Click to download the Men Religious Moving Forward in Hope Final Report.

Religious priests and brothers gathered at St. Meinrad Archabbey, St. Meinrad, in December 2013 and at Holy Name Retreat Center, Houston, TX in January 2014 to focus on new membership issues. Approximately 125 men attended one of the two identical events. They listened to presentations on what canon law says about religious life, Catholic demographics, the contemporary social context for vocations, and how their own institute's "vocation culture" can enhance new membership efforts.

These gatherings took place in fulfillment of one of the objectives of the Moving Forward in Hope National Vocation Plan developed in 2010. Funded by an anonymous foundation, each of the participants received a tool to assess the vocation culture within their own institute. As highlighted in the NRVC/CARA Study on Recent Vocations to Religious Life, successful vocation ministry calls for a corporate ownership for promoting and supporting new membership within religious congregations.

The keynote speakers for these workshops were:

• Father Thomas Gaunt, SJ, PhD, executive director of the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), Washington, DC;
• Father Francis Morrissey, OMI, JCD, PhD, former dean of canon law at the University of St Paul, Ottawa;
• Brother Sean Sammon, FMS, PhD, scholar in residence, Marist College, Poughkeepsie, NY, former superior general, psychologist, and acclaimed author on religious life.

The facilitator was Brother Paul Michalenko, ST, director of the Institute of Religious Formation at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago, IL. Brother John Mark Falkenhain, OSB developed and presented the "Vocation Culture Assessment Tool" which all participants received.

Gratitude

NRVC expresses deep gratitude to Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M., project coordinator, for her preparation of these gatherings and to members of the planning committee for their dedication and commitment to this project: Brother Paul Bednarczyk, CSC; Father Thomas Enneking, OSC; Brother John Mark Falkenhain, OSB; Brother Ronald Hingle, SC; Father James Kent, OFM Conv.; Brother Paul Michalenko, ST; Father Robert Lombardo, CFR; Brother Sean Sammon, FMS; and Father Vince Wirtner, CPPS.

For further information, please contact Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M., at debbiesscm@nrvc.net

To see or download photos of the event, go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/nrvc/sets/72157639804919613/

Photo above:  Father Hank Lemoncelli, OMI, of the Congregation for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life talks with participants in the January 2014 "Men Religious Moving Forward in Hope" event held at Holy Name Passionist Retreat Center in Houston, TX.

More images from Men Religious Moving Forward in Hope

Participants at the St. Meinrad event bless each other during a prayer service.

Brother John Mark Falkenhain, OSB presents the Vocation Culture Assessment tool.Every participant received this tool to use with his own community.

Vocation directors and superiors talked together about steps their communities could take to move forward in new membership. Pictured here are Fathers Thomas Smolich, SJ and John Bentz, SJ.

Taking a moment to smile together about National Catholic Sisters Week are: Sister Deborah Borneman, SSCM, associate director of NRVC;  Sister Rosemarie Nassif, SSND (back center) of the Hilton Foundation; Sister Mary Soher, OP (front center) co-executive director of the National Catholic Sisters Week;  and Sister Elsa Garcia, CDP, NRVC board member.

Representatives of NRVC joined 180 sisters and college women at the kickoff event held March 8-10 at St. Catherine University, Minneapolis, MN for National Catholic Sisters Week. The week was established to draw attention to the contributions of women religious. Learn more about it here or in this news report.

NRVC members Brother Tom Wendorf, SM (on the NRVC board); Sister Nicole Trahan, FMI; and Dr. Nan Brenzel (also on the NRVC board) were among the NRVC vocation directors exhibiting at this year's Los Angeles Religious Education Congress.

A number of NRVC members exhibited at the Los Angeles Religious Education Congress March 13-16, allowing them to be a vocation presence to more than 35,000 participants. This year, the congress began with a Youth Day attended by approximately 15,000 high schoolers.

Information about the 2015 congress is at recongress.org.

Thirty-three women religious representing diverse approaches to religious life gathered in Chicago, February 18-22, to talk, pray, and seek "next steps" for encouraging a robust future for religious life in the U.S. 

The goal of the gathering, convened by NRVC and supported by the GHR foundation, was to develop strategies for women religious to address new membership issues common to all women's institutes. As those strategies are put together, NRVC will keep its members informed.

An insight that emerged from more than one participant was:

"There is a growing synergy between leadership and vocation personnel as well as among religious congregations to build up the church and society by our combined witness." 
--Sister Michele Vincent Fisher, CSFN

Photos: Top, Panelists discuss membership-related issues.  Right, Small groups respond to questions.

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The National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) is committed to providing its membership with resources, workshops, and other programs that strengthen and enhance the professional skills of those serving in vocation ministry. NRVC strongly suggests that vocation ministers participate in opportunities to further develop their professional competencies. Each year NRVC provides vocation ministers serving in today’s church various opportunities for professional growth through its comprehensive Summer Institute. The workshops are designed for those who wish to deepen their understanding of the complex theological, spiritual, psycho-sexual, ethical, and diversity issues often present in contemporary vocation ministry.

Our annual Summer Institute offered four workshops at the downtown campus of DePaul University, July 8-22, located at 1 East Jackson Boulevard in Chicago, Illinois 60604-2287. 

Overnight accommodations were available at the University Center, which is just two blocks from DePaul University. Participants enjoyed the convenience of having their workshop close to restaurants, shopping, museums and Lake Michigan. 

The numbers of participants was just enough for our workshop to run smoothly, enough time to answer each individual’s questions, and I got to know each one in our group . . . in a way that speaks to us as collaborators in vocation ministry.—Sister Palepa Ioane, S.M.S.M.