Thank you to the following NRVC members who have begun their service as member area coordinators. Their efforts to help members be connected and engaged are very much appreciated. Find a full list of member area coordinators here.

• Sister Caryn Crook, O.S.F. — Lake Erie/Ohio River
• Sister Michele Fisher, C.S.F.N. — Delaware Valley
• Sister Regina Hlavac, D.C. — Southeast
• Ms. Michelle Horton — Heartland
• Sister Carmella Luke, O.S.B. — Upper Midwest
• Father Vien Nguyen, S.D.B. — West Coast
• Sister Jean Rhoades, D.C. — Mid-Atlantic

The latest edition of NRVC's award-winning VISION Vocation Guide, is now available, both in print and online. Be sure to order your copies (if you haven't already) to share with discerners. You may also order multilingual bookmarks and posters that direct people to the VISION website.

The NRVC is most grateful to the following vocation ministers who are now stepping down after serving as member area coordinators. They cultivated networking, education, and support for NRVC members in their geographic areas. Thank you!

Brother Chris Patiño, F.S.C. (6 years) West Coast  
Sister Maria Victoria Cutaia, O.S.B. (4 years) Heartland
Sister Mary O’Donovan, O. Carm. (4 years) Hudson Valley
Sister Stephanie Spandl, S.S.N.D. (4 years) Upper Midwest
Sister Jenny Zimmerman, SND (3 years) Lake Erie/Ohio River
Sister Judy Long, O.C.D. (2 years) Mid-Atlantic
Sister Barbara O’Kane, M.P.F. (2 years) Delaware Valley
Sister Kathleen Farrelly, O.Carm. (2 years)  Southeast

In July, the NRVC online Summer Institute delivered four workshops to 107 participants, including members of four new institutes that just joined the NRVC: Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy, Preachers of Christ and Mary, Priests of the Sacred Heart, and the Archdiocese of Port of Spain (Trinidad). Thanks to scholarships funded by the Hilton Foundation, guests attended from Giving Voice, Catholic Theological Union, and the National Conference of Vicars for Religious. The NRVC extends warm thanks to the workshop presenters: Brother Joseph Bach, O.S.F., Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M., Father Raymond P. Carey, Dr. Ted Dunn, Brother John Eustice, C.S.V., and Father Adam MacDonald, S.V.D.

NRVC’s publications, VISION and HORIZON, recently earned nine editorial awards from the Catholic Media Association. VISION was honored for its website and twice for feature writing. HORIZON won awards for essay writing, reporting on solidarity, coverage of racial inequality, its book review section, feature writing, and general excellence. Find details and links to the winning articles here.

The two keynoters who will reflect on "Call Beyond Borders" at the NRVC convocation November 3-6 will speak from deep expertise in Scripture and the wisdom of their own lived experience as members of religious communities. 

Sister Barbara Reid, O.P. belongs to the Dominican Sisters of Grand Rapids and is president of Catholic Theological Union. She is also the Carroll Stuhlmueller, C.P., Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies and the author of 12 books.

Father vănThanh Nguyễn, S.V.D., is a missionary priest of the Society of the Divine Word and has served on the Catholic Theological Union faculty since 2005. He is a professor of New Testament studies and the holder of the Francis X. Ford, M.M., Chair of Catholic Missiology.

Learn more about other activities and professional development to be offered at the 2022 NRVC convocation, which will be held in Spokane, Washington.

Anyone can easily access online the webinars from the recently-completed series "Religious Life Today: Learn it! Love it! Live it!"  which was funded by the GHR Foundation.

•  Fundamentals: From call to charism to community living  A cross-section of religious explain the basic elements in religious life.

•  Using all avenues to support vocation ministry  Seasoned vocation directors share ways to reach out to those who might consider religious life.

•  Creating a collaborative environment Diocesan personnel share ways they work with religious communities to engage with those considering their calling.

•  Wellsprings of support for vocations A campus minister and family-youth-young adult minister tell how they cultivate vocation culture.

•  Addressing parental concerns: Wisdom and advice Two parents and two younger religious share the concerns and questions that parents have when a child enters a religious community.

•  Call to religious life: Newer entrants' stories Newer entrants recount what inspired them to join religious communities.

Act now to register for one or more of NRVC's outstanding online Summer Institute courses. The following workshops still have space for a limited number of participants.

Orientation Program for New Vocation Directors     
July 12-16, 2022, 9:30 a.m to 3:30 p.m. Central Time

Ethical Issues in Vocation and Formation Ministry      
July 18-19 2022, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Central Time  

Behavioral Assessment 1
July 21-23, 2022, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Central Time  

Learning to Cooperate with Grace through the Inner Work of Transformation  
July 25-26, 2022, 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Central Time  

In honor of their crucial service in working with international candidates, at its November convocation the NRVC gave its Harvest Award to Miguel Naranjo and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC) Religious Immigration Services. The Harvest Award is given biennially to recognize outstanding service to vocation ministry. Many NRVC members have worked with Naranjo, director of CLINIC's Religious Immigration Services, during the admissions process of international candidates. CLINIC is one of the few organizations to specialize in this area of law.

The NRVC extends deep gratitude to three board members who are departing because of changes in ministry, residence, and/or availability. Thank you and warm wishes to:

• Sister Jean Marie Fernandez, R.G.S. who served for two years,
• Father Charles Johnson, O.P., who served for five years, and
• Sister Cheryl Wint, O.S.F., who served for one year.

Registration is now open for the NRVC convocation in Spokane, Washington, November 3-6. With a theme of "Call Beyond Borders," our gathering will feature NRVC's trademark excellence in workshops, liturgies, keynote presentations, networking, and more. Registration for the convocation is here. Attendees  have the option to register separately for pre-event workshops and/or a post-event trip to Idaho. Rooms at our venue, the Davenport Grand Hotel, must be booked through NIX to receive our discounted rate. Travelers should book flights to Spokane Airport (GEG).  For assistance with registration, contact NRVC's Marge Argyelan at 773-490-6556.

The NRVC convocation, to take place in Spokane, Washington November 3-6, will feature inspiring keynote addresses, valuable networking, uplifting liturgies, and much more—including the roundtable discussion, "Rewind the Future." This convocation event will bring together five younger religious who served as spokespersons about religious life in a video produced in 2012 highlighting the results of our 2009 study of newer entrants. These five panelists will join Sister Miriam Ukeritis, one of the authors of another important study of religious life, the 1992 Future of Religious Orders in the United States. The group will discuss the changes they've experienced in religious life and where they find hope today. Convocation participants will then continue the conversation at their individual tables. Registration for convocation will open up later in May.

The NRVC is searching for a dynamic, motivated, tech-savvy ministry leader to join its team as the new director of membership. The successful candidate for this full-time, Chicago-based position will intentionally engage NRVC members on a wide variety of levels. The director of membership cultivates member relationships in many ways including coordinating events, developing onboarding strategies, resolving member issues, assisting members in accessing and utilizing their NRVC member benefits, and more. Apply by May 31. Details about the position and how to apply are here.

NRVC is making all the webinars in its series "Religious Life Today: Learn it! Love it! Live it!" available to the public. Here are links to all the videos to date, which are posted on the NRVC YouTube channel:

Fundamentals from call to charism to community living
Using all avenues to support vocation ministry
Creating a collaborative environment
Wellsprings of support for vocations
Addressing parental concerns: Wisdom and advice

Five young men and women in religious life will share inspiring stories of their call and response on Thursday, June 2, 7 p.m. CT, in the webinar "Call to religious life: Newer entrants' stories." The first half of this one-hour webinar will be short presentations by the panelists, followed by live Q&A with attendees. The panelists are: Sister Cecilia Ashton, O.C.D., Sister Thanh Pham, S.S.M.O., Sister Limétèze Pierre-Gilles, S.S.N.D., Mr. Nate Tinner-Williams, pre-novitiate student with the Josephites, and Brother Rafael Vargas, S.D.B.

Register today! If you cannot make it, register to receive a link to view this event afterward. This is the capstone of our six-part series made possible by the GHR Foundation. Videos of earlier webinars are available here.

The NRVC is offering four workshops to take place before the evening opening of the NRVC convocation on November 3 in Spokane, Washington. Don't miss the following opportunities for professional growth. Each workshop will be offered in the morning (9 a.m. to noon) and again in the afternoon (1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.).  Pictured here are presenters for "Vocation Promotion Insights."

1. Dynamic Communication Strategies,
2. Inspirational Women in the Church, 
3. Vocation Ministry: A Call to be Light and Enlightened,
4. Vocation Promotion Insights.   

Register at the NRVC online store for the conference, and pre-convocation workshops. Contact Nix conference assistants for hotel reservations; please do not contact the hotel or a booking agent.

Get ready for back to school! This 22-page booklet is perfect to give to college students attending Busy Person's Retreats. Students can select from among 17 themes, each with a variety of scripture passages and reflection questions. Stock up today for the coming school year. $2 per booklet for NRVC members. $3 non-members. Bulk pricing is available.

NRVC members now have a new resource: the online Member Guidebook, which has information on 24 aspects of the organization. From the history, mission, staff, and board to the full constitution and bylaws of the organization, the guidebook brings together membership details in one place. The guidebook can be reviewed online or downloaded as a 70-page pdf.

"I'm living with, learning from, and relating to others one quarter my age," says Father John Schork, C.P. who, at age 73, serves as vocation director for his province. The job is "humbling and fun," he says. Learn more here.

Those seeking education grants from the National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations have until April 17 to apply. These grants are for college debt of people entering a religious community; the grants are a benefit exclusive to members of the National Religious Vocation Conference. Please go to vocationfund.org to start the application process. Questions may be answered at vocationfund.org or directed to Phil Loftus, executive director, at ploftus@nfcrv.org.

The NRVC was part of a December meeting of men and women religious from 13 national organizations that serve religious life. Convened by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the goal of the meeting was to address the question: What will it take for all of us to serve religious life more faithfully and in bold and creative ways, given the changing landscape?  The meeting started a conversation that involved listening to each group, looking at how organizations have adjusted so far, and exploring potential ways to work together in the future to benefit religious life.

The NRVC extends a warm welcome to our new episcopal liaison, Bishop Austin Vetter, who is leader of the Diocese of Helena, Montana. Our episcopal liaison keeps us in communication and coordination with the bishops of the United States. We thank Archbishop Charles Thompson for his friendship and service in this role in recent years. Many of our members met Archbishop Thompson who graciously took part in several days of our November convocation in Spokane, Washington. He was recently elected as Chairman of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis. 

The NRVC Summer Institute will take place in Leavenworth, Kansas at the Marillac Center July 10 - 23. Three workshops are offered, “Orientation for New Vocation Ministers,” “Ethical Issues in Vocation and Formation Ministry,” and “Behavioral Assessment 1.” Registrations for these workshops will be available on a case-by-case basis.

Nearly 200 people took part in the November 3-6 NRVC convocation in Spokane. They represented every member area, including Canada, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Peru, and the United Kingdom. The NRVC expresses special gratitude to attendees, invited guests, presenters, and sponsors for taking part in keynote presentations, Conversations on the Edge with partners in ministry, the Conversation Roundtable, and the awards banquet honoring Miguel Naranjo and the Catholic Legal and Immigration Network, and four outstanding NRVC members. Participants donated $1,991 to Transitions, to assist women and children facing poverty and homelessness in the diocese of Spokane.

The three keynote presentations will be in the winter 2023 HORIZON, another good reason to renew your membership. Please note that annual subscriptions are helpful to send to all those who support vocation ministry. Consider sending a HORIZON suscription to households in your community as an affordable way for your members to learn and be inspired about vocation ministry all year long.

If you would like to suggest a theme for the next convocation—to be held in Minneapolis, Minnesota, October 31 to November 3, 2024—contact a National Board member, as the board will choose a theme at its spring meeting.

At its September 2022 meeting, the NRVC board approved amendments to the curriculum for vocation ministers. The NRVC recommends that vocation ministers complete workshops in all the core curriculum areas before starting or early on in their vocation ministry, including orientation, ethics, behavioral assessment, role of the family, psycho-sexual integration, ecclesial competency, civil and canon law, immigration law, and safe environment protocols. Other topics are part of continuing and ongoing education recommendations. Thank  you to those who served on the Curriculum Update Task Force: Brother Nicholas Romeo, O.F.M. Conv., Fathers Radmar Jao, S.J., and Andrew Laguna, S.J., Sisters Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M., Caryn Crook, O.S.F., Mary Jo Curtsinger, C.S.J., Michele Fisher, C.S.F.N., Rosemary Fry, C.S.J.,  Colleen Mattingly, A.S.C.J., Catherine Meighan, S.S.J., Mollie Reavis, S.N.J.M., Helene Sharp, C.S.C., and Valerie Zottola, C.S.J.

The NRVC annual report is now available online. It captures the good work the organization was able to accomplish during the challenging months of 2021 as the world faced COVID-19 closures and more. The NRVC is proud to report the ways it responded to member needs, helping vocation ministers do their jobs in new ways while maintaining fiscal responsibility and organizational integrity.

Sister Michele Fisher, C.S.F.N.,  Brother Chris Patiño, F.S.C., Father Rocco Puopolo, S.X., and Sister Donna Del Santo, S.S.J each received the NRVC's Outstanding Recognition Award at the convocation on November 6. Each has made a substantial contribution to vocation ministry beyond their member areas, lifting up all who are involved in this ministry and contributing in a profound way to those in vocational discernment. The NRVC thanks and congratulates them!

The board for the National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations conducted a Strategic Planning meeting October 18-19 at Saint Meinrad Archabbey in Saint Meinrad, Indiana.

The meeting aimed to update and identify new strategic initiatives for the future. Several board members traveled to join in person and others participated via Zoom. Father Anthony Vinson, O.S.B. and his community hosted the board. "We graciously enjoyed their hospitality," says Phil Loftus, executive director of NFCRV.

The NFCRV grant application window for 2023 opens January 5, 2023 and closes April 17, 2023.

The National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations (NFCRV) has granted education debt assistance to six communities for 2020. Congratulations to these incoming religious!

1. Dominican Sisters of Mary Immaculate: Hien Nguyen 
2. Marist Brothers: Ryan Richter 
3. Daughters of Mary Salesians: Pamela Suresca 
4. Bernardine Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis: Mariette Jumet 
5. Carmelite Sisters: Catherine Bier 
6. Totus Tuus: Megan Christ

Read more about NFCRV.

Deacon Patrick Winbush, O.S.B. has been active in vocation ministry for 17 years and is still going strong. His words of wisdom for those just starting out in this ministry are: Be bold! Read more...

The upgraded HORIZON index/archives button makes it easier than ever to scroll through recent (or not so recent) editions and look for articles. Check it out today!

Remember, subscribers and NRVC members can also search for articles by topic at the HORIZON Library.

Here are three proven reasons you should invest in attending the Nov. 3-6 NRVC convocation in Spokane, Washington. Remember, the early-bird discount ends after October 7, so register now!

1. To build relationships for collaboration. This ministry hinges on working well with other people who are part of the religious vocations world. Convocation provides superior face-to-face time to meet others, build trust, and nurture these important relationships.
    
2. In-person education has advantages. Online learning has its place, but the virtual world cannot replicate all the advantages of in-person, interactive learning. Also, learning at the convocation is not limited to formal presentations.
    
3. Creativity is unleashed. Studies show in-person exchanges heighten creative thinking. This moment in religious life requires every ounce of our creativity.

Misericordia funds are available if you need assistance with the cost of the convocation.

Both individuals and organizations are invited to become sponsors of the NRVC convocation, to take place October 31 - November 4 in Minneapolis. The NRVC is grateful to the many people and groups who are already supporting this important gathering of vocation ministers. Learn about sponsorship levels, including in-kind contributions, by contacting Phil Loftus, development director, at 312-318-0180 or ploftus@nrvc.net.

