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For discerners: VISION Vocation Network

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For discerners: VISION Vocation Network

Explore Catholic vocations and life as a religious sister, brother, nun, or priest.

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2023 World Youth Day, Portugal August 1-6, 2023

World Youth Day Lisbon 2023

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. 


Donate to NRVC via Smile.Amazon.com

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.)


Published on: 2021-03-24

Updated on: 2022-10-25

Edition: Novembere 2022 newsletter

Understanding, Assessing, and Fostering Psycho-Sexual Integration workshop

July 6-9, 2023

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


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.


I am NRVC! Sister Jean Rhoads, D.C.

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!

 

 


I am NRVC: Father John Schork, C.P.

 Learn more about Sister Jean here.


Published on: 2023-02-28

Edition: March 2023

2023 World Youth Day, Portugal August 1-6, 2023

World Youth Day Lisbon 2023

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. 


For discerners: VISION Vocation Guide

The most comprehensive and trusted religious vocation resource available

VISION Vocation GuideVISION 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

 



Read the current issue of VISION Vocation Guide

Unleash your creativity as you discern God's call

VISION Vocation Guide digital editionRead 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.


Member area news

Meeting dates and minutes

Attachments (13)

Download All

NRVC Member Areas

NRVC Membership Map

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.  


2024 Convocation Sponsorship


Professional Documents


NRVC welcomes new director of membership

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.


Published on: 2022-07-29

Edition: August 2022 newsletter

Enhance convocation with an excursion

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)


Published on: 2022-08-01

Edition: August 2022 newsletter

I am NRVC: Mrs. Sandra Piwko

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.


Published on: 2022-08-01

Edition: August 2022 newsletter

Constitution

Revised and ratified in 2020

Click here for a pdf of the NRVC Constitution

Introduction

The National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) began in 1988 as a combination of the National Conference of Religious Vocation Directors (NCRVD) and the National Sisters Vocation Conference (NSVC). Today, NRVC is an organization of men and women committed to the fostering and discernment of vocations within the context of the Catholic Church. It gives emphasis to the vision and concerns related to shaping religious life within the United States and throughout the world. It is to these ends that we adopt the following Constitution.

 

I. Name

The name of this organization is the National Religious Vocation Conference, Inc. an Illinois not-for-profit corporation which is abbreviated to the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC).

 

II. Mission Statement

The National Religious Vocation Conference is a catalyst for vocation discernment and the full flourishing of religious life as sisters, brothers, and priests for the ongoing transformation of the world.

 

III. Definition of terms

  1. In the present Constitution and Bylaws, the term “religious” means any member of a religious institute or of a society of apostolic life, canonically erected.
  2. A “vocation minister” or “vocation director” is any religious, cleric, or lay person directly involved in vocation ministry as appointed by his/her religious community, diocesan structure, or related organization, or any person interested in promoting religious vocations in the Catholic Church.
  3. A religious community’s “government unit” is defined as a region, province, or monastery with a designated major superior.
  4. “Consensus” is defined as general agreement, i.e., an acceptable resolution; one that can be supported, even if not the “favorite” of everyone.
  5. “Simple majority” is defined as more than half of the number of total votes cast.
  6. “National Office” is defined as the professional staff employed by the organization.
  7. “Delivered” for purposes of determining if any notice required by this Constitution and Bylaws is effective, means: (i) transferred or presented to someone in person; (ii) Deposited in the United States mail addressed to the person at his, her or its address as it appears NRVC’s records, with sufficient first-class postage prepaid thereon; and (iii) transmitted by electronic means to the email address, facsimile number, or other contact information that appears on the records of NRVC.

 

IV. Purpose

The purpose of the National Religious Vocation Conference is:

 

  1. To be a professional organization that serves its members by providing education, resources, research, and other supportive services that strengthen vocation ministry and enhance the personal and professional growth of its members.
  2. To collaborate with other groups and organizations engaged in furthering effective vocation ministry in the Catholic Church.
  3. To speak as an official voice in initiating and responding to issues in the area of Church vocations and vocation ministry.
  4. To provide a corporate influence in the Church and in society through its national and regional structures by advocating for religious vocations and religious life.

 

V. Membership

  1. Membership in NRVC is open to vocation directors and others interested and/or involved in vocation ministry.
  2. Membership is open only to canonically recognized Catholic institutions and organizations.
  3. NRVC retains the right to refuse membership but will offer the opportunity to appeal the decision.
  4. Membership in NRVC is individual or by license (group of five) from a religious institute’s governmental unit. Organizations other than religious institutes may apply for membership with approval from the National Office.
  5. The National Board of NRVC sets the annual individual and license membership dues.
  6. An individual becomes a member of NRVC at the time dues are received at the National Office.
  7. Every NRVC member enjoys the full benefits of membership as outlined in the NRVC Bylaws (See Bylaws, Section VI).
  8. The membership year is twelve months.
  9. Notices to members may be delivered by U.S. Mail and by electronic means to an email address, or other appropriate contact listed in the records of the NRVC.
  10. Any action required to be taken at any annual or special meeting of the members entitled to vote, or any other action which may be taken at a meeting of the members entitled to vote, may be taken by ballot without a meeting in writing by U.S. Mail, Email, or any other electronic means pursuant to which the members entitled to vote thereon are given the opportunity to vote for or against the proposed action and the proposed action receives the approval of a majority of the members casting votes, or such larger number as may be required by the Bylaws. Provided, that the number of members casting votes would constitute a quorum of such action had been taken at a meeting of the members. Voting must remain open for not less than 5 days from the date the ballot is delivered; provided, however, in the case of a merger, consolidation, dissolution or sale, lease or exchange of assets, the voting must remain open for not less than 20 days from the date the ballot is delivered.
  11. Members may not vote by proxy.

 

 

VI. The National Organization:
Governanceand Administration

  1. THE NATIONAL BOARD The National Board is the governing body of the National Religious Vocation Conference. 
    1. Responsibilities of the National Board: The National Board oversees the functioning of the Conference by…
      1. Approving the mission of and setting the direction for NRVC;
      2. Initiating Strategic Planning and evaluating its progress;
      3. Establishing and evaluating standing and ad hoc committees, and reviewing their reports annually;
      4. Approving the annual budget, reviewing and accepting financial reports, and approving all extraordinary major expenditures;
      5. Calling for and approving the annual review/audit of NRVC finances;
      6. Electing/Selecting members to the National Board as well as to the Executive Committee and the Board Chair from among its membership according to the procedures outlined in the Bylaws;
      7. Approving the hiring of National Office staff upon the Office’s recommendation;
      8. Ensuring the proper and professional operation of the National Office modifying NRVC staff job descriptions, as needed;
      9. Recommending the development of programs and services to the National Office.
      10. Providing for a biennial National Convocation, as well as selecting the time, place and theme for the Convocation;
      11. Determining annual membership dues and other necessary fees;
      12. Reviewing the NRVC Constitution and Bylaws and proposing amendments as necessary;
      13. Encouraging and communicating with the membership of NRVC;
      14. Providing for the support, coordination and proper functioning of NRVC Member Areas.
      15. Allocating funds for Member Areas;
      16. Selecting members for the NRVC National Board and Executive Committee, as needed and as specified in this NRVC Constitution;
      17. Constituting the Board of Directors of the NRVC civil Corporation for all actions required by corporation law in the state in which it is incorporated or in other appropriate jurisdictions;
      18. Performing/Assuming other such roles that would further the mission of NRVC.
    2. Composition of the National Board
      1. The National Board shall be composed of members of the National Religious Vocation Conference.
      2. The NRVC Director of Mission Integration will serve as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the National Board.
    3. Terms of Office / Selection of National Board Members The length of a term of office for a Board member is set forth in the NRVC Bylaws. See Bylaws, Section I (B).
    4. Consensus / Voting Methods
      1. In most matters, the NRVC National Board seeks to decide matters of importance by arriving at consensus.
      2. In those matters where a vote is required or called for, Robert’s Rules of Order (revised edition) shall be the governing authority in the transaction of business unless it conflicts with the Constitution of this organization. A motion may carry with a simple majority vote, unless otherwise stated.
      3. Board members may not vote by proxy.
    5. National Board Meetings
      1. The National Board shall meet at least twice each year. Meetings may take place either in person or electronically through use of a conference telephone or interactive technology, including but not limited to electronic transmission, Internet usage, or remote communication, by which all persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other. Participation in such meeting shall constitute attendance and presence in person at the meeting of the person or persons so participating.
      2. A minimum of two-thirds of the number of Board Members must be in attendance to conduct official NRVC business.
      3. Notices to directors may be delivered by U.S. Mail and by electronic means to an email address or other appropriate contact listed in the records of the NRVC
  2. THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
    The NRVC Executive Committee is a subgroup of the National Board.
  1. Composition of the Executive Committee
    The NRVC Executive Committee shall consist of the Director of Mission Integration of NRVC, who serves as an ex-officio, non-voting member, a Board Chair, and two Vice-Chairs, all of whom are each elected from and by the current Board membership.
  2. Terms of Office The terms of office for the Executive Committee are set forth in the NRVC Bylaws. See Bylaws, Section II (D).
  3. Executive Committee Meetings
    1. The NRVC Executive Committee shall meet at least twice each year outside the regularly scheduled National Board meetings.
    2. All elected members of the Executive Committee must be present in person or present electronically through use of a conference telephone or interactive technology, including but not limited to electronic transmission, Internet usage, or remote communication, by which all persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other. Participation in such meeting shall constitute attendance and presence in person at the meeting of the person or persons so participating to conduct official business.
    3. In most matters, the NRVC Executive Committee seeks to decide matters of importance by arriving at consensus.
    4. In those matters where a vote is required or called for, Robert’s Rules of Order (revised edition) shall be the governing authority in the transaction of business unless it conflicts with the Constitution of this organization. A motion may carry with a simple majority vote, unless otherwise stated

C. THE NATIONAL OFFICE

1. NRVC maintains a national office to ensure unity, continuity, and effective pursuit of the purpose of the National Religious Vocation Conference and to provide needed assistance in planning, coordinating, and administering the activities and programs of the Conference.

2. The National Office operates under the general supervision of the National Board, pursuant to policies, plans and programs established by the Board.

3. The National Office employees of NRVC are appointed by the National Board and are accountable to the Board. National Office employees are all at-will employees and may be terminated at any time with or without cause in accordance with the Bylaws.

4. In matters of urgency, the Director of Mission Integration takes appropriate action in consultation with the Executive Committee of the National Board.

D. THE NATIONAL OFFICE RESPONSIBILITIES

  1. Advances the mission of NRVC.
  2. Serves as the official representatives of NRVC.
  3. Recommends new hires to the Executive Committee.
  4. Oversees NRVC finances.
  5. Assumes other duties and responsibilities as determined by the National Board. More specific duties can be found in the Bylaws, Section IV (A).

E. THE NRVC MEMBER AREA STRUCTURE
In order to more effectively serve the membership of NRVC, the Conference is divided into geographic Member Areas. The number and geographic areas of the Member Areas are determined by the National Board in consultation with the Member Area Coordinators.

  1. Purposes of the Member Areas: The goals of the NRVC Member Area structures are to
    1. facilitate assistance, communication and an exchange of views among vocation directors/ministers who are living and/or working in close proximity;
    2. provide mentoring of new vocation directors/ministers living and/or working in close proximity to more veteran directors/ministers;
    3. organize intercommunity programs, gatherings and meetings to promote religious life and religious vocations in the Member Area;
    4. facilitate communication, through the Member Area Coordinators, between the National Office and the members of the Member Areas.
  2. Membership in and Organization of Member Areas
    1. By virtue of their general membership in NRVC, each member will choose a primary and secondary Member Area in which to belong and participate. In addition, a member is free to attend meetings in any of the Member Areas as offered.
    2. Each Member Area may be governed by its own set of Bylaws, if it so chooses.
    3. Each Member Area may charge fees to cover the operational expenses of Member Area activities; however, all monies are sent to and held in a Member Area account at the NRVC National Office. Member Area monies are restricted for use by the Member Area and distributed at the direction of the Member Area according to NRVC policies and procedures. Financial reports are provided to the Member Area by the National Office on a quarterly basis.
  3. Member Area Coordinators To facilitate the activities of each Member Area and the communication between the National Organization and the local membership, each Member Area has one or more Member Area Coordinators to lead it. Member Area Coordinators also work in collaboration with the Director of Mission Integration, who serves as a liaison of the National Office with the Member Area.
  4. Member Area Meetings Member Area meetings are held at least annually to facilitate communication among its members and the National Office, for formation in vocation ministry and mutual support. Member Area Coordinators share in the responsibility of organizing and coordinating these gatherings and activities.
  5. Election of Member Area Coordinators Member Area Coordinators are elected by and from the membership in the Member Area.

F. RESIGNATIONS OR GROUNDS FOR REMOVAL FROM OFFICE
​Any persons in service to NRVC at the national or Member area levels may resign his/her position or be removed from office for a grave reason. The procedures for removing such an individual from office and for replacing him/her can be found in the Bylaws. See Bylaws, Removal of a National Board Member: III (B); Removal of the National Office staff IV (B); Removal of a Member Area Coordinator: (V.J.).

 

VII. THE NATIONAL FUND
FOR CATHOLIC RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS

In 2014, the National Religious Vocation Conference established the National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations (NFCRV) as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

  1. The mission of the NFCRV is to provide financial assistance to National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) member institutes by assisting in removing, in whole or in part, the significant educational debt of candidates pursuing vocations as religious sisters, brothers, or priests.
  2. The National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) and the National Fund for Catholic Vocations (NFCRV) are separate and distinct 501(c)(3) entities with unique Boards of Governance working in cooperation to solicit, manage and distribute funds in support of religious vocations.

 

VIII. FINANCES

  1. The dates of the NRVC fiscal year are determined by the National Board.
  2. NRVC will be financed by dues, donations, contributions from religious congregations, dioceses and other benefactors, along with income from various programs and services. NRVC also pursues funding from foundations, trusts and bequests.
  3. Dues will be paid to the National Office.
  4. NRVC receipts and expenditures will be carefully recorded and reported using generally accepted accounting principles of the United States (gaap). Financial reports as well as audits/ reviews will be submitted to the National Board on a regular basis.

 

IX.PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order (revised edition) shall govern the Conference in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with this Constitution and any special rules of order the Conference may adopt.

 

X.INTERPRETATION AND AMENDMENT

  1. It belongs to the National Board to interpret by a simple majority vote any article about which doubt may arise.
  2. Any NRVC member may submit a proposal for amending the Constitution by simply proposing it through any National Board member. The support of five (5) additional NRVC members, so indicated by their signatures on the proposal, is required for a proposal to be brought before the membership.
  3. These Constitution may be amended at a National Convocation, or by mail through the U.S. Postal Service or by email or any other electronic means pursuant to which the members entitled to vote thereon are given the opportunity to vote for or against the proposed action, and that action receives the approval by a two-thirds majority vote of those NRVC members voting. Notification of the proposed amendments must be made in full and in writing no less than one month prior to the National Convocation or prior to the date on which mail ballots are due. The Constitution shall never be changed or amended in such a manner as to compromise the tax- exempt status of the corporation under the Internal Revenue Code and the Treasury regulations.

 

XI.CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROCEDURE

  1. Any NRVC member may submit a proposal for amending the Constitution by simply proposing it through any National Board member. The support of five (5) additional NRVC members, so indicated by their signatures on the proposal, is required for a proposal to be brought before the membership.
  2. This Constitution may be amended at a National Convocation, by electronic mail or by mail through the U.S. Post Office with a two-thirds majority of those NRVC members voting. Notification of the proposed amendments must be made in full and in writing no less than one month prior to the National Convocation or prior to the date on which mail ballots are due.

 

XII.DECISION-MAKING

The ordinary mode of operation of NRVC is to make decisions by consensus. In areas where this is not possible or where more formal action is required, Robert’s Rules of Order (revised edition) shall be the governing authority in the transaction of business unless it conflicts with the Constitution of this organization.

 

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


Documents/forms for use in vocation ministry

Attachments (13)

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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

 


Bylaws

Revised and ratified in 2020

Attachments (2)

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Click here for a pdf of the NRVC bylaws.

I. NRVC National Board

  1. COMPOSITION OF THE NATIONAL BOARD
    1. The National Board of the National Religious Vocation Conference shall be composed of between 8 and 12 members of the Conference.
    2. The NRVC Director of Mission Integration will serve as ex-officio, non-voting member of the National Board.
  2. TERMS OF OFFICE OF NATIONAL BOARD MEMBERS
    1. The term of office for a Board member is three years.
    2. A Board Member shall serve no more than two consecutive terms; however, an NRVC member may be re-selected to serve after being off the Board for a complete term.
    3. The term of office for each Board member begins at the autumn meeting and continues up until, but not including, the autumn meeting three years later.
  3. DUTIES OF A BOARD MEMBER
    1. Promotes the mission and objectives of NRVC.
    2. Attends and actively participates in National Board meetings, either in person or he/she may participate in and act at any meeting of such Board or committee through the use of a conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other. Participation in such meeting shall constitute attendance and presence in person at the meeting of the person.
    3. Participates in the selection of, the supervision of and the evaluation processes for the National Board and the Executive Committee, as determined by the Board.
    4. Shares in the fiduciary responsibility for NRVC.
    5. Shares in the responsibility for various tasks undertaken by the Board.
  4. NOMINATION/SELECTION PROCEDURE FOR NATIONAL BOARD MEMBERS
    1. Each NRVC member may submit one nomination for the Board, submitting reasons for and qualifications of the nominee.
      1. A recommendation form will be sent to each NRVC member in the winter to recommend someone for the National Board for the following autumn. Nominations must be returned to the National Office by January 31.
      2.  Nominees must be current members of NRVC.
      3.  Board members who are eligible for re-selection must also be recommended.
    2. By March 31, the National Board selects new members from those recommended to a three-year term. The Board seeks to bring particular skills and experience to the Board, to help assure a balance of gender, geographical and cultural representation and to image the breadth and diversity of religious consecration in the Church through its new appointments.
    3. The number of new members selected each year will be determined by the number of vacancies on the Board and by a need to maintain a Board of between 8 and 12 members and to provide the balance discussed in the Bylaws Section I (D) (2) above.
    4. A nominee needs only to gain a simple majority of those Board members present and voting to be selected for Board membership.
    5. The results of the selections are announced to the membership.

 

II. The Executive Committee

The NRVC Executive Committee is a subgroup of the National Board.

  1. RESPONSIBILITIES
    The Executive Committee facilitates the work of the National Board by:
    Members of the NRVC National Board elect the Executive Committee during the spring meeting according to the following procedures:
    1. Providing leadership in animating and governing the national organization and the National Board.
    2. Setting the agendas for the National Board meetings.
    3. Convening and presiding at meetings of the National Board.
    4. Convening additional meetings of the Executive Committee, as necessary.
    5. Transacting business between meetings of the National Board and reporting these transactions to the National Board as soon as possible.
    6. Ensuring the recording of the minutes of the meetings of both the Executive Committee and the National Board.
    7. Serving as executive counsel for the National Office.
    8. Establishing ad hoc and management committees, advisory boards and task forces or hiring consultants, as needed.
    9. Overseeing the implementation of Board decisions.
    10. Other such activities that are deemed significant to facilitate the work of the National Board.

