A record number of  vocation ministers attended NRVC's Summer Institute this July in Chicago: 116 people from 24 states and four countries. This year’s institute offered four workshops: an orientation program, two workshops on behavioral assessment, and a program on family of origin issues. 

Top: participants in Behavioral Assessment 2. Middle left: Orientation attendees. Middle right: daily Mass. Bottom left and right: Participants in Behavioral Assessment 1.

In July the National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations (NFCRV) awarded eight religious communities grants to pay the educational debt of 10 candidates to religious life. The fund grew out of NRVC's 2012 "Study on Educational Debt and Vocations to Religious Life," which found that student debt has become a serious obstacle to accepting new members.

Eight of the 10 grant recipients. Top row, left to right: Ana with Dominican Sisters of Peace; Boram with Daughters of Mary, Help of Christians; Christina with Congregation of Divine Providence; Eilis with the  Sisters of the Humility of Mary. Bottom row: Josefina with Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary; Katherine with Adrian Dominican Sisters; Regina with Felician Sisters of America; and Lauren with Felician Sisters of North America.

"It is notable that these first grants are being awarded during the Year of Consecrated Life, as established by Pope Francis," said Cardinal Seán O'Malley, O.F.M.,Cap., honorary chair of the NFCRV board. "This initiative will support the work of celebrating, renewing, and promoting the gift of consecrated life and help the people of God to gain a greater appreciation for this important vocation and ministry. We are grateful for the vision and initiative of the National Religious Vocation Conference and the financial support of the Conrad N. Hilton and GHR foundations."

"Our challenge and my goal," says fund director Mark J. Teresi, CFRE, "is to fully endow this fund, through soliciting major gifts, to solve this obstacle to vocations permanently for women's and men's religious institutes."

The following women's religious communities are the 2015 recipients of NFCRV grants. (For 2015 the terms of the Hilton seed money for the fund limits the grants to women.)

Adrian Dominican Sisters
The Congregation of Divine Providence
Daughters of Mary Help of Christians
Dominican Sisters of Peace
Felician Sisters of North America
Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Sisters of the Humility of Mary
Sisters of Christian Charity

The funds awarded this year totaled $213,000. Payments will be made to grantees each year until the candidate with educational debt makes final vows and becomes a fully professed member of the community or the student loan is paid off, whichever comes first.

The fund will send out grant applications to religious communities that belong to NRVC, the founding organization of the NFCRV, in January 2016 with the NFCRV Board approving the year's recipients at a May board meeting. Grantees will be notified of their application status in June.

For more information on the terms of the grant, applying for a grant, or donating to the fund, please go to NFCRV.org, or contact Mark J. Teresi, CFRE at 773-595-4028 or mjteresi@nfcrv.org.

At NCYC 2013, two vocation ministers show off the T-shirts that NRVC participants wore.

Vocation ministers are encouraged to take steps now to be properly credentialed and registered for the November 19-21, 2015 National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis. This event is a high-energy experience of prayer, community, and speakers for over 23,000 teens, parents, and youth ministers. 

NRVC members have a choice to exhibit in a booth or be integrated throughout the event as a volunteer on a vocation team. In 2013, more than 200 vocation ministers from over 60 religious institutes were vocation team members.

Vocation team members will be scheduled in "Inspiration Nook" to provide a sacred space for teens, youth ministers, and parental chaperones to engage in meaningful conversation.

New this year is the opportunity for NRVC members (exhibitors and vocation teams) to teach prayer traditions and spirituality in the chapel, which will be located next to Inspiration Nook. If you would like to present ten minutes of catechesis, ten minutes of prayer, and ten minutes for Q & A, contact Sister Debbie Borneman, SS.C.M. (debbiesscm@nrvc.net ) after registering with NFCYM. This is a great opportunity for religious to share their lives with young people during the Year of Consecrated Life.

For details and to register, click here.   

Left: Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., NRVC's executive director, in center with participants in the European Vocations Services Congress. Right: Congress participants listen to a talk.

NRVC Executive Director Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C. represented the U.S. at the 36th Congress of the European Vocations Services (EVS) held in Prague from July 5-9. The EVS annually gathers bishops responsible for vocation promotion, the directors of the various vocation centers of the European Bishops’ Conferences, and representatives of vocation organizations throughout Europe. This year’s 65 participants represented 20 countries.

The theme of the conference was “How to guide young people to the priesthood and consecrated life in today’s family.” In addition to sharing best practices and praying for vocations, the primary focus of the conference was to develop a statement on vocations that will be offered to the Synod on the Family to be held in Rome in October.

Brother Paul was invited to give a report on NRVC activities highlighting some preliminary findings of the anticipated NRVC/CARA Study on the Role of Family in Nurturing Vocations to Religious Life and Priesthood. He assured all participants that they will receive a copy of the report when it is published in September.

The closing Mass was celebrated at the Church of the Glorious Virgin, home of the Infant of Prague, by Archbishop Jorge Carlos Patrón Wong, secretary of the Vatican Congregation for Clergy.

For more information click here.

NRVC continues to accept donations for its Misericordia Scholarship Fund, which provides grants for NRVC membership and programs to religious institutes in need.

NRVC established this fund in celebration of the Year of Consecrated Life and in anticipation of the Holy Year of Mercy. Your gift, whatever the size, will directly support a religious community committed to vocation ministry. To learn more, email nrvc@nrvc.net or call 773-363-5454. Donate online here.