Convocation registration is now open. Pre-convocation workshop registration is available, as well registration for the post-convocation pilgrimage "Sacred Sites, Sacred Stories. Visit our online store to make your selections, register, and make payments. 

Don't miss this video of support for vocations and vocation ministry from Bishop Austin Vetter, the NRVC episcopal liaison. Sunday, April 30 will be World Day of Prayer for Vocations, an ideal time to draw attention to all vocations, including religious life. This day, which is also Good Shepherd Sunday, is  well-suited for celebrating in parishes, where many religious first experienced church ministry. Consider offering to speak at Masses or religious education classes, inserting a prayer or prayer card into the bulletin, posting about this day on social media, etc. Find details and resources here. 

The NRVC convocation, slated for November 3-6 in Spokane, Washington, will feature four half-day, pre-event workshops, including "Dynamic Communication Strategies." This workshop will be presented by vocation communicators Nancy Costello, Carol Schuck Scheiber, and Chris Swain. It will focus on three areas: internal communications, inquirer/discerner communications, and online/social communications. Participants will learn principles, see examples, and begin to develop strategies for their own contexts.

A second pre-event workshop, "Vocation Promotion Insights" will also be presented, with details to come on the third and fourth workshops.  Registration will begin in May.

The National Dialogue on Catholic Pastoral Ministry with Youth and Young Adults, which involved extensive gatherings of people involved in youth or young adult ministry, reaffirmed the need for broad vocation guidance and also shed light on the complex reality of  what young people are experiencing and what they ask of the church. The NRVC was extensively involved the three year process. In other news, COVID-19 appears to have slightly diminished religious and diocesan seminarian numbers in the past last year.

Avail yourself of NRVC’s premier resource for those considering consecrated life:  VISION Vocation Guide, online and in print. Use the weblink vocationnetwork.org. Give out bookmarks with the link. Order print copies and bookmarks here.  It’s also not too late to place an online ad!

With National Vocation Awareness Week happening Nov. 7-13, this is the perfect time to stock up on infographic handouts. These colorful 8.5-by-11-inch sheets pack in all the most important messages from our 2020 Study Of Recent Vocations To Religious Life. Update and inspire your community and the public. Download the handout here in Spanish or English. Order them in packets of 50, printed in full color, here.

The newest edition of HORIZON, which is in the mail and online, presents thoughtful analysis, reflection, and advice on skills and practices for well-being. It takes up the topic at both a communal and personal level. Among this edition’s treasures are ideas for cultivating a strong communal life by Brother Seán Sammon, F.M.S.  Brief but powerful words of hope for the future are provided by Brother Joseph Bach, O.S.F.

In July the NRVC completed another successful Summer Institute, helping 175 people from 12 countries receive education in vocation ministry and take part in valuable ministry support and networking. The four workshops included 22 guests from the National Conference of Vicars for Religious, the Association of Latin American Missionary Sisters/Asociación de Hermanas Latinas Misioneras en America, the National Black Sisters Conference, Vocations Ireland, and the National Association for Vocation and Formation Directors in Canada. Thank you to the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, whose generosity allowed the NRVC to invite guests.

Members of NRVC have the opportunity to take part for free in a $100 online workshop on October 19, 2-3:30 p.m., entitled “Navigating Uncertainty with Young People through Accompaniment,” by Josh Packard of Springtide Research Institute. This workshop will address ways to build trust and minister to young people during this period of economic, social, and health unknowns. NRVC members can register at no cost for this virtual workshop (which includes a link to watch a pre-recorded session and a link for a live session.)  Go to the NRVC store and indicate you will pay by check not credit card. The workshop fee for non-members is $100; payment by credit card is appreciated.

Note to Registrants: you will be sent a reminder email with Zoom link Thursday morning. Not registered yet? Please register now. Then tune in on Sept. 30, 2021 at 8 pm Eastern/7 pm CT/ 6 pm MT/ 5pm PT for our webinar "Fundamentals: from call to charism to community living" for insight on religious life today. The format is simple, four outstanding speakers will share their insights and then welcome questions from participants. The webinar will run one hour. It is free, but you must register to participate or to receive an on-demand link following the session. This is the first of six webinars, available thanks to the generosity of the GHR Foundation. Learn more here.

Be sure to mark your calendar and prepare your budget for the November 3-6, 2022 Convocation of the NRVC. It will take place at the Davenport Grand Hotel in Spokane, Washington, and be hosted by the Pacific Northwest Member Area with a theme of “Call Beyond Borders.” NRVC.net will carry details as the date draws closer.

On July 1, Sister Jill Reuber, O.S.B. (Midwest), Sister Kathleen Persson, O.S.B. (Mid-Atlantic), and Sister Teresa Shields, SNJM (Pacific Northwest) will begin serving as Member Area Coordinators. We extend a warm welcome to them and thank them for taking on this responsibility.

The editorial team at the NRVC once again earned honors from the Catholic Media Association. Congratulations to everyone involved in producing our quality publications and website! Details:

• BEST IN-DEPTH WRITING, HORIZON, “Walking with jovenes who are discerning their vocation,” by Sister Ana Cecilia Montalvo, F.Sp.S., Third Place
• BEST WEBSITE MAGAZINE OR NEWSLETTER, VISION Vocation Guide, VocationNetwork.org Honorable Mention
• BEST REPORTING ON VOCATIONS, VISION Vocation Guide, “Our newest religious possess an age-old Christian virtue: hope,” Honorable Mention

Due to the uncertainty of how COVID-19 continues to spread and affect our lives, our biennial Fall Institute, October 5-19, will be offered live through Zoom. Join us in the comfort of your home, no hassles with travel or packing, just time to enjoy learning from experienced presenters who will engage participants with a reasonable schedule integrated with screen breaks. Don’t postpone, register today for this outstanding opportunity for learning, support, and networking. 

Behavioral Assessment 2—October 5-6, 9:30 - 3:00 CT

Behavioral Assessment 1—October 8-10, 9:30 - 3:00 CT

Orientation Program for New Vocation Directors— October 12-16, 9:30 - 3:30 CT

Navigating Uncertainty with Young People through Accompaniment—October 19

Catholic Theological Union (CTU) announced the intended sale of the 5401 Centers Building which has housed our National Office for over 20 years. The NRVC will continue to serve our members by working remotely while we search for the right space. A temporary space near CTU has been rented in order to maintain resources and facilitate the seamless provision of membership services. Please note the following: Mail should be directed to:  NRVC 5416 South Cornell Ave., Chicago, IL  60615. Our office phone number will remain the same:  773-363-5454.

Please know this physical move will NOT impact the services we provide to our members nor our ability to meet your needs.  All phone and mail inquiries will continue to be answered in a timely manner. 

The NRVC extends deep gratitude to these Member Area Coordinators who have served generously and are completing their terms effective June 30:

Sister Connie Bach, P.H.J.C. of the Midwest Member Area, six years of service.
Sister Barbara Bartlett, S.H.C.J. of the Mid-Atlantic Member Area, two years of service.
Sister Christine Still, O.S.F. of the Pacific Northwest Member Area, six years of service.

On July 1, Sister Jill Reuber, O.S.B. (Midwest), Sister Kathleen Persson, O.S.B. (Mid-Atlantic), and Sister Teresa Shields, S.N.J.M. (Pacific Northwest) will begin serving as Member Area Coordinators. We extend a warm welcome to them and thank them for taking on this responsibility. See all our member area coordinators.

HORIZON subscribers can look forward to a Spring edition that explores the issues of racial justice, intercultural spirituality, unconscious bias, and more. The edition, which mailed April 30,  includes in-depth analysis, practical resources, and inspiration. Subscribers will find it online at nrvc.net. No subscription? Sign up today at nrvc.net/signup.

The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate recently released two studies that build on similar studies conducted annually: “Women and Men Entering Religious Life:  The Entrance Class of 2020” and “The Class of 2021: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood.” Discover the facts about the newest people to enter religious life and/or be ordained to the priesthood. Both studies (and others) are available in the “Studies” tab on nrvc.net. Photo: Daniel Hernandez, O.S.C. expects to be ordained in 2021.

Consecrated life runs in the family for Sister Jill Reuber, O.S.B. She's a triplet, with one of her sisters belonging to another Benedictine community. Find out what ideas for vocations are working for Sister Jill these days as she walks with women considering life as a Ferdinand, Indiana Benedictine. Read more...

Due to the global pandemic and the uncertainty of how the virus continues to spread and affect our lives, our biennial Fall Institute will be offered live through the Zoom platform. Join us in the comfort of your home, no hassles with travel or packing, just time to enjoy learning from experienced presenters who will engage participants with a reasonable schedule integrated with screen breaks, October 5-19. Don’t postpone, register today through the NRVC store for this outstanding opportunity for learning, support, and networking. 

Behavioral Assessment 2—October 5-6, 9:30 - 3:00 CT

Behavioral Assessment 1—October 8-10, 9:30 - 3:00 CT

Orientation Program for New Vocation Directors— October 12-16, 9:30 - 3:30 CT

Navigating Uncertainty with Young People through Accompaniment—October 19

Join us Wednesday, Nov. 17 at 8 p.m. ET to explore “Using all avenues to support vocation ministry.”  Two seasoned vocation directors will present on effective programs and strategies for reaching prospective candidates. Father Tom McCarthy, O.S.A. and Sister Donna Del Santo, S.S.J. are the presenters. Short presentations will be followed by a live Q&A with participants. The webinar is free, but you must register to participate or to receive a video-on-demand link following the session. Download a flyer; click here to register. Funded by the GHR Foundation.

Save the date for a January 13 evening webinar on collaboration in vocation ministry!

Among NRVC's online Summer Institute offerings this year will be the workshop "Learning to Cooperate with Grace through the Inner Work of Transformation," presented July 25-26 by Ted Dunn, Ph.D. During this period of uncertainty and volatility in religious life, this workshop will focus on listening to one's inner experiences, reflecting on them, and exploring together pathways to inner transformation. Dunn is a psychologist and author of The Inner Work of Transformation. Our other Summer Institute workshops will cover orientation, behavioral assessment, and ethics.

From what it's like to accompany college students to how sexuality and gender are seen by a new generation, the latest edition of HORIZON has important information and analysis for anyone serious about ministry with young adults. The electronic edition is now available online to logged-in subscribers. Non-subscribers can sample the following: "Accompanying college students," by Sister Nicole Trahan, F.M.I., an experienced campus minister and vocation director. Subscribe (or give a subscription) at nrvc.net/signup. NRVC members automatically receive a subscription;  they also get a deep discount on additional subscriptions.

Register today to take one or more Summer Institute online courses offered July 12-26. The NRVC and its experienced presenters have tailored the learning experience for your maximum professional development. Orientation Program  by a team of presenters, July 12-16  |  Ethical Issues in Vocation and Formation Ministry by Father Raymond P. Carey, Ph.D., July 18-19   |   Behavioral Assessment 1 by Father Raymond P. Carey, Ph.D., July 21-23  |  Learning to Cooperate with Grace through the Inner Work of Transformation  by Ted Dunn, Ph.D. , July 25-26.         

"Addressing parental concerns: wisdom and advice" is the topic of our webinar on April 21 at 7 p.m. CT. Two young religious and two parents will discuss the questions, concerns, and emotions that parents experience when a child enters religious life. Register today to join us. For those unable to attend the live webinar, register and receive an on-demand video of the session afterward. The 1-hour program will consist of four short presentations followed by live Q&A. Our remaining webinar featuring new member stories will take place June 2. This series is free of charge, thanks to the generous support of the GHR Foundation. Details and videos of previous sessions are at nrvc.net/webinars.

Catholic Sisters Week is March 8-14,  and as part of this celebration of women religious, the NRVC will co-host with A Nun's Life Ministry a special online conversation on March 9, from 6-7 p.m. Central Time.  "Let's talk about it! Asking the questions, living into the answers" will begin with icebreaker questions and move into more serious topics.

Catholic Sisters Week is meant to call attention to the vibrant service and lifestyle of sisters. Find details and resources for your own commemoration here.

The National Religious Vocation Conference, represented by the director of mission integration, Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M., is part of a committee creating an educational video about fostering a vocation culture among U.S. Hispanic Catholics. NRVC members and staff involved with the video production are Sister Elizabeth Ann Guerrero, M.C.D.P., Brother Mark Motz, S.M., Brother Chris  Patiño, F.S.C., Mrs. Carol Schuck Scheiber, and Sister Stephanie Spandl, S.S.N.D. The vocation video will be one of 28 videos to be published in 2022 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops as a follow-up to the V Encuentro, a synod-like process to address the needs of the U.S. Latino church.

Wellsprings of support for vocations | March 3, 2022
Addressing parental concerns: Wisdom and advice | April 21, 2022
Call to Religious Life: New members stories | June 2, 2022

Share this flyer with your community and colleagues! Additional details are here. Registration ensures that you receive a link post-event to view the webinar session on-demand at a time convenient to you. The live webinar will combine pre-recorded material and a live Q&A.

The NRVC will be holding an in-person convocation November 3-6, 2022, in Spokane, Washington with a theme of “Call beyond borders.” Two keynoters will speak. One is Sister Barbara Reid, O.P., a New Testament scholar who is president of Catholic Theological Union in Chicago (CTU). The other is Father vănThanh Nguyễn, S.V.D., a professor of New Testament Studies and Francis X. Ford, M.M. chair of Catholic missiology at CTU. Additional details are at nrvc.net.

The Communicators for Women Religious is sponsoring a webinar December 7 on "Data you need to know for vocation communications," which will feature NRVC's Sister Charlene Herinckx, S.S.M.O., director of membership, and Carol Schuck Scheiber, publications editor for NRVC. The one-hour webinar, which will focus on learnings from the NRVC study in 2020, "Recent vocations to religious life," will include a presentation and Q-A. The cost is $25; registration and details are here.

On January 13, 8 p.m. Eastern Time, experienced diocesan vocation directors will present online "Creating a collaborative environment" for NRVC's third webinar in the series "Religious Life: Learn it! Love it! Live it!" This free, hour-long webinar will focus on working together with various sectors of the church to create a vocation culture and to invite young people to consider consecrated life. Presenting and taking live questions will be Father Guillermo Hernandez of the Diocese of Sacramento vocation office and Ana Bojorquez, of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas vocation office. Also presenting (on video) will be Bishop Gary Janak  and Sister Ana Cecilia Montalvo, F.Sp.S., both from the Archdiocese of San Antonio vocation office.

The NRVC board and staff recently met with Dr. Mylon Kirsky, founder and chief operating officer of Sidebar Education Consulting Group, for an Intercultural Development Inventory to assess the group’s level of intercultural competency.  Each person received a one-on-one consultation to provide key insights and create an intercultural development plan. This initiative is part of the NRVC's strategic plan goal to "advance the field of intercultural vocation ministry" and to "engage the culturally diverse young church."

      This process is funded partially through a Conrad N. Hilton Foundation grant to the NRVC to create sustainable solutions to challenges in the organizational structure and financial model needed to build for the future of NRVC.

The NRVC recently hosted the workshop "Navigating Uncertainty with Young People through Accompaniment" for over 100 participants. A recorded 90-minute presentation by Josh Packard of the Springtide Institute (dedicated to supporting youth ministry) is available on the NRVC YouTube channel for anyone interested in knowing more about what 18-to-25 year-old-Catholics say about their spiritual needs and what they seek from the church.

To further our understanding of youth and young adult ministry leadership, the NRVC is collaborating with Ministry Training Source to support a research project that is beginning this month. The Ministry Training Source, under the leadership of Dr. Charlotte McCorquodale, is studying youth and young adult ministry leaders. Dr. McCorquodale was a presenter at a 2019 NRVC workshop on accompaniment and discernment.