B. ELECTION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

  1. Members of the National Board make their availability for service on the Executive Committee known before the election takes place.
  2. The National Board nominates members from among their own.
  3. Members of the Board vote for one nominee of their choosing by secret ballot.
  4. If a nominee receives a simple majority, he/she is elected to the Executive Committee.
  5. If no nominee receives a simple majority, the two nominees receiving the most votes are cast into a run-off.
  6. In the run-off election, the nominee receiving a simple majority is elected to the Executive Committee.
  7. The process is repeated until three members of the Board are elected to the Executive Committee.

C. ELECTION OF THE BOARD CHAIR
Members of the National Board elect a Board Chair at the spring meeting from among those chosen to serve on the Executive Committee using the following process:

  1. An Executive Committee member must receive a simple majority to be elected Board Chair.
  2. To elect the Board Chair:
    1. The names of those members of the Executive Committee who are open to serve as Board Chair are listed.
    2. If only one member of the Executive Committee is open to serve, he/she is automatically declared Board Chair.
    3. If more than one member is willing to serve, the members of the Board are given a ballot and instructed to vote for one nominee of their choosing by secret ballot.
    4. If any nominee receives a simple majority, he/she is elected Board Chair.
    5. In the case of three initial nominees:
      1. If no nominee receives a simple majority on the first ballot, the two nominees receiving the most votes are cast into a run-off election.
      2. In the run-off election, the nominee receiving a simple majority is elected Board Chair.
      3. If neither of the remaining two Executive Committee members receives a simple majority after the second ballot in this process, a Board Chair is chosen by consensus of all three Executive Committee members in consultation with the Director of Mission Integration.
    6. The remaining Executive Committee members become the Vice Chairs

​D. TERMS OF OFFICE FOR THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

1. The members of the Executive Committee, including the Board Chair, may serve in this capacity for a term of two years, beginning with the spring meeting.

2. If a Board member meets the qualifications for membership on the National Board, there are no term limits to his/her service on the Executive Committee.

3. A member of the Executive Committee may not serve as Board Chair for two consecutive terms.

 

 

III.Replacing a Member of the National Board through Removal / Resignation

  1. RESIGNATION OF A NATIONAL BOARD MEMBER
    1. If a Board member resigns his/her position from the National Board or is unable to complete a term of office for any reason, the National Board may elect or appoint a person to complete the unfulfilled term as long as the person meets all the requirements for Board membership.
    2. If Board member fails to attend two (2) consecutive Board meetings without prior notification to the Board Chair, this shall constitute a resignation from the Board.
    3. If a member of the Executive Committee resigns his/her position or is unable to complete a term for any reason, the National Board may elect a person to complete the unfulfilled term using the procedures outlined in Bylaws Section II (B) (2) (a). If the vacancy is in the position of the Board Chair, the National Board selects a new Board Chair from the membership of the new Executive Committee using the procedures outlined in Bylaws Section II (C) (2).
       
  2. REMOVAL OF A NATIONAL BOARD MEMBER FROM OFFICE
    1. Except otherwise provided by law, the Articles of Incorporation, or these Bylaws, any one or more of the Board members may be removed with or without cause at any time by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the quorum of the National Board.
    2. In the event of the removal of Board member(s):
      1. The Board Chair (or the Vice Chairs if it is the Board chair in question) will call an emergency meeting of the National Board. If members cannot be physically present, they can be allowed to participate by some electronic means.
      2. The Executive Committee presents the matter to the National Board with the Board Member in question being given an opportunity to explain him/herself in person or in writing. If the Board Member cannot/will not be present, a member of the Executive Committee will present the matter to the National Board on his/her behalf.
      3. After hearing the argument, Board Members may ask clarifying questions.
      4. Once the matter has been discussed, the Board excuses the member(s) in question.
      5. At the conclusion of the discussion with the member(s) in question absent, the Executive Committee calls for a vote.
      6. The removal of a National Board member shall be effective immediately and shall be final.
      7. In the event of removal, the National Board may elect or select a replacement(s) to complete the unfulfilled term if the person meets all the requirements for Board membership. In the event of the removal of the Board Chair or an Executive Committee Member, the Board will elect from among itself using the procedures outlined in Bylaws Section III (B) (2) (a) and Bylaws Section II (C) (2).

 

IV.The National Office

  1. THE RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE
    1. Advancing the mission of NRVC
      1. Ensuring that the mission, goals and objectives of NRVC are clearly met.
      2. Overseeing the planning, development and implementation of workshops, programs, publications, resources and biennial Convocation.
      3. Keeping abreast of the trends, movements and issues affecting vocation ministry and communicates this information to the membership and to NRVC’s publics.
      4. Implementing creative programming.
      5. Coordinating the implementation of the NRVC Strategic Plan.
      6. Interviewing and hiring consultants, as needed.
      7. Coordinating the goal setting and monitoring processes for the organization and the NRVC staff.
      8. Providing for the animation of the NRVC Member Area and Coordinators.
      9. Actively pursuing donations, grants, and endowment monies as well as wills, bequests and the like, to achieve the mission and goals of NRVC.
    2. Serving as the official representatives of NRVC
      1. Acting as the official spokespersons of the national organization to other organizations and to the public.
      2. Serving as consultant to the Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations.
      3. Promoting the mission, goals, and objectives of the NRVC at significant functions, gatherings and Church meetings.
    3. Overseeing NRVC finances by…
      1. Approving prudent expenditure and accurate accounting of all NRVC funds.
      2. Providing quarterly financial reports.
      3. Providing for the ethical management and reporting of NRVC investments.
      4. Overseeing the Annual Appeal.
      5. Preparing and publishing the Annual Report.
      6. Assuming other duties and responsibilities as determined by the National Board.
  2. REMOVAL OF AN EMPLOYEE OF THE NATIONAL OFFICE
    1. Employment with the NRVC is on an “at will” basis and as such, may be terminated at any time by either the employee or the employer with or without cause. Any statement or promise to the contrary made by an employee, officer or agent of the NRVC is invalid and non-binding on the NRVC unless made in writing and signed by the Board Chair, after consideration with the Vice Chairs of the National Religious Vocation Conference Board.
    2. Any termination of an employee by the NRVC will be considered on a case by case basis by the Board Chair in conjunction with the Vice Chairs of the National Board.
    3. Any NRVC Office employee or any Board member may recommend that an employee’s continued employment be reviewed. If such a recommendation is made, immediate consideration will be given to the recommendation by the Board Chair and the Vice Chairs. The Board Chair and the Vice Chairs of the NRVC shall meet with the employee to counsel the employee and obtain more information.
    4. After meeting with the employee, the Board Chair and the Vice Chairs shall determine the actions, if any, to be taken against the employee, including dismissal. The Board Chair and Vice Chairs must vote unanimously to dismiss the employee.
    5. If the decision is to terminate the employee, then the NRVC Board and National Office will be informed. In the event of termination of an employee:
  1. If appropriate, a temporary replacement for the terminated employee will be sought.
  2. If appropriate, a replacement for the open position will be sought.

 

V. NRVC Member Area Structures

To facilitate the efficiency and effectiveness of the ministry of NRVC to its members, the national organization divides its members into various geographic designated groups known as Member Areas. A Member Area consists of a grouping of NRVC members choosing to belong to a given Member Area. The number and size of Member Areas are determined by the National Board.

  1. PURPOSES OF THE MEMBER AREAS
    1. Facilitate sources of assistance, communication, and an exchange of views among vocation directors/ministers who are living and/or working in proximity.
    2. Provide mentoring of new vocation directors/ministers living and/or working near more veteran directors/ministers.
    3. Organize inter-community programs, gatherings and meetings to promote religious life and religious vocations in the Member Area.
    4. Facilitate communication, between the Member Area and the National Office, especially through the interaction of the Member Area Coordinators and the Director of Mission Integration.
    5. Enhance professional development on a local level through speakers, presentations and net-sourcing opportunities.
  2. NRVC MEMBER AREA CONFIGURATION
    NRVC is subdivided into the following Member Areas:
    1. Delaware Valley
    2. Heartland
    3. Hudson Valley
    4. Lake Erie/Ohio River
    5. Mid-Atlantic
    6. Midwest
    7. New England
    8. Pacific Northwest
    9. Southeast
    10. Southwest
    11. Upper Midwest
    12. West Coast
    13. International

C. NEW MEMBER AREAS
The formation of a new Member Area will take place at the initiation of the National Board or the Member Area Coordinators with the approval of the National Board.

 

D. RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEMBER AREA COORDINATORS:

  1. Serve as ambassadors of NRVC.
  2. Gather members of NRVC together for Member Area Meetings, at least once a year.
  3. Facilitate NRVC programs and activities in the Member Area.
  4. Reach out to assist members in the Member Area.
  5. Attend NRVC annual Member Area Coordinator meeting and in-services to receive information/updates from the National Board and staff; as well as to mutually share the needs of members.
  6. Administer Member Area finances, which are held at the National Office.
  7. Facilitate communication between the National Office and Board and the Member Area.
  8. Assist in inviting and welcoming new members to join NRVC and
  9. Nominate NRVC members for the National Board and/or the NRVC Outstanding Recognition awards, communicating those nominations to the National Office.

E. MEMBERSHIP IN AND ORGANIZATION OF MEMBER AREAS

  1. As some members reside and minister in different geographic areas, members may self- select a primary and secondary Member Area upon registration. In addition, a member may attend meetings in any of the Member Areas.
  2. Each Member Area is supported by Director of Mission Integration, who serves as a liaison with the National Organization, and with local Member Area Coordinators, who facilitate the workings of the Member Area.
  3. Each Member Area may charge fees to cover the operational expenses of its activities; however, all monies are sent to and held in a specific Member Area account at the National Office. Member Area monies are restricted for use by the Member Area and distributed at the direction of the Member Area according to NRVC policies and procedures. Financial reports are provided to the Member Area by the National Office on a quarterly basis.

F. MEMBER AREA MEETINGS

  1. In addition to any Member Area Meetings held at the biennial National Convocation, Member Area Coordinators are encouraged to call a meeting of the Member Area and to hold activities/programs no less than once a year.
  2. The Member Area Coordinators share the responsibility of organizing the meetings and/ or programs, inviting the Director of Mission Integration to the meeting, chairing the meeting and communicating the results of the meeting with the National Office.

 

G. SELECTION OF MEMBER AREA COORDINATORS
Each Member Area elects two Member Area Coordinators by and from the membership according to voting procedures established by the Member Area. Diversity is desired in the selection of Member Area leadership.

  1. Requirements for the Position of Member Area Coordinators A nominee for the office of Member Area Coordinators must:
  1. Be a member of NRVC.
  2. Be willing and able to assume responsibilities of Member Area Coordinator for two years.

2. Be recommended for the position of Member Area Coordinator - Nominees for the office of Member Area Coordinators should:

a. Participate in Member Area meetings and activities.
b. Attend the annual Member Area Coordinators meeting.
c. Be willing to attend Convocation and Institutes or national gatherings.

3. The Member Area Coordinator who is currently in office, but not eligible for renewal or, if this is not possible, someone from the Member Area oversees the selection process.

4. The Nomination/Selection Process for the Position of Member Area Coordinator

  1. Before or during a Member Area gathering, members are invited to nominate NRVC members from their Member Area who have the skills and the dispositions to serve as a Member Area Coordinator, keeping in mind criteria for eligibility and the diversity of membership.
  2. The nominees are contacted to ascertain their willingness to run and to inform them of the Member Area Coordinator’s responsibilities. Each candidate must accept nomination, either in person or in writing.
  3. Voting procedures and the method of selection are determined by those in the Member Area. Ideally, voting is held in the spring.

5. The current Member Area Coordinators communicate the results of the selection of the Member Area Coordinator(s) to the Director of Mission Integration as soon as possible to confirm the selection.

6. Once the selection is confirmed, the current Member Area Coordinators communicate the results to the Member Area.

H. TERM OF A MEMBER AREA COORDINATOR

  1. A Member Area Coordinator is elected for a two-year term. Ordinarily, one coordinator is elected in even-numbered years: the other, in an odd-numbered year.
  2. The term for a Member Area Coordinator begins July 1 and continues through June 30.
  3. Member Area Coordinators can serve for three consecutive two-year terms.
  4. Member Area Coordinators seeking to serve a second and/or third term need to be affirmed by the Member Area through a simple majority vote.

I. REPLACEMENT OF A MEMBER AREA COORDINATOR
If a Member Area Coordinator resigns his/her position or is unable to complete a term of office for any reason, the Member Area selects a new Coordinator to fulfill the unexpired term.

J. REMOVAL OF A MEMBER AREA COORDINATOR
The Director of Mission Integration in consultation with the Executive Committee of the National Board, may remove a Member Area Coordinator from office with or without cause. If such a request is made, the Director of Mission Integration would inform the Board Chair. The Board Chair would:

  1. Call for a special meeting of the Executive Committee. The members of the Executive Committee may participate in person and may also participate in and act at any meeting of such committee through the use of a conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other. Participation in such meeting shall constitute attendance and presence in person at the meeting of the person.
  2. The Director of Mission Integration would present the matter to the Executive Committee on behalf of the Member Area. The Member Area Coordinator in question would be given an opportunity to appear before the Executive Committee at his/her own expense, to present his/her case in writing or be available via electronic communication.
  3. After hearing both sides, the Executive Committee may ask clarifying questions.
  4. Once the matter has been discussed, the Executive Committee discusses the situation privately.
  5. When the discussion has run its course, the Board Chair calls for a vote.
  6. The Executive Committee must vote with a 2/3 majority to dismiss the Member Area Coordinator.
  7. The decision of the Executive Committee is final.
  8. The Board Chair conveys the decision to the Director of Mission Integration who then informs the involved Member Area Coordinator. The Director of Mission Integration then informs the remaining Member Area Coordinator if the decision was made to remove the Member Area Coordinator.
  9. In the event of removal, the remaining Member Area Coordinator calls for a selection at the earliest opportunity to select a replacement a replacement to fill the unexpired term.

 

VI. Benefits of Membership
in the National Religious Vocation Conference

The following benefits are afforded to each NRVC member:

  1. Full participation in NRVC as a voting member with eligibility for board membership and Member Area leadership
  2. Access to the NRVC website’s members-only information, including an online membership directory.
  3. Members-only rates for NRVC programs, publications, and resources.
  4. A subscription to HORIZON, the NRVC quarterly journal; the online monthly newsletter; and other electronic updates.
  5. Access to a professional support network of those committed to vocation ministry regionally, nationally, and internationally.
  6. Eligibility to submit educational debt grant requests to the National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations (NFCRV).
  7. Access to Email and phone vocation ministry consultation.
  8. Access to ongoing research in vocation ministry.
  9. Access to national and Member Area workshops, conferences, and seminars, including a biennial national Convocation, at member-only rates.
  10. The highlighting of a member’s religious institute on the NRVC website and in other official NRVC print and online materials.
  11. Other services and privileges as determined by the National Board.

 

VII. Membership Year

The membership year is from January 1 to December 31.

 

VIII. Fiscal Year

The NRVC fiscal year is from January 1 through December 31.

 

IX. Board Advisory Committees

  1. PURPOSE
    1. Much of the work of the Board takes places in committees. A Standing Committee is a permanent committee that serves NRVC on an ongoing basis. An Ad Hoc Committee is a temporary committee that addresses a particular interest or need in a designated time frame.
    2. Committees will serve as catalysts and advocates for relevant issues by making recommendations to the National Board regarding appropriate procedures, research, and development of particular projects.
    3. Any Board member may request to form a new committee. This request must include: the purpose, composition of membership, time commitment, terms of service, anticipated financial needs and resources, and the responsibilities of the committee. The decision to form the new committee will be approved by the Board through formal vote.
  2. THE MEMBERSHIP OF NRVC COMMITTEE(S)
    1. Ordinarily a Committee is composed of up to eight persons, the majority of which are NRVC members.
    2. Recommendations for membership come from the Committee, from the National Board or through public announcement to membership.
    3. There are no term limits for committee membership other than those designated by the type of committee.
    4. The chair of a Standing Committee is Board member. The chair of an Ad Hoc committee is determined by the members of the committee.
    5. Each Ad Hoc Committee will have a Board member as a liaison to the National Board.
  3. THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMITTEE(S)
    Members of the Committee(s) may attend meetings of the Committee in person or participate in and act at any meeting of a Committee through the use of a conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other. Participation in such meeting shall constitute attendance and presence in person at the meeting of the person. Each Committee shall operate with a designated purpose and set of responsibilities which include:
  1. An update at each Board meeting which includes:
    1. an evaluation of the progress towards the goal(s).
    2. the setting of new goals.
    3. a financial report (proposed budget and expenses).
    4. a self-evaluation of the Committee and its work.
  2. Recommending a budget to the National Board for approval
  3. Identifying and researching issues related to its focus.
  4. Developing materials and programs. [All materials to be published/printed are to be reviewed and approved by the National Board. The Director of Mission Integration will be the contact person at the National Office regarding projects, printing, etc.].
  5. Suggesting potential funding sources outside of NRVC to cover Committee meetings, work, and materials.
  6. Keeping the larger NRVC membership informed of the Committee’s activities and research through NRVC publications.
  7. Keeping minutes of the Committee meetings and distributing them to all Committee members.

D. THE NATIONAL BOARD’S RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE COMMITTEE(S)

  1. The National Board will inform the Committee of the level of funding it has allocated for the Committee. It will approve the annual operating budget of each committee. (Meeting expenses are reimbursable through the NRVC office.)
  2. The National Board will approve the Committee’s budget.
  3. Each Board liaison will summarize his/her Committee’s meeting minutes for each Board meeting and will distribute the summary to other Board members prior to the Board meeting.
  4. The Board Liaison should receive from the Committee Chair all communication sent to committee members.
  5. The Board Liaison will attend at least one meeting per year unless specified more often in the Committee’s set of responsibilities and time commitment.
  6. Committee Chairs have the primary responsibility of organizing the committee; communicating with members and Board Liaison; and initiating communication with the Board Liaison.
  7. Committees generally meet once or twice a year. To meet more often requires prior approval of the Board Liaison.

