University.

 



Pope announces Year of Mercy in 2016

Extraordinary jubilee year

At a Lenten penance service in St. Peter’s Basilica on March 13, Pope Francis announced an extraordinary jubilee, a Holy Year of Mercy, to highlight the Catholic Church's "mission to be a witness of mercy." The special year will take place Dec. 8, 2015 until Nov. 20, 2016.

According to Catholic News Service, at the time of the announcement, the pope emphasized a frequent theme of his: "No one can be excluded from God's mercy.”

He continued during his homily: "I frequently have thought about how the church can make more evident its mission to be a witness of mercy."

The biblical theme of the year will be "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.”

Traditionally, every 25 years the popes proclaim a holy year, which features special celebrations and pilgrimages, strong calls for conversion and repentance, and the offer of special opportunities to experience God's grace through the sacraments, especially Confession. Extraordinary holy years, like the Holy Year of Mercy, are less frequent but offer the same opportunities for spiritual growth.



Learn how family life impacts candidates

Summer workshop

Do you wonder how family issues play themselves out in candidates to religious life?  What should you understand? What questions should you ask?

Father Gerard McGlone, S.J., Ph.D. is the presenter for the workshop on family of origin issues.

In the NRVC Summer Institute workshop "The Assessment of Family of Origin Issues for Candidates to Religious Life," to be held in Chicago July 29-31, Father Gerard McGlone, S.J., Ph.D. will examine these questions and more.

Family of origin concerns often present landmines for vocation and formation personnel. These issues can sabotage the individual and the community’s health and well-being if left unaddressed. A principal objective of this workshop is to help vocation ministers formulate specific and appropriate questions, which, when answered, may inhibit or exclude candidacy.

The format will be within an adult learning methodology. The workshop is designed to be highly interactive, with ample time for individual and group processing, discussion of specific cases, using the very latest research and theory on this topic.

The presenter, Father Gerard J. McGlone, S.J., Ph.D., was ordained in 1987 as a Jesuit priest of the Maryland Province of the Society of Jesus, he was a clinical and research fellow at The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He was an assistant professor at Georgetown University, School of Medicine, the Department of Psychiatry. He has been a psychotherapist in many settings and is a speaker, presenter, author, and consultant with the USCCB, CMSM, dioceses, and religious orders throughout the Americas and Europe.

For information and registration for this and other NRVC workshops, click here.



Next NRVC convocation

In Overland Park, Kansas

Two participants in the 2014 NRVC convocation.

NRVC has announced some initial information about its next convocation. It will be held October 26-31, 2016, in Overland Park, Kansas. The theme will be "Awakened by the Spirit: Called to Discipleship."

The logo, speakers, workshops, etc., will be confirmed in coming months and published in this newsletter.

 

 



HORIZON reading circles

Established in Canada

Building on an idea that started in the UK, Canadian vocation directors began in March to form HORIZON reading circles. These are groups of vocation directors and others who wish to promote vocations to religious life who convene to discuss agreed-upon articles in HORIZON.

"The joy of it is that it [a HORIZON reading circle] can be used within congregations, dioceses, organizations, school groups, or church groups," reported the February edition of the newsletter of the Canadian vocation conference. The reading circles are meant to both educate and support those involved in vocation ministry.

NRVC thanks editorial board member Sister Mary Rowell, C.S.J. for helping launch the Canadian reading circles.



Catholics on Call offers programs

For young adults, vocation directors

Catholics on Call Young Adult Summer Conference

Participants listen attentively at a Partner Conference sponsored by Catholics on Call.

Catholics on Call is sponsoring a Young Adult Summer Conference in Chicago August 4-8, 2015 for men and women ages 18-30 who feel called to a life of service in the church and are seeking direction. They may apply online. Or email: catholicsoncall@ctu.edu.

Catholics on Call Partner Conference

Catholics on Call invites vocation directors to attend its Partner Conference to be held September 24-25, 2015 in Chicago. The featured speaker will be Kathleen A. Cahalan, professor of theology at Saint John’s University School of Theology Seminary in Collegeville, Minnesota. She will discuss the call to discipleship, the vocation to ministry, and practices for accompanying young discerners.

Learn more at catholicsoncall.org/partner-conference.
Or email: catholicsoncall@ctu.edu.



Online youth ministry course

Fostering a culture of encounter with young people

Two of NRVC's collaborators on youth ministry invite NRVC members and all who minister with young Catholics to register for a free online course on "Fostering a Culture of Encounter with Young Disciples," taking place April 12 through May 16.