The National Catholic Youth Conference, a biennial gathering of over 10,000 high school teens, parents, and youth ministers, will take place November 18-20, 2021 in Indianapolis. Sponsored by the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry, the theme this year will be "Ablaze–Enciende el Fuego." NRVC is not sponsoring the Nook gathering space this year. However, religious communities will be taking part, and volunteers will be needed. Learn more here.

At its spring meeting, the board for NRVC decided to freeze membership fees for the second year in a row. For 2022, single memberships will remain at $820. A license membership for five members will remain $1380. Members can learn more at nrvc.net/blog.

In January the NRVC was awarded a grant by the GHR Foundation to enhance the use of data collected in its 2020 study and to use the study’s information to articulate the viability and importance of religious life. The grant is meant to aid vocation ministers, discerners, and the larger church. Among its goals is to create a user-friendly, online map to give details about religious institutes in a given geographic area. Follow this newsletter to learn more as projects related to the grant take shape.

NRVC personnel and membership are part of an online youth ministry training series starting May 8 for those ministering to young people as they graduate high school. At the invitation of the National Federation of Catholic Youth Ministers, the 

Convocation participants are asked to bring two photos or statues of their favorite patron saints for the opening prayer ritual and two mementos of people who have died. We will collectively display these items in the conference ballroom to focus our time and prayer together during the convocation.

The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate recently published its annual Entrance Class Report, providing important information about those who began formation with a religious community in 2023. The report tells the demographics, reasons for entering, and more about the 153 men and 126 women who entered religious life in 2023.

A total of 99 religious institutes in the United States had at least one person enter initial formation as postulant or candidate. The majority of entrants were born in the United States, with 18 percent born in another country. About one quarter of them speak two languages fluently. Seventeen percent earned a master’s degree before entering religious life.

Starting a conversation about their vocation discernment was easy for about half of the newer entrants (63 percent for men and 42 percent for women).

Contact with institute members continues to be the most significant factor in discerning a calling to religious life. The spirituality and example of members of the institutes attracted 91 percent of newer entrants to their religious institute. Learn more here.

Welcome to Sister Eileen McCann, C.S.J. and Brother John Skrodinsky, S.T., who are joining the NRVC board. Farewell to departing board members Nancy Costello and Sister Mary Yun, O.P. The new NRVC board members begin their terms with the September meeting. Departing members will attend their final board meeting in September. We extend thanks to all of them for their commitment to vocation ministry. 

Register today to save $100 on attendance at our fall convocation in Minneapolis. Don’t delay—this gathering will be an inspiring, informative, enriching event for vocation ministers and those who support new membership to religious communities. To receive the $100 discount, you must register before October 1. Learn more.

NRVC Member Areas

Please do not publish this information as it is for NRVC members only.

General member area information

Member Directory and interactive map

Delaware Valley

Next gathering: April 15, 2025 10:00 am via Zoom
June 13, 2025 
Candidate Assessment through the Lens of Interculturality workshop
Redeemer Health Spark Transformation Center, Huntingdon Valley, PA

Minutes from February 12, 2025

 Minutes from October 3, 2024, December 10, 2024

Minutes from January 23, 2023, March 2, 2023, June 5, 2023, August 29, 2023

Coordinators

Sister Michele Fisher, C.S.F.N. | sorellamichele@aol.com
Sister Anita Quigley, S.H.C.J. | quigley@shcj.org

Heartland

Next gathering: April 28-30, 2025 in St. Louis

Minutes from April 30-May 2, 2024

Minutes from May 11, 2023

Coordinators

Sister Réjane Cytacki, S.C.L. | rcytacki@scls.org
Ms. Michelle Horton | mhorton@sinsinawa.org

Hudson Valley

Next gathering: TBA

Minutes from May 6, 2024
Minutes from March 7, 2024
Minutes from October 28, 2023
Minutes from June 10, 2023
Minutes from April 25, 2023

Coordinators

                             Sister Gloria Agnes Ardenio, M.M. | gagnes@mksisters.org
Sister Jenny Wilson, R.S.M. | jwilson@sistersofmercy.org

Lake Erie/Ohio River

Next gathering: March 27, 2025, via Zoom

Minutes from May 9, 2024

Minutes from October 23-25, 2023

Minutes from February 23, 2023, May 8, 2023

Coordinators

 Sister Caryn Crook, O.S.F. | ccrook@sosf.org​ 
Mrs. Teri Iverson | tiverson@cppsadmin.org

Mid-Atlantic

Next event: May 8, 2025, Franciscan Friars, Washington DC
Presentation on Influences on Young Adults in Discernment

Minutes from April 30, 2024

Minutes from October 25, 2023

Minutes from May 17, 2023

Coordinators

Sister Jean Rhoades, DC | jean.rhoades@doc.org
Friar Emanuel Vasconcelos, OFM Conv. | friaremanuel@gmail.com

Midwest

Next gathering: October 18, 2025 
Candidate Assessment through the Lens of Interculturality workshop
Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart, Frankfort, IL

Minutes from May 13, 2024

Minutes from October 10, 2023

Minutes from May 11, 2023

Coordinators

Sister Heather Jean Foltz, O.S.B. | heatherfoltz@benedictine.com
Sister Jill Reuber, O.S.B.  | jreuber@thedome.org

New England

Next gathering: April 22-23, National Shrine of Our Lady of Lasalette, Attleboro, MA, program on Pilgrims of Hope 

Minutes from May 3, 2024

Minutes from November 28, 2023

Minutes from May 2, 2023

Coordinators

Mrs. Sandy Piwko  | sandy@assumptioncenter.org
Sister June Fitzgerald, O.P. | jfitzgerald@oppeace.org

Pacific Northwest

Next gathering: April 23-24, 2025, Beaverton, OR
retreat by Dr. Elaine Classen Park 

Minutes from April 30-May 2, 2024

Minutes from Planning Meeting, November 1, 2023

Minutes from April 21, 2023

 Coordinators

Sister Chero Chuma, C.S.J.P. | cherochuma@gmail.com
Sister Paz Vital, OSB | pvital@stplacid.org

Southeast

Next gathering: TBA

Minutes from January 23, 2025

Minutes from October 2, 2024

Minutes from November 28, 2023

Coordinators

Mrs. Renee Dee | lsvocationsoffice@gmail.com
vacant

Southwest

Next gathering: May 7, 2025,
Next gathering:: September 2, 2025 
Candidate Assessment through the Lens of Interculturality workshop
St. Mary's University, San Antonio TX

Minutes from September 17, 2024
Minutes from May 14, 2024

Minutes from March 28, 2023

Coordinators

Brother Mark Motz, SM | mmotz@marianist.us
Sister Kim Xuan Nguyen, CCVI | knguyen@ccvi-vdm.org

Upper Midwest

Next gathering: TBA

Minutes from September 24, 2024

Minutes from February 27, 2024

Minutes from October 31, 2023

Minutes from May 17, 2023

Coordinators

Sister Carmella Luke, OSB | cluke@yanktonbenedictines.org
Brother Larry Schatz, F.S.C. | lschatz@cbmidwest.org

West Coast

Next gathering: TBA

Minutes from October 3, 2024

Minutes from June 18, 2024

Minutes from November 28, 2023

Coordinators

Father Radmar Jao, SJ | UWEVocationDirector@jesuits.org
vacant

International Members

Next gathering: March 13, 2025, 9:30 am CT, AI in Vocation Ministry
and October 4, 2025, topic to be announced

Register for the Zoom link here.

Coordinators

Mrs. Margaret Cartwright  | info@vocationsireland.com
Sister Mary Rowell, CSJ | mrowell@csjcanada.org 

75 NRVC members live in Bangladesh, Belize, Canada, the Democratic Republic, Egypt, France, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, India, Ireland, Italy,  Kenya, Peru, Philippines, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, and Zambia. 

via Zoom

It is not common for a Catholic sister to be a men's football coach, but vocation director Sister Lisa Maurer, O.S.B. has, in fact, been both things at once.

Her coaching days go back about a decade, and today her ministry has her involved in something closer to life coaching. She is the vocation director for St. Scholastica Monastery in Duluth, Minnesota. Nonetheless, Sister Lisa continues to play sports and follow her favorite teams.

Be sure to check out the October 31 workshops that will precede the NRVC convocation. These workshops will take place from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the convocation hotel in Minneapolis. They are designed for vocation ministers, leadership teams, and those responsible for the admissions process. Learn more and register today. (For more on the overall convocation, click here.)

Preconvocation workshops

1.  Requirements of Immigration Law in the Discernment Process 

2.  Requirements of Civil and Canon Law in Candidate Assessment

3. Navigating the Maze of Psychological Assessment in the Application Process 

4.  Are you Really Woke to the Opportunity?

5. God’s Call is Everywhere: A Global Analysis of Contemporary Religious Vocations 

Since it was established in 2014, the National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations (NFCRV) has helped 52 individuals to pursue their dream of religious life. Dozens of religious communities have benefited from NFCRV grants which  cover the cost of education debt. The most recent beneficiary is Alyssa Sidelka, a candidate with the Sisters of the Third Order of St. Francis of Penance and of Charity in Tiffin, Ohio. She was inspired to join the Tiffin Franciscans by their charism to adhere to Jesus' words: "whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me."

Alyssa attended Cuyahoga Community College, Cleveland State University, and Cleveland Marshall College of Law. She has earned both a Bachelor of Arts and J.D. and hopes to serve those most affected by the criminal justice system, both victims and defendants. She is also interested in restorative justice programs. Additionally, Alyssa hopes her vocation may help guide others into a relationship with God.

Seven new member area coordinators began two-year terms of  service on July 1:

• Sister Anita Quigley, S.H.C.J., in the Delaware Valley with Sister Michele Fisher, C.S.F.N.
• Sister Jenny Wilson, R.S.M. in the Hudson Valley with Sister Gloria Ardenio Agnes, M.M.
• Mrs. Teri Iverson (Precious Blood Sisters, Dayton) began serving earlier this year in Lake Erie/Ohio River with Sister Caryn Crook, O.S.F.
• Friar Emanuel Vasconcelos, O.F.M.Conv. in the Mid-Atlantic with Sister Jean Rhoads, D.C.
• Sister Heather Jean Foltz, O.S.B. in the Midwest with Sister Jill Reuber, O.S.B.
• Sister Paz Vital, O.S.B., began serving in the Pacific Northwest with Sister Chero Chuma, C.S.J.P. earlier this year.
• Sister Kim Xuan Nguyen, C.C.V.I., in the Southwest with Brother Mark Motz, S.M.                                                         

The Southeast Member Area is seeking a member to serve as a coordinator with Mrs. Renee Dee (Missionaries of Our Lady of LaSalette). Consider volunteering for this leadership role by contacting Renee Dee at lsvocationsoffice@gmail.com or Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M. at debbiesscm@nrvc.net.

The NRVC gives thanks to the U.S. Council of Serra for its outstanding support of vocation ministry at the National Eucharistic Congress (NEC) in Indianpolis in July. The Serrans generously sponsored 50 vocation booths, including the booth of the National Religious Vocation Conference. Vocation ministers appreciated the Serrans’ warm welcome, thoughtfulness, and encouragement.

Over 50,000 Catholics passed through the Convention Center, many showing interest in learning more about vowed communal life. Questions varied from curiosity about the vows, where we minister, how we pray, how to hear God's call, and how to contact a vocation director to begin discernment.

 Members of the NRVC served as volunteers, were ushers at Mass, and took part in the Eucharistic pilgrimage. NRVC members also attended the daily morning and evening sessions in the Lucas Oil Stadium, hearing more about the Eucharist. The next National Eucharistic Congress will be in 2033. 

From left to right are Anne Roat (U.S. Serra Council president), Greg Schweitz (past president of Serra International), Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M. of the NRVC, and John Liston (U.S. Serra executive director).

Thank you to the following Member Area Coordinators who completed their terms of service on June 30:

• Hudson Valley: Sister Maria Amador, P.C.M. (2 years)
• Mid-Atlantic: Sister Kathleen Persson, O.S.B. (3 years)
• Midwest: Sister Kathleen Branham, O.S.F. (4 years)
• Southeast: Sister Regina Hlavac, D.C. (2 years)

We appreciate your good work to animate NRVC members in your area and look forward to seeing you at future vocation events. The August newsletter will announce the newly selected Member Area Coordinators.

The Oct. 31-Nov. 4 NRVC Convocation in Minneapolis will include special recognition for groups and people who have made outstanding contributions.  The NRVC will present the following:
 

• The National Conference of Vicars for Religious (NCVR) will receive our highest recognition, the Harvest Award. The NCVR serves the vicars and episcopal delegates for religious serving in dioceses across the United States.
   
• Lifetime membership awards will be presented to  Marge Argyelan, director of database administration who will retire in August, and Sister Josita Colbert, S.N.D.deN., HORIZON contributor, former board member and former member of the African American Vocation Committee of the NRVC.
   
• In addition to the above awards, the NRVC is welcoming nominations for the Outstanding Recognition and Mustard Seed awards by August 15. Details and the form for making nominations are here.

NRVC publications recently earned 5 awards from the Catholic Media Association. These recognitions of our editorial excellence include:
 

• best supplement / special section
• best analytical writing
• best essay
• best feature
• best reporting on vocations

Congratulations to our talented team of writers, editors, translators, proofreaders, and graphic designers! See links to the award winning materials and lists of winning writers, etc. 

As part of the NRVC commitment to intercultural understanding, the forthcoming convocation (October 31-November 4) will include a pilgrimage bus trip on Monday, November 4 to local sites, with guides providing Native American historical and contemporary perspectives, opportunities for prayer, and more. Learn more about this additional opportunity.

NRVC Recognition Award

At its September meeting, the NRVC board selected three members to receive the Recognition Award, which is given to members who have demonstrated outstanding service and leadership in vocation ministry:

• Mr. Greg Darr, Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers vocation team member
• Brother David Henley, Glenmary Home Missioners former vocation director
• Sister Lisa Laguna, Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent DePaul, Province of St. Elizabeth Ann Seton vocation director

Congratulations to each of them for their commitment and expertise in this important ministry. The awards will be given during the forthcoming NRVC convocation.

Mustard Seed Award

For the NRVC Mustard Seed Award—also to be given during the November convocation—the board selected the University of Mary Vocations Jamboree. This North Dakota annual event began in 2016. It is carried out through a partnership between the University of Mary, the Diocese of Bismarck, North Dakota,  Annunciation Monastery, and Assumption Abbey. The Vocations Jamboree is described by proponents as a “welcoming and dynamic vocation event.”

Details about the convocation, to take place October 31 through November 4 in Minneapolis, are at nrvc.net.

The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate recently released a study about the Vietnamese Eucharistic Youth Movement (VEYM), a popular organization among Catholic Vietnamese youth in the U.S. Learn why VEYM members often consider (and sometimes join) religious life. The full study is posted on nrvc.net.

Image from VISION's profile of NRVC member Father Duy Henry Bui Nguyen, S.C.J.

Wyatt Olivas, a youth minister and music education student at the University of Wyoming, will join the NRVC on opening night of the convocation, October 31, to share reflections on the theme of "Walking Humbly Together." Olivas will be coming to the convocation shortly after serving as the youngest voting member of the Synod on Synodality in Rome. Olivas serves as youth minister at St. Paul’s Newman Center in Laramie, Wyoming and grew up with parents who served as parish confirmation ministers.

Being connected to others doing similar ministry is a big reason that Friar Emanuel Vasconcelos, O.F.M.Conv. is part of the NRVC. He is vocation director for the Franciscan Friars Conventual, Our Lady of the Angels Province. He is also a Mid-Atlantic Member Area Coordinator, along with Sister Jean Rhoades, D.C. Read more...