 

X. National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations

  1. The Board Chair of the NRVC will serve as ex-officio and voting member of the NFCRV Board of Directors, but refrain from serving as its Chair.
  2. At least two (2) of the NFCRV Board members shall be representatives of the NRVC National Board.
  3. NFCRV Board members shall be named by the NRVC National Board and shall serve a term of up to three years.
  4. The Executive Director of the NFCRV is ultimately responsible to the NFCRV Board.
  5. There will be no co-mingling of NRVC and NFCRV funds.
  6. NFCRV applications will only be accepted from canonically recognized religious institutes with active membership in the National Religious Vocation Conference.
  7. Candidates must be conditionally accepted by religious institutes with active membership in the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC). Novices and temporarily professed religious are not eligible.
  8. Only one candidate grant request per religious institute will be considered. Those religious institutes who received an NFCRV grant in prior years are not eligible to apply in the current year.
  9. Grant funds will be given to a religious institute to cover all or part of a candidate ongoing student loan payments. Longevity of NRVC membership will be considered. The grant amount and terms will be determined by the NFCRV Board.
  10. Grant funds will be distributed quarterly and will continue until which time the candidate (1) takes final vows in the religious institute, or (2) withdraws or is dismissed from the formation program. Reimbursement will be required if a candidate discontinues and the NFCRV is not informed.
  11. Grantee religious institutes must maintain active membership in NRVC during the entire grant term.

 

XI. Finances

  1. Fund Raising: NRVC solicits funds to help support its mission and programs. Multiple development campaigns and appeals are conducted each fiscal year. The Director of Development oversees these campaigns and works with National Office staff to coordinate, execute, and analyze effectiveness.
  2. The NRVC Misericordia Scholarship Fund allows NRVC to help members that request a reduction/waiver of fees due to financial need and provides them with the opportunity to fully participate in all that we offer including: membership, Summer and Fall Institutes, training workshops and Convocation.

 

XII. Bylaw Amendment Procedures

  1. Any NRVC member may submit a proposal for amending these Bylaws by simply proposing it through any National Board member. The support of five (5) additional NRVC members, so indicated by their signatures on the proposal, is required for a proposal to be brought before the National Board.
  2. These Bylaws may be amended at a National Board meeting, or any other meeting by the Board members attending the meeting in person, or by electronic means pursuant to which the Board members entitled to vote thereon are given the opportunity to vote for or against the proposed action, or by electronic mail, or by mail sent through the U.S. Postal Service and that action receives the approval by a simple majority of a quorum of the National Board. It does not require a vote of the membership.

 

XIII. Conflicts and Dualities of Interest

  1. No transactions involving remuneration or benefit to a director or officer, or to an organization in which such director or officer has a material financial interest or of which the director or officer is a member, officer, director, general partner, principal or controlling stockholder, shall be entered into by the Conference without
    1. A full disclosure to the National Board by the interested director or officer of the material facts of the transaction and the director or officer’s interest or relationship.
    2. The authorization, approval, or ratification of the National Board.
    3. A determination by a majority of disinterested directors (even though the disinterested directors may be less than a quorum) that the transaction is fair to the Conference at the time it is authorized, approved or ratified. No director so involved may vote on such authorization, approval, or ratification by the National Board.
  2. This policy shall apply to all members of the National Board and corporate officers, key Agents, and key employees of the Conference, including independent contractors who provide services and materials, to the Conference in an amount exceeding $10,000.00. The Conference’s National Office shall have the affirmative obligation to publicize periodically this policy to all such parties.
  3. All persons to whom this policy applies shall disclose to the National Board all real and apparent, direct and indirect conflicts which they discover or have been brought to their attention in connection with the Conference’s activities. “Disclosure” as used in these bylaws shall mean providing promptly to the appropriate persons a written description of the direct and indirect material facts of the transaction or real or apparent conflict, and the director’s interest or relationship to the transaction or conflict. An annual disclosure statement shall be circulated to all persons to whom this policy applies to assist them in considering such disclosures, but disclosure is appropriate whenever a conflict arises. The written disclosure notices of conflicts shall be filed with the ex officio or any other person designated by her/him from time to time to receive such notifications. All disclosure notices received hereunder shall be noted for record in the minutes of a meeting of the National Board.
  4. When an individual director, officer, agent or employee believes that he or she or a member of his or her immediate family might have or does have a real or apparent, direct or indirect conflict, such individual should, in addition to filing the disclosure notice required hereunder, abstain from making motions, voting, executing agreements, or taking any other similar direct action on behalf of the Conference to which the conflict might pertain, but shall not be precluded from debate or other similar involvement on behalf of the Conference.

                                                                                                                

XIV. Indemnification

  1. The Conference shall, to the fullest extent permitted by Illinois law, indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any proceeding by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Conference against expenses (including attorney’s fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such proceeding if he or she acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in and not opposed to the best interests of the Conference.
  2. To the extent that a present or former director, officer, employee, or agent of the Conference has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding referred to in Section A of this Article, or in defense of any claim, issue, or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such proceeding if that person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Conference.
  3. Sections A and B of this Article will not apply in any proceeding in which the director, officer, employee, or agent is liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of his or her duties.
  4. Such rights of indemnification will not be exclusive of any other rights to which such director, officer, or employee may be entitled apart from this provision.
  5. The Conference shall have power to purchase and maintain, at the Conference’s expense, insurance on behalf of the Conference and on behalf of any director, officer, employee, agent, or other person to the extent that power has been or may be granted by statute.
  6. The Conference shall have the power to give other indemnification to the extent permitted by law.

 

Revised 2017, 2020


I am NRVC


NRVC updates its Code of Ethics

The NRVC has updated its Code of Ethics for Vocation Ministry and encourages all involved in this ministry to review it. Consider sharing these important guidelines with your leadership and membership. The code sets forth the principles, responsibilities, and expectations for vocation ministry, including responsibilities of leadership and membership, ethical vocation promotion with inquirers, accompaniment of discerners, and assessment of applicants for admission.

 

A warm thank you to all who served on the committee that recommended the updates recently approved by the NRVC board: Father Luke Ballman, Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M., Sister Kathleen Branham, O.S.F., Father Raymond P. Carey, Ms. Colleen Crawford, Ms. Adriana Dominguez, J.D., Sister Marcia Hall, O.S.P., Sister Michelle Lesher, S.S.J., Brother Larry Schatz, F.S.C., Sister Cynthia Serjak, R.S.M., Sister Nicole Trahan, F.M.I., and Sister Cheryl Wint, O.S.F.


Published on: 2022-05-25

Edition: June 2022 newsletter

"Let's Talk About It" online conversation May 15

You are invited to join an online conversation about religious life today on May 15, 1:30 p.m. CT, co-hosted by the NRVC and A Nun's Life Ministry. Entitled "Let's talk about it! Asking the questions, living into the answers," the event will start with ice-breaker questions before moving into breakout rooms to treat more serious questions about contemporary religious life. The intention is to find signs of hope through conversation and revitalizing interaction. Register here.


Published on: 2022-03-29

Updated on: 2022-05-02

Edition: April 2022 newsletter

Summer Institute includes Ethics workshop--and more!


I am NRVC: Sister Kathleen Persson, O.S.B.

Sister Kathleen Persson, O.S.B. of the Benedictine Sisters of Virginia became vocation and formation director just as COVID-19 hit the nation. The good news is that she wasn’t already used to doing lots of in-person activities. Seeking a way to virtually connect with people, she turned to YouTube and became the producer of “Benedictine Bytes.” Read more.


Published on: 2021-10-28

Updated on: 2022-03-29

Edition: March 2022 newsletter

I am NRVC: Sister Nicole Trahan, F.M.I.

The most interesting vocation initiative that Sister Nicole Trahan, F.M.I. has been involved with lately was "get to know you" cookouts at a community-sponsored university. They worked well to help the Marianists re-establish relationships on campus. Learn more about this seasoned vocation minister, HORIZON contributor, and NRVC board member.


Published on: 2022-05-31

Edition: June 2022

Sister Charlene Herinckx

Sr. Charlene Herinckx, S.S.M.O. previously served as the NRVC Director of Programs and Projects from 1999-2005, before being elected to congregational leadership. She served on the General Council from 2005-2010, then was elected Superior General for two terms from 2010-2020. Sr. Charlene holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of San Francisco in Private School Administration and a Master of Education from the University of Portland. She also serves as a consultant for the National Religious Retirement Office.


Annual MAC Gathering

December 13-16

held in Tucson, AZ  


Webinar 4 | March 3, 2022 | 7 p.m. Central

Wellsprings of support for vocations

Primary audience: CAMPUS MINISTERS | YOUTH MINISTERS | VOCATION MINISTERS | DISCERNERS.  All are welcome.

A Catholic college campus minister and diocesan young adult minister outline ways their work supports those discerning God’s call and helps promote religious vocations.

An ideal webinar not only for those discerning religious life, but for those in Catholic campus ministry, youth and young adult ministry, vocation offices, and on parish vocation team. Gain new insights and strategies and confirm the good work you are already doing! 

Join us on Thursday, March 3, 2022 at 8 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. CT/ 6 p.m. MT/ 5 p.m. PT

The hour-long format is simple, two outstanding speakers will share their insights and then our panelists will welcome questions from participants. 

The webinar is free, but you must register to participate or to receive an on-demand link following the session. 

Click here to Register

Flyer

Presenters & Panelists

Sr. Sue Kidd, C.N.D.Sister Susan Kidd, C.N.D.
Campus Minister, Prince Edward Island University. Former NRVC Board Member.

 

 

Craig GouldCraig Gould
Director of Family, Youth, and Young Adult Ministry, Institute for Evangelization, Archdiocese of Baltimore    

 

 

 

 

Register

 


Catalyst Blog

Members Only Updates

This provides the link to the Catalyst, a members only benefit to provide updates, information, and connection with NRVC members. If you are not receiving this member benefit, please contact Ms. Marge Argylan at 773.363.5454 or email her at margylan@nrvc.net 

Catalyst Blog posts


On Facebook “It’s Tuesday. Tell me something good.”

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 https://www.facebook.com/NationalReligiousVocationConference


Links to studies & reports

For research and presentations

By National Office

Attachments (14)

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2019 Vocations Stats InfographicInfographic on Vocation Statistics

2020 infographic on Religious Life Today

2019 infographic on recent statistics

 

 

 

 

NRVC/CARA studies & reports

2020 Study on Recent Vocations 

2020 Study Brochure

2015 Study on the Role of the Family in Nurturing Vocations to Religious Life and Priesthood

2014 Study on Incorporating Cultural Diversity in Religious Life

Executive Summary

2014 Men Religious Moving Forward in Hope Final Report

2014 Men Religious Moving Forward in Hope Final Report

2013 Women Religious Moving Forward in Hope Final Report

2013 Moving Forward in Hope: Keys to the Future Final Report

2013 Handbook on Educational Debt & Vocations to Religious Life

2012 Study on Educational Debt and Vocations to Religious Life

Executive Summary

2009 Study on Recent Vocations to Religious Life

Executive Summary, English

Executive Summary, Spanish

 

USCCB/CARA studies & reports

 

The Class of 2020: Survey of the Ordinands to the Priesthood

The Class of 2019: Survery of the Ordinands to the Priesthood

The Class of 2018: Survey of the Ordinands to the Priesthood

The Class of 2017: Survey of the Ordinands to the Priesthood

The Class of 2016: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood

The Class of 2015: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood 

The Class of 2014: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood

The Class of 2013: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood

The Class of 2012: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood

The Class of 2011: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood

The Class of 2010: Survey of Ordination to the Priesthood

The Profession Class of 2019 Report

The Profession Class of 2018 Report

The Profession Class of 2017 Report

Profession Class of 2017 News Release

The Profession Class of 2016 Report

The Profession Class of 2015 Report

The Profession Class of 2014 Report  

The Profession Class of 2013 Report

The Profession Class of 2012 Report

The Profession Class of 2011 Report

The Profession Class of 2010 Report

The Entrance Class Report of 2019: Women and Men Entering Religious Life. This CARA report presents the findings of 370 women and men who formally entered 128 US-based religious institutes in 2019

The Entrance Class Report of 2018: Women and Men Enteting Religious Life. This CARA report presents the findings of 440 women and men who formally entered 171 US-based religious insitutes in 2018.

The Entrance Class Report of 2017: Women and Men Entering Religious Life. This CARA report presents the findings of a survey of 524 women and men who formally entered 182 US-based religious institutes in 2017.

The Entrance Class of 2016: Women and Men Entering Religious Life Report. This CARA report presents the findings of a survey of 502 women and men who formally entered 185 US-based religious institutes in 2016. 

The Entrance Class of 2015: Women and Men Entering Religious Life Report. This CARA report presents the findings of a survey of 411 women and men who formally entered 143 US-based religious institutes in 2015.

CARA Frequently Requested Church Statistics This weblink contains all relevant statistics for the United States and the world.   

2012 Study on the Consideration of Priesthood and Religious Life among Never-Married U.S. Catholics

 

Vocation studies and analyses

2021 CARA Study on Impact of Cultural Diversity  in Vocations to Religious Life. This study looked at the impact of family life, parish life, and cultural backgrounds on discernment of a vocation to a men’s or women’s religious congregation.

2018 Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Report on Understanding Religious Vocation in Australia Today. This report looks at data of newer entrants in Australia from 2000 - 2015. This study looked at data to to determine the characteristics of the women and men who have entered religious life (and stayed) since 2000 and the characteristics, policies and practices of the religious institutes and societies that are attracting and successfully retaining new members. 

2018 CARA Study on International Religious Sisters Studying in the United States contains data on over 200 international sisters studying in the United States, the impact of their studies in the United States on their ministries when they return to their home country, and the perceptions and experiences of the major superiors who send their sisters to study abroad. 

2018 CARA Catholic Ministry Formation Enrollment Statistics CARA collects enrollment data on every Catholic ministry formation program that prepares men and women for ministry in the U.S. Church as priests, deacons, and lay ecclesial ministers. This statistical overview is published annually and a complete directory listing the names, addresses, and other pertinent information on each program is published every other year.

2016 CARA and A Nun's Life Ministry Study on Women Religious: Social Media Use Executive Summary Phase 1 and Executive Summary Phase 2. This study's purpose is to identify ways to strengthen and support the internet outreach efforts of Catholic sisters for vocation outreach. The research showed that most institutes have an online presence, most commonly via their website and on Facebook.

2017 CARA/Trinity Washington University Study on International Sisters in the United States The first national study of the 4,000 international sisters living in the United States was done to better understand the experiences and contributions of international sisters. The report is also available in Spanish.  A reflection guide is available in English and Spanish.

2016 USCCB Cultural Diversity in the Catholic Church Report "The Catholic Church in the United States has always been a very diverse entity, but it is the first time that all available data was brought together to map this diversity nationwide in remarkable detail," said Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio, chairman of the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church. "It is also the first time that parish life was looked at from the point of view of the experience of diversity. Multicultural parishes are a growing phenomenon in the United States. This is what makes this study so fascinating and ground-breaking."

2016 CARA Impact of College Experience on Vocational Discernment In this special report, CARA identifies various aspects of the college experience that the respondents tell us were important in their vocational discernment

2016 Religous Life Vitality Project: Key Project Findings Report was written by Catherine Sexton and Sr. Gemma Simmonds, CJ. The purpose of this document is to present six key findings of signs of vitality in women's religious institutes: Ministry; Community and Formative Growth; Collaborative Working; Prayer and Spirituality; New Forms of Membership; and How we are aging.

FADICA 2015 analysis of Catholic sisters This December 2015 report was published by Foundation and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities, Inc. (FADICA) and written by Kathleen Sprows Cummings of University of Notre Dame. This report provides an overview and analysis of the current state of Catholic women religious in the U.S.

2015 CARA Population Trends among Religious Insitutes of Men CARA undertook this longitudinal study of population trends in men’s religious institutes to investigate in more detail some of the trends over the past 45 years.

2015 Catholic Sisters Initiative, Anderson Robbins Report This research funded by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, was designed to understand the general public’s attitudes, opinions and experiences with Catholic Sisters in the United States. Specifically, this research sought to answer the following key questions: What does the general public think about Catholic Sisters? That is, what opinions, beliefs and perceptions (as well as misperceptions) define Catholic Sisters in the minds of the general public today?  

2015 CARA Catholic Ministry Formation Enrollment Statistics This CARA Study reports that during the academic year 2014-2015 there was increase of 19 seminarians enrolled in the post-baccalaureate level of priestly formation, both diocesan and religious. The Catholic Ministry Formation Directory can be ordered by clicking here.

2014 CARA Population Trends among Religious Institutes of Women In spring 2014, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) initiated a longitudinal study of women religious in the United States drawing on data reported by the religious institutes of women listed in the Official Catholic Directory (OCD). This report provides a snapshot of some notable phenomena occurring in U.S. religious institutes of women. 

2013 CARA Study of Former Full-time Volunteers of the Catholic Volunteer Network This CARA Study reports 37% of former full-time volunteers have considered religious life or the priesthood, 27% of them "very seriously." Six percent have a vocation as a priest, deacon, sister, brother, or are currently in formation.

2012 CARA Study on the Influence of College Experiences on Vocational Discernment to Priesthood and Religious Life This CARA Study was designed to assess the role and influence of Catholic colleges and universities on the vocational discernment of men entering the seminary and religious life in the United States. Almost two-thirds of respondents overall state that a priest/sister/brother professor had a “significant positive influence” on their vocational discernment. 

2012 USCCB/CARA Consideration of Priesthood and Religious Life among Never-Married U.S. Catholics This study found that encouragement from others to consider a vocation to religious life is important. Respondents who have one person encouraging them are nearly twice as likely to consider a vocation as those who are not encouraged. Each additional person encouraging these respondents increases the likelihood of consideration. The effect is additive.  Respondents who had three persons encourage them would be expected to be more than five times more likely to consider a vocation than someone who was not encouraged by anyone. 

2010 NCEA/CARA Study of Psychological Assessment: The Testing and Screening for Candidates to the Priesthood in the  U.S. Catholic ChurchThis CARA study conducted by the NCEA Seminary Department examines the psychological assessment practices and procedures used by dioceses, men's religious institutes, and seminaries in the testing and screening of applicants to priestly formation programs in the United States.

2007 Young Adult Catholics and their Future in Ministry Study This study by Dean R. Hoge and Marti Jewell revealed a high percentage of college students involved in campus ministry or diocesan young adult ministry have seriously considered becoming a religious or a diocesan priest.

1992 Future of Religious Orders in the United States Study This three year study of religious institutes of priests, brothers and sisters conducted by Fr. David Nygren, C.M. and Sr. Miriam Ukeritis, C.S.J., is considered the first in-depth study of religious institutes in the United States. It is also known as the Religious Life Futures Project.

1991 A Survey of Priests Ordained Five to Nine Years by Eugene F. Hemrick and Dean R. Hoge. Published by the National Catholic Education Association. This report presents the findings of a national survey of diocesan and religious priests who were ordained between 1980 and 1984. The questionnaire issued to the respondents asked about three topics of concern to Catholic Church leadership: priestly morale, priestly identity, and priestly roles.


NRVC Bylaws

Revised and ratified in 2020

Attachments (2)

Download All

Click here for a pdf of the NRVC bylaws.