The course is sponsored by National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministers (NFCYM) and National Association of Catholic Youth Ministry Leaders (NACYML)

The course is called a MOOC, which stand for Massive Open Online Course. Massive means that there will be no limit on the number of participants. Open means that it is free. Online means the event is digital.

There will be some synchronous events (everyone gathers together) but most will be asynchronous,  which means you can take part at your own pace.

The course features national Catholic speakers, including Archbishop Joseph Kurtz, Dr. Ansel Augustine, Father Joe Espalliat, Dr. Carolyn Woo, and others. For information and registration, click here



Religious Formation Conference offers programs

Workshops focus on hope

The Religious Formation Conference is offering the following  workshops. Details for all of them can be found at rfc.org, or by calling 202-827-4562

Sisters in a previous ForMission program.


Hope: The We(e) Virtue

Michael Downey, Ph.D.

April 18, 2015, Regis College, Weston, Massachusetts
 

Revivifying Mission: Religious Life, Prophetic Dialogue and the Signs of the Times,

Father Eduardo Fernandez, S..J., Ph.D.

May 2, 2015, St. Thomas University, Houston, Texas

 

The Scriptures: Living Source of Hope

Sister Mary Schneiders, O.P., Ph.D.

May 16, 2015, Flaget Center, Louisville, Kentucky

 

Life Commitment

www.relforcon.org/programs/life-commitment

 

ForMission

www.relforcon.org/programs/formission



Resource of the month

Conversation cards

These colorful, business-sized cards make ideal giveaways at Catholic events as a way to begin a discussion about religious life. This popular resource has been reprinted with new colors and has been used at National Catholic Youth Conference and World Youth Day.

Designed to promote all religious vocations, these cards come in a pack of 100 with four messages: "You would make a great sister [or brother, priest, or nun]." The backs of the cards simply state "Imagine the possibilities" with a space to sign the cards.

Sold in packs of 100. Member price: $7. Non-member Price: $10. Order online or call 773-363-5454.



Sister Janice Bemowski, r.c.

I am NRVC

Sister Janice Bemowski, r.c. is vocation director for the Religious of our Lady of the Retreat in the Cenacle (commonly known as the Cenacle Sisters). She also is a member of the finance committee for the NRVC.

 
How long have you been involved in vocation ministry?

I became part of the vocation effort while in temporary vows. Then in 1998—right after final vows—I became the vocation director for our North American province.


Are you part of a vocation team?  

We have a vocation minister in every community. Four of those sisters, plus myself, comprise our Province Vocation Team. The local ministers try to do outreach and connect with people locally, while my role is also to try to animate all the sisters in the province, communicate information to the sisters about vocations and young adults, and help encourage vocation ministry.

   
Has being a member of NRVC been helpful to you?  

I appreciate the great resources of NRVC ... people and products! All of the staff are extremely helpful and supportive. The website is a wonderful source of information and encouragement and is of very good quality. There are also many workshops and educational opportunities that would not otherwise be available to us. Foremost is the fact that through NRVC religious life is made visible, connections are made with other organizations and supporters. None of this could we do on our own.

    
What has been your best vocation effort? 

Our best internal vocation effort came from NRVC's “Keys to the Future” program.  [Purchase "Keys to the Future" at nrvc.net.] Participating in that workshop and learning the facilitation skills gave me the opportunity to share the information and process with our province membership. It was an enlivening and energizing process.
 
Our other best effort was to invite a number of young adults to our last province assembly to tell us their stories. We wanted to experience and understand the lives of some young adults so as to better understand the life context of those who might be looking at religious life.

   
What do you find most rewarding about vocation ministry?

I find two things most rewarding: first, the ability to walk with a woman on her vocational journey, and witness to her deepening relationship with God; second, the joy of sharing stories and experiences of faith, and helping to open Cenacle lives and ministry to others.

Contact Sister Janice at vocations@cenaclesisters.org.



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National Office Closed

March 28-April 1,

Holy Thursday/Good Friday

Member Area Gathering - International

April 9,

via Zoom

World Day of Prayer for Vocations

April 21,

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National Board Meeting

April 24-28,

St. Paul, MN

Member Area Gathering - Mid-Atlantic

April 30,

Washington DC/hybrid

Member Area Gathering - Pacific Northwest

April 30 - May 2,

Hybrid

Religious Brothers Day

May 1,

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Member Area Gathering - Heartland

April 30 - May 2,

Atchinson, KS

Member Area Gathering - Hudson Valley

May 5-7,

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Member Area Gathering - Lake Erie/Ohio River

May 9,

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