The NRVC has made available a number of articles from VISION, HORIZON, and other sources on themes of the 2025 Jubilee Year. Consider using these articles with young people or community members to deepen their understanding of the Jubilee themes, including forgiveness, prayer, peace, migration, and more. Find them here.

Videos of two convocation presentations, along with viewer guides, are now available online. Consider sharing the following talks with your members to help engage them in vocation ministry. Viewer guides are a member-only benefit of the NRVC and are available in the Member Toolbox. Both presentations were also published in the Winter 2025 HORIZON.

• Sister Patricia Chappell, SNDdeN "Embracing Transformational Values" video
• Brother Chris Patiño, F.S.C. "Leaven of Hope" video

Consider using the Jubilee Prayer to enrich your Lenten prayer life and ministry. The prayer is available at NRVC's Jubilee site, along with the logo you may wish to copy and use along with it.  

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has assembled information about the forthcoming Jubilee of Consecrated Life, to take place throughout the global church October 8-9. We are grateful that the bishops named the NRVC as a key resource, along with our publications, VISION and HORIZON.  The bishops' information packet has an overview of the jubilee, suggestions for ways religious communities can celebrate it, reflections, and more.

The NRVC is searching for a director of communications to join its national office leadership team. A primary aspect of the job will be to edit and produce the award-winning journal, HORIZON, as Carol Schuck Scheiber, publications editor, will be retiring in July 2025. Members and friends are encouraged to spread the word. Details about the position and how to apply are at nrvc.net.

Gerard Gallagher, executive director of the Association of Missionaries and Religious of Ireland, recently addressed the International Member Area. His talk on Christus Vivit, "Takeaways from Christus Vivit through the Lens of Vocation Ministry," can be viewed on the NRVC YouTube channel. Consider watching this 32-minute video with your community, vocation team, or discerners. Perhaps your group would want to re-read Christus Vivit prior to viewing; or review selected quotes. 

This month's NRVC treasure is the Bold and Faithful Storymap. If your community is not on this specialized website, please make sure it is.  Find the map here: tinyurl.com/Bold-and-Faithful-storymap. Scroll down until you get to a map. Instructions appear just below the map for adding a ministry site or community residence. You are assisting discerners and supporters of religious life by helping make this resource as comprehensive as possible.

How will you and your community be celebrating Jubilee Year 2025? Pope Francis has declared 2025 a Jubilee Year with the theme "Pilgrims of Hope." Check out the NRVC site,  JubileeYear2025.org to learn more. 

Note that The Jubilee Year of Consecrated Life is a section of the site dedicated to a Jubilee that religious communities worldwide are commemorating during the 2025 Jubilee Year. On October 8-9, 2025 religious communities will celebrate a type of "jubilee within a jubilee," noting ways that religious are "Pilgrims of hope, on the way of peace."

Share convocation messages with your community

The Winter edition of HORIZON, due out in February, will carry the text of several convocation speakers. In 2025, two presentations will also be available on video. Follow this newsletter or the NRVC news column for updates.

Evaluation

Evaluations are still being accepted. Turn in yours today to help the NRVC optimize the convocation experience.

View & download convocation photos

See convocation photos on our NRVC Flickr page.

NRVC apparel

Shirts, sweaters, and more with the NRVC logo and convocation logo are available for order here. The NRVC does not profit from these sales, but it appreciates that this apparel helps promote a vocational message.

Congratulations to the following people for their contributions to vocation ministry. On November 3, at the start of National Vocation Awareness Week (November 3-9), the NRVC board will bestow the following awards for outstanding service in vocation ministry.

• Mustard Seed Award University of Mary Vocations Jamboree, Saint John Paul II Center for University Ministry, Ms. Emma Thorp
• Outstanding Service Awards Mr. Greg Darr, Brother David Henley, G.H.M., Sister Lisa Laguna, D.C.
• Harvest Award National Conference of Vicars for Religious, Sister Maryann Seton Lopiccolo, S.C.
• Lifetime Member Awards Ms. Marge Argyelan, Sister Josita Colbert, S.N.D.deN.

NRVC members gathered in early November in Minneapolis for our 19th biennial convocation, with a theme of "Walking Humbly Together."  The board and staff extend gratitude to members, liturgical leaders, music ministers, presiders, presenters, exhibitors, event sponsors, and Nix Conference and Meeting Management staff, for coming together to galvanize our 2024 theme of walking humbly together! 

Short-term volunteer stints have proven to be a good way for Sister Jenny Wilson, R.S.M. to get to know  women who might consider religious life. Building a relationship with people is key, she says, and the volunteer experience allows time for that.  Read more...

Short-term volunteer stints have proven to be a good way for Sister Jenny Wilson, R.S.M. to get to know  women who might consider religious life. Building a relationship with those in discernment is key, she says.

Wilson is a vocation minister for the New Membership Team of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. She also serves as the Hudson Valley Member Area coordinator. She is now in her third year of vocation ministry. Previously she taught theology at Mount Mercy Academy in Buffalo, New York.  Read more...

 Beaverton, OR

The NRVC puts effort into networking on behalf of members; you can develop similar mutually beneficial relationships by learning about and attending conferences and events.

A pro tip: communities that are intentional about nurturing an intercultural future often connect to events that are important to Asian, Black, and Latino Catholics. This allows them to build relationships and to learn. Find such events here.

Are you aware that, like most professions, the practice of vocation ministry has a code of ethics? The NRVC code of ethics has been carefully developed by ministers and ethicists to maintain the highest possible standards of ministry. By reading and following the code, the NRVC intends to protect vulnerable adults and minors (those considering a church vocation), to minister free of bias, and to ensure that ministers and religious communities themselves can flourish in an atmosphere that maintains proper boundaries and good conduct. Even if you have already taken our ethics workshop, we encourage you to download and read the code and adhere to it. It's a well-written document worthy of sharing with your leaders and all involved in vocation ministry in your community.

Sister Rejane Cytacki, S.C.L. thinks big when it comes to vocation ministry. She converses with women from around the world who are interested in “a nun’s life,” which is also the name for the longstanding ministry that she heads up, A Nun’s Life Ministry. She is also part of a five-person vocation ministry team for her community, the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, based in Kansas. Read more...

Staff and members of the NRVC thank the following new Member Area Coordinators (MAC). They are joining a dedicated group of coordinators who oversee local activities and who will gather this September to, among other things, further develop their cultural understanding and humility. This intercultural effort will be guided by Dr. Mylon Kirksy through the generosity of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation. The new MACs are:

• Sister Gloria Ardenio Agnes, M.M., Hudson Valley, with Sister Maria Amador, P.C.M.
• Sister Chero Chuma, C.S.J.P., Pacific Northwest, with a MAC to be determined.
• Sister Réjane Cytacki, S.C.L. , Heartland, with Mrs. Michelle Horton.
• Ms. Renee Dee, Southeast, with Sister Regina Hlavac, DC.
• Father Radmar Jao, S.J. , West Coast, with Father Vien Nguyen, S.D.B.
• Brother Larry Schatz, F.S.C., Upper Midwest, with Sister Carmy Luke, O.S.B.

If you live in the following areas, please consider becoming a Member Area Coordinator:  Delaware Valley, Lake Erie/Ohio River, Pacific Northwest, and Southwest. Contact Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M. for details:  debbiesscm@nrvc.net.  Learn more...

The Catholic Media Association gave eight awards to VISION Vocation Guide and HORIZON vocation ministry journal at its June 2023 awards ceremony. Click here for details. Many thanks to our talented writers, editors, translators, and graphic designers for their outstanding work!

If you have not yet seen our convocation presentations (which had a theme of "Call Beyond Borders"), check them out now on the NRVC YouTube channel: youtube.com/NatRelVocationConf.  You might remember that the presenters were:

• Sister Barbara Reid, O.P.  "'Here I am' Responding to the call to go beyond"
• Father VanThanh Nguyen, S.V.D.  "Beyond the borders of culture: Vocation and migration
• Father Ricky Manalo, C.S.P.  "Borders, boundaries, and beyond: Culture in a 2.5 world"

Members can also download discussion guides for each presentation, available  in the members-only section of NRVC.net under Member toolbox.

It is not too late to join us for one or more virtual workshops this month. Of special note is the new workshop, Virtual Accompaniment and Communication with  Young Catholics taking place October 24-26. Seasoned professionals in youth and young adult ministry will lead this exploration of young Catholics and how best to communicate and engage with them.

Virtual Orientation Program for New Vocation Directors     
October 9-13, 2023, by Brother Joseph Bach, O.S.F., Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M., and Brother John Eustice, C.S.V.

Virtual Behavioral Assessment 1 workshop
October 17-19 2023, by Father Raymond P. Carey, Ph.D.

Virtual Accompaniment and Communication with Young Catholics 
October 24-26, 2023, by Stephen Carroll, Ph.D., Charlotte McCorquodale, Ph.D., and Darius Villalobos

In addition, the NRVC will offer Behavioral Assessment 2 in Tucson, Arizona December 2-3.

Meet this mother, pastoral worker, teacher, and—for the last 10 years—vocation director for the Sinsinawa Dominicans. "I have been in relationship with the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa my entire life as a neighbor, teacher, parish co-worker, and as a Dominican Associate." Read more...

Meet this mother, pastoral worker, teacher, and—for the last 10 years—vocation director for the Sinsinawa Dominicans. "I have been in relationship with the Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa my entire life as a neighbor, teacher, parish co-worker, and as a Dominican Associate." Read more...

A National Eucharistic Revival is underway in the United States, and a cross-country pilgrimage leading up to a July 2024 Eucharistic Congress will take place in the summer of 2024. Learn more here about how to get involved with this initiative to invigorate Catholics about the "source and summit" of our faith.

The NRVC extends warm thanks to the following people who have served as member area coordinators and are completing their terms of service on June 30, 2023.

Eight Years:

• Pacific Northwest:  Sister Christine Still, O.S.F.

Six Years:

• Heartland:  Ms. Lori Benge
• Lake Erie/Ohio River:  Sister Monica Seaton, O.S.U.
• Southwest:  Sister Bridget Waldorf, S.S.N.D.
• Upper Midwest:  Mr. Gregory Darr

Five Years:

• Southeast:  Sister Colleen Brady, O.S.F.

Four Years:

• West Coast:  Sister Nancy Uhl, S.N.D.deN.

Three Years:

• Hudson Valley:  Brother Joseph Bach, O.S.F.

Two Years:

• Pacific Northwest:  Sister Teresa Shields, S.N.J.M.

At its April 2023 meeting, the NRVC board made the following changes to its leadership: 

• Board chair:  Sister Nicole Trahan, F.M.I. (center)
• Vice chair of finance and development:  Mr. Len Uhal (right)
• Vice chair of membership and data (until her term ends in December 2023): Sister Belinda Monahan, O.S.B. (left)

In addition, the board accepted the resignation of Sister Marichui Bringas, C.C.V.I. (2020-2023) and appointed the following individuals to serve as board members beginning in December, 2023: 

• Brother Joseph Bach, O.S.F.
• Sister Margarita Hernandez, S.P.
• Friar Mario Serrano, O.F.M. Conv.
• Brother Edward Shields, F.S.C.
• Sister Gail Trippett, C.S.J.  

Thank you to all of these NRVC members who have stepped up to help lead our organization!

The new study, "The Class of 2024: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood" provides an in-depth look at the men in religious institutes and dioceses  recently or about to be ordained. The survey was commissioned by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and was produced by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. Among other things, the report provides details on the approximately 66 religious-institute men to be ordained in 2024. Data about religious institute ordinands is presented alongside information about diocesan ordinands. See the report here.

The NRVC board and staff will meet April 21-24, at the Carmelite Spiritual Center in Darien, Illinois. On the agenda will be the selection of new board members, a new board chair, and vice chairs. New board members will begin their terms at the autumn board meeting. With appreciation and gratitude, we thank Sister Mindy Welding, I.H.M., for serving two years as the board chair, Sister Belinda Monahan, O.S.B. for serving two years as vice chair of membership and database, and Father Adam MacDonald, S.V.D. for serving five years as vice chair for finance and development. Sisters Mindy and Belinda, along with Father Adam will conclude their terms at the selection of a new board chair and vice chairs. The board will also be selecting the 2024 convocation theme and keynote speakers. 

If  you or your religious institute will be present August 1-6 in Lisbon, Portugal for World Youth Day,  please let the National Religious Vocation Conference know so we can add you and/or your community's name to a list of NRVC members taking part. This allows pilgrims and others to network with our members. Most who visit our webpage on World Youth Day are planning to attend; many are pilgrims, youth ministers, and parents.

If you or your community will attend World Youth Day, please email Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M. at debbiesscm@nrvc.net with 1) the full name of you and/or your religious institute and 2) whether you will have a booth at the Vocation Fair.

Our weekly series of online Tuesday events continues through April 18 with the following topics: 

Tuesday, April 4, "Expect the Unexpected: Stories in Vocation Ministry that Surprised You," presented by Brother Alan Parham, F.S.C.

Tuesday, April 11, "Striking a Healthy Balance in Hope: Prayer, Community, Mission, Ministry, Self," presented by Sister Michele Fisher, C.S.F.N.   

Tuesday, April 18,  "Learning the Codes: Curiosity and Cultural Diversity," presented by Sister Dina Bato, S.P.

Learn more about our members-only "Talk it up Tuesdays" here. 

The new toolbox features links to resources that can be downloaded to print as needed by NRVC members. We ask that you refrain from posting any resource on social media/websites with respect to copyright and intellectual property integrity. Resources will be added as requested and time permits.

Abundant Hope Handout

Abundant Hope Prayer Card in French

Abundant Hope Prayer Card in Spanish

Abundant Hope Prayer Service  

Application Document Checklist

Characteristics of Newer Entrants Handout

Christus Vivit Vocation Quotes

Convocation Video Reflection Guide for Fr. Ricky Manalo, C.S.P.

Convocation Video Reflection Guide for Fr. vănThanh Nguyễn, S.V.D.  

Convocation Video Reflection Guide for Sr. Barbara Reid, O.P.

Convocation Video Reflection Guide for the Roundtable Conversation

Culture of Vocation Assessment Tool Booklet

Discerning your Vocation: Religious Life and Diocesan Priesthood

Discernment Video and Song links 

Fifty Fun Facts about Religious Life Handout

Handbook on Educational Debt and Vocations to Religious Life

Incorporating Cultural Diversity into Religious Life Handout

Listening to the Call Black Religious Vocation Prayer Card

Litany for Vocations

Litany for Vocations with a reflection on the impact of clothes we wear

Parish Vocation Committee Guidelines

Pope Francis Prayer Card

Prayer...some helpful hints Booklet by Fr. Warren Sazama, SJ

RCRI ~ CLINIC Webinar - Updates to the Religious Worker Permanent Residency Program, thank you to The Resource Center for Religious Institutes for permission to share this link with NRVC members. 

Religious Life Today Booklet 

Religious Life Today Infographic

Religious Life Today Infographic in Spanish

Religious Life Today Webinars

Responsibilities of Members for Vocation Ministry Handout

Role of Family in Nurturing Vocations Handout

Role of Religious Leadership in Vocation Ministry Handout

Role of Religious Leadership in Vocation Ministry FRENCH Handout

Storymap: Religious Life Today

Storymap: Bold and Faithful, meet today's religious

Transforming Religious Communities to be Antiracist and Culturally Inviting: Welcoming the Cultural Abundance of African American and Black Catholics

VISION Vocation Guide

VISION Vocation Guide Article Index

Vocation Culture: From Reflection to Action Booklet

Vocation Culture: From Reflection to Action Booklet in Spanish

Vocation Icon Prayer Card

Vocation Prayer Card designed by the African American Vocation Committee

Vocation Vocabulary Booklet

Year of Consecrated Life Prayer Card

Year of Consecrated Life Prayer Card in Polish

Year of Consecrated Life Prayer Card in Spanish

Year of Consecrated Life Prayer Card in Vietnamese

YouTube Channel - NRVC has over 170 videos to watch

Young People, The Faith, and Vocational Discernment, XV Synod of Bishops Preparatory Document Summary

Do you have a podcast, video, event, or resource to share with those exploring religious life?  NRVC's recently released storymap, Bold and Faithful: Meet Today's Religious, welcomes potential material. Please send your contribution to Patrice Tuohy of VISION Vocation Network at pjtuohy@truequestweb.com.