I. NRVC National Board

  1. COMPOSITION OF THE NATIONAL BOARD
    1. The National Board of the National Religious Vocation Conference shall be composed of between 8 and 12 members of the Conference.
    2. The NRVC Director of Mission Integration will serve as ex-officio, non-voting member of the National Board.
  2. TERMS OF OFFICE OF NATIONAL BOARD MEMBERS
    1. The term of office for a Board member is three years.
    2. A Board Member shall serve no more than two consecutive terms; however, an NRVC member may be re-selected to serve after being off the Board for a complete term.
    3. The term of office for each Board member begins at the autumn meeting and continues up until, but not including, the autumn meeting three years later.
  3. DUTIES OF A BOARD MEMBER
    1. Promotes the mission and objectives of NRVC.
    2. Attends and actively participates in National Board meetings, either in person or he/she may participate in and act at any meeting of such Board or committee through the use of a conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other. Participation in such meeting shall constitute attendance and presence in person at the meeting of the person.
    3. Participates in the selection of, the supervision of and the evaluation processes for the National Board and the Executive Committee, as determined by the Board.
    4. Shares in the fiduciary responsibility for NRVC.
    5. Shares in the responsibility for various tasks undertaken by the Board.
  4. NOMINATION/SELECTION PROCEDURE FOR NATIONAL BOARD MEMBERS
    1. Each NRVC member may submit one nomination for the Board, submitting reasons for and qualifications of the nominee.
      1. A recommendation form will be sent to each NRVC member in the winter to recommend someone for the National Board for the following autumn. Nominations must be returned to the National Office by January 31.
      2.  Nominees must be current members of NRVC.
      3.  Board members who are eligible for re-selection must also be recommended.
    2. By March 31, the National Board selects new members from those recommended to a three-year term. The Board seeks to bring particular skills and experience to the Board, to help assure a balance of gender, geographical and cultural representation and to image the breadth and diversity of religious consecration in the Church through its new appointments.
    3. The number of new members selected each year will be determined by the number of vacancies on the Board and by a need to maintain a Board of between 8 and 12 members and to provide the balance discussed in the Bylaws Section I (D) (2) above.
    4. A nominee needs only to gain a simple majority of those Board members present and voting to be selected for Board membership.
    5. The results of the selections are announced to the membership.

 

II. The Executive Committee

The NRVC Executive Committee is a subgroup of the National Board.

  1. RESPONSIBILITIES
    The Executive Committee facilitates the work of the National Board by:
    Members of the NRVC National Board elect the Executive Committee during the spring meeting according to the following procedures:
    1. Providing leadership in animating and governing the national organization and the National Board.
    2. Setting the agendas for the National Board meetings.
    3. Convening and presiding at meetings of the National Board.
    4. Convening additional meetings of the Executive Committee, as necessary.
    5. Transacting business between meetings of the National Board and reporting these transactions to the National Board as soon as possible.
    6. Ensuring the recording of the minutes of the meetings of both the Executive Committee and the National Board.
    7. Serving as executive counsel for the National Office.
    8. Establishing ad hoc and management committees, advisory boards and task forces or hiring consultants, as needed.
    9. Overseeing the implementation of Board decisions.
    10. Other such activities that are deemed significant to facilitate the work of the National Board.

B. ELECTION OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

  1. Members of the National Board make their availability for service on the Executive Committee known before the election takes place.
  2. The National Board nominates members from among their own.
  3. Members of the Board vote for one nominee of their choosing by secret ballot.
  4. If a nominee receives a simple majority, he/she is elected to the Executive Committee.
  5. If no nominee receives a simple majority, the two nominees receiving the most votes are cast into a run-off.
  6. In the run-off election, the nominee receiving a simple majority is elected to the Executive Committee.
  7. The process is repeated until three members of the Board are elected to the Executive Committee.

C. ELECTION OF THE BOARD CHAIR
Members of the National Board elect a Board Chair at the spring meeting from among those chosen to serve on the Executive Committee using the following process:

  1. An Executive Committee member must receive a simple majority to be elected Board Chair.
  2. To elect the Board Chair:
    1. The names of those members of the Executive Committee who are open to serve as Board Chair are listed.
    2. If only one member of the Executive Committee is open to serve, he/she is automatically declared Board Chair.
    3. If more than one member is willing to serve, the members of the Board are given a ballot and instructed to vote for one nominee of their choosing by secret ballot.
    4. If any nominee receives a simple majority, he/she is elected Board Chair.
    5. In the case of three initial nominees:
      1. If no nominee receives a simple majority on the first ballot, the two nominees receiving the most votes are cast into a run-off election.
      2. In the run-off election, the nominee receiving a simple majority is elected Board Chair.
      3. If neither of the remaining two Executive Committee members receives a simple majority after the second ballot in this process, a Board Chair is chosen by consensus of all three Executive Committee members in consultation with the Director of Mission Integration.
    6. The remaining Executive Committee members become the Vice Chairs

​D. TERMS OF OFFICE FOR THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

1. The members of the Executive Committee, including the Board Chair, may serve in this capacity for a term of two years, beginning with the spring meeting.

2. If a Board member meets the qualifications for membership on the National Board, there are no term limits to his/her service on the Executive Committee.

3. A member of the Executive Committee may not serve as Board Chair for two consecutive terms.

 

 

III.Replacing a Member of the National Board through Removal / Resignation

  1. RESIGNATION OF A NATIONAL BOARD MEMBER
    1. If a Board member resigns his/her position from the National Board or is unable to complete a term of office for any reason, the National Board may elect or appoint a person to complete the unfulfilled term as long as the person meets all the requirements for Board membership.
    2. If Board member fails to attend two (2) consecutive Board meetings without prior notification to the Board Chair, this shall constitute a resignation from the Board.
    3. If a member of the Executive Committee resigns his/her position or is unable to complete a term for any reason, the National Board may elect a person to complete the unfulfilled term using the procedures outlined in Bylaws Section II (B) (2) (a). If the vacancy is in the position of the Board Chair, the National Board selects a new Board Chair from the membership of the new Executive Committee using the procedures outlined in Bylaws Section II (C) (2).
       
  2. REMOVAL OF A NATIONAL BOARD MEMBER FROM OFFICE
    1. Except otherwise provided by law, the Articles of Incorporation, or these Bylaws, any one or more of the Board members may be removed with or without cause at any time by the affirmative vote of two-thirds of the quorum of the National Board.
    2. In the event of the removal of Board member(s):
      1. The Board Chair (or the Vice Chairs if it is the Board chair in question) will call an emergency meeting of the National Board. If members cannot be physically present, they can be allowed to participate by some electronic means.
      2. The Executive Committee presents the matter to the National Board with the Board Member in question being given an opportunity to explain him/herself in person or in writing. If the Board Member cannot/will not be present, a member of the Executive Committee will present the matter to the National Board on his/her behalf.
      3. After hearing the argument, Board Members may ask clarifying questions.
      4. Once the matter has been discussed, the Board excuses the member(s) in question.
      5. At the conclusion of the discussion with the member(s) in question absent, the Executive Committee calls for a vote.
      6. The removal of a National Board member shall be effective immediately and shall be final.
      7. In the event of removal, the National Board may elect or select a replacement(s) to complete the unfulfilled term if the person meets all the requirements for Board membership. In the event of the removal of the Board Chair or an Executive Committee Member, the Board will elect from among itself using the procedures outlined in Bylaws Section III (B) (2) (a) and Bylaws Section II (C) (2).

 

IV.The National Office

  1. THE RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE
    1. Advancing the mission of NRVC
      1. Ensuring that the mission, goals and objectives of NRVC are clearly met.
      2. Overseeing the planning, development and implementation of workshops, programs, publications, resources and biennial Convocation.
      3. Keeping abreast of the trends, movements and issues affecting vocation ministry and communicates this information to the membership and to NRVC’s publics.
      4. Implementing creative programming.
      5. Coordinating the implementation of the NRVC Strategic Plan.
      6. Interviewing and hiring consultants, as needed.
      7. Coordinating the goal setting and monitoring processes for the organization and the NRVC staff.
      8. Providing for the animation of the NRVC Member Area and Coordinators.
      9. Actively pursuing donations, grants, and endowment monies as well as wills, bequests and the like, to achieve the mission and goals of NRVC.
    2. Serving as the official representatives of NRVC
      1. Acting as the official spokespersons of the national organization to other organizations and to the public.
      2. Serving as consultant to the Bishops’ Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations.
      3. Promoting the mission, goals, and objectives of the NRVC at significant functions, gatherings and Church meetings.
    3. Overseeing NRVC finances by…
      1. Approving prudent expenditure and accurate accounting of all NRVC funds.
      2. Providing quarterly financial reports.
      3. Providing for the ethical management and reporting of NRVC investments.
      4. Overseeing the Annual Appeal.
      5. Preparing and publishing the Annual Report.
      6. Assuming other duties and responsibilities as determined by the National Board.
  2. REMOVAL OF AN EMPLOYEE OF THE NATIONAL OFFICE
    1. Employment with the NRVC is on an “at will” basis and as such, may be terminated at any time by either the employee or the employer with or without cause. Any statement or promise to the contrary made by an employee, officer or agent of the NRVC is invalid and non-binding on the NRVC unless made in writing and signed by the Board Chair, after consideration with the Vice Chairs of the National Religious Vocation Conference Board.
    2. Any termination of an employee by the NRVC will be considered on a case by case basis by the Board Chair in conjunction with the Vice Chairs of the National Board.
    3. Any NRVC Office employee or any Board member may recommend that an employee’s continued employment be reviewed. If such a recommendation is made, immediate consideration will be given to the recommendation by the Board Chair and the Vice Chairs. The Board Chair and the Vice Chairs of the NRVC shall meet with the employee to counsel the employee and obtain more information.
    4. After meeting with the employee, the Board Chair and the Vice Chairs shall determine the actions, if any, to be taken against the employee, including dismissal. The Board Chair and Vice Chairs must vote unanimously to dismiss the employee.
    5. If the decision is to terminate the employee, then the NRVC Board and National Office will be informed. In the event of termination of an employee:
  1. If appropriate, a temporary replacement for the terminated employee will be sought.
  2. If appropriate, a replacement for the open position will be sought.

 

V. NRVC Member Area Structures

To facilitate the efficiency and effectiveness of the ministry of NRVC to its members, the national organization divides its members into various geographic designated groups known as Member Areas. A Member Area consists of a grouping of NRVC members choosing to belong to a given Member Area. The number and size of Member Areas are determined by the National Board.

  1. PURPOSES OF THE MEMBER AREAS
    1. Facilitate sources of assistance, communication, and an exchange of views among vocation directors/ministers who are living and/or working in proximity.
    2. Provide mentoring of new vocation directors/ministers living and/or working near more veteran directors/ministers.
    3. Organize inter-community programs, gatherings and meetings to promote religious life and religious vocations in the Member Area.
    4. Facilitate communication, between the Member Area and the National Office, especially through the interaction of the Member Area Coordinators and the Director of Mission Integration.
    5. Enhance professional development on a local level through speakers, presentations and net-sourcing opportunities.
  2. NRVC MEMBER AREA CONFIGURATION
    NRVC is subdivided into the following Member Areas:
    1. Delaware Valley
    2. Heartland
    3. Hudson Valley
    4. Lake Erie/Ohio River
    5. Mid-Atlantic
    6. Midwest
    7. New England
    8. Pacific Northwest
    9. Southeast
    10. Southwest
    11. Upper Midwest
    12. West Coast
    13. International

C. NEW MEMBER AREAS
The formation of a new Member Area will take place at the initiation of the National Board or the Member Area Coordinators with the approval of the National Board.

 

D. RESPONSIBILITIES OF MEMBER AREA COORDINATORS:

  1. Serve as ambassadors of NRVC.
  2. Gather members of NRVC together for Member Area Meetings, at least once a year.
  3. Facilitate NRVC programs and activities in the Member Area.
  4. Reach out to assist members in the Member Area.
  5. Attend NRVC annual Member Area Coordinator meeting and in-services to receive information/updates from the National Board and staff; as well as to mutually share the needs of members.
  6. Administer Member Area finances, which are held at the National Office.
  7. Facilitate communication between the National Office and Board and the Member Area.
  8. Assist in inviting and welcoming new members to join NRVC and
  9. Nominate NRVC members for the National Board and/or the NRVC Outstanding Recognition awards, communicating those nominations to the National Office.

E. MEMBERSHIP IN AND ORGANIZATION OF MEMBER AREAS

  1. As some members reside and minister in different geographic areas, members may self- select a primary and secondary Member Area upon registration. In addition, a member may attend meetings in any of the Member Areas.
  2. Each Member Area is supported by Director of Mission Integration, who serves as a liaison with the National Organization, and with local Member Area Coordinators, who facilitate the workings of the Member Area.
  3. Each Member Area may charge fees to cover the operational expenses of its activities; however, all monies are sent to and held in a specific Member Area account at the National Office. Member Area monies are restricted for use by the Member Area and distributed at the direction of the Member Area according to NRVC policies and procedures. Financial reports are provided to the Member Area by the National Office on a quarterly basis.

F. MEMBER AREA MEETINGS

  1. In addition to any Member Area Meetings held at the biennial National Convocation, Member Area Coordinators are encouraged to call a meeting of the Member Area and to hold activities/programs no less than once a year.
  2. The Member Area Coordinators share the responsibility of organizing the meetings and/ or programs, inviting the Director of Mission Integration to the meeting, chairing the meeting and communicating the results of the meeting with the National Office.

 

G. SELECTION OF MEMBER AREA COORDINATORS
Each Member Area elects two Member Area Coordinators by and from the membership according to voting procedures established by the Member Area. Diversity is desired in the selection of Member Area leadership.

  1. Requirements for the Position of Member Area Coordinators A nominee for the office of Member Area Coordinators must:
  1. Be a member of NRVC.
  2. Be willing and able to assume responsibilities of Member Area Coordinator for two years.

2. Be recommended for the position of Member Area Coordinator - Nominees for the office of Member Area Coordinators should:

a. Participate in Member Area meetings and activities.
b. Attend the annual Member Area Coordinators meeting.
c. Be willing to attend Convocation and Institutes or national gatherings.

3. The Member Area Coordinator who is currently in office, but not eligible for renewal or, if this is not possible, someone from the Member Area oversees the selection process.

4. The Nomination/Selection Process for the Position of Member Area Coordinator

  1. Before or during a Member Area gathering, members are invited to nominate NRVC members from their Member Area who have the skills and the dispositions to serve as a Member Area Coordinator, keeping in mind criteria for eligibility and the diversity of membership.
  2. The nominees are contacted to ascertain their willingness to run and to inform them of the Member Area Coordinator’s responsibilities. Each candidate must accept nomination, either in person or in writing.
  3. Voting procedures and the method of selection are determined by those in the Member Area. Ideally, voting is held in the spring.

5. The current Member Area Coordinators communicate the results of the selection of the Member Area Coordinator(s) to the Director of Mission Integration as soon as possible to confirm the selection.

6. Once the selection is confirmed, the current Member Area Coordinators communicate the results to the Member Area.

H. TERM OF A MEMBER AREA COORDINATOR

  1. A Member Area Coordinator is elected for a two-year term. Ordinarily, one coordinator is elected in even-numbered years: the other, in an odd-numbered year.
  2. The term for a Member Area Coordinator begins July 1 and continues through June 30.
  3. Member Area Coordinators can serve for three consecutive two-year terms.
  4. Member Area Coordinators seeking to serve a second and/or third term need to be affirmed by the Member Area through a simple majority vote.

I. REPLACEMENT OF A MEMBER AREA COORDINATOR
If a Member Area Coordinator resigns his/her position or is unable to complete a term of office for any reason, the Member Area selects a new Coordinator to fulfill the unexpired term.

J. REMOVAL OF A MEMBER AREA COORDINATOR
The Director of Mission Integration in consultation with the Executive Committee of the National Board, may remove a Member Area Coordinator from office with or without cause. If such a request is made, the Director of Mission Integration would inform the Board Chair. The Board Chair would:

  1. Call for a special meeting of the Executive Committee. The members of the Executive Committee may participate in person and may also participate in and act at any meeting of such committee through the use of a conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other. Participation in such meeting shall constitute attendance and presence in person at the meeting of the person.
  2. The Director of Mission Integration would present the matter to the Executive Committee on behalf of the Member Area. The Member Area Coordinator in question would be given an opportunity to appear before the Executive Committee at his/her own expense, to present his/her case in writing or be available via electronic communication.
  3. After hearing both sides, the Executive Committee may ask clarifying questions.
  4. Once the matter has been discussed, the Executive Committee discusses the situation privately.
  5. When the discussion has run its course, the Board Chair calls for a vote.
  6. The Executive Committee must vote with a 2/3 majority to dismiss the Member Area Coordinator.
  7. The decision of the Executive Committee is final.
  8. The Board Chair conveys the decision to the Director of Mission Integration who then informs the involved Member Area Coordinator. The Director of Mission Integration then informs the remaining Member Area Coordinator if the decision was made to remove the Member Area Coordinator.
  9. In the event of removal, the remaining Member Area Coordinator calls for a selection at the earliest opportunity to select a replacement a replacement to fill the unexpired term.

 

VI. Benefits of Membership
in the National Religious Vocation Conference

The following benefits are afforded to each NRVC member:

  1. Full participation in NRVC as a voting member with eligibility for board membership and Member Area leadership
  2. Access to the NRVC website’s members-only information, including an online membership directory.
  3. Members-only rates for NRVC programs, publications, and resources.
  4. A subscription to HORIZON, the NRVC quarterly journal; the online monthly newsletter; and other electronic updates.
  5. Access to a professional support network of those committed to vocation ministry regionally, nationally, and internationally.
  6. Eligibility to submit educational debt grant requests to the National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations (NFCRV).
  7. Access to Email and phone vocation ministry consultation.
  8. Access to ongoing research in vocation ministry.
  9. Access to national and Member Area workshops, conferences, and seminars, including a biennial national Convocation, at member-only rates.
  10. The highlighting of a member’s religious institute on the NRVC website and in other official NRVC print and online materials.
  11. Other services and privileges as determined by the National Board.

 

VII. Membership Year

The membership year is from January 1 to December 31.

 

VIII. Fiscal Year

The NRVC fiscal year is from January 1 through December 31.

 

IX. Board Advisory Committees

  1. PURPOSE
    1. Much of the work of the Board takes places in committees. A Standing Committee is a permanent committee that serves NRVC on an ongoing basis. An Ad Hoc Committee is a temporary committee that addresses a particular interest or need in a designated time frame.
    2. Committees will serve as catalysts and advocates for relevant issues by making recommendations to the National Board regarding appropriate procedures, research, and development of particular projects.
    3. Any Board member may request to form a new committee. This request must include: the purpose, composition of membership, time commitment, terms of service, anticipated financial needs and resources, and the responsibilities of the committee. The decision to form the new committee will be approved by the Board through formal vote.
  2. THE MEMBERSHIP OF NRVC COMMITTEE(S)
    1. Ordinarily a Committee is composed of up to eight persons, the majority of which are NRVC members.
    2. Recommendations for membership come from the Committee, from the National Board or through public announcement to membership.
    3. There are no term limits for committee membership other than those designated by the type of committee.
    4. The chair of a Standing Committee is Board member. The chair of an Ad Hoc committee is determined by the members of the committee.
    5. Each Ad Hoc Committee will have a Board member as a liaison to the National Board.
  3. THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF THE COMMITTEE(S)
    Members of the Committee(s) may attend meetings of the Committee in person or participate in and act at any meeting of a Committee through the use of a conference telephone or other communications equipment by means of which all persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other. Participation in such meeting shall constitute attendance and presence in person at the meeting of the person. Each Committee shall operate with a designated purpose and set of responsibilities which include:
  1. An update at each Board meeting which includes:
    1. an evaluation of the progress towards the goal(s).
    2. the setting of new goals.
    3. a financial report (proposed budget and expenses).
    4. a self-evaluation of the Committee and its work.
  2. Recommending a budget to the National Board for approval
  3. Identifying and researching issues related to its focus.
  4. Developing materials and programs. [All materials to be published/printed are to be reviewed and approved by the National Board. The Director of Mission Integration will be the contact person at the National Office regarding projects, printing, etc.].
  5. Suggesting potential funding sources outside of NRVC to cover Committee meetings, work, and materials.
  6. Keeping the larger NRVC membership informed of the Committee’s activities and research through NRVC publications.
  7. Keeping minutes of the Committee meetings and distributing them to all Committee members.

