NRVC's Abundant Hope series of 1-to-3-minute videos of sisters, brothers and religious priests has been expanded to include 26 senior religious. NRVC  recently posted videos of enthusiastic senior members of religious communitiesthe to its YouTube channel and is gradually adding them to its Facebook page.

     Thank you to the 77 religious from 61 institutes who participated in this series. NRVC also extends gratitude to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and Support Our Aging Religious for financial support and to Franciscan Media for production expertise. All are encouraged to use these videos widely, as community discussion starters, to share on social media, to use with Catholic Sisters Week and Religious Brothers Day, to show to discerners, etc. A list of the featured religious is here.

Join us in praying online with and for Catholic sisters on Wednesday, March 10, 7 p.m. Eastern Time (6 p.m. Central). This prayer service celebrates Catholic Sisters Week, held March 8-14, and is co-sponsored by NRVC, Center for the Study of Consecrated Life at Catholic Theological Union, Communicators for Women Religious, the Institute of Religious Formation at Catholic Theological Union, Giving Voice, and the Religious Formation Conference. Register here.

     In addition to joining us in prayer, you are encouraged to recognize and celebrate women religious online, in parishes, in sponsored ministries, on social media, etc. For ideas and resources, visit catholicsistersweek.org. 

This colorful, four-panel brochure gives accurate answers to things parents commonly ask about vocations to religious life: from taking vows to spending time with family members. Sold in packages of 100, this brochure is affordable as a giveaway in parish bulletins, at sponsored ministries, in schools, etc. Members pay $15 for a pack of 100, non-members $23. Bulk discounts are available. Order here. Direct questions to Sister Charlene Herinckx, S.S.M.O. srcharleneh@nrvc.net.

Join us for our annual NRVC Summer Institute offering four workshops online July 12-28. Following are the workshop titles and dates; full details and registration are available using this link.

     For a mini-preview of how online learning works, members of NRVC can attend a Talk It Up Tuesday.

Orientation Program for New Vocation Directors — July 12-16
Behavioral Assessment 1 — July 19-21
Ethical Issues in Vocation and Formation Ministry — July 23-24
Is It Cultural, Generational, or Family of Origin? Issues in Candidate Assessment — July 26-28

A study released in February on the impact of cultural diversity among newer U.S. religious shows that while most newer Black, Asian, and Hispanic religious (70 percent) find their communities “very open” to welcoming members of other cultures, experiences of at least occasional loneliness or a sense of not being understood (25 percent) are higher for them than for newer white religious (10 percent). The study also examines the family and parish experiences of newer religious, breaking the data down by cultural background.

     The research was commissioned by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. This latest study builds on information about diversity in religious life gathered in the NRVC 2020 study of newer religious and NRVC’s 2014 study on incorporating diversity into religious life.

The National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations (NFCRV) is accepting grant applications until April 12. Grants are available only to current NRVC members and must be used for paying educational debt of a candidate to religious life. The NFCRV has provided 47 grants since it began in 2015. Learn more here; or contact Phil Loftus at 312-318-0180 or ploftus@nfcrv.org.

Thanks to popular demand, NRVC is continuing Talk it Up Tuesdays, an hour long opportunity for NRVC members to learn and collaborate online. Sessions take place 1-2 p.m. Central Time, 2-3 p.m. Eastern. Details and registration are here. March sessions require registration, as they will use a different link than the February sessions.

March 2—"Involving Vowed Membership in Key Relationships with Inquirers," by Sister Tarianne DeYonker, O.P.
March 9—"Catholic Sisters Week Celebration," by Sister Michele Fisher, C.S.F.N.
March 16—"Life Awareness Virtual Discernment Retreats," by Sister Ana Cecilia Montalvo, F.Sp.S.
March 23—"Using Music in Vocation Discernment," by Brother Alan Parham, F.S.C.
March 30—"Virtual, Virtual, Virtual ... Let's make it Fun and Informative: Virtual Visits and Virtual Pilgrimages," by Sister Christine Still, O.S.F. 

The following NRVC member areas are meeting online in the coming weeks. Keep in mind that any NRVC member can attend these gatherings for networking and ongoing formation. Member area details, including coordinators for each area who can provide information about gatherings, are here.

New England — March 18
West Coast — March 18
International — March 30 (presentation on Jesus and hope)
Hudson Valley — April 13
Heartland — April 21-23
Delaware Valley — April 27
Pacific Northwest — April 30 (presentation on interculturality)