We continue to encourage you to spread the word about the storymap, especially in connection to National Vocation Awareness Week, November 5-11. Consider:

• Posting about it on social media.
• Publishing the link tinyurl.com/MeetTodaysReligious or QR code in employee bulletins, school newsletters, parish bulletins, etc.
• Sharing the storymap link or QR code with discerners.

The roundtable discussion about growth and development in religious life, "Rewind the future"—which took place at NRVC's 2022 convocation—is now on the NRVC YouTube channel. Six men and women religious previously featured in vocation resources talk for 60 minutes about their experiences in and hopes about consecrated life. This resource could be a discussion starter for communities or an education tool for discerners. NRVC members can download a "Convocation Video Reflection Guide for the Roundtable Conversation" at the Member Toolbox.

Development of ecclesial vocations is one of nine priorities highlighted in the Hispanic/Latino Pastoral Plan recently released by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The document, also in Spanish, calls an increase of such vocations "essential for the Church to carry out its mission."

The V Encuentro developed a low-cost, practical ministry-training series to help with pastoral efforts among Latinos, including vocation outreach. NRVC leaders helped shape the vocation segments.

Sister Kathleen Branham, O.S.F. will be the next director of database administration for the National Religious Vocation Conference beginning May 13. The current director, Marge Argyelan, will be retiring in August to onboard Sister Kathleen and integrate NRVC's new database.

Sister Kathleen joins the NRVC leadership team as an active NRVC member with varied ministerial experiences, including service as an NRVC Member Area Coordinator for the Midwest since 2020. 

Thank you Marge, for your outstanding leadership in database and web services. Your kindness and expertise have benefitted all of our members. Welcome, Sister Kathleen.

Sister Tarianne DeYonker, O.P. is part of the vocation team for the Adrian Dominican Sisters headquartered in Michigan. Her six-person vocation team initiates and nurtures relationships with many young adults, especially those making life decisions about how to use their gifts. Read more.

The speakers for the NRVC convocation in Minneapolis Oct. 31 - Nov. 4 will be:

Ms. Ann Garrido, D.Min. an associate professor of homiletics at Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis. She will lead a workshop on healthy communication and conflict management in a vocation context.

Brother Christopher Patiño, F.S.C. is general councilor for the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Brothers). He will speak on a global view of religious life and vocations, moving beyond a United States-only narrative to define who we are.

Sister Patricia Chappell, S.N.D.deN. has served on her community's Provincial Leadership Team and was elected to the U.S.-East-West Unit Provincial Team. She works in anti-racism efforts and will address anti-racism spirituality, nonviolent communication, and ways vocation ministers can navigate change toward interculturality.

Note: for those concerned about travel plans and voting in the Nov. 4 election, usa.gov/early-voting provides details on ensuring your ability to vote. Other details on the convocation are here.

All vocation and formation ministers are invited to a “Synodal Consultation for Formators and Vocation Directors” Zoom event sponsored by the NRVC and the Religious Formation Conference on March 20, 6:30-8 p.m. Central Daylight Time.

The General Secretariat of the Synod is encouraging further consultation ahead of October’s Second Session of the Synodal Assembly in Rome. This consultation will be focused on the question: How can we be a synodal church in mission? Sister Tere Maya, C.C.V.I. will begin the Zoom gathering by sharing her insights about the synodal process of listening to one another.  More than 200 people are already registered for this event. Further details and a registration link are here.

Sister Carmella Luke's vocation ministry includes some built-in time for fun. She looks forward each year to hosting "S'mores with the Sisters," an event that builds relationships with students and staff at Mount Marty University. Apart from her ministry, she enjoys raising chickens so much that her sisters have dubbed her the "Chicken Whisperer." Read more...

NRVC members are encouraged to attend the final two sessions of "Talk it Up Tuesdays" on April 1 (focusing on charism) and April 8 (focusing on inspiration).  These free online sessions consist of a short presentation followed by small-group and large-group discussion.  Learn more and register here.

In January, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) released its latest report detailing characteristics of those making a final profession in the past year. On behalf of the USCCB, The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) identified 144 adults who professed final vows in 2023 (68 women and 76 men, from 67 institutes). Among other things, the downloadable survey of this group showed:

• Average age of 36
• 22% born outside the U.S.
• 93% served in parish or volunteer ministry
• 82% regularly took part in Eucharistic Adoration 
• 77% took part in a "Come and See" event

The NRVC is seeking a new director of database administration because of the retirement of Marge Argyelan on June 30. This full-time position emphasizes ministry-oriented strategic thinking, as the new director will be part of a leadership team that serves as the organization's executive director. The NRVC hopes to fill this position early in 2024 to allow time for the incoming person to train with the current director.  A job description and application details are at nrvc.net.

The National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations (NFCRV) is accepting applications for grants to pay education debt of candidates to religious life. The applications must be submitted online by April 12, and only members of the National Religious Vocation Conference may apply. 

Since it was founded in 2014, the NFCRV has assisted 51 candidates to religious institutes. Details and application forms are at vocationfund.org. Please direct questions to executive director Phil Loftus at ploftus@nfcrv.org or 312-318-0180.

Renée Dee says the best compliment she's received lately was hearing: "We haven't talked this much about vocations in years!" As national vocation director for the La Salette Missionaries, she is focusing on developing a culture of vocations throughout the community's parishes, schools, and ministries. Read more...

When the NRVC board meets in Tucson, Arizona December 4-8, it will welcome five new members and thank three members who will meet for the last time. The NRVC extends deep thanks to outgoing members:

• Sister Belinda Monahan, O.S.B.
• Father Adam MacDonald, S.V.D.
• Sister Mindy Welding, I.H.M.

The NRVC is grateful to the following incoming board members:

• Brother Joseph Bach, O.F.M. Conv.
• Sister Margarita Hernandez, S.P.
• Friar Mario Serrano, O.F.M. Conv.
• Brother Edward Shields, F.S.C.
• Sister Gail Trippett, C.S.J.

NRVC has many resources to assist parishes, youth ministers, campus ministers, and vocation teams in promoting religious vocations.
 

• Bold and Faithful: Meet Today's Religious storymap
• Abundant Hope videos
• VISION Vocation Guide
• and many more found in our store

National Vocation Awareness Week is November 5-11. The NRVC encourages members and friends to take advantage of this week to celebrate and promote both religious life and the foundational calling to discipleship that every Christian has. We've produced two new videos that anyone can repost. They feature our Member Area Coordinators reflecting on the gifts religious life brings to the world and the gifts religious life brings to them.  For our other ideas and resources for National Vocation Awareness Week, click here. To see resources for this occasion from the USCCB Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life & Vocations, click here.

The Annual Global Celebration of Youth and Young Adults will take place on the Solemnity of Christ the King, November 25-26. Catholic communities around the world are invited to celebrate and reflect on young people. The U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops has published a National Pastoral Resource Guidebook for the Global Celebration of Young People, in English and Español to provide background, prayers, suggestions, and more for this event. 

"Walking humbly with God," will be the theme of the 2024 convocation of the NRVC, to take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota October 31 - November 3.  In addition, Member Area Coordinators recently chose the logo design for the convocation.

As plans move forward, religious communities are invited to become sponsors to help ensure an outstanding and affordable event for every vocation minister. To learn more about sponsorship, contact Phil Loftus, NRVC's development director, at ploftus@nrvc.net.

There is still time to join the over 40 religious institutes of the NRVC that have signed up to be part of the November 16-18 National Catholic Youth Conference being held in Indianapolis, Indiana. This biennial gathering involves young people in prayer, community, evangelization, catechesis, and service. Over 10,000 people are expected. NRVC members can give witness to religious life while volunteering and exhibiting. Learn more, including which communities will be part of this event. For details about getting involved, contact Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M. at debbiesscm@nrvc.net

The Winter 2023 edition of HORIZON is now online, with paper copies slated to mail this week. It consists of the three keynote presentations delivered at our November 2022 convocation. The theme is "Call beyond borders." Sister Barbara Reid, O.P. addresses the topic from a scriptural lens; Father vanThanh Nguyen, S.V.D. looks at the topic from a lens of immigrants and migrants; and Father Ricky Manalo, C.S.P. lends a perspective combining culture, technology, and the Nones (those with no religious tradition).

To encourage one another, NRVC’s Facebook page will be inviting members and friends to “Tell me something good” each Tuesday beginning today, May 3. The idea is to share on the NRVC page a positive moment in ministry, young adult outreach, vocational invitation, or even your own personal life. Nothing is too small or too large to share. Photos are welcome but not required. Just post your positive moment under the “Tell me something good” photo. Our page is at facebook.com/NationalReligiousVocationConference.

Thank you to all who practice vocation ministry or support it. The NRVC extends appreciation to its members who focus on walking with inquirers and their families, assisting candidates through the application process, and animating membership to embrace those who enter. We encourage you to celebrate National Vocation Awareness Week. Resources are available on nrvc.net.

The NRVC extends a warm welcome to Sister Charlene Herinckx, S.S.M.O., who will join the leadership team as director of membership on January 11. Marge Argyelan, who has held that position, will become director of database administration. Sister Charlene, available at srcharleneh@nrvc.net, is no stranger to vocation ministry as she was the NRVC coordinator of programs and projects from 1999 to 2005 and held various positions in vocation ministry for her community over the years. She also served in education and leadership, most recently as superior general from 2010-2020 for the Sisters of Saint Mary of Oregon.

As part of the celebration for World Day for Consecrated Life, NRVC co-sponsored an online prayer and panel discussion on "Consecrated Life through the Lens of Fratelli Tutti" on February 2. Registration reached its capacity of 1,000 participants so this event was recorded. Access the video using this link. The other co-sponsors are the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, Leadership Conference of Women Religious, Religious Brothers Conference, and Religious Formation Conference. To plan other outreach or activities for World Day for Consecrated Life, see our information and resources here; prayers of the faithful and bulletin blurbs from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops are here.

Starting January 26, NRVC members will be invited to take part in "Talk it up Tuesdays," 60-minute, online sessions to collaborate, build relationships, and learn effective practices for now and beyond the pandemic. Each session will take place from 1-2 p.m. Central Time. Focusing on a topic in vocation ministry, sessions will consist of short presentations, breakout groups, and a large group sharing. To register and see the list of topics and presenters, click here. 

Building on the popularity of the recently released 19 videos of newer religious, NRVC is partnering with Support Our Aging Religious (SOAR!) to develop videos of religious over age 80 who express hope for the future. The short videos, to be released in February, are meant to amplify hope in religious life, demonstrate that hope is not determined by age, and show that the youngest and oldest members inspire one another in their vocations. Both sets of videos can be used in community conversations with NRVC's Study and Reflection Guide. Support Our Aging Religious is a 501(c)3 nonprofit dedicated to helping congregations of sisters, brothers, and priests care for their aging members.

Register for an online course by clicking on a workshop below.

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

This 24-page booklet, "Screening and Discernment Instrument for Religious Life," was written by NRVC member and canon lawyer Sister Amy Hereford, C.S.J. It includes sample screening forms and checklists that are helpful for assessments and applications. In particular, this resource contains sample forms for legal and financial matters that are typically included in an application to join a religious institute. $10 members, $15 non-members. Learn more or purchase this booklet here.

The NRVC welcomes Indianapolis Archbishop Charles Thompson as the episcopal liaison to the National Religious Vocation Conference at the appointment of Bishop James Checchio, chairman of the USCCB Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations (CCLV). READ MORE.

Whether your community events are virtual or in-person, spread your net widely by posting them on the VISION Vocation Guide free event calendar. Prayer services, retreats, learning or service opportunities, and more are welcome to be listed. Events need not be specifically related to vocations. The main criteria is that an event be sponsored by a religious community. 

In a recent survey, NRVC members showed creative persistence in the way they have adapted to restrictions under COVID-19. The majority reported that they continue to be in touch with young people, to listen, provide guidance, and help them with life vocation decisions. The full report will be published in the forthcoming edition of HORIZON, but members and subscribers can access it now. READ MORE.

NRVC is committed to supporting interculturality and racial justice around the world and in religious life. We have many resources to assist those in vocation ministry in conducting vocation ministry that is inclusive and welcoming. For members, find articles under the heading "multicultural" in the HORIZON library. Also, immediately access Father Bryan Massingale's classic "Transformative love, passion for justice belong in vocation ministry." In addition, Catholic Theological Union has made these resources available: “We Belong to One Another” by  Sister Barbara Kraemer, O.S.F., Ph.D. and “Interculturality: Challenges and Opportunities for Ministry“  by  Michel Andraos, Ph.D.

Nineteen short videos of newer sisters, brothers, and priests discussing community life, intercultural living, and what gives them joy and hope are available online for your use. Consider using these 1-3 minute videos for an online presentation, community discussion, on your social media pages, etc. Produced by NRVC and released last month for National Vocation Awareness Week, these videos are a free resource for anyone exploring or promoting religious life. Find them on the NRVC YouTube page.

NRVC is delighted to announce that its publications, HORIZON and VISION,  won four awards from the Catholic Press Association in late June 2020. They were for best magazine, best review, and best feature article (two awards in best feature article). Read more.

On October 7, NRVC members  will be emailed an electronic ballot for voting on the proposed changes to the NRVC constitution. The changes—which were shaped with member feedback—are intended to bring our organization in line with current realities. NRVC sent members the proposed changes in September and is now asking them to kindly use the ballot emailed to them, even if abstaining. Results will be announced at the Convocation business meeting on October 31.

The 2019 Annual Report is now available for viewing online. With a theme of sustainability, the report reviews key accomplishments. In outward-focused ministry, the NRVC took part in World Youth Day, began a study of newer members, took part in and co-hosted webinars, continued its tradition of excellence in publishing and workshop offerings, and launched the blog "Catalyst." At the same time, the organization secured its future through the Team Leadership Model of staffing, board restructuring, and financial structure improvements. Learn more here.

This 63-page booklet is an affordable resource for those who want to use pandemic solitude to pray more about their vocation. It is written as a 30-day retreat using scripture, reflection, activities, and questions. Authored by Father Tat Hoang, C.S.s.R., these booklets are just $4 for members, $6 for non-members. Read more.

More than 390 people attended the NRVC virtual Convocation held October 28-31, including dozens of newer religious and leaders. The interactive event included diverse presentations, prayer time, small group discussions, an awards ceremony, and more. Participants donated $5,200 to the National Black Sisters Conference, the largest amount ever raised during NRVC's traditional offertory collection during a convocation liturgy. The NRVC is grateful to Convocation speakers and participants and to the many sponsors whose support made it possible. The Winter edition of HORIZON, which mails in February, will carry selected presentations.

Congratulations to the five NRVC members who were selected by the board in August to each receive the Outstanding Member Recognition Award at the NRVC virtual Convocation, taking place October 28-31.

• Sister Michael Francine Duncan, S.S.M.O.
• Brother Ronnie Hingle, S.C.
• Sister Marie Mackey, C.S.J.
• Sister Priscilla Moreno, R.S.M.
• Brother Sean Sammon, F.M.S.

Each recipient has served the cause of vocation ministry in a way that has lifted up all of religious life. The NRVC extends deep thanks and congratulations to them all.

