The Year of Mercy officially drew to a close November 20. Religious congregations throughout the world took part in prayer, study, and events designed to deepen their commitment to and understanding of mercy. Here are some ways NRVC marked this special year.

Misericordia Fund  In anticipation of the Year of Mercy, NRVC established this fund for helping religious communities in financial need to belong to or take part in its workshops or activities. To date NRVC members have given more than $38,000 to this fund, enabling 32 religious communities to benefit.

HORIZON "Mercy" edition  The Winter 2016 HORIZON carried articles specifically on the connection between mercy and vocation.

VISION Vocation Guide and its website carried articles with a mercy theme in Spanish and English, including an article on ways religious communities were commemorating the year.

World Youth Day activities focused on mercy. NRVC representatives gave away more than 1,000 medals to youth at the Mercy Centre Vocations Cafe. NRVC staff and some board members prayed for members at the Krakow Divine Mercy Shrine.

Members of NRVC engage in a lively discussion at the 2016 convocation. From left are Father Don Miller, O.F.M.; Father Adam MacDonald, S.V.D.; and Sister Maria Brizuela, O.S.F.

If you have not already done so, please renew your membership today. This ensures that you do not miss out on benefits, including:

•  eligibility for education-debt grants (see below)
•  the next HORIZON (which will include the convocation keynote addresses)             
•  access to online members-only resources
•  news and updates about vocation ministry
•  discounts on workshops and resources

Membership dues must be paid in full by December 31, 2016 for an institute to be eligible to apply for a 2017 grant for new member education debt. Details about applying are at the National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations website.

The National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations (NFCRV) announced on October 31 that seven people entering religious communities have received 2016 grants to cover their college loan debt during initial formation. The recipients of the $140,000+ in grants were:

1. Jane Aseltyne, Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary

2. Meaghan Elizabeth Baldwin, Parish Visitors of Mary Immaculate

3. Cursey James Calais II, Society of St. Joseph

4. Greg Dunn, Dominican Province of St. Martin de Porres

5. Thomas Junis, Salesians of Don Bosco

6. Mary Mensch, Sisters of Saints Cyril and Methodius

7. Luis Ramos, Marist Brothers

This is the second year NFCRV has distributed grants—which now total 19—helping remove a major obstacle to entering religious life in the United States. The average college loan debt for 2016 graduates is $37,000. Religious communities seeking funding in 2017 must have paid membership dues to the National Religious Vocation Conference by December 31, 2016.

Brother John Mark Falkenhain, O.S.B. will be the keynote speaker at the symposium.

Registration is now open for a national Brothers Symposium to take place at the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana on March 25.

Brother John Mark Falkenhain, O.S.B., vocation director for St. Meinrad Archabbey and professor of psychology at St. Meinrad Seminary, will be the keynote speaker for the event. His address will be followed by responders and a panel discussion.

The program will be based on the Vatican document "Identity and Mission of the Religious Brother in the Church," published in December 2015. The symposium is sponsored by the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, the National Religious Vocation Conference, the Religious Brothers Conference, the Religious Formation Conference, and the University of Notre Dame. 

The conference fee ($50 for students and $75 for non-students) will cover the cost of the program and lunch. Please visit  the symposium website to register or learn more. 

For those unable to attend, the closing Mass on Saturday, March 25^th at 5:00 p.m. (Eastern time) will be live-streamed. Cardinal Joe Tobin, CSsR, will be the main celebrant and homilist for the liturgy at the Basilica of the Sacred Heart on the Notre Dame Campus. Use this link for the live-streaming.

During December NRVC's Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M., director of member relations and services, will be promoting religious life vocations through engagements with three collaborating organizations.

She will give an interactive vocations workshop to the National Catholic Conference on Youth Ministry December 1-3 in San Jose, California. On December 12 she will give a workshop to new leaders of religious men's communities at a gathering of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men in Washington, DC. And she will be an online guest during a vocation discernment chat hosted by A Nun's Life Ministry on December 15.

The NRVC board is accepting applications for the executive director position through December 16. Applicants must belong to a religious institute or society of apostolic life. A job description, application requirements, and a tentative time frame for hiring are at nrvc.net. Questions may be directed to the NRVC board chair, Brother Ronnie Hingle, S.C., at Rhinglesc@nrvc.net.