Communities of sisters can benefit from assessing their internal "vocation culture."

NRVC will publish and distribute a "Vocation Culture Assessment Tool" this fall to assist women's congregations in deepening their "vocation culture"—the practices and habits that encourage new membership.

This tool will consist of a series of research-based questions geared at evaluating the practices of a religious community. The tool evaluates practices that are consistent with the essential elements of religious life and what those considering the life are looking for.

Father Raymond P. Carey, Ph.D. will present the ethics workshop.

Prevent and prepare for ethical concerns before you are sweating out a dilemma. Take the NRVC workshop "Ethical Issues in Vocation and Formation Ministry," by Father Raymond P. Carey, Ph.D., October 16-17 at the Marillac Center in Leavenworth, Kansas.

This workshop will explore ethical principles governing confidentiality, agency, and obligations related to positions of trust. The workshop will also address issues related to dissemination of information, the timeliness of admissions or dismissal decisions, rights of candidates, and rights of those in authority. For more information about this workshop and to register, click here.

Purchase these beautifully written prayer cards now, and be ready to celebrate two important vocation events in September: the Day of Prayer with Religious September 13 and Catechetical Sunday on the 20th.

Sold in packs of 100 postcard-sized cards, the back of this resource has verses from 1 Kings 19:11-12 (... after the fire came a gentle whisper). This resource was suggested by our NRVC Black Religious Committee and was then designed by NRVC member Sister Jo-Anne Miller, C.S.J.P.

Member price: $10. Non-members: $15 To order this resource click here.

J.S. Paluch Vocation Seminar

The annual J.S. Paluch Vocations Seminar will take place August 17-19, 2015 in Chicago. This invitation-only event features the Very Rev. Frank Donio, S.A.C., D.Min. as keynote speaker on the topic "Vocation Ministry: Keys to Collaboration." Donio is director of the Catholic Apostolate Center and provincial rector of the Pallotines. For information on the National Vocations Awareness Division for J.S. Paluch Co., click here.

Institute of Religious Formation

The Institute of Religious Formation at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago is still accepting applications for the 2015-2016 academic year. This year-long program begins August 20, but it is also possible to begin in January. For more information contact director Brother Paul Michalenko S.T., Ph.D., (773)-371-5481, pmichalenko@ctu.edu.

Catholics on Call Partner Conference

Catholics on Call is sponsoring a conference for its partners (those who minister to young adults) September 24-25, 2015 at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. The theme will be "Walking Together as Disciples: Exploring a Vocation to Ministry with Young Adults." The keynote speaker will be Kathleen A. Cahalan, professor of theology at Saint John’s University School of Theology∙Seminary, Collegeville, Minnesota. Learn more or register at catholicsoncall.org. Or email: catholicsoncall@ctu.edu.

Communicators for Women Religious

The Communicators for Women Religious is holding its annual conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico October 6-9. Vocation ministers are welcome to take part. The conference theme will be "Spirit of the wind; Spirit of the message," and the keynote speaker will be Father Richard Rohr, O.F.M. Workshops will address social media, branding, magazines, and more. Learn more at c4wr.org

Workshops explore identity of Catholic sisters

St. John Vianney Center is sponsoring a  series of programs for Catholic sisters focusing on “Exploring the Identity of Religious Life in the 21st Century: Who do you say that I am?” Sessions are scheduled for:

• DuPont Education Center, Wilmington, Delaware, October 2-3
• Double Tree Hotel, Kenner, Louisiana, November 20-21

For more information, click here, or contact Pat Weston at pweston@sjvcenter.org or call 888-993-8885.

Religious Formation Congress

The Religious Formation Conference will hold a congress in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, November 5, 2015 with a theme of "Rejoice: God's Tomorrow Beckons." The keynote speakers will be Father Daniel Groody, C.S.C. and Sister Janet Mock, C.S.J. To learn more, see relforcon.org

Symposium "To Wake up the World"

The Council of Major Superiors of Women will host a fall symposium, “To Wake up the World,” November 13-14 at the Drury Plaza Hotel at the Arch in St. Louis. This will be a national event at which scholars and religious come together to discuss the beauty and witness of religious life. The keynote address will be by Archbishop Augustine DiNoia, O.P., adjunct secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. It is open to all religious, priests, and laity. Learn more at cmswr.org.

How long have you been involved in vocation ministry?

About six years. Up until this past May I was co-chair of Region 4 (the Maryland-Virginia area).

How is your vocation ministry organized? Do you work with a team? 

I work with a team of six to cover the South Central Region for the Sisters of Mercy.

Has belonging to NRVC been helpful to you?

From the convocation speakers and the opportunities to rub shoulders with others, to the personal touch Sister Debbie adds through member services, NRVC is my "go-to" for any questions about what is going on in the larger world of vocations.

What vocation project or projects have been most rewarding or fruitful?

Several years ago NRVC's Region 4 worked closely together to provide two years of "Calling all Fifth Graders." Working with others in the region and the archdiocesan school authorities was very rewarding when the day for the fifth graders finally arrived. The energy was overwhelming.

What do you enjoy the most in vocation ministry? 

Walking with an individual woman through the process of discerning of religious life.