The members of NRVC voted in October to approve the proposed changes to the constitution, with 95 percent favoring the new language. These changes bring the organization's constitution into line with current realities. Thank you to all who gave these issues their attention and took part in voting.

NRVC will soon introduce its new storymap, "Religious Life Today," which will present the results of the 2020 Study on Recent Vocations to Religious Life in a highly visual, online format. The storymap, funded by the GHR Foundation, will give users an additional way to explore data from the study, including geographic maps of certain data and much more. In the coming weeks, the NRVC will email the storymap to members, collaborators, study participants, and VISION Vocation Guide discerners.

During November 2020 NRVC reached a milestone with its Misericordia Scholarship Fund: It gave out its 200th award since the program's inception in 2015. That means 200 times religious communities have been able to pay membership dues, send someone to a workshop, or attend Convocation. Nearly $100,000 has been distributed. Thank you to the many generous donors who have made this possible. Learn more or contribute here.

The NRVC thanks three departing members of the national board for completing a  full six-year term of service in August 2020:

• Sister Gayle Lwanga Crumbley, R.G.S.
• Sister Anita Quigley, S.H.C.J.
• Sister Anna Marie Espinosa, I.W.B.S.

As these board members stepped down with the gratitude of NRVC, three new members are beginning service. We welcome them!

• Sister Marichui Bringas, C.C.V.I.
• Sister Jean Marie Fernandez, R.G.S.
• Brother Brian Poulin, F.M.S.

NRVC is delighted that its unique Summer INstitute has attracted larger than normal participation, with 190 people registered to attend web-based workshops in ethics, generational, and psycho-sexual issues as well as new vocation directors orientation. READ MORE.

The NRVC extends gratitude to the member area coordinators who have served generously and are stepping down, effective June 30.

Sister Maria Brizuela, O.S.F. of the Midwest member area completed a six-year term of service.

Sister Marie Mackey, C.S.J. of the Hudson Valley member area completed a four-year term of service.

Sister Maryanne Tracey, S.C. of Delaware Valley member area completed a three-year term of service.

All three plan to continue to be active members of NRVC.

On July 1 Sister Kathleen Branham, O.S.F. (Midwest), Brother Joseph Bach, O.S.F. (Hudson Valley), and Sister Barbara O'Kane, M.P.F. (Delaware Valley) will begin serving as member area coordinators. We extend a warm welcome to them and thank them for taking on this responsibility.

The NRVC ended its virtual convocation October 31 by presenting awards for outstanding contributions to vocation ministry to seven individuals and the Notre Dame Vision program. Mary Lou Rafferty, owner of the J.S. Paluch Company, Inc., was given the Harvest Award. Rafferty and her company have lent support to vocation efforts in numerous ways for decades, most notably by hosting an annual seminar for diocesan and religious life vocation personnel. Father Ray Carey, who has conducted workshops on ethics and assessment for decades, was presented a lifetime membership. Five members of NRVC who have gone above and beyond in service to vocation ministry received the Outstanding Recognition Award: Sister Michael Francine Duncan, S.S.M.O., Brother Ronnie Hingle, S.C., Sister Marie Mackey, C.S.J., Sister Priscilla Moreno, R.S.M., and Brother Sean Sammon, F.M.S. The Notre Dame Vision program—a summertime faith development program for high school students—received the Mustard Seed Award. Learn more here.

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.

Twenty resources are available for sale in our on-line store to help parishes, college campuses, schools, and vocation teams to promote vocations throughout the year, especially during events such as World Day for Consecrated life. All resources are affordable, NRVC members receive discounted rates as a benefit of membership. Bulk rates are available by calling the NRVC office. Order now.

The NRVC 2020 Study on Recent Vocations to Religious Life and its companion infographic are now available in Spanish, thanks to the translation efforts of the Mexican American Catholic College and funding from GHR Foundation. Find the full study here and infographic here. READ MORE.

At its March meeting, the NRVC board appointed a new chair and vice chairs, effective immediately, and selected four new members who will begin serving in the fall. (See all of them here.) The new executive committee now consists of Sister Mindy Welding, I.H.M., chair; and vice chairs Father Adam MacDonald, S.V.D. and Sister Belinda Monahan, O.S.B., and Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M. ex officio. The new board members to begin serving in the fall are Ms. Nancy Costello, a former Region 3 NRVC coordinator who works in communications and vocations for the Cabrini Sisters; Sister Nicole Trahan, F.M.I., who has published vocation related articles in HORIZON and elsewhere; Sister Cheryl Wint, O.S.F., of the Hudson Valley Member Area, and Sister Mary Yun, O.P., former coordinator of the West Coast Member Area. Congratulations to all, and warm thanks to Sister Kristin Matthes, S.N.D.deN., who has completed her service as board chair.

Attleboro, MA

All are encouraged to celebrate religious brothers on Saturday, May 1, 1:30-3 p.m. Central Time, via an online event featuring prayer, reflections, and small group discussions. The NRVC is co-sponsoring this event along with the Conference of Major Superiors of Men, Religious Brothers Conference, and the Religious Formation Conference. Register to take part. In addition, celebration information and resources are available from NRVC here, and from the Religious Brothers Conference here.

At its April meeting the NRVC board elected the following members to its executive committee: Friar Mario Serrano, O.F.M.Conv., board chair; Sister Eileen McCann, C.S.J., vice chair; and Brother John Skrodinsky, S.T., vice chair. Deep thanks to Mr. Len Uhal for his service on the board, including as vice chair; he will attend his final board meeting in September. 

The NRVC office will be closed April 1-5 in observance of the Triduum and Easter. The board and staff wish you a joyful celebration of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection!

The NRVC released its Religious Life Today Storymap website on March 25, giving members and the public a highly visual, compelling way to understand contemporary realities and trends among those joining religious orders. The site brings to life the data from the 2020 Study on Recent Vocations to Religious Life. You are invited to scroll through this hope-filled resource, to share it with your members, and to add links to it from your website and social media sites. Thank you to the GHR Foundation for underwriting this project.

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.

A virtual celebration of Religious Brothers Day will take place on May 1, 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. Central Daylight Time, hosted by the Brothers Think Tank. All are welcome to both events. The Brothers Think Tank is composed of the NRVC, Religious Brothers Conference, Conference of Major Superiors of Men, and the Religious Formation Conference.  

Register for the 1 pm CDT event here and the 7 pm CDT event here.

All are urged to shine a spotlight on the community, lifestyle, and good works of brothers on May 1—through social media, events, prayer services, and more. Learn more about Religious Brothers Day and how to celebrate it here.

On January 26 NRVC kicked off a new, members-only initiative for vocation ministers to learn, collaborate, and build relationships, with ?? members taking part in the first Talk it Up Tuesday session. Members are encouraged to register for these upcoming hour-long sessions, which take place 1-2 p.m. Central Time, 2-3 p.m. Eastern. Details and registration are here. Note: once registered,  participants use the same link for all sessions.

February 2—No session; instead participation in the evening Fratelli Tutti panel discussion and prayer is encouraged.
February 9—"Planning Virtual Retreats," presented by Sister Julia Walsh, F.S.P.A.
February 16—"Using WhatsApp Chat with Discerners," presented by Sister Jill Reuber, O.S.B.
February 23—"Expanding Vocation Promotion Through the Lens of Charism," presented by Sister Mary Jo Curtsinger, C.S.J.

In honor of the 25th World Day for Consecrated Life on February 2, the NRVC is releasing 32 more 2-minute videos of newer religious to its Abundant Hope video series on the NRVC YouTube channel. These videos feature newer religious discussing their experiences of intercultural and intergenerational community living, with an emphasis on hope. (Similar videos of senior religious are scheduled for release later in February.) Consider using videos or other NRVC resources to celebrate this day with your community, in your sponsored ministries, in parishes, schools, etc.

The National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) is pleased to announce that a generous grant recently received from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Catholic Sisters Initiative, will support ongoing efforts toward the achievement of two major objectives from the NRVC’s 2019-2023 strategic plan. Read more...

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. 

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—"Creative Connections: Enhancing Your Discernment Activities" 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. 

Find information and statistics on religious vocations and links to over 50 professional studies here.

A study released January 26 about men and women who took final vows in 2020 confirms most of the trends that have been noted among new religious in recent years. Among the findings are that most took part in a "Come and See" or similar event; they were more likely than other Catholics to have attended a Catholic school or college; and their ethnic mix is 29 percent Asian, Latino, or black, with a quarter of the profession class being immigrants. The report was produced by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Sister Kim Xuan Nguyen C.C.V.I. is a chiropractor. But now, instead of, "Where does it hurt?" she may be more likely to ask, “What brings you joy?” She is the vocation minister for the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word in Houston. She’s also the Southwest Area Coordinator of the NRVC. Read more...

How will you and your community be celebrating Jubilee Year 2025? Pope Francis has declared 2025 a Jubilee Year with the theme "Pilgrims of Hope." Check out the NRVC's site, JubileeYear2025.org to learn more. 

Note that The Jubilee Year of Consecrated Life is a section of the site dedicated to a Jubilee that religious communities worldwide are commemorating during the 2025 Jubilee Year. On October 8-9, 2025 religious communities will celebrate a type of "jubilee within a jubilee," noting ways that religious are "Pilgrims of hope, on the way of peace."

Learn more... 

Oct. 8-9, 2025 will be celebrated as a Jubilee for Consecrated Life with the theme of "Pilgrims of hope, on the way of peace." This special Jubilee Year event is born out of the desire of consecrated men and women to reflect on the urgent need for peace and to answer the call to be witnesses and prophets of hope and peace, particularly on the occasion of the upcoming Jubilee. 

In a message to those in consecrated life, Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, says, "Dearest consecrated men and women, let us immediately enter this pilgrimage together, bringing the true hope that is in our hearts and for which our lives are in service."

In preparation for the journey toward Jubilee, 300 representatives of the different forms of consecrated life from over 60 countries gathered in Rome. According to the Vatican, "the rich exchange will translate into a mandate to return to their countries as signs of reconciliation between men and women.

Learn more here.

Oct. 8-9, 2025 will be celebrated as a Jubilee for Consecrated Life with the theme of "Pilgrims of hope, on the way of peace." This special Jubilee Year event is born out of the desire of consecrated men and women to reflect on the urgent need for peace and to answer the call to be witnesses and prophets of hope and peace, particularly on the occasion of the upcoming Jubilee. 

In a message to those in consecrated life, Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, says, "Dearest consecrated men and women, let us immediately enter this pilgrimage together, bringing the true hope that is in our hearts and for which our lives are in service."

In preparation for the journey toward Jubilee, 300 representatives of the different forms of consecrated life from over 60 countries gathered in Rome. According to the Vatican, "the rich exchange will translate into a mandate to return to their countries as signs of reconciliation between men and women.

Learn more here.

Oct. 8-9, 2025 will be celebrated as a Jubilee for Consecrated Life with the theme of "Pilgrims of hope, on the way of peace." This special Jubilee Year event is born out of the desire of consecrated men and women to reflect on the urgent need for peace and to answer the call to be witnesses and prophets of hope and peace, particularly on the occasion of the upcoming Jubilee. 

In a message to those in consecrated life, Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, says, "Dearest consecrated men and women, let us immediately enter this pilgrimage together, bringing the true hope that is in our hearts and for which our lives are in service."

In preparation for the journey toward Jubilee, 300 representatives of the different forms of consecrated life from over 60 countries gathered in Rome. According to the Vatican, "the rich exchange will translate into a mandate to return to their countries as signs of reconciliation between men and women.

Learn more here.

Oct. 8-9, 2025 will be celebrated as a Jubilee for Consecrated Life with the theme of "Pilgrims of hope, on the way of peace." This special Jubilee Year event is born out of the desire of consecrated men and women to reflect on the urgent need for peace and to answer the call to be witnesses and prophets of hope and peace, particularly on the occasion of the upcoming Jubilee. 

In a message to those in consecrated life, Cardinal João Braz de Aviz, prefect of the Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, says, "Dearest consecrated men and women, let us immediately enter this pilgrimage together, bringing the true hope that is in our hearts and for which our lives are in service."

In preparation for the journey toward Jubilee, 300 representatives of the different forms of consecrated life from over 60 countries gathered in Rome. According to the Vatican, "the rich exchange will translate into a mandate to return to their countries as signs of reconciliation between men and women.

Learn more here.

Registration for this one-day workshop will open later this year.

Workshop description

This one-day workshop will explore how childhood trauma and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) can affect candidates’ readiness for entrance into initial formation and capacity to live in community. Childhood trauma can arise from experiencing physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, neglect, family violence, war, the death of a family member, incarceration, parental separation, addictions, or mental health challenges within the family. ACEs can have life-long effects, increasing the risk of depression, anxiety, PTSD, substance abuse, relationship difficulties, and poor academic or job stability.

While candidates’ stories of trauma can evoke deep sympathy and compassion, it is essential to recognize that the aftereffects of untreated (or insufficiently resolved) trauma may create significant barriers to successful formation. This workshop aims to help vocation ministers develop a compassionate yet discerning approach to working with inquirers and to identify potential ‘red flags’ or ‘yellow flags’ that indicate a candidate may not yet be ready for formation, or may need additional treatment to become ready.

The presenter will guide participants through critical questions to ask serious discerners before they enter the formation process, helping vocation directors assess whether trauma-related issues have been sufficiently addressed. The workshop will offer practical strategies for assisting candidates with trauma histories in seeking the healing they need while avoiding taking on  the role of a therapist.  The session will include a combination of didactic content, case discussions, and small group exercises to deepen understanding and promote practical application. 

Workshop date

Please note this one-day workshop begins on October 20 at 9:00 a.m. and at 3:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT) U.S. There is a 60-minute break from noon - 1:00 p.m. Central Daylight Time (CDT) U.S. Workshop materials will be mailed to participants at least two weeks before the workshop begins.   

Please note: This workshop is not recorded to allow the presenter and participants the opportunity to speak authentically in a learning community. Personal recording is prohibited. 

Workshop fees

Workshop fees include materials, speaker stipends, and postage. 

NRVC member: $ 185                                    Non-member: $ 280

Become an NRVC member here to save on workshop fees.   

Late fees

All workshop registrations received after October 1 incur a $100 late fee.   

Cancellations

Cancellations for workshops must be received in writing to dinasp@nrvc.net.  After October 1, all fees are non-refundable. 

Presenter TBA

Financial assistance available

To assist NRVC members with their professional development, the Misericordia Scholarship Fund is available. Scholarship funds can be applied to NRVC workshops; however, they do not cover the cost of transportation, accommodations, meals, or personal expenses. If you need financial assistance to attend an NRVC workshop, please apply here. 

Workshop terms and conditions

Please read our NRVC terms and conditions for all events and programs.

Workshops are designed from the NRVC curriculum 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. NRVC recommends that vocation ministers participate in ongoing educational opportunities to attend to their own vocation, faith formation, and to further develop their professional competencies. 

Questions about Fall Institute workshops?

Please contact Sr. Dina Bato, S.P. at dinasp@nrvc.net

Director of Communications

FLSA Status: Exempt

The NRVC is searching for a dynamic, highly motivated, tech-savvy ministry leader to join our team as our Director of Database Administration. A successful candidate for this full-time Chicago-based position will maintain the NRVC IOTA database, manage the Catalyst emails/articles, and be the key liaison with the NRVC website vendor. This position is part of a leadership team that operates together to fulfill the role of executive director of the NRVC. Send resume, letter of interest with qualifications for the position, and available start date to Mrs. Maureen Cetera, NRVC Director of Finance and Operations at mcetera@nrvc.net

Position Description is available to download here.

