Phil Loftus, executive director of the National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations (NFCRV) and development director for NRVC, has announced that NFCRV applications for 2019 will be accepted from January 7 through April 8.

These applications are for the fund's fifth class of grantees who will receive help with educational debt as they discern their vocations. College debt continues to impact young discerners, and the NFCRV was established to help alleviate this burden.  

Applications are restricted to members of the National Religious Vocation Conference who meet these criteria:

1. 2019 NRVC dues are paid in full.

2. The order/institute does not have a 2018 NFCRV grantee recipient.

3. The applicant is a current candidate with college educational debt who has not yet entered the order/institute.

Full guidelines and an easy online application can be found at NFCRV.org. The NFCRV is currently assisting 28 communities across the United States. Please direct any questions to Phil Loftus, ploftus@nfcrv.org 773-595-4028.

This December NRVC bid a fond farewell to longtime employee Debbie Prieto, administrative assistant, and to Charlie Corbett, program and communications coordinator.

Debbie began work with NRVC in 2006 and wrote: "I leave NRVC feeling blessed to have known you and served you in whatever your need was. I am grateful for the friendships I have made and will always remember you in my prayers."

Charlie began work on a part-time basis in February 2018 and wrote: "I would like to thank NRVC's staff, board, and members for sharing their love of God and their enthusiasm for their vocations. This has been a source of inspiration for me and I am truly blessed to have been a part of NRVC's crucial mission."

NRVC staff and board thank Charlie and Debbie for their service and wish them well in their new ventures.

Please join NRVC Board Chair Sister Kristin Matthes, S.N.D.deN., board member Father Adam MacDonald, S.V.D., VISION publisher Patrice Tuohy, and others on the VISION team at stand 22-23-24 at the World Youth Day Vocation Fair/Feria Vocacional, January 22-25, 2019 in Panama City.

We will have a display on key steps in vocation discernment and be available for pilgrims' questions about religious life. Any NRVC members at World Youth Day are more than welcome to join us at the booth whenever your schedule allows. Please contact Patrice Tuohy at pjtuohy@truequestweb.com or 312-356-9900 (call or text) for more information.

In 2019 the global church will celebrate World Day for Consecrated Life on February 2 and 3. This celebration of life as a religious sister, brother, or priest is an opportunity for vocation ministers to promote this way of life. Some possible ways to mark the day:

• prayer service for your community and the public
• open house at your convent or motherhouse
• special event/commemoration at  your sponsored ministries
• use of this "teachable moment" for a school lesson on religious life
• social media outreach campaign

NRVC encourages its members to use this occasion to let people know that religious life continues to be a force for good in the world. A resource you may wish to use is the NRVC icon prayer card pictured here.

NRVC icon prayer card free download

NRVC icon prayer card for purchase

Find further information about this day at this link. 

Are you using the free calendar service on the VISION Vocation Guide website to publicize your community's events? Listing an event is not only free, it is easy.

If your community is sponsoring a public event of any type (it need not be strictly a "vocation" event), please consider adding it to the VISION calendar. Click here to see the calendar; click here to add your event. 

​Following is the upcoming member area activity for NRVC.

Delaware Valley member area
Meeting: January 29, Newark NJ
Retreat: February 25
Member area coordinators: 
Sister Celeste Mokrzycki, S.S.J., 215-248-7200, cmokrzycki@ssjphila.org
Sister Maryanne Tracey, S.C., 973-290-5325, mtracey@scnj.org

If you will be involved in a Busy Person's Retreat this year, considering purchasing this valuable resource.

College students taking part in Busy Person's Retreats can use this colorful booklet, which has 17 themes. They can choose from eight scripture selections and a variety of reflection questions. The bountiful themes give this booklet ongoing relevance.

Themes include: All About Mary, Balancing Sports & Fitness with Faith and Studies, Caring for God's Creation, Christian Leadership on Campus, Eradicating Global Poverty, Following the Voice of the Spirit, Growing through Failure, Inviting God into Decision Making, Praying in Times of Stress, Praying with Music, Promoting Global Peacemaking, Relationships, Time Management, Transitions, Seeking Solitude, Vocation Discernment, and Women in Scripture.

$2 each for members; $3 each for non-members. Order here.

Retreat for women in discernment

Women ages 21-40 who are discerning a call to religious life are invited to a national vocation discernment retreat March 7-10 in the San Antonio Hilton Airport Hotel. It will be offered in English and Spanish. The cost is $30, which includes meals, lodging, and the retreat. For more information, contact Sister Marichui Bringas, C.C.V.I. at escribe@nationalcatholicsistersproject.org or visit nationalcatholicsistersproject.org.

Webinars available--free and discounted--at St. Luke's Institute

St. Luke Institute's SLIconnect is currently offering a number of webinars. Topics include understanding spiritual desolation, strategies for de-escalating conflict, preventing compassion fatigue, and more. Some seminars are free; most are $25. Enter the code MERRY18 at checkout for $15 off your purchase. Visit sliconnect.org for details.

RFC "ForMission" class forming

The Religious Formation Conference is organizing the next ForMission class, which will begin May 30 and run until June 7, 2019 at Catholic Theological Union. Application materials and updated information are available. For details, to receive application materials, or to ask questions about the program, click here.