D. THE NATIONAL BOARD’S RESPONSIBILITIES TO THE COMMITTEE(S)

  1. The National Board will inform the Committee of the level of funding it has allocated for the Committee. It will approve the annual operating budget of each committee. (Meeting expenses are reimbursable through the NRVC office.)
  2. The National Board will approve the Committee’s budget.
  3. Each Board liaison will summarize his/her Committee’s meeting minutes for each Board meeting and will distribute the summary to other Board members prior to the Board meeting.
  4. The Board Liaison should receive from the Committee Chair all communication sent to committee members.
  5. The Board Liaison will attend at least one meeting per year unless specified more often in the Committee’s set of responsibilities and time commitment.
  6. Committee Chairs have the primary responsibility of organizing the committee; communicating with members and Board Liaison; and initiating communication with the Board Liaison.
  7. Committees generally meet once or twice a year. To meet more often requires prior approval of the Board Liaison.

 

X. National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations

  1. The Board Chair of the NRVC will serve as ex-officio and voting member of the NFCRV Board of Directors, but refrain from serving as its Chair.
  2. At least two (2) of the NFCRV Board members shall be representatives of the NRVC National Board.
  3. NFCRV Board members shall be named by the NRVC National Board and shall serve a term of up to three years.
  4. The Executive Director of the NFCRV is ultimately responsible to the NFCRV Board.
  5. There will be no co-mingling of NRVC and NFCRV funds.
  6. NFCRV applications will only be accepted from canonically recognized religious institutes with active membership in the National Religious Vocation Conference.
  7. Candidates must be conditionally accepted by religious institutes with active membership in the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC). Novices and temporarily professed religious are not eligible.
  8. Only one candidate grant request per religious institute will be considered. Those religious institutes who received an NFCRV grant in prior years are not eligible to apply in the current year.
  9. Grant funds will be given to a religious institute to cover all or part of a candidate ongoing student loan payments. Longevity of NRVC membership will be considered. The grant amount and terms will be determined by the NFCRV Board.
  10. Grant funds will be distributed quarterly and will continue until which time the candidate (1) takes final vows in the religious institute, or (2) withdraws or is dismissed from the formation program. Reimbursement will be required if a candidate discontinues and the NFCRV is not informed.
  11. Grantee religious institutes must maintain active membership in NRVC during the entire grant term.

 

XI. Finances

  1. Fund Raising: NRVC solicits funds to help support its mission and programs. Multiple development campaigns and appeals are conducted each fiscal year. The Director of Development oversees these campaigns and works with National Office staff to coordinate, execute, and analyze effectiveness.
  2. The NRVC Misericordia Scholarship Fund allows NRVC to help members that request a reduction/waiver of fees due to financial need and provides them with the opportunity to fully participate in all that we offer including: membership, Summer and Fall Institutes, training workshops and Convocation.

 

XII. Bylaw Amendment Procedures

  1. Any NRVC member may submit a proposal for amending these Bylaws by simply proposing it through any National Board member. The support of five (5) additional NRVC members, so indicated by their signatures on the proposal, is required for a proposal to be brought before the National Board.
  2. These Bylaws may be amended at a National Board meeting, or any other meeting by the Board members attending the meeting in person, or by electronic means pursuant to which the Board members entitled to vote thereon are given the opportunity to vote for or against the proposed action, or by electronic mail, or by mail sent through the U.S. Postal Service and that action receives the approval by a simple majority of a quorum of the National Board. It does not require a vote of the membership.

 

XIII. Conflicts and Dualities of Interest

  1. No transactions involving remuneration or benefit to a director or officer, or to an organization in which such director or officer has a material financial interest or of which the director or officer is a member, officer, director, general partner, principal or controlling stockholder, shall be entered into by the Conference without
    1. A full disclosure to the National Board by the interested director or officer of the material facts of the transaction and the director or officer’s interest or relationship.
    2. The authorization, approval, or ratification of the National Board.
    3. A determination by a majority of disinterested directors (even though the disinterested directors may be less than a quorum) that the transaction is fair to the Conference at the time it is authorized, approved or ratified. No director so involved may vote on such authorization, approval, or ratification by the National Board.
  2. This policy shall apply to all members of the National Board and corporate officers, key Agents, and key employees of the Conference, including independent contractors who provide services and materials, to the Conference in an amount exceeding $10,000.00. The Conference’s National Office shall have the affirmative obligation to publicize periodically this policy to all such parties.
  3. All persons to whom this policy applies shall disclose to the National Board all real and apparent, direct and indirect conflicts which they discover or have been brought to their attention in connection with the Conference’s activities. “Disclosure” as used in these bylaws shall mean providing promptly to the appropriate persons a written description of the direct and indirect material facts of the transaction or real or apparent conflict, and the director’s interest or relationship to the transaction or conflict. An annual disclosure statement shall be circulated to all persons to whom this policy applies to assist them in considering such disclosures, but disclosure is appropriate whenever a conflict arises. The written disclosure notices of conflicts shall be filed with the ex officio or any other person designated by her/him from time to time to receive such notifications. All disclosure notices received hereunder shall be noted for record in the minutes of a meeting of the National Board.
  4. When an individual director, officer, agent or employee believes that he or she or a member of his or her immediate family might have or does have a real or apparent, direct or indirect conflict, such individual should, in addition to filing the disclosure notice required hereunder, abstain from making motions, voting, executing agreements, or taking any other similar direct action on behalf of the Conference to which the conflict might pertain, but shall not be precluded from debate or other similar involvement on behalf of the Conference.

                                                                                                                

XIV. Indemnification

  1. The Conference shall, to the fullest extent permitted by Illinois law, indemnify any person who was or is a party or is threatened to be made a party to any proceeding by reason of the fact that such person is or was a director, officer, employee or agent of the Conference against expenses (including attorney’s fees), judgments, fines and amounts paid in settlement actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such proceeding if he or she acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in and not opposed to the best interests of the Conference.
  2. To the extent that a present or former director, officer, employee, or agent of the Conference has been successful, on the merits or otherwise, in the defense of any proceeding referred to in Section A of this Article, or in defense of any claim, issue, or matter therein, such person shall be indemnified against expenses (including attorneys’ fees) actually and reasonably incurred by such person in connection with such proceeding if that person acted in good faith and in a manner he or she reasonably believed to be in or not opposed to the best interests of the Conference.
  3. Sections A and B of this Article will not apply in any proceeding in which the director, officer, employee, or agent is liable for negligence or misconduct in the performance of his or her duties.
  4. Such rights of indemnification will not be exclusive of any other rights to which such director, officer, or employee may be entitled apart from this provision.
  5. The Conference shall have power to purchase and maintain, at the Conference’s expense, insurance on behalf of the Conference and on behalf of any director, officer, employee, agent, or other person to the extent that power has been or may be granted by statute.
  6. The Conference shall have the power to give other indemnification to the extent permitted by law.

 

Revised 2017, 2020


NRVC Constitution

Revised and ratified in 2020

Click here for a pdf of the NRVC Constitution

Introduction

The National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) began in 1988 as a combination of the National Conference of Religious Vocation Directors (NCRVD) and the National Sisters Vocation Conference (NSVC). Today, NRVC is an organization of men and women committed to the fostering and discernment of vocations within the context of the Catholic Church. It gives emphasis to the vision and concerns related to shaping religious life within the United States and throughout the world. It is to these ends that we adopt the following Constitution.

 

I. Name

The name of this organization is the National Religious Vocation Conference, Inc. an Illinois not-for-profit corporation which is abbreviated to the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC).

 

II. Mission Statement

The National Religious Vocation Conference is a catalyst for vocation discernment and the full flourishing of religious life as sisters, brothers, and priests for the ongoing transformation of the world.

 

III. Definition of terms

  1. In the present Constitution and Bylaws, the term “religious” means any member of a religious institute or of a society of apostolic life, canonically erected.
  2. A “vocation minister” or “vocation director” is any religious, cleric, or lay person directly involved in vocation ministry as appointed by his/her religious community, diocesan structure, or related organization, or any person interested in promoting religious vocations in the Catholic Church.
  3. A religious community’s “government unit” is defined as a region, province, or monastery with a designated major superior.
  4. “Consensus” is defined as general agreement, i.e., an acceptable resolution; one that can be supported, even if not the “favorite” of everyone.
  5. “Simple majority” is defined as more than half of the number of total votes cast.
  6. “National Office” is defined as the professional staff employed by the organization.
  7. “Delivered” for purposes of determining if any notice required by this Constitution and Bylaws is effective, means: (i) transferred or presented to someone in person; (ii) Deposited in the United States mail addressed to the person at his, her or its address as it appears NRVC’s records, with sufficient first-class postage prepaid thereon; and (iii) transmitted by electronic means to the email address, facsimile number, or other contact information that appears on the records of NRVC.

 

IV. Purpose

The purpose of the National Religious Vocation Conference is:

 

  1. To be a professional organization that serves its members by providing education, resources, research, and other supportive services that strengthen vocation ministry and enhance the personal and professional growth of its members.
  2. To collaborate with other groups and organizations engaged in furthering effective vocation ministry in the Catholic Church.
  3. To speak as an official voice in initiating and responding to issues in the area of Church vocations and vocation ministry.
  4. To provide a corporate influence in the Church and in society through its national and regional structures by advocating for religious vocations and religious life.

 

V. Membership

  1. Membership in NRVC is open to vocation directors and others interested and/or involved in vocation ministry.
  2. Membership is open only to canonically recognized Catholic institutions and organizations.
  3. NRVC retains the right to refuse membership but will offer the opportunity to appeal the decision.
  4. Membership in NRVC is individual or by license (group of five) from a religious institute’s governmental unit. Organizations other than religious institutes may apply for membership with approval from the National Office.
  5. The National Board of NRVC sets the annual individual and license membership dues.
  6. An individual becomes a member of NRVC at the time dues are received at the National Office.
  7. Every NRVC member enjoys the full benefits of membership as outlined in the NRVC Bylaws (See Bylaws, Section VI).
  8. The membership year is twelve months.
  9. Notices to members may be delivered by U.S. Mail and by electronic means to an email address, or other appropriate contact listed in the records of the NRVC.
  10. Any action required to be taken at any annual or special meeting of the members entitled to vote, or any other action which may be taken at a meeting of the members entitled to vote, may be taken by ballot without a meeting in writing by U.S. Mail, Email, or any other electronic means pursuant to which the members entitled to vote thereon are given the opportunity to vote for or against the proposed action and the proposed action receives the approval of a majority of the members casting votes, or such larger number as may be required by the Bylaws. Provided, that the number of members casting votes would constitute a quorum of such action had been taken at a meeting of the members. Voting must remain open for not less than 5 days from the date the ballot is delivered; provided, however, in the case of a merger, consolidation, dissolution or sale, lease or exchange of assets, the voting must remain open for not less than 20 days from the date the ballot is delivered.
  11. Members may not vote by proxy.

 

 

VI. The National Organization:
Governanceand Administration

  1. THE NATIONAL BOARD The National Board is the governing body of the National Religious Vocation Conference. 
    1. Responsibilities of the National Board: The National Board oversees the functioning of the Conference by…
      1. Approving the mission of and setting the direction for NRVC;
      2. Initiating Strategic Planning and evaluating its progress;
      3. Establishing and evaluating standing and ad hoc committees, and reviewing their reports annually;
      4. Approving the annual budget, reviewing and accepting financial reports, and approving all extraordinary major expenditures;
      5. Calling for and approving the annual review/audit of NRVC finances;
      6. Electing/Selecting members to the National Board as well as to the Executive Committee and the Board Chair from among its membership according to the procedures outlined in the Bylaws;
      7. Approving the hiring of National Office staff upon the Office’s recommendation;
      8. Ensuring the proper and professional operation of the National Office modifying NRVC staff job descriptions, as needed;
      9. Recommending the development of programs and services to the National Office.
      10. Providing for a biennial National Convocation, as well as selecting the time, place and theme for the Convocation;
      11. Determining annual membership dues and other necessary fees;
      12. Reviewing the NRVC Constitution and Bylaws and proposing amendments as necessary;
      13. Encouraging and communicating with the membership of NRVC;
      14. Providing for the support, coordination and proper functioning of NRVC Member Areas.
      15. Allocating funds for Member Areas;
      16. Selecting members for the NRVC National Board and Executive Committee, as needed and as specified in this NRVC Constitution;
      17. Constituting the Board of Directors of the NRVC civil Corporation for all actions required by corporation law in the state in which it is incorporated or in other appropriate jurisdictions;
      18. Performing/Assuming other such roles that would further the mission of NRVC.
    2. Composition of the National Board
      1. The National Board shall be composed of members of the National Religious Vocation Conference.
      2. The NRVC Director of Mission Integration will serve as an ex-officio, non-voting member of the National Board.
    3. Terms of Office / Selection of National Board Members The length of a term of office for a Board member is set forth in the NRVC Bylaws. See Bylaws, Section I (B).
    4. Consensus / Voting Methods
      1. In most matters, the NRVC National Board seeks to decide matters of importance by arriving at consensus.
      2. In those matters where a vote is required or called for, Robert’s Rules of Order (revised edition) shall be the governing authority in the transaction of business unless it conflicts with the Constitution of this organization. A motion may carry with a simple majority vote, unless otherwise stated.
      3. Board members may not vote by proxy.
    5. National Board Meetings
      1. The National Board shall meet at least twice each year. Meetings may take place either in person or electronically through use of a conference telephone or interactive technology, including but not limited to electronic transmission, Internet usage, or remote communication, by which all persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other. Participation in such meeting shall constitute attendance and presence in person at the meeting of the person or persons so participating.
      2. A minimum of two-thirds of the number of Board Members must be in attendance to conduct official NRVC business.
      3. Notices to directors may be delivered by U.S. Mail and by electronic means to an email address or other appropriate contact listed in the records of the NRVC
  2. THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
    The NRVC Executive Committee is a subgroup of the National Board.
  1. Composition of the Executive Committee
    The NRVC Executive Committee shall consist of the Director of Mission Integration of NRVC, who serves as an ex-officio, non-voting member, a Board Chair, and two Vice-Chairs, all of whom are each elected from and by the current Board membership.
  2. Terms of Office The terms of office for the Executive Committee are set forth in the NRVC Bylaws. See Bylaws, Section II (D).
  3. Executive Committee Meetings
    1. The NRVC Executive Committee shall meet at least twice each year outside the regularly scheduled National Board meetings.
    2. All elected members of the Executive Committee must be present in person or present electronically through use of a conference telephone or interactive technology, including but not limited to electronic transmission, Internet usage, or remote communication, by which all persons participating in the meeting can communicate with each other. Participation in such meeting shall constitute attendance and presence in person at the meeting of the person or persons so participating to conduct official business.
    3. In most matters, the NRVC Executive Committee seeks to decide matters of importance by arriving at consensus.
    4. In those matters where a vote is required or called for, Robert’s Rules of Order (revised edition) shall be the governing authority in the transaction of business unless it conflicts with the Constitution of this organization. A motion may carry with a simple majority vote, unless otherwise stated

C. THE NATIONAL OFFICE

1. NRVC maintains a national office to ensure unity, continuity, and effective pursuit of the purpose of the National Religious Vocation Conference and to provide needed assistance in planning, coordinating, and administering the activities and programs of the Conference.

2. The National Office operates under the general supervision of the National Board, pursuant to policies, plans and programs established by the Board.

3. The National Office employees of NRVC are appointed by the National Board and are accountable to the Board. National Office employees are all at-will employees and may be terminated at any time with or without cause in accordance with the Bylaws.

4. In matters of urgency, the Director of Mission Integration takes appropriate action in consultation with the Executive Committee of the National Board.

D. THE NATIONAL OFFICE RESPONSIBILITIES

  1. Advances the mission of NRVC.
  2. Serves as the official representatives of NRVC.
  3. Recommends new hires to the Executive Committee.
  4. Oversees NRVC finances.
  5. Assumes other duties and responsibilities as determined by the National Board. More specific duties can be found in the Bylaws, Section IV (A).

E. THE NRVC MEMBER AREA STRUCTURE
In order to more effectively serve the membership of NRVC, the Conference is divided into geographic Member Areas. The number and geographic areas of the Member Areas are determined by the National Board in consultation with the Member Area Coordinators.

  1. Purposes of the Member Areas: The goals of the NRVC Member Area structures are to
    1. facilitate assistance, communication and an exchange of views among vocation directors/ministers who are living and/or working in close proximity;
    2. provide mentoring of new vocation directors/ministers living and/or working in close proximity to more veteran directors/ministers;
    3. organize intercommunity programs, gatherings and meetings to promote religious life and religious vocations in the Member Area;
    4. facilitate communication, through the Member Area Coordinators, between the National Office and the members of the Member Areas.
  2. Membership in and Organization of Member Areas
    1. By virtue of their general membership in NRVC, each member will choose a primary and secondary Member Area in which to belong and participate. In addition, a member is free to attend meetings in any of the Member Areas as offered.
    2. Each Member Area may be governed by its own set of Bylaws, if it so chooses.
    3. Each Member Area may charge fees to cover the operational expenses of Member Area activities; however, all monies are sent to and held in a Member Area account at the NRVC National Office. Member Area monies are restricted for use by the Member Area and distributed at the direction of the Member Area according to NRVC policies and procedures. Financial reports are provided to the Member Area by the National Office on a quarterly basis.
  3. Member Area Coordinators To facilitate the activities of each Member Area and the communication between the National Organization and the local membership, each Member Area has one or more Member Area Coordinators to lead it. Member Area Coordinators also work in collaboration with the Director of Mission Integration, who serves as a liaison of the National Office with the Member Area.
  4. Member Area Meetings Member Area meetings are held at least annually to facilitate communication among its members and the National Office, for formation in vocation ministry and mutual support. Member Area Coordinators share in the responsibility of organizing and coordinating these gatherings and activities.
  5. Election of Member Area Coordinators Member Area Coordinators are elected by and from the membership in the Member Area.