General Summary

To serve our members and fulfill the mission of the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC), this position maintains the NRVC IOTA database, manages the Catalyst emails/articles, and is the key liaison with the NRVC website vendor. This position regularly updates, maintains, and analyzes the data of NRVC members, collaborators, donors, diocesan vocation offices, and vicars/delegates, to track participation, engagement, and benefits usage. This position addresses website issues for resolution, contributes to website content, and consults with the vendor to maintain and upgrade the website to meet the future needs of the organization. This position is part of a leadership team that operates together to fulfill the role of executive director of the NRVC.  

Principal duties and responsibilities

♦ Maintain platforms needed for membership and donor engagement including member database, email broadcaster, event registration, and other tools that require the use of NRVC data
♦​ Collaborate with the team to ensure data platforms and processes in use meet the needs of NRVC mission, members, and staff
♦ Collaborate with staff and vendors to identify necessary data and create effective imports, exports, reports, or other analyses of data, including
     o Process and record member/donor data
     o Generate and process member/donor appeals and acknowledgments
  o Generate internal reports to support membership, finance, and development to facilitate current operations and continuously enhance services provided by the NRVC
   o Provide data exports for print publications including the HORIZON journal, and the NRVC Annual Report
♦Consult with website developer/manager regarding ongoing website functionality and to resolve website issues
♦ Track website analytics to help staff identify opportunities and increase member engagement
♦ Participate in contributing to website content
♦ Maintain the accuracy of data and troubleshoot issues regarding data flow ♦ Develop and codify protocols for importing, exporting, managing, and protecting data
♦ Research and implement changes and best practices in data management; act as compliance officer for GDPR oversight
♦ Act as liaison for at least one National Board Standing Committee and its Chair
♦ Support the Director of Mission Integration and Director of Membership via the setup, delivery, and tracking of membership and member benefits, including workshop registrations
♦ Support the Director of Development in the implementation, delivery, and evaluation of direct mail fundraising campaigns
♦ Collaborate with the Director of Finance in the interface between customer relations management and financial accounting software systems  

General

♦ Participate with the National Board and Office to ensure that the mission, vision, and values of the NRVC are clearly met
♦ Support the organizational culture of trust, teamwork, and competence in service of the members for the overall success of the NRVC
♦ Uphold team leadership by preparing for, attending, assisting, and participating in weekly check-in meetings via Zoom, monthly operations meetings in-office, quarterly strategic visioning meetings on-site, and communications meetings with partners; continue to develop the pillars of the team leadership model: mission-driven, member focused, leaderful, and accountable
♦ Operate as a consistent professional and upstanding public representative of the NRVC; represent the NRVC at external events as needed
♦ Provide office hours determined in conjunction with the leadership team to best serve the membership of the NRVC
♦ Prepare for, attend, assist, and participate in NRVC events, the biennial Convocation, and Board meetings with travel as needed
♦ Assist with general office duties to support the ongoing mission of the NRVC  

Education

♦ Undergraduate degree in related field and/or related work experience; graduate degree in pastoral studies or similar field preferred

Experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities

♦ Knowledge and proficiency in Microsoft Office (specifically Excel), CRM software (Raiser’s Edge), email broadcast software (Emma), website editing, Zoom, Dropbox, and other appropriate office software; ability to learn new technology skills when necessary
♦ Cultural and ecclesial competency; understands and supports the mission of the Roman Catholic Church, consecrated life and vocation ministry
♦ Communication and collaborative skills; ability to sustain professional relationships
Ability to create original and professional correspondence; excellent written and verbal skills in English; competency in Spanish and/or other languages is encouraged
♦ High organization and detail orientation skills; ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously
♦ Ability to work independently and productively with minimal supervision
♦ Professional problem-solving skills and self-control in stressful situations ♦ High degree of trustworthiness, honesty, and discretion; practices a high level of confidentiality and integrity
♦ Adaptability and flexibility in meeting the changing needs of the organization and the development of this position
♦ Ability to demonstrate personal initiative in meeting time schedules, and maintain highspeed internet and reliable cell phone service for off-site job responsibilities, as this position offers the opportunity to work on-site or remotely
♦ Accessibility to pick up mail, resources, etc. in the National Office weekly
♦ Ability and willingness to accept and respond appropriately to professional evaluation of the position  

♦ Annual evaluation by NRVC leadership team, and acknowledged by the Board Chair or designee. 

This describes the general nature and level of work required in this position; other duties and responsibilities, and additional knowledge, skills, and abilities may be required.

Send resume, letter of interest with qualifications for the position, and available start date, to Mrs. Maureen Cetera NRVC Director of Finance and Operations at mcetera@nrvc.net 

Click here to download a pdf of the job description.

National Vocation Awareness Week is scheduled for November 3-9, 2024. Providentially, it begins just as the 2024 Convocation concludes. Even after Convocation, the theme of Walking Humbly Together will still reverberate and beckon us to more intentionally dialogue with and accompany people discerning God’s call for their lives, particularly as the Church continues to engage in the synodal process and prepares for the 2025 Jubilee Year. How do we walk humbly with those discerning their vocation? Let’s start with listening to them. 

VISION is an annual print and multimedia vocation guide published by the National Religious Vocation Conference. NRVC publishes VISION through the assistance of TrueQuest Communications.

VISION's mission is to help those considering religious life explore their vocation options and to connect them with religious community vocation directors who can help them in their discernment:

VISION is:

• a respected guide with insightful features and informational articles
• a robust, multi-lingual website with hundreds of resources for those in discernment
• the sponsor of the award-winning Vocation Match service that helps discerners explore their vocation options
• an expansive social network with article and video posts and active reader engagement
•  

VISION has won numerous awards from the Catholic Press Association and the Associated Church Press. In addition, its website has been named a top ten vocation website by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

Explore VocationNetwork.org | Order free copies of VISION Vocation Guide | Go through VocationMatch.com | Advertising options

The NRVC has produced a vibrant new 16-page booklet to help vocation ministers better understand and engage with African American Catholics.  Learn more about this community and the best ways to encourage and sustain vocations to religious life. The colorful printed booklet may be ordered for only $5 each for members ($8 nonmembers).  Members also have the option to download the book in the Member Toolbox. The full title is "Transforming Religious Communities to be Antiracist and Culturally Inviting: Welcoming the Cultural Abundance of African American and Black Catholics."

Mark your calendars for World Youth Day celebrated August 1-6, 2023.  Check the official website frequently for updated information. Registration is now open. More information about the vocation fair in the "City of Joy" and to register is here. A WYD leader's guidebook is available here.

Visit the NRVC's VISION Vocation Network booth

If you plan to attend, look for NRVC's VISION Vocation Network booth in the Vocation Area. Please email debbiesscm@nrvc.net if you are an NRVC member who will be at World Youth Day to add to the list below. 

NRVC Religious Institutes at World Youth Day

Did you know that 17% of newer entrants who entered religious life between 2003-2018 attended World Youth Day before they entered? Also, 95% of newer entrants to religious life rated meeting with a member(s) of the religious institute as most helpful in discerning their call to religious life. Consider contacting religious communities before you leave for World Youth Day to ask for their prayers throughout your pilgrimage. While in Portugal, get together with some of these communities who will also be there to learn more about consecrated life and vocation discernment.

Augustinians of the Assumption/Assumptionists

Congregation of Sisters of Bon Secours

Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (ACI)/Esclavas del Sagrado Corazón

Sisters of the Good Shepherd

USA East Province of the Society of Jesus

YOUTH MINISTERS & PARENTS: Learn more about several resources to help promote vocations with pilgrims preparing for World Youth Day.

History of WYD

Since 1986, World Youth Day (WYD) is a gathering of young Catholics from all over the world with the Pope. It is also a pilgrimage, a celebration of youth, an expression of the universal Church and an intense moment of evangelization for the youth world. 

Motto for 2023

"Mary arose and went with haste" (Lk 1:39) is the scriptural quote chosen by Pope Francis as the motto of the XXVIII World Youth Day that will be held for the first time in the capital city of Lisbon, Portugal. The biblical phrase opens the account of the Visitation (Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth), a biblical episode following the Annunciation (the angel’s announcement to Mary that she would be the mother of the Son of God, and the theme of the last WYD, in Panama).  

Theme song

The World Youth Day Lisbon 2023 theme song, entitled “Há Pressa no Ar”, was released in January 2021. The song, inspired on the WYD Lisbon 2023 theme "Mary rose up and went with haste" (LK 1:39), is about the ‘yes’ of Mary and about her rush to meet her cousin Elizabeth.

Learn more about prayer and discernment at VISION Vocation Network.org

USCCB support

The United States, through the USCCB, will be providing support materials for leaders through guidebooks and its web page.  Click here to view a video on preparing for WYD and for the power point slides. The USCCB has information on hosting stateside events here. A leader's guidebook is also available.

The WYDUSA office invites you to join the next Lisbon 2023 Leaders webinar, on March 29, 11 am ET. We will discuss safety and security while on the ground in Lisbon and traveling. 

Pope's Message

“Mary arose and went with haste” (Lk 1:39)

“Dear Young People!

The theme of the Panama World Youth Day was, “I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). After that event, we resumed our journey towards a new destination – Lisbon 2023 – with hearts afire with God’s urgent summons to arise. In 2020, we meditated on Jesus’s words: “Young man, I say to you, arise!” (Lk 7:14). Last year too, we were inspired by the figure of the Apostle Paul, to whom the Risen Lord said: “Arise! I appoint you as a witness of what you have seen” (cf. Acts 26:16). Along the route we still need to travel before arriving in Lisbon, we will have at our side the Virgin of Nazareth who, immediately after the Annunciation, “arose and went with haste” (Lk 1:39). Common to these three themes is the word: “arise!” It is a word that also – let us remember – speaks to us of getting up from our slumber, waking up to the life all around us.

In these troubling times, when our human family, already tested by the trauma of the pandemic, is racked by the tragedy of war, Mary shows to all of us, and especially to you, young people like herself, the path of proximity and encounter. I hope and I firmly believe that the experience many of you will have in Lisbon next August will represent a new beginning for you, the young, and – with you – for humanity as a whole. Read more here.

WYD Prayer

As we prepare for World Youth Day, let us join together in praying the official 2023 World Youth Day Prayer:

Our Lady of the Visitation,  
you who arose and went with haste towards the mountain to meet Elizabeth,  
lead us also to meet all those who await us  
to deliver them the living Gospel:  
Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord! 
We will go in a hurry, with no distraction or delay,  
but with readiness and joy.  
We will go peacefully, because those who take Christ take peace,  
and welldoing is the best wellbeing.  

Our Lady of the Visitation,  
with your inspiration, this World Youth Day  
will be the mutual celebration of the Christ we take, as You once did.  
Make it a time of testimony and sharing,  
fraternization, and giving thanks,  
each of us looking for the others who always wait.  
With you, we will continue on this path of gathering,  
so that our world will gather as well,  
in fraternity, justice and peace.  

Help us,  Our Lady of the Visitation,  
to bring Christ to everyone, obeying the Father, in the love of the Spirit! Amen. 

The National Eucharistic Congress expects to draw 40,000+ Catholics from around the United States to Lucas Oil Stadium and Convention Center, next week, July 17-21, 2024. Through the generous invitation of the U.S.A. Council of Serra-International, the NRVC will give away vocation promotion resources and showcase the diversity of religious life and societies of apostolic life at exhibit booth #1002. Stop by our booth topick up at “NRVC Vocation Team” ribbon for your name tag and to take a photo for us to post on the NRVC Facebook Page. Among the exhibitors, connect with other NRVC members who will have vocation exhibits:

Apostles ofthe Sacred Heart of Jesus#903Benedictine Sisters, Beech Grove#1029Benedictine Sisters, FerdinandBenedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration#905Carmelite Friars, Province of St. Elias#907Carmelite Monastery, Terre HauteCarmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirmed#946Claretian Missionaries#911Congregation of Holy Cross#915Daughters of Mary Immaculate#1016Daughters of St. Paul#1115DeLaSalle Brothers of the Christian Schools#917Dehonians, Priests of the Sacred HeartDominican Sisters, Springfield#1017Felician Sisters of North America#1031Franciscan Brothers of Peace#921Franciscan Friars, Conventual#929Franciscan Friars, Province of Our Lady of Guadalupe#944Glenmary Home Missioners#901Little Sisters of the Poor#1009Mercedarian Friars#945Missionaries of Our Lady of La Salette#949Missionaries of the Precious Blood, US Province#958Missionary Servants of the Most Holy Trinity#951Order of the Incarnate Word and Blessed Sacrament#955Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco#1001Sisters of Providence, Saint Mary of the Woods#912Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration#916Sisters of St. Francis of the Neumann Communities#1055Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet#1027Sisters of the Holy Family of Nazareth#1101Sisters of the Precious Blood#1019Society of Jesus (Jesuits)#932Society of Mary#956Society of the Divine Word#1109

Mark your calendars for World Youth Day celebrated August 1-6, 2023.  Check the official website frequently for updated information. Registration is now open. More information about the vocation fair in the "City of Joy" and to register is here. A WYD leader's guidebook is available here.

Visit the NRVC's VISION Vocation Network booth

If you plan to attend, look for NRVC's VISION Vocation Network booth in the Vocation Area. Please email debbiesscm@nrvc.net if you are an NRVC member who will be at World Youth Day to add to the list below. 

NRVC Religious Institutes at World Youth Day

Did you know that 17% of newer entrants who entered religious life between 2003-2018 attended World Youth Day before they entered? Also, 95% of newer entrants to religious life rated meeting with a member(s) of the religious institute as most helpful in discerning their call to religious life. Consider contacting religious communities before you leave for World Youth Day to ask for their prayers throughout your pilgrimage. While in Portugal, get together with some of these communities who will also be there to learn more about consecrated life and vocation discernment.

Augustinians of the Assumption/Assumptionists

Congregation of Sisters of Bon Secours

Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (ACI)/Esclavas del Sagrado Corazón

Sisters of the Good Shepherd

USA East Province of the Society of Jesus

YOUTH MINISTERS & PARENTS: Learn more about several resources to help promote vocations with pilgrims preparing for World Youth Day.

History of WYD

Since 1986, World Youth Day (WYD) is a gathering of young Catholics from all over the world with the Pope. It is also a pilgrimage, a celebration of youth, an expression of the universal Church and an intense moment of evangelization for the youth world. 

Motto for 2023

"Mary arose and went with haste" (Lk 1:39) is the scriptural quote chosen by Pope Francis as the motto of the XXVIII World Youth Day that will be held for the first time in the capital city of Lisbon, Portugal. The biblical phrase opens the account of the Visitation (Mary’s visit to her cousin Elizabeth), a biblical episode following the Annunciation (the angel’s announcement to Mary that she would be the mother of the Son of God, and the theme of the last WYD, in Panama).  

Theme song

The World Youth Day Lisbon 2023 theme song, entitled “Há Pressa no Ar”, was released in January 2021. The song, inspired on the WYD Lisbon 2023 theme "Mary rose up and went with haste" (LK 1:39), is about the ‘yes’ of Mary and about her rush to meet her cousin Elizabeth.

Learn more about prayer and discernment at VISION Vocation Network.org

USCCB support

The United States, through the USCCB, will be providing support materials for leaders through guidebooks and its web page.  Click here to view a video on preparing for WYD and for the power point slides. The USCCB has information on hosting stateside events here. A leader's guidebook is also available.

The WYDUSA office invites you to join the next Lisbon 2023 Leaders webinar, on March 29, 11 am ET. We will discuss safety and security while on the ground in Lisbon and traveling. 

Pope's Message

“Mary arose and went with haste” (Lk 1:39)

“Dear Young People!