In honor of Christmas and New Year's the NRVC office will be closed December 23 and will reopen January 3. The staff and board of NRVC wish its members, collaborators, benefactors, and friends a blessed Christmas and a happy New Year.

These colorful, postcard-size prayer cards make a great giveaway, especially at events that attract a diverse group of inquirers. They are also an ideal Christmas card insert. The front of the card has space to place contact information for your community. This prayer card was designed by the NRVC Black Religious Committee and comes in a pack of 100. $5 for members. $8 non-members. Order them here.

RFC to host workshop, webinar

The Religious Formation Conference is sponsoring the last of a series of workshops to encourage contemplation and conversation on December 2-3, and it is hosting a webinar on mindfulness December 12.

On December 2-3 in Cincinnati, Father Daniel Horan, O.F.M. will present a workshop on “Crossing the Borders of Human Exceptionalism: Community, Colonizations, and Care for Creation in the Age of Laudato Si.”

On December 12, 2 p.m. Central Time, Benjamin Williams, Ph.D. will present the webinar "Mindfulness: A Window into the Sacredness of the Present Moment."

Save the date: 2018 conference on intercultural competency

Saint Luke Institute and St. Meinrad Archabbey, Seminary and School of Theology will host the second biennial human formation conference, April 15-18, 2018, in St. Meinrad, Indiana. The topic will be "Intercultural Competencies for Human Formation."

The conference is designed for individuals and teams involved in leadership and initial and ongoing formation. Details will be available soon. If you have questions or want to make sure you are on the outreach list, please visit sliconnect.org/conferences or contact Beth Davis at sliconnect@sli.org.

LCWR greeting cards available

The Leadership Conference of Women Religious has produced a set of 10 greeting cards based on the insights of its members that were voiced at the 2016 LCWR assembly.

Priced at $10 for set of 10, these folded cards (which are blank inside) are a means of sharing ideas about contemplation, communion, and gospel-centered living. All proceeds will support LCWR. Order them at lcwr.org. For more information contact Carol Glidden at cglidden@lcwr.org.

CMSWR symposium proceedings published on paper & online

The Council of Major Superiors of Women Religious has published the proceedings from its 2015 symposium “To Wake up the World: Religious Life as a Prophetic Witness."  The book of proceedings is available online, or a hard copy may be ordered for $8 by contacting Julia Desilets at jdesilets@cmswr.org.

Hesburgh Sabbatical Program

Looking for rest or renewal in a supportive, inquiring, and faith-based environment? The Hesburgh Sabbatical Program at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago is accepting applications for the spring 2017 sabbatical experience, which runs January 30 - May 12, 2017.

What roles do you have in vocation ministry?

I'm one of three vocation directors for my congregation, the Order of St. Augustine. I also just became a member of the NRVC editorial board.

How long have you been involved in vocation ministry?

Eight years.

What do you enjoy most about this ministry?

I really enjoy sharing with discerners what I love: my Augustinian life. As I speak about our life as Augustinians it makes me reflect on the gift it has been and is to me and so many others. It is an absolute joy walking with young (and not so young) men as they anxiously search for God's will in their lives. Their excitement is contagious!

 Has being a member of NRVC been helpful to you?

Yes. I've found the workshops I've attended, especially as a new vocation director, to be very helpful and encouraging. I also really enjoy reading about timely topics and the experiences of other members in the NRVC publications. 

What has been your best vocation outreach effort?

The Vocation Culture Project that my community started four years ago. Each year we produce a poster with pictures and other information about our men in formation. We hand it out in every one of our parishes and schools. We produce large versions for bulletin boards and such, but the unique part is that we hand out 30,000 small home-sized posters for everyone to take home to display and use as a prayer tool. We ask people to pray for the men on the poster, themselves, and all young people they know who are still discerning their vocational call.  We ask for prayers that all might be faithful.

What are your most important internal efforts for vocations?

A key to our vocational ministry is asking all our communities and individual friars to pray, invite, and encourage. We also ask our communities to open wide the doors of our friaries to welcome people in and experience our Augustinian religious life.

Reach Father Tom at frtomosa@stritahs.com.