F. RESIGNATIONS OR GROUNDS FOR REMOVAL FROM OFFICE
​Any persons in service to NRVC at the national or Member area levels may resign his/her position or be removed from office for a grave reason. The procedures for removing such an individual from office and for replacing him/her can be found in the Bylaws. See Bylaws, Removal of a National Board Member: III (B); Removal of the National Office staff IV (B); Removal of a Member Area Coordinator: (V.J.).

 

VII. THE NATIONAL FUND
FOR CATHOLIC RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS

In 2014, the National Religious Vocation Conference established the National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations (NFCRV) as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

  1. The mission of the NFCRV is to provide financial assistance to National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) member institutes by assisting in removing, in whole or in part, the significant educational debt of candidates pursuing vocations as religious sisters, brothers, or priests.
  2. The National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) and the National Fund for Catholic Vocations (NFCRV) are separate and distinct 501(c)(3) entities with unique Boards of Governance working in cooperation to solicit, manage and distribute funds in support of religious vocations.

 

VIII. FINANCES

  1. The dates of the NRVC fiscal year are determined by the National Board.
  2. NRVC will be financed by dues, donations, contributions from religious congregations, dioceses and other benefactors, along with income from various programs and services. NRVC also pursues funding from foundations, trusts and bequests.
  3. Dues will be paid to the National Office.
  4. NRVC receipts and expenditures will be carefully recorded and reported using generally accepted accounting principles of the United States (gaap). Financial reports as well as audits/ reviews will be submitted to the National Board on a regular basis.

 

IX.PARLIAMENTARY AUTHORITY

The rules contained in the current edition of Robert’s Rules of Order (revised edition) shall govern the Conference in all cases to which they are applicable and in which they are not inconsistent with this Constitution and any special rules of order the Conference may adopt.

 

X.INTERPRETATION AND AMENDMENT

  1. It belongs to the National Board to interpret by a simple majority vote any article about which doubt may arise.
  2. Any NRVC member may submit a proposal for amending the Constitution by simply proposing it through any National Board member. The support of five (5) additional NRVC members, so indicated by their signatures on the proposal, is required for a proposal to be brought before the membership.
  3. These Constitution may be amended at a National Convocation, or by mail through the U.S. Postal Service or by email or any other electronic means pursuant to which the members entitled to vote thereon are given the opportunity to vote for or against the proposed action, and that action receives the approval by a two-thirds majority vote of those NRVC members voting. Notification of the proposed amendments must be made in full and in writing no less than one month prior to the National Convocation or prior to the date on which mail ballots are due. The Constitution shall never be changed or amended in such a manner as to compromise the tax- exempt status of the corporation under the Internal Revenue Code and the Treasury regulations.

 

XI.CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROCEDURE

  1. Any NRVC member may submit a proposal for amending the Constitution by simply proposing it through any National Board member. The support of five (5) additional NRVC members, so indicated by their signatures on the proposal, is required for a proposal to be brought before the membership.
  2. This Constitution may be amended at a National Convocation, by electronic mail or by mail through the U.S. Post Office with a two-thirds majority of those NRVC members voting. Notification of the proposed amendments must be made in full and in writing no less than one month prior to the National Convocation or prior to the date on which mail ballots are due.

 

XII.DECISION-MAKING

The ordinary mode of operation of NRVC is to make decisions by consensus. In areas where this is not possible or where more formal action is required, Robert’s Rules of Order (revised edition) shall be the governing authority in the transaction of business unless it conflicts with the Constitution of this organization.

 

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


I am NRVC: Sister Kathleen Branham, O.S.F.

Sister Kathleen Branham, O.S.F. has loved letting her creative juices flow in response to vocation needs during the pandemic. She's excited to be partnering with the Franciscan Brothers of Brooklyn to host a new Franciscan Online Discernment Group. Read more.


Published on: 2021-03-24

Check out the 2020 NRVC Annual Report

By Phil Loftus


NRVC Board

2020-2021

The NRVC Board. Row 1: Sister Marichui Bringas, C.C.V.I.; Sister Jean Marie Fernandez, R.G.S.; and Sister Virginia Herbers, A.S.C.J.  Row 2:  Father Charles Johnson, O.P.; Sister Lisa Laguna, D.C.; and Kristin Matthes, S.N.D.deN.  Row 3: Father Adam MacDonald, S.V.D. board vice chair; Sister Belinda Monahan, O.S.B. board vice chair;  and Brother Brian Poulin, F.M.S.  Row 4:  Mr. Len Uhal, Sister Mindy Welding, I.H.M. board chair  and  Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M. ex officio.

The National Board ensures the implementation of the NRVC goals, objectives, and policies, overseeing the functioning of the NRVC. The National Board is composed of 8-12 members and the ex-officio who serves as a non-voting member of the Board.  The National Office oversees the daily operation of the organization and is accountable to the National Board. 

The term of office for a Board member is three years, serving no more than two consecutive terms. By the spring of each year, the National Board selects new members from those recommended by the membership to bring particular skills to the Board and to help ensure a balance of gender, geographic, and cultural representation.

The responsibilities of the National Board are:

  • Select the executive committee.
  • Oversee and evaluate the National Office staff; review and modify job description as needed.
  • Determine goals and objectives; establish policies.
  • Recommend the development of programs and services.
  • Provide for a national biennial convocation.
  • Provide for national coordination of Member Areas.
  • Act as an official voice for the organization.
  • Approve the annual budget and review financial reports.
  • Determine annual dues.
  • Allocate funds for Member Areas.
  • Establish and evaluate committees, advisory boards, and task forces; dissolve when appropriate.
  • Appoints all committee members.
  • Appoints Board liaisons to committees.
  • Review Constitutions and propose amendments as necessary.
  • Select Board members as specified in the Constitution.      

National Board

Executive Committee

The Executive Committee consists of the Board Chair, two Vice Chairs and ex officio.  Members of the National Board elect the Board Chair and Vice Chairs at the spring meeting following Convocation. The term of office for Vice Chair is two years and may be elected to serve an additional terms.  The term of office for the Board Chair is two years and may not serve more than two consecutive terms. 

Board Chair

Sister Mindy Welding, I.H.M. '18
Governance Committee, NFCRV Board ex officio
 M.A. Religious Formation/Youth and Youth Adults, Fordham University
M.A. Pastoral Care and Counseling/Spiritual Direction, Neumann University
570.346.5414 | reachoutIHM@gmail.com

 

Vice-Chairs

Father Adam MacDonald, S.V.D. '17
Development Committee
M.Div. Catholic Theological Union
563.876.3332 ext. 316 | adamsvd@yahoo.com

 

Sister Belinda Monahan, O.S.B. '17
Governance Committee; 2020 Ad Hoc Study Committee
Ph.D. Anthropology, Northwestern University
847.975.6710 | bhemonahan@gmail.com

 

Ex officio

Sr. Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M.
Liaison to the Member Area Coordinators
M. Divinity, Loyola University
773.363.5454 | debbiesscm@nrvc.net 

Members

Sister Marichui Bringas, C.C.V.I. '20
Cultural Diversity Ad Hoc committee
M. Business Management, Upaep. Puelba. Mexico
210.213.5422 | marichui.bringas@amormeus..org

 

Sister Jean Marie Fernandez, R.G.S. '20
Cultural Diversity Ad Hoc Committee
M.A. Counseling Psychology, University of San Francisco
415.676.8251 | fernje53@yahoo.com

 

Sister Virginia Herbers, A.S.C.J. '17
Governance Committee Chair; 2020 Study Ad Hoc Committee
M.A. Pastoral Studies, Aquinas Institute
203.248.4225 ext. 450 | vherbers@ascjus.org

 

Father Charles Johnson, O.P. '17
MDiv, Univ. of St. Mary of the Lake
504.837.2129, ext. 6 | cjohnson@opsouth.org

 

Sister Lisa Laguna, D.C. '17
Governance Committee; 2020 Study Ad Hoc Committee
M.S. Education, Mount St. Mary University
650.949.8890 | srllaguna@doc1633.org

 

Sister Kristin Matthes, S.N.D. de N. '15
Liaison to the African American Vocations Committee
M.Ed. Bowling Green State University, M.A. Theology, Xavier University
240.863.1916 |  kristin.matthes@sndden.org

 

Brother Brian Poulin, F.M.S. '20
Finance Committee Chair
M.A. Sustainable International Development, Brandeis University
214.934.9740 | poulinb@gmail.com

 

Mr. Len Uhal (Society of the Divine Word) '18
Development Committee Chair; Finance Committee
M.S. Health Services Administration, Cardinal Stritch University
563-876-3332 | luhal@dwci.edu

Previous Board members

It is with deep gratitude that we recognize the generous commitment of following members who have served on the NRVC board:

2019-2020

Sister Gayle Lwanga Crumbley, R.G.S.; Sr. Anna Marie Espinosa, I.W.B.S; Sister Virginia Herbers, A.S.C.J.; Father Charles Johnson, O.P.; Sister Lisa Laguna, D.C.; Father Adam MacDonald, S.V.D.; Sister Kristin Matthes, S.N.D.deN.; Belinda Monahan, O.S.B.; Sister Anita Quigley, S.H.C. J.; Mr. Len Uhal; and Sister Mindy Welding, I.H.M.

2018-2019

Sister Gayle Lwanga Crumbley, R.G.S.; Sr. Anna Marie Espinosa, I.W.B.S; Sister Virginia Herbers, A.S.C.J.; Father Charles Johnson, O.P.; Sister Lisa Laguna, D.C.; Father Adam MacDonald, S.V.D.; Sister Kristin Matthes, S.N.D.deN.; Belinda Monahan, O.S.B.; Sister Priscilla Moreno, R.S.M.; Sister Anita Quigley, S.H.C. J.; Mr. Len Uhal; and Sister Mindy Welding, I.H.M.

2017-2018

Father Toby Collins, C.R.; Sister Gayle Lwanga Crumbley, R.G.S.; Sister Anna Marie Espinosa, I.W.B.S.; Sister Virginia Herbers, A.S.C.J.; Brother Ronnie Hingle, S.C.; Father Charles Johnson, O.P; Sister Lisa Laguna, D.C.; Father Adam MacDonald, S.V.D.; Sister Kristin Matthes, S.N.D. deN.; Sister Belinda Monahan, O.S.B.; ; Sister Priscilla Moreno, R.S.M.; and Sister Anita Quigley, S.H.C.J.

2016-2017

Brother Ronald Hingle, S.C.; Sister Anita Quigley, S.H.C.J.; Brother Tom Wendorf, S.M.; Father Toby Collins, C.R.; Sister Gayle Lwanga Crumbley, R.G.S.; Sister Anna Marie Espinosa, I.W.B.S.; Sister Michele Vincent Fisher, C.S.F.N.; Sister Maria Iannuccillo, S.S.N.D.; Sister Kristin Matthes, S.N.D. deN.; Father Don Miller, O.F.M.; Sister Priscilla Moreno, R.S.M.; and Father Vince Wirtner, C.P.P.S.

2015-2016

Father Toby Collins, CR; Sister Gayle Lwanga Crumbley, RGS; Sister Anna Marie Espinosa, IWBS.; Sister Michele Fisher, CSFN; Brother Ronnie Hingle, SC; Sister Maria Iannuccillo, SSND; Sister Kristin Matthes, SNDdeN; Father Don Miller, OFM; Sister Priscilla Moreno, RSM; Sister Anita Quigley, SHCJ; Brother Tom Wendorf, SM; and Father Vince Wirtner, CPPS.

2014-2015

Sister Josita Colbert, SNDdeN; Sister Gayle Lwanga Lwanga, RGS; Sister Anna Marie Espinosa, IWBS; Sister Michele Vincent Fisher, C.S.F.N.; Brother Ronnie Hingle, S.C.; Sister Maria Iannuccillo, SSND; Mr. Mark McGuthrie, Father Don Miller, OFM; Sister Priscilla Moreno, RSM; Sister Anita Quigley, SHCJ; Father Vince Wirtner, CPPS; and Brother Tom Wendorf, S.M.

2013-2014

Ms. Nan Brenzel; Sister Josita Colbert, SNDdeN; Sister Michele Vincent Fisher, CSFN; Sister Elsa Garcia, CDP, Sister Marcia Hall, OSP; Brother Ronnie Hingle, SC; Sister Maria Iannuccillo, SSND; Father Donald Miller, OFM; Sister Jo-Anne Miller, CSJP;  Sister Priscilla Moreno, RSM; Brother Tom Wendorf, SM; and Father Vince Wirtner, CPPS. 

2012-2013

Sister Josita Colbert, SNDdeN; Sister Michele Vincent Fisher, CSFN; Sister Elsa Garcia, CDP; Mrs. Maryellen Glackin; Sister Marcia Hall, OSP; Brother Ronnie Hingle, SC; Sister Maria Iannuccillo, SSND; Sister Jo-Anne Miller, CSJP; Father Anthony Vinson, OSB; Father Freddy Washington, CSSp; and Father Vince Wirtner, CPPS.    

2011-2012

Sister Josita Colbert, SNDdeN; Father Kevin DePrinzio, OSA; Sister Michele Vincent Fisher, CSFN; Sister Elsa Garcia, CDP; Mrs. Maryellen Glackin; Sister Marcia Hall, OSP; Sister Maria Iannuccillo, SSND; Father Anthony Vinson, OSB; Father Freddy Washington, CSSp;  and Father Vince Wirtner, CPPS.

2010-2011

Sister Josita Colbert, SNDdeN; Father Kevin DePrinzio, OSA; Sister Elsa Garcia, CDP; Sister Margaret Michael Gillis, FSP; Mrs. Maryellen Glackin; Sister Marcia Hall, OSP; Sister Barb Kwiatkowski, OSF; Sister Angele Lewis, SNDdeN; Father Luis Madera, OSA; Sister Marcy Romine, OSF; and Father Anthony Vinson, OSB.

2009-2010

Josita Colbert, SNDdeN; Kevin DePrinzio, OSA; Margaret Michael Gillis, FSP; Maryellen Glackin; Barb Kwiatkowski, OSF; Angele Lewis, SNDdeN; Marty Lukas, OSFS; Marcy Romine, OSF; and Anthony Vinson, OSB.               

2008-2009

Josita Colbert, SNDdeN; Patti Donlin, RSM; Margaret Michael Gillis, FSP; Maryellen Glackin; Joseph Jozwiak, FSC ; Mary Beth Kubera, DC; Marty Lukas, OSFS; Marcy Romine, OSF; Anthony Vinson, OSB; Teri Wall, OP; and Andrea Westkamp SMIC.  

2007-2008

Sister Patti Donlin, RSM; Mrs. Maryellen Glackin; Brother Joseph Jozwiak, FSC; Sister Mary Beth Kubera, DC; Father Marty Lukas, OSFS; Sister Mary McNally, OSF; Sister Marcy Romine, OSF; Sister Janet Ryan, SNJM; Father Anthony Vinson, OSB; and Sister Teri Wall, OP.

2006-2007

Sister Patti Donlin, RSM; Mrs. Maryellen Glackin; Brother Joseph Jozwiak, FSC; Sister Mary Beth Kubera, DC; Father Marty Lukas, OSFS; Sister Mary McNally, OSF; Sister Marcy Romine, OSF; Sister Janet Ryan, SNJM; Sister Teri Wall, OP; and Father Anthony Vinson, OSB.

2005-2006

Father Clemente Barron, CP; Sister Renée Daigle, MSC; Sister Charlene Diorka, SSJ; Father Ron Hoye, CM; Sister Anita Lowe, OSB; Father Marty Lukas, OSFS; Sister Mary McNally, OSF; Father Mark Padrez, OP; Sister Janet Ryan, SNJM; Sister Teri Wall, OP; and Sister Mary Walsh, CSJ.   

2004-2005

Father Clemente Barron, CP; Sister Renée Daigle, MSC; Sister Charlene Diorka, SSJ; Sister Kathy Littrell, SHF; Father Ron Hoye, CM; Sister Anita Lowe, OSB; Father Marty Lukas, OSFS; Sister Mary McNally, OSF; Sister Janet Ryan, SNJM; sister Deborah Suddarth, OSF; and Sister Teri Wall, OP.

2003-2004

Sister Anna Marie Broxterman, CSJ; Father Clemente Barron, CP; Sister Renée Daigle, MSC; Sister Charlene Diorka, SSJ; Sister Sue Kidd, CND; Sister Kathy Littrell, SHF; Sister Anita Lowe, OSB; Father Marty Lukas, OSFS; Sister Mary McNally, OSF; and Sister Deborah Suddarth, OSF.

2002-2003

Father Steve Albero, O. Praem; Father Clemente Barron, CP; Sister Anna Marie Broxterman, CSJ; sister Renee Daigle, MSC; Sister Joan Gallagher, SP; Sister Susan Kidd, CND; Sister Kathy Littrell, SHF; Sister Anita Lowe, OSB; Sister Mary McNally, OSF; Father James McVeigh, OSF; Sister Deborah Suddarth, OSF and Sister Lizette Valenzuela, SND.

2001-2002

Father Steve Albero, O. Praem.; Father Clemente Barron, CP; Sister Renee Daigle, MSC; Sister Deborah Drago, RGS; Sister Joan Gallagher, SP; Sister Susan Kidd, CND; Sister Kathy Littrell, SHF; Sister Anita Lowe, OSB; Brother Jim McVeigh, OSF; Father Warren Sazama, SJ; Sister Deborah Suddarth, OSF and Sister Maryanne Tracy, SC.

          2000-2001

Sister Renee Daigle, MSC; Sister Deborah Drago, RGS; Sister Bertha Franco, CCVI; Sister Susan Kidd, CND; Father Jack Kurps, SCJ; Brother James McVeigh, OSF; Sister Carol Mucha, RSM; Father Warren Sazama, SJ; Sister Maryanne Tracey, SC; Sister Carol Tropiano, RSM; and Sister Marcia Ziska, OSB.

1999-2000

Sister Bertha Franco, CCVI; Father Michael Kissane, O. Carm.; Father Jack Kurps, SCJ; Brother James McVeigh, OSF; Sister Kathleen Pales, SSJ; Sister Andrea Peters, SCSJA; Father James Price, CP; Sister Theresa Rickard, OP, Sister Carol Tropiano, RSM; and Sister Marcia Ziska, OSB.

 


I am NRVC: Sister Marichui Bringas, C.C.V.I.

With vocation ministry experience in two different countries, Sister Marichui Bringas, C.C.V.I. has creatively adapted to the pandemic and found valuable colleagues and know-how in NRVC. Read more.


Published on: 2021-05-28

Member area and board meetings

Check out these upcoming meetings for the members of the National Religious Vocation Conference. For additional details, contact  your member area coordinators or see the member area news.

Southwest
September 21, via Zoom

NRVC Board Meeting
Sept 21-23

Hudson Valley
September 28, via Zoom

Delaware Valley
September 28

Mid-Atlantic
October 18-19, 2021, Bon Secours Retreat Center, MD

Lake Erie/Ohio River
October 28, Zoom 3-4 pm CT


Published on: 2021-08-27

Edition: September 2021 newsletter

I am NRVC

Sister Jill Reuber, O.S.B., Sisters of St. Benedict, Ferdinand, IN

What roles do you play in vocation ministry?
I’m vocation director for my community, and I recently began as a Member Area Coordinator, Midwest, alongside Sister Kathleen Branham, O.S.F.