The theme of the Panama World Youth Day was, “I am the servant of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38). After that event, we resumed our journey towards a new destination – Lisbon 2023 – with hearts afire with God’s urgent summons to arise. In 2020, we meditated on Jesus’s words: “Young man, I say to you, arise!” (Lk 7:14). Last year too, we were inspired by the figure of the Apostle Paul, to whom the Risen Lord said: “Arise! I appoint you as a witness of what you have seen” (cf. Acts 26:16). Along the route we still need to travel before arriving in Lisbon, we will have at our side the Virgin of Nazareth who, immediately after the Annunciation, “arose and went with haste” (Lk 1:39). Common to these three themes is the word: “arise!” It is a word that also – let us remember – speaks to us of getting up from our slumber, waking up to the life all around us.

In these troubling times, when our human family, already tested by the trauma of the pandemic, is racked by the tragedy of war, Mary shows to all of us, and especially to you, young people like herself, the path of proximity and encounter. I hope and I firmly believe that the experience many of you will have in Lisbon next August will represent a new beginning for you, the young, and – with you – for humanity as a whole. Read more here.

WYD Prayer

As we prepare for World Youth Day, let us join together in praying the official 2023 World Youth Day Prayer:

Our Lady of the Visitation,  
you who arose and went with haste towards the mountain to meet Elizabeth,  
lead us also to meet all those who await us  
to deliver them the living Gospel:  
Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord! 
We will go in a hurry, with no distraction or delay,  
but with readiness and joy.  
We will go peacefully, because those who take Christ take peace,  
and welldoing is the best wellbeing.  

Our Lady of the Visitation,  
with your inspiration, this World Youth Day  
will be the mutual celebration of the Christ we take, as You once did.  
Make it a time of testimony and sharing,  
fraternization, and giving thanks,  
each of us looking for the others who always wait.  
With you, we will continue on this path of gathering,  
so that our world will gather as well,  
in fraternity, justice and peace.  

Help us,  Our Lady of the Visitation,  
to bring Christ to everyone, obeying the Father, in the love of the Spirit! Amen. 

Convocation participants are asked to bring two photos of their favorite patron saints for the opening prayer ritual and two mementos of people who have died. We will collectively build an altarcito (small altar) in the conference ballroom to focus our time and prayer together throughout the convocation.

An easy, cost-free way to support the NRVC is to make Amazon purchases using Smile.Amazon.com. The cost and process for purchases at the Smile site are the same as at the main site, and Amazon will donate .5 percent of the price of eligible purchases to your designated charity. To designate NRVC, simply follow the prompts at Smile.Amazon.com and type in "National Religious Vocation Conference" or "National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations" for your charity. NRVC already receives checks from this program. Thank you to all our Smile participants!

Tech tip: bookmark "smile.amazon.com" because donations only occur when shopping from this site. (No donations will be made when using simply amazon.com.)

Rise Up Rooted Like Trees

How surely gravity’s law,
strong as an ocean current,
takes hold of even the smallest thing
and pulls it toward the heart of the world. 

Each thing—
each stone, blossom, child—
is held in place.
Only we, in our arrogance,
push out beyond what we each belong to
for some empty freedom.
If we surrendered
to earth’s intelligence
we could rise up rooted, like trees. 

Instead we entangle ourselves
in knots of our own making
and struggle, lonely and confused. 

So, like children, we begin again
to learn from the things,
because they are in God’s heart;
they have never left him.  

This is what the things can teach us:
to fall,
patiently to trust our heaviness.
Even a bird has to do that
before he can fly.

“Wenn etwas mir vom Fenster fallt.../How surely gravity’s law” by Rainer Maria Rilke; from RILKE’S BOOK OF HOURS: LOVE POEMS TO GOD by Rainer Maria Rilke, translated by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy, translation copyright © 1996 by Anita Barrows and Joanna Macy. Used by permission of Riverhead, an imprint of Penguin Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. All rights reserved.

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NRVC Member Areas

Please do not publish this information as it is for members only.

General member area information

Member Directory and interactive map

Delaware Valley

Next meeting: November 4, 2023, Holy Redeemer Farm, Huntington Valley, PA
Fall Back Young Adult Retreat Day

Minutes from January 23, 2023, March 2, 2023, June 5, 2023, August 29, 2023

Minutes from May 18, 2022, November 21, 2022

Minutes from April 27, 2021, Minutes from January 19, 2021

Coordinators

Sister Michele Fisher, C.S.F.N. | sorellamichele@aol.com
vacant position

Heartland

Next meeting: TBA

Minutes from May 11, 2023

Minutes from October 13, 2022

Minutes from April 22, 2021

Coordinators

Sister Réjane Cytacki, S.C.L. | rcytacki@scls.org
Ms. Michelle Horton | mhorton@sinsinawa.org

Hudson Valley

Next meeting: TBA

Minutes from June 10, 2023
Minutes from April 25, 2023
Minutes from June 22, 2022

                              Coordinators

Sr. Maria Amador, P.C.M.  | info@sisterspcm.org
Sister Gloria Agnes Ardenio, M.M. | gagnes@mksisters.org 

Lake Erie/Ohio River

Next meeting: October 23-25, 2023, Villa Maria, PA

For more information, see this flyer.

Minutes from February 23, 2023, May 8, 2023

Minutes from October 28, 2021, Minutes from April 22, 2021

Coordinators

 Sr. Caryn Crook, O.S.F. | ccrook@sosf.org​ 
vacant position

Mid-Atlantic

Next meeting: TBA

Minutes from May 17, 2023

Minutes from May 18, 2022

Minutes from December 6, 2021, Minutes from May 4, 2021, 
Minutes from February 24, 2021

Coordinators

Sister Kathy Persson, O.S.B. | kpersson@osbva.org
Sr. Jean Rhoades, DC | jean.rhoades@doc.org

Midwest

Next meeting: Oct. 9-11, 2023, in Frankfort, IL

Presentation on Depression and Anxiety in New Members

For more information, click here.

Minutes from May 11, 2023

Minutes from May 16, 2022

Minutes from October 19, 2021

Coordinators

Sister Kathleen Branham, O.S.F. | kbranham@oldenburgosf.com
Sister Jill Reuber, O.S.B.  | jreuber@thedome.org

New England

Next meeting: TBA

Minutes from May 2, 2023

Minutes from March 31, 2022

Minutes from October 14, 2021, Minutes from March 18, 2021

Coordinators

Mrs. Sandy Piwko  | sandy@assumptioncenter.org
Sister June Fitzgerald, O.P. | jfitzgerald@oppeace.org

Pacific Northwest

Next meeting: TBA

Minutes from April 21, 2023

Minutes from May 7, 2022

Minutes from April 30, 2021

 Coordinators

Sister Chero Chuma, C.S.J.P. | cherochuma@gmail.com
vacant position

Southeast

Next meeting: TBA

Minutes from September 2020

Coordinators

Mrs. Renee Dee | lsvocationsoffice@gmail.com
Sister Regina Hlavac, DC | regina.hlavac@doc.org

Southwest

Next meeting: TBA

Minutes from March 28, 2023

Minutes from May, 4, 2022

Minutes from December 21, 2021, Minutes from September 21, 2021, Minutes from May 4, 2021, Minutes from February 2, 2021

Coordinators

Brother Mark Motz, SM | mmotz@marianist.us
vacant position

Upper Midwest

Next meeting: October 31, 9:30 - 11 am CT

Minutes from May 17, 2023

Minutes from October 10, 2022

Minutes from May 3, 2021

Coordinators

Sr. Carmella Luke, OSB | cluke@yanktonbenedictines.org
Brother Larry Schatz, F.S.C. | lschatz@cbmidwest.org

West Coast

Next meeting: TBA

Minutes from October 25, 2022
Minutes from March 8, 2022, May 26, 2022

Minutes from December 2, 2021, Minutes from April 21, 2021, 
Minutes from February 9, 2021

Coordinators

Father Radmar Jao, SJ | UWEVocationDirector@jesuits.org
Father Vien Nguyen, SDB | vocations@salesiansf.org

International Members

Next meeting: TBA via Zoom

Coordinators

Mrs. Margaret Cartwright  | vocationsireland1@gmail.com
Sister Mary Rowell, CSJ | mrowell@csjcanada.org 

Over 100 NRVC members live in Australia, Bangladesh, Belize, Brazil, Canada, the Democratic Republic, Egypt, France, Ghana, Grenada, Haiti, Honduras, Hong Kong, India, Ireland, Italy,  Kenya, Korea, Mexico, Peru, Philippines, Rwanda, Singapore, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, United Kingdom, Zambia and Zimbabwe.  

Read the current issue of VISION Vocation Guide

ORDER free VISION resources: Annual Guide, prayer cards, posters

Or search VISION's Article Index for current and archived content.

Workshop registration opens in February.

This foundational workshop provides vocation ministers and all who accompany discerners with a solid understanding of psychological well-being and psycho-sexual development to assist them in their efforts to adequately assess a candidate's aptitude for leading a healthy and integrated celibate life. It includes the basis elements of human sexuality: the funda

The NRVC gives thanks to the U.S. Council of Serra for its outstanding support of vocation ministry at the National Eucharistic Congress (NEC) in Indianapolis in July. The Serrans generously sponsored 50 vocation booths, including the booth of the National Religious Vocation Conference. Vocation ministers appreciated the Serrans’ warm welcome, thoughtfulness, and encouragement.

Over 50,000 Catholics passed through the Convention Center, many showing interest in learning more about vowed communal life. Questions varied from curiosity about the vows, where religious minister, how they pray, how to hear God's call, and how to contact a vocation director to begin discernment.

During the NEC, members of the NRVC served as volunteers, were ushers at Mass, and took part in the Eucharistic pilgrimage. They also attended daily sessions about the Eucharist in the stadium. The next National Eucharistic Congress will be in 2033. 

Sister Jean Rhoads, D.C. says that more recently she has been trying to strengthen her relationship with campus ministers so that she can be invited to events they are already doing. Prospective discerners will participate more when an event is already a part of campus ministry. Learn more here.

What sorts of vocation ministry roles have you played?

I have been vocation director for my community, Daughters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul since 2017. I am on the NRVC Finance Advisory Committee and I serve with Sister Kathleen Persson, O.S.B. as co-coordinator for the Mid-Atlantic Member Area. From 2004 to 2011 I was on my community’s provincial council, which oversaw vocation ministry.

How does your community share responsibility for vocation ministry?

We have a vocation team of two vocation directors (Sister Regina Hlavac, D.C., based in San Antonio, and me in Philadelphia). Five other sisters volunteer time to serve on our vocation team.  Their main roles are to help identify vocation opportunities in various geographic areas and to participate in vocation efforts as their responsibilities in other ministries allow.  

Has being a member of NRVC been helpful?

NRVC has been invaluable because of the great people who are part of this organization who provide a solid source of expertise, education, and networking. Vocation ministry has so many facets such as companioning individuals in their discernment, giving small and large group presentations, serving on vocation panels, participating in conferences (e.g., NCYC, FOCUS, etc.), overseeing and posting to social media, and being active in local and state vocation committees. 

NRVC offers ready access to people who have served in this role for years and can share wisdom and insights as well as to courses and webinars to enhance the skillset of each vocation minister. Thank you, NRVC!

What  program, idea, or approach have you been pleased with lately?

The most meaningful approach I’ve taken this year is to make personal connections to campus ministers in order to be invited to an activity that is already occurring at their colleges or universities. The lives of college students are so busy that the response and participation of potential discerners is much higher when the event is right there and on regular schedule of the Newman Center or Catholic campus ministry.

Could you share a fun fact about yourself? 

I love to bake (it’s relaxing and lessens stress ), and I make awesome homemade sticky buns, cinnamon rolls, chocolate cake and various cookies.

When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up? 

I thought I wanted to be a high school math teacher, be married, and have lots of children. It seems the Lord had other plans!

 Learn more about Sister Jean here.

The NRVC extends a warm welcome to Sister Dina Bato, S.P., who begins August 15 as director of membership. With a bachelor's degree in accounting and a master's in pastoral theology, she has ministered in parish and young adult ministry and has promoted religious life vocations in a variety of settings. She took her final vows with the Sisters of Providence of Saint-Mary-of-the-Woods, Indiana in 2017. In addition to her NRVC position, Sister Dina is a Core Team member and Finance Committee chair for Giving Voice, an organization of younger women religious.

Consider enhancing your experience of our November 3-6 convocation by signing up for an optional excursion with participants to Historic Silver Valley, Idaho, roughly an hour away. This bus trip takes place on Sunday, the 6th, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., allowing participants to socialize, eat lunch together, network, and relax. Sights include Lake Coeur d’Alene, Old Mission State Park, Cataldo Mission, and Sacred Encounters, an exhibit about the Jesuits and the Coeur d’Alene tribe. Details are here. (Photo by Jami Dwyer, Flickr)

Mrs. Sandy Piwko always wanted to be a teacher. She just never guessed that someday she'd be teaching people about religious life. Learn more about the vocation director for the Religious of the Assumption Sisters.

Click here for a pdf of the NRVC Constitution

XIII.DISSOLUTION

In the event of dissolution or liquidation of the National Religious Vocation Conference, any remaining funds and/or assets shall be distributed among such organizations as described in Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 or corresponding provisions of any subsequent Federal Tax laws (the “Code”) and carrying out similar or related objects (other than private foundations as determined in Section 509 thereof) as the National Board shall decide, and shall be exempt from taxation under Section 501(c)(3) thereof. Any such assets not so disposed of in accordance with the aforementioned procedures shall be disposed of by a court of competent jurisdiction of the county in which the principal office of the Corporation is then located, to such organization or organizations, as said court shall determine, all of which are organized and operated exclusively for such purposes.

XIV.OPERATIONAL LIMITATIONS

1. No part of the net earnings of the Conference shall inure to the benefit of, or be distributable to, its members, directors, officers, or other persons, except that the Conference shall be authorized and empowered to pay reasonable compensation for services rendered and to make payments and distributions in furtherance of the purposes set forth herein;
2. No substantial part of the activities of the Conference shall be the carrying on of propaganda, or otherwise attempting to influence legislation, and the Conference shall not participate in, or intervene in (including the publishing or distribution of statements) any political campaign on behalf of any candidate for public office except as authorized under the Internal Revenue Code; and
3. Notwithstanding any other provisions herein, the Conference shall not carry on any other activities not permitted to be carried on (i) by a corporation exempt from Federal income tax under Internal Revenue Code § 501(c)(3) or (b) by a corporation, contributions to which are deductible under Internal Revenue Code § 170(c)(2) or (c) by a corporation which is a nonprivate foundation under Internal Revenue Code §§ 509(a)(1) or 509(a)(2).

Updated and Amended Oct. 31, 2020

The National Religious Vocation Conference is committed to providing its membership with relevant resources, professional development and other programs that strengthen and enhance the professional skills of those serving in vocation ministry. Vocation ministers must be credible and competent in their presentations to varied audiences while promoting vocations and assessing candidates. The following documents may be used for presentations within religious congregations and in public settings to promote vocations to religious life.

The numerous links for studies on Religious Life are available here. Papal and USCCB Documents are linked here. There are additional professional documents available as a benefit to NRVC members that are listed in the "Members Only" portion of the website. 

Acronyms of National Organizations

Fifty Fun Facts about Religious Life Handout

HORIZON subscription order form (note: online suscriptions are available at nrvc.net/signup.)

HORIZON rate card for advertisers

NRVC Characteristics of New Entrants Infographic

NRVC Code of Ethics for Vocation Ministry

NRVC Copyright/Permission Request Form

NRVC Curriculum for Vocation Ministers

NRVC Handbook on Educational Debt & Vocations to Religious Life

NRVC English and Spanish Photo Release Form

NRVC Mustard Seed Award Nomination Form

NRVC Outstanding Recognition Award Nomination Form

NRVC Biennial Convocation Award Booklet

Religious Life Today Infographic

Religious Life Timeline  EN  SP  FR

Role of Leadership in Vocation Ministry Handout

Vocation Vocabulary

Click here for a pdf of the NRVC bylaws.