How long have you been involved in vocation ministry?
I’m in my third year.

Has being a member of NRVC been helpful to you?
The orientation program was a great beginning and very helpful. I appreciate the gatherings of directors and sharing of ideas.  I also find the articles online are helpful for me and for sharing with the entire community.

What idea(s) have you used in lately that excite you?
I have been doing a weekly chat with discerners. I also feel that Zoom has helped connect us with discerners who live at a distance from the monastery.  We have been able to share more of our charism.

What do you find most rewarding  in vocation work?
I find sharing our charism and community life with others is the most rewarding.

Could you share a fun fact about yourself?
I am a triplet and one of my triplet sisters is in a different Benedictine community!
 


NRVC constitution and bylaws

Attachments (2)

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Click here for a pdf of the NRVC constitution.

Click here for a pdf of the NRVC bylaws.

Or scroll to the bottom of this window for links to these two documents


P


Resource of the month: Your One Wild and Precious Life book

This 99-page, easy-to-read book, Your One Wild and Precious Life: Thoughts on Vocation, by Father Mark David Janus, C.S.P. (Paulist, 2018) is perfect for inquirers, high school and college graduates, confirmation candidates, serious discerners, etc. Its 34 short chapters examine calling and vocations to religious life, ordained life, marriage and single life. $15 non-members; $10 members. Order here.


Published on: 2020-06-01

2020 Virtual Convocation

Schedule & Registration

REGISTER NOW

Wednesday, October 28

Morning Workshop 

11:00 ET | 10:00 CT | 9:00 MT | 8:00 PT
Welcome to workshops with prayer

11:10 ET | 10:10 CT | 9:10 MT | 8:10 PT
Candidate Issues in Immigration Law workshop
with Mr. Miguel Naranjo, part 1

11:55 ET | 10:55 CT | 9:55 MT | 8:55 PT
Wellness break

12:10 ET | 11:10 CT | 10:10 MT | 9:10 PT
Workshop, part 2

12:55 ET | 11:55 CT | 10:55 MT | 9:55 PT
Shared conversation with Q & A

1:30 ET | 12:30 CT | 11:30 MT | 10:30 PT
Workshop ends

Afternoon workshop

4:00 ET | 3:00 CT | 2:00 MT | 1:00 PT
Welcome and prayer

4:10 ET | 3:10 CT | 2:10 MT | 1:10 PT
Impact of Gaming & Pornography workshop
with Fr. David Songy, O.F.M. Cap., Psy.D.

4:55 ET | 3:55 CT | 2:55 MT | 1:55 PT
Wellness break

5:10 ET | 4:10 CT | 3:10 MT | 2:10 PT
Workshop, part 2

5:55 ET | 4:55 CT | 3:55 MT | 2:55 PT
Shared conversation with Q & A

6:30 ET | 5:30 CT | 4:30 MT | 3:30 PT
Workshop concludes


Thursday, October 29

11:00 ET | 10:00 CT | 9:00 MT | 8:00 PT
Opening of Convocation with prayer

11:15 ET | 10:15 CT | 9:15 MT | 8:15 PT
Keynote Address: Reconciliation, a Ministry of Hope
with Fr. Dave Kelly, C.P.P.S., D.Min.

12:00 ET | 11:00 CT | 10:00 MT | 9:00 PT
Newer Entrant Insights

12:10 ET | 11:10 CT | 10:10 MT | 9:10 PT
Breakout groups

12:40 ET | 11:40 CT | 10:40 MT | 9:40 PT
Wellness break

1:00 ET | 12:00 CT | 11:00 MT | 10:00 PT
Shared conversation with Q & A

2:00 ET | 1:00 CT | 12:00 MT | 11:00 PT
Session concludes

4:00 ET | 3:00 CT | 2:00 MT | 1:00 PT
Welcome and prayer

4:15 ET | 3:15 CT | 2:15 MT | 1:15 PT
Keynote Address: Encountering Christ in Harmony: Inviting our Asian & Pacific Island Sisters & Brothers to Religious Life
with Fr. Linh Ngoc Hoang, O.F.M., Ph.D.

5:00 ET | 4:00 CT | 3:00 MT | 2:00 PT
Newer Entrant Insights

5:10 ET | 4:10 CT | 3:10 MT | 2:10 PT
Breakout groups

5:40 ET | 4:40 CT | 3:40 MT | 2:40 PT
Wellness break

6:00 ET | 5:00 CT | 4:00 MT | 3:00 PT
Shared conversation with Q & A

7:00 ET | 6:00 CT | 5:00 MT | 4:00 PT
Keynote session concludes

Friday, October 30

11:00 ET | 10:00 CT | 9:00 MT | 8:00 PT
Welcome and prayer

11:15 ET | 10:15 CT | 9:15 MT | 8:15 PT
Communicating Key Messages of Hope workshop
with Sr. Maxine Kollasch, I.H.M.

12:00 ET | 11:00 CT | 10:00 MT | 9:00 PT
Newer Entrant Insights

12:15 ET | 11:15 CT | 10:15 MT | 9:15 PT
Workshop concludes, wellness break

12:45 ET | 11:45 CT | 10:45 MT | 9:45 PT
La esperanza nos rodea Communal prayer
with composer/musician Mr. Jaime Cortez

1:30 ET | 12:30 CT | 11:30 MT | 10:30 PT
Communal Prayer concludes

4:00 ET | 3:00 CT | 2:00 MT | 1:00 PT
Welcome and prayer

4:15 ET | 3:15 CT | 2:15 MT | 1:15 PT
Keynote Address: with Sr. Addie Lorraine Walker, S.S.N.D., Ph.D.

5:00 ET | 4:00 CT | 3:00 MT | 2:00 PT
Newer Entrant Insights

5:10 ET | 4:10 CT | 3:10 MT | 2:10 PT
Breakout groups

5:40 ET | 4:40 CT | 3:40 MT | 2:40 PT
Wellness break

6:00 ET | 5:00 CT | 4:00 MT | 3:00 PT
Shared conversation with Q & A

7:00 ET | 6:00 CT | 5:00 MT | 4:00 PT
Keynote concludes

Saturday, October 31

NRVC Business Meeting and Recognition Awards

11:00 ET | 10:00 CT | 9:00 MT | 8:00 PT
Gathering prayer

11:05 ET | 10:05 CT | 9:05 MT | 8:05 PT
Welcome by NRVC episcopal liaison Archbishop Charles C. Thompson

11:10 ET | 10:10 CT | 9:10 MT | 8:10 PT
Welcome by USCCB-CCLV executive director
Rev. Luke Ballman & Board Commissioning

11:20 ET | 10:20 CT | 9:20 MT | 8:20 PT
NRVC Business meeting Board Chair Address
with Sr. Kristin Matthes, SNDdeN

11:40 ET | 10:40 CT | 9:40 MT | 8:40 PT
NRVC Constitution amendment vote

11:45 ET | 10:45 CT | 9:45 MT | 8:45 PT
Vice Chair of Development & Operations Address
with Fr. Adam MacDonald, S.V.D.

11:55 ET | 10:55 CT | 9:55 MT | 8:55 PT
Vice Chair of Membership &  Mission Address
with Sr. Virginia Herbers, A.S.C.J.

12:05 ET | 11:05 CT | 10:05 MT | 9:05 PT
Finance Report with Mrs. Maureen Cetera

12:15 ET | 11:15 CT | 10:15 MT | 9:15 PT
Recognition Award Presentations

1:00 ET | 12:00 CT | 11:00 MT | 10:00 PT
Convocation adjourns

2022 Convocation

Mark your calendars for Convocation in Spokane, WA
on November 2-6, 2022

 

Download Schedule

Eastern time

Central time

Mountain time

Pacific time

REGISTER NOW


Register now for Virtual Convocation

Registration is now open for 2020 Convocation, Oct. 28-31.  READ MORE.

REGISTER

 


Talk It Up Tuesdays

By Sister Deborah M. Borneman SS.C.M., Director of Mission Integration

Join in the conversation with NRVC members to learn a new skill, share ideas, and connect with other vocation directors during the winter months. Starting at 1:00 p.m. Central time, it’s 60 minutes of engagement: 20 for the presentation, 20 for small group insights, and 20 for large group conversation magnifying ideas.

This is a members-only benefit and there is no additional fee. It is our hope that more members (like you) will offer to present a topic for future conversations. Mark your calendar and register using the link below

Talk It Up Tuesdays

January  26, 2021:  Intentional Approaches to Engage Young Adults presented by Bro. John Eustice, C.S.V. and Mr Daniel Masterton

February 2, 2021:  No panel discussion, members are invited to join the evening panel reflection on consecrated life Fratelli Tutti.  

February 9, 2021:  Planning Virtual Retreats presented by Sr. Julia Walsh, F.S.P.A.

February 16, 2021:  Using Whatsapp Chat with Discerners presented by Sr. Jill Reuber, O.S.B.

February 23, 2021:  Expanding vocation promotion through the lens of charism presented by Sr. Mary Jo Curtsinger, C.S.J.

To suggest a topic for future talks you would like to present email: debbiesscm@nrvc.net


Links to studies & reports

For research and presentations

By National Office

Attachments (15)

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2019 Vocations Stats InfographicInfographic on Vocation Statistics

2020 infographic on Religious Life Today

2019 infographic on recent statistics

 

 

 

 

NRVC/CARA studies & reports

2020 Study on Recent Vocations 

2020 Study Brochure

2015 Study on the Role of the Family in Nurturing Vocations to Religious Life and Priesthood

2014 Study on Incorporating Cultural Diversity in Religious Life

Executive Summary

2014 Men Religious Moving Forward in Hope Final Report

2014 Men Religious Moving Forward in Hope Final Report

2013 Women Religious Moving Forward in Hope Final Report

2013 Moving Forward in Hope: Keys to the Future Final Report

2013 Handbook on Educational Debt & Vocations to Religious Life

2012 Study on Educational Debt and Vocations to Religious Life

Executive Summary

2009 Study on Recent Vocations to Religious Life

Executive Summary, English

Executive Summary, Spanish

 

USCCB/CARA studies & reports

 

The Class of 2020: Survey of the Ordinands to the Priesthood

The Class of 2019: Survery of the Ordinands to the Priesthood

The Class of 2018: Survey of the Ordinands to the Priesthood

The Class of 2017: Survey of the Ordinands to the Priesthood

The Class of 2016: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood

The Class of 2015: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood 

The Class of 2014: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood

The Class of 2013: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood

The Class of 2012: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood

The Class of 2011: Survey of Ordinands to the Priesthood

The Class of 2010: Survey of Ordination to the Priesthood

The Profession Class of 2019 Report

The Profession Class of 2018 Report

The Profession Class of 2017 Report

Profession Class of 2017 News Release

The Profession Class of 2016 Report

The Profession Class of 2015 Report

The Profession Class of 2014 Report  

The Profession Class of 2013 Report

The Profession Class of 2012 Report

The Profession Class of 2011 Report

The Profession Class of 2010 Report

The Entrance Class Report of 2019: Women and Men Entering Religious Life. This CARA report presents the findings of 370 women and men who formally entered 128 US-based religious institutes in 2019

The Entrance Class Report of 2018: Women and Men Enteting Religious Life. This CARA report presents the findings of 440 women and men who formally entered 171 US-based religious insitutes in 2018.

The Entrance Class Report of 2017: Women and Men Entering Religious Life. This CARA report presents the findings of a survey of 524 women and men who formally entered 182 US-based religious institutes in 2017.

The Entrance Class of 2016: Women and Men Entering Religious Life Report. This CARA report presents the findings of a survey of 502 women and men who formally entered 185 US-based religious institutes in 2016. 

The Entrance Class of 2015: Women and Men Entering Religious Life Report. This CARA report presents the findings of a survey of 411 women and men who formally entered 143 US-based religious institutes in 2015.

CARA Frequently Requested Church Statistics This weblink contains all relevant statistics for the United States and the world.   

2012 Study on the Consideration of Priesthood and Religious Life among Never-Married U.S. Catholics

 

Vocation studies and analyses

2018 Australian Catholic Bishops Conference Report on Understanding Religious Vocation in Australia Today. This report looks at data of newer entrants in Australia from 2000 - 2015. This study looked at data to to determine the characteristics of the women and men who have entered religious life (and stayed) since 2000 and the characteristics, policies and practices of the religious institutes and societies that are attracting and successfully retaining new members. 

2018 CARA Study on International Religious Sisters Studying in the United States contains data on over 200 international sisters studying in the United States, the impact of their studies in the United States on their ministries when they return to their home country, and the perceptions and experiences of the major superiors who send their sisters to study abroad. 

2020 CARA Catholic Ministry Formation Enrollment Statistics CARA collects enrollment data on every Catholic ministry formation program that prepares men and women for ministry in the U.S. Church as priests, deacons, and lay ecclesial ministers. This statistical overview is published annually and a complete directory listing the names, addresses, and other pertinent information on each program is published every other year.

2016 CARA and A Nun's Life Ministry Study on Women Religious: Social Media Use Executive Summary Phase 1 and Executive Summary Phase 2. This study's purpose is to identify ways to strengthen and support the internet outreach efforts of Catholic sisters for vocation outreach. The research showed that most institutes have an online presence, most commonly via their website and on Facebook.

2017 CARA/Trinity Washington University Study on International Sisters in the United States The first national study of the 4,000 international sisters living in the United States was done to better understand the experiences and contributions of international sisters. The report is also available in Spanish.  A reflection guide is available in English and Spanish.

2016 USCCB Cultural Diversity in the Catholic Church Report "The Catholic Church in the United States has always been a very diverse entity, but it is the first time that all available data was brought together to map this diversity nationwide in remarkable detail," said Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller of San Antonio, chairman of the U.S. Bishops' Committee on Cultural Diversity in the Church. "It is also the first time that parish life was looked at from the point of view of the experience of diversity. Multicultural parishes are a growing phenomenon in the United States. This is what makes this study so fascinating and ground-breaking."

2016 CARA Impact of College Experience on Vocational Discernment In this special report, CARA identifies various aspects of the college experience that the respondents tell us were important in their vocational discernment

2016 Religous Life Vitality Project: Key Project Findings Report was written by Catherine Sexton and Sr. Gemma Simmonds, CJ. The purpose of this document is to present six key findings of signs of vitality in women's religious institutes: Ministry; Community and Formative Growth; Collaborative Working; Prayer and Spirituality; New Forms of Membership; and How we are aging.

FADICA 2015 analysis of Catholic sisters This December 2015 report was published by Foundation and Donors Interested in Catholic Activities, Inc. (FADICA) and written by Kathleen Sprows Cummings of University of Notre Dame. This report provides an overview and analysis of the current state of Catholic women religious in the U.S.

2015 CARA Population Trends among Religious Insitutes of Men CARA undertook this longitudinal study of population trends in men’s religious institutes to investigate in more detail some of the trends over the past 45 years.

2015 Catholic Sisters Initiative, Anderson Robbins Report This research funded by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, was designed to understand the general public’s attitudes, opinions and experiences with Catholic Sisters in the United States. Specifically, this research sought to answer the following key questions: What does the general public think about Catholic Sisters? That is, what opinions, beliefs and perceptions (as well as misperceptions) define Catholic Sisters in the minds of the general public today?  

2015 CARA Catholic Ministry Formation Enrollment Statistics This CARA Study reports that during the academic year 2014-2015 there was increase of 19 seminarians enrolled in the post-baccalaureate level of priestly formation, both diocesan and religious. The Catholic Ministry Formation Directory can be ordered by clicking here.

2014 CARA Population Trends among Religious Institutes of Women In spring 2014, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) initiated a longitudinal study of women religious in the United States drawing on data reported by the religious institutes of women listed in the Official Catholic Directory (OCD). This report provides a snapshot of some notable phenomena occurring in U.S. religious institutes of women. 

2013 CARA Study of Former Full-time Volunteers of the Catholic Volunteer Network This CARA Study reports 37% of former full-time volunteers have considered religious life or the priesthood, 27% of them "very seriously." Six percent have a vocation as a priest, deacon, sister, brother, or are currently in formation.

2012 CARA Study on the Influence of College Experiences on Vocational Discernment to Priesthood and Religious Life This CARA Study was designed to assess the role and influence of Catholic colleges and universities on the vocational discernment of men entering the seminary and religious life in the United States. Almost two-thirds of respondents overall state that a priest/sister/brother professor had a “significant positive influence” on their vocational discernment. 

2012 USCCB/CARA Consideration of Priesthood and Religious Life among Never-Married U.S. Catholics This study found that encouragement from others to consider a vocation to religious life is important. Respondents who have one person encouraging them are nearly twice as likely to consider a vocation as those who are not encouraged. Each additional person encouraging these respondents increases the likelihood of consideration. The effect is additive.  Respondents who had three persons encourage them would be expected to be more than five times more likely to consider a vocation than someone who was not encouraged by anyone. 

2010 NCEA/CARA Study of Psychological Assessment: The Testing and Screening for Candidates to the Priesthood in the  U.S. Catholic ChurchThis CARA study conducted by the NCEA Seminary Department examines the psychological assessment practices and procedures used by dioceses, men's religious institutes, and seminaries in the testing and screening of applicants to priestly formation programs in the United States.

2007 Young Adult Catholics and their Future in Ministry Study This study by Dean R. Hoge and Marti Jewell revealed a high percentage of college students involved in campus ministry or diocesan young adult ministry have seriously considered becoming a religious or a diocesan priest.

1992 Future of Religious Orders in the United States Study This three year study of religious institutes of priests, brothers and sisters conducted by Fr. David Nygren, C.M. and Sr. Miriam Ukeritis, C.S.J., is considered the first in-depth study of religious institutes in the United States. It is also known as the Religious Life Futures Project.

1991 A Survey of Priests Ordained Five to Nine Years by Eugene F. Hemrick and Dean R. Hoge. Published by the National Catholic Education Association. This report presents the findings of a national survey of diocesan and religious priests who were ordained between 1980 and 1984. The questionnaire issued to the respondents asked about three topics of concern to Catholic Church leadership: priestly morale, priestly identity, and priestly roles.


Member Area Gathering - Delaware Valley

January 19

via zoom


Misericordia Scholarship Fund

The National Religious Vocation Conference is grateful to offer scholarships to religious institutes in financial need for NRVC membership and programs. Since its inception, the NRVC Misericordia Fund has granted over 170 scholarships of more than $87,000 due to the generosity of donations. Read more... Donate here.


Published on: 2020-06-22

COVID-19 response

With the global spread of COVID-19, we want to assure you of our prayers for your community, family, and all those who are working in this pandemic. We urge you to consult with your religious leadership regarding travel, presentations, and events. We also want to encourage you to follow the protocols recommended by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), local and federal government health officials as you engage in ministry.

We recognize that this is an evolving situation. All NRVC staff are working from home and can be reached via email. We are all able to telecommute and have communication protocols in place so that we can continue to work efficiently and effectively. Any changes to our operating status will be communicated to you.


Bring a guest for free to Convocation!

Build support and enthusiasm for vocation ministry by bringing a guest to the NRVC virtual Convocation October 29-30. There is no extra cost for fully paid registrants to bring a leader or newer member of their community who entered after 2002. Your guest will hear from the many young religious who will be attending. He or she will talk and pray with vocation ministers from around the world. Your guest and you will reflect on the nature of hope, the path to reconciliation, and the gifts of Asian Americans in religious life. And more! Please ask someone from your religious institute who is not a novice, postulant, associate, or current NRVC member.  Learn more here.


Published on: 2020-09-24

Renew your membership | Tell us about address changes

It's time to renew your NRVC membership, a quick and easy online process. Renewal packets were mailed out this week. Also, be sure to tell us any time about address changes. Contact Marge Argyelan with any questions: margyelan@nrvc.net. Renew or update addresses at nrvc.net/signup.


Published on: 2020-09-24

I am NRVC: Brother Joseph Bach, O.S.F.

It's interacting with people that makes vocation ministry exciting for Brother Joseph Bach, O.S.F. He finds it enriching to interact with other vocation ministers and with a wide range of young men considering religious life. Read more.


Published on: 2021-01-27

Save $50 on Convocation by acting now | Financial aid

By registering today, you will save $50 by avoiding the late fee that kicks in October 16. This year's virtual Convocation, "Focus on Hope," is a great value, as prices are low, and fully paid participants are allowed one free guest—essentially a two-for-one deal. The NRVC commitment to quality remains: essential networking with other members, outstanding presenters, and uplifting prayer. Convocation will be a hope-filled experience that will put wind in the sails of your ministry. If you need financial assistance from our Misericordia Fund to attend, please contact Marge Argyelan: margyelan@nrvc.net. Register today!


Published on: 2020-09-25

Nominations for the National Board are now open

Please consider applying or nominate another NRVC member

By Sr. Virginia Herbers A.S.C.J.

Nominations for the NRVC National Board are now open. You are invited to prayerfully consider applying to serve by completing a Self-nomination Application or a Nomination Application for another NRVC member. The three-year term begins in the Fall of 2021.

According to the NRVC Constitution:

By March 31, the National Board selects new members from those recommended to a three-year term. The Board seeks to bring particular skills and experience to the Board, to help assure a balance of gender, geographical and cultural representation, and to image the breadth and diversity of religious consecration in the Church through its new appointments. The number of new members selected each year will be determined by the number of vacancies on the Board and by a need to maintain a Board of between 8 and 12 members. (NRVC Bylaws, Article I, Section D; 3 & 4 )

As you consider yourself or others for membership on the Board, please be mindful of the following criteria for Board membership.  Board members: 

  • Must be a member of NRVC with prior experience in vocation ministry; 
  • Have knowledge of NRVC and its team leadership structure and goals;
  • Should be able to represent NRVC to related organizations;
  • Provide leadership to NRVC and direction to the National Office Staff regarding services, interculturality, development, finances, etc.
  • Prioritize attendance at Board meetings: two  to three meetings a year (three days plus two travel days);
  • Have collaborative, listening, and consensus decision-making skills;
  • Should be well-prepared for meetings and willing to do follow up;
  • Should be willing to be a liaison to standing committees as well as serve on ad hoc 
    task forces;
  • Must be able to respect confidentiality.

Please feel free to contact any Board member for further information or to hear of their experience.

Consider the possibility of service to NRVC and our constituents by completing a Self-nomination form or the Nomination form for another NRVC member by Jan. 31, 2021. If you are nominating another NRVC member, please contact them first prior to sending in the form to make sure they are open to being nominated. The Board will interview all who are nominated by phone/ZOOM and make its selections at its March Board meeting.

Sincerely,
Sr. Virginia Herbers, ASCJ
Board Vice Chair
NRVC Board Governance Committee Chair

 


Publicize online offerings with VISION calendar

On VocationNetwork.org

NRVC's VISION Vocation Network is encouraging all religious communities that are offering prayer, Scripture study, worship, tours, or other types of web-based activities to post their opportunities on its free calendar.

See the calendar at vocationnetwork.org/en/events.

Post to the calendar.

 Or send your event to VISION by email.


VISION Vocation Guide published

The print edition of 2021 VISION Vocation Guide begins shipping in August, and the 2021 digital edition and VocationNetwork.org website went live August 3. If you haven't already ordered your 2021 VISION resources, you are encouraged to place your orders online for bookmarks, posters, and print copies. VISION editors ask those placing orders to please be patient with the mail delivery, which has been slowed by the pandemic. Read more.


All our workshops in 2020

July and October

Father Lino  Oropeza, S.S.E. and Sister Vicky Larson, P.B.V.M. take part in a workshop of NRVC.

Here is a complete list of all our workshops in 2020.  Join us for one or more of these outstanding professional develoment opportunities.

Summer Institute at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago

Click here to review workshops and register 

Orientation Program for New Vocation Directors     
July 8-12            

Ethical Issues for Vocation and Formation Directors     
July 13-14

Behavioral Assessment 1   
 July 16-18                                         

Is it Generational, Cultural, Personality or Pathology?     
July 16-18                           

Understanding, Assessing, and Fostering Psycho-Sexual Integration   
July 20-23            

Pre-convocation workshops in Spokane, WA

NRVC will offer seven pre-convocation workshops on Friday, October 30

Participants are invited to choose any two of these 3-hour workshops (one from the morning session and one from the afternoon). Lunch is provided between sessions.  Cost $200. Special rate: $175 if you register for Convocation as well.   Pre-Convocation and Convocation registration will open in mid-April.

Morning sessions (choose one)

    Accompanying & Assessing Candidates over the age of 40

    Candidate Issues in Immigration Law

    Encountering Christ in Harmony: Inviting our Asian & Pacific Island Sisters & Brothers to Religious Life

    Communicating Key Messages of Hope

Afternoon session (choose one)

    The Impact of the Consumption of Gaming and Pornography

    Weaving Cultures in Religious Life

    Candidate Issues in Civil and Canon Law

    Encountering Christ in Harmony: Inviting our Asian & Pacific Island Sisters & Brothers to Religious Life
     


Resource of the month

Vocation prayer card

The unforgettable words of Sister Ita Ford, M.M., martyred in El Salvador in 1980, speak to a new generation.

You'll want these cards on hand to mail to people you're in touch with. It's a nice way to say "I care" during COVID-19.

The front of the card reads:

I hope you come to find that which gives life 
a deep meaning for you. 
Something worth living for—
maybe even worth dying for—
something that energizes you, enthuses you,
enables you to keep moving ahead.
I can’t tell you what it might be—that’s for you to find, to choose, to love.
I encourage you to start looking and support you in your search.

The back of the card lists figures from scripture who answered God's call. The card is $12 for a pack of 100 or $8 per pack for NRVC members.

Learn more or place an order here. Or order by phone: 773-363-5454.


3 board members complete service; others begin

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.


Published on: 2020-09-01

By National Office


Summer Institute lineup

Workshops July 8-23

 

Orientation Program for New Vocation Directors     
July 8-12            

Ethical Issues for Vocation and Formation Directors     
July 13-14

Behavioral Assessment 1   
 July 16-18                                         

Is it Generational, Cultural, Personality or Pathology?     
July 16-18                           

Understanding, Assessing, and Fostering Psycho-Sexual Integration   
July 20-23


I am NRVC: Brother Brian Poulin, F.M.S.

Brother Brian Poulin, F.M.S. can't wait to get back to working with groups in person, but he is not idle during the pandemic. In addition to accompanying individuals in discernment by phone, and publicizing his community via social media, he is also serving on the NRVC Board.


Now in Spanish: "2020 Study on Recent Vocations"

The NRVC has made its "2020 Study on Recent Vocations to Religious Life" available in Spanish. Many thanks to the GHR Foundation, whose funding allowed the Mexican American Catholic College to create a Spanish version of the study's final report. Find the English and Spanish reports here.


Published on: 2020-06-23

Summer INstitute offers hassle-free, economical learning

Take a workshop this summer 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. Read more...


U.S. mail affecting HORIZON delivery

NRVC is asking HORIZON readers who have not yet received their Spring 2020 edition to please bear with us in awaiting their delivery. Unfortunately the  coronavirus has caused both delays in delivery in various parts of the country.

For immediate hard-copy access to this latest edition, members and subscribers may download and print it. The pdf form of HORIZON is available (after login) for viewing and download.

This edition in particular may be a good choice for study and discussion within your community.

Thank you for your patience.


Documents/forms for use in vocation ministry

Attachments (10)

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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

NRVC Board Nomination Form

NRVC Board Self-Nomination Form

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 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

 


VISION 2021 coming soon

Later 


I am NRVC: Sister Barbara O'Kane, M.P.F.

Being a vocation minister is "a sacred privilege" says Sister Barbara O'Kane, M.P.F. At the same time, it's a great way to give back, having received help from others when she was feeling a call to religious life.


Published on: 2020-12-01

Please take our survey of COVID-19 impact on vocation ministers

NRVC hopes to track and share what is happening with its members and other vocation ministers during this unusual time. Could you kindly respond to a three question survey?

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Published on: 2020-06-01


2020 Virtual Convocation registration fees

By National Office

Registration for 2020 Virtual Convocation begins by September. Schedule and fees to be determined.


A Christmas Message Wrapped in a Pandemic Poem of Hope

By National Office

 

We never imagined what would happen this year,

With a global pandemic bringing distress, loss and fear.

2020 has been different in every way,

No hugs, no visits, wearing face masks each day.

 

Vocation ministers were challenged with pandemic desolation,

Countless pivots and fridge trips and stay-at-home isolation!

We changed our traditions, and some things turned out fine -  

We learned to Zoom, text, and email--all at the same time!

 

Instead of NRVC’s 2020 Convocation in Spokane,

We had videos of Sr. Addie, Fr. Dave, and Fr. Linh on-demand.

But no matter the place, the chapel, or table,

We always have each other to help us remain stable.

 

Each of you is a blessing, each day is a gift,

With texts, calls, and emails we give each other a lift!

So let's not look back with regret on this year,

Instead let’s remind each other that God is right here.

 

Our circumstances resulted in valuable new perceptions,

Like how do we CARE? Why do we HOPE? How will we LOVE without exception?

 

In this holy Christmas season,

As our weary world rejoices at our dear Savior’s birth,

May you know you are a blessing; may your soul find its worth.

 

 

With love,

 

The NRVC Leadership Team

Sr. Debbie, Marge, Maureen, and Phil

 

 

P.S. Please note the NRVC office will be closed from December 24 through January 3 for the holidays. We wish you all a safe and healthy Christmas, and many blessings in the New Year!


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I am NRVC

Sister Jo-Anne Miller, C.S.J.P., vocation director, Sisters of St. Joseph of Peace

How long have you been involved in vocation ministry?

I have been vocation director since 2009.

Are you part of a vocation team?

Yes, I oversee vocation ministry in our three regions: Western U.S., Eastern U.S., and the United Kingdom (England and Scotland.) The East and UK regions have a vocation team member who is responsible. I am usually the first contact made by an inquirer through our website or through VISION. I send information to the inquirer, and then, if she is in the UK or Eastern U.S., another team member gets in touch.

Has being a member of NRVC been helpful?

Yes, NRVC, both national and regional, has been an immense help to me. I have attended many NRVC convocations and workshops and always come away with new ideas, more connections with vocation ministers and a sense of celebration of who we are as a multi-faceted church. Father Ray Carey’s workshops have been most valuable to me in being able to identify “red flag” areas concerning potential candidates and determining how to proceed with an inquirer. The workshops on cultural diversity and canon law/immigration issues have also been extremely helpful.

What has been your best outreach effort?

In recent years our new members have been very diverse: e.g., Latina, Korean, Kenyan, Nigerian, Indian, Irish, etc. In 2012 our formation director and I planned and implemented a program for all three regions of our congregation called “Interculturality: Embracing Diversity in a Global World, Global Church, Global Congregation.” Sister Tere Maya, CCVI led the presentations and served as a resource on interculturality and its implications for vocation and formation ministry. This program helped achieve a greater consciousness among our sisters and associates about the value of interculturality as an expression of our charism of peace through justice.

I also use my graphic design skills for creating welcoming and attractive information materials (brochures, banners, PowerPoint presentations, etc.) for vocation ministry—both for our congregation and for our inter-community vocation work in the Pacific Northwest.

Do you have any words of wisdom to those who are new to this ministry?

I encourage people in vocation discernment to consider this question: “Where can I live out my dreams and hopes in a healthy, happy, and holy way?” As a vocation minister and a woman religious, I also try to live in a way that is healthy, happy, and holy!

 

 


I am NRVC

Sister Priscilla Moreno, R.S.M., South Central vocation minister for the Sisters of Mercy

How long have you been involved in vocation ministry?  
This is my second round. I did this ministry from 1999 to 2004. Then I was involved part-time for two years before being invited to full-time vocation ministry again in 2011.

Are you part of a vocation team?  
Yes, I am a part of the Sisters of Mercy South Central New Membership Team. We currently have four incorporation ministers and six vocation ministers. We span a broad area of 18 states, the U.S. Territory of Guam, and the nation of Jamaica. Our headquarters are in Belmont, NC. I myself am responsible for Missouri, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Northern Mississippi, and Southern Florida. I visit universities and high schools, am involved in retreats, organize vocation activities, attend vocation minister meetings, and do some spiritual direction.

Has being a member of NRVC been helpful to you?
The workshops NRVC offers have better prepared me for the ministry. NRVC has also provided opportunities for collaboration with other vocation ministers.  

What has been your best outreach effort?
I have had the opportunity to meet young woman interested in religious life during Busy Student Retreats, high school visits, and work with our sisters who help promote vocations in the various areas of our South Central Community.

Do you have any words of wisdom to those who are new to this ministry?
The best wisdom I can offer to a new vocation minister is to go gently because things happen when they happen.  The best thing to do is to be present to the present moment.

 


I am NRVC: Sister Priscilla Moreno, RSM

South Central vocation minister for the Sisters of Mercy

How long have you been involved in vocation ministry?  
This is my second round. I did this ministry from 1999 to 2004. Then I was involved part-time for two years before being invited to full-time vocation ministry again in 2011.

Are you part of a vocation team?  
Yes, I am a part of the Sisters of Mercy South Central New Membership Team. We currently have four incorporation ministers and six vocation ministers. We span a broad area of 18 states, the U.S. Territory of Guam, and the nation of Jamaica. Our headquarters are in Belmont, NC. I myself am responsible for Missouri, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Kentucky, Northern Mississippi, and Southern Florida. I visit universities and high schools, am involved in retreats, organize vocation activities, attend vocation minister meetings, and do some spiritual direction.

Has being a member of NRVC been helpful to you?
The workshops NRVC offers have better prepared me for the ministry. NRVC has also provided opportunities for collaboration with other vocation ministers.  

What has been your best outreach effort?
I have had the opportunity to meet young woman interested in religious life during Busy Student Retreats, high school visits, and work with our sisters who help promote vocations in the various areas of our South Central Community.

Do you have any words of wisdom to those who are new to this ministry?
The best wisdom I can offer to a new vocation minister is to go gently because things happen when they happen.  The best thing to do is to be present to the present moment.

 


Resource of the month


Reminder: Brothers Symposium, NFCRV grants

April 4 and April 15

Astronomer Brother Guy Consolmagno, S.J. will speak at the Religious Brothers Symposium.

Brothers Symposium

A Religious Brothers Symposium will take place at Boston College on April 4 with a theme of "The Prophetic Call of the Brother in the Church."

The event is co-sponsored by NRVC, the Religious Brothers Conference, Conference of Major Superiors of Men, and Religious Formation Conference.

Brother Guy Consolmagno, S.J., director of the Vatican Observatory, will be the keynote speaker. Further information is at religiousbrothers.org.

NFCRV grants

From now through April 15, the National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations is accepting new applications for education-debt assistance. Please click the links to review NFCRV Grant Guidelines and the 2020 Application or contact executive director Phil Loftus at ploftus@nrvc.net or 773-363-5454.


2020 Posts


<h4><img alt="" height="265" src="/ckeditor_assets/pictures/5112/content_raycareyworkshop1.jpg" style="float:left; margin-bottom:10px" width="496" />Register in February</h4>

<p>This workshop will explore ethical principles governing confidentiality, agency and obligations related to positions of trust. The workshop will also address issues related to dissemination of information, the timeliness of admissions or dismissal decisions, and other issues related to ethical rights of candidates as well as ethical rights of those in positions of authority. This workshop is essential for all those who make decisions concerning the admission of candidates.</p>

<p>Please note this workshop ends at 4:30 p.m. on July 14. Overnight accommodations are contracted for 3 nights, arrival on July 12 and check out on July 15.</p>

<h4>Workshop fees</h4>

<p>Workshop fees include materials, speaker, facility fees and lunch. The fees do not&nbsp;include supper. Residents are provided with a continental breakfast.</p>

<p>Commuter: &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; $350&nbsp;&ndash; NRVC Member&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; $520&nbsp;&ndash; Non-NRVC Member</p>

<p>Resident:&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;$695&nbsp;&ndash; NRVC Member&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; $865&nbsp;&ndash; Non-NRVC Member&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;</p>

<p>&nbsp;</p>

<h4>Late registration</h4>

<p>Registrations received after June 22&nbsp;incur a $100 late fee.&nbsp;</p>

<h4>Cancellation</h4>

<p>Cancellations for workshops and accommodations must be received in writing to debbiesscm@nrvc.net before June 23&nbsp;to receive a full refund less a $100 processing fee. After&nbsp;June 23., all fees are non refundable.&nbsp;</p>

<h4>Presenter</h4>

<p><strong><em><img alt="" height="133" src="/ckeditor_assets/pictures/4812/content_content_carey-resized.jpg" style="float:left" width="100" />Reverend Raymond P. Carey, Ph.D</em></strong>. is a priest of the Archdiocese of Portland, OR. He has taught at both the secondary and university levels, and presently teaches at Mount Angel Seminary Graduate School of Theology in Saint Benedict, Oregon. Fr. Carey holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from the University of Ottawa, Canada. He has presented workshops in North America, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Fiji. He is a past recipient of the NRVC Harvest Award for his work in service of vocation ministry.</p>

<blockquote>
<p>Father Ray is very engaging and funny. His vast experience provides many illustrations. CTU is a good venue for this workshop.</p>

<p style="text-align:right"><em>&ndash;Br. John Scherer O.F.M.Cap.​</em></p>
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
<p>This workshop was amazing! It is filled with practical examples for the role of agency. Fr. Ray&rsquo;s experience and knowledge provides clarity in interactions with candidates. Reverence and respect of the person will remain with me every time I interact with discerners and candidates.</p>

<p style="text-align:right"><em>&ndash;Fr. Carl Philadelphia, Diocese of Georgetown, Guyana​</em></p>
</blockquote>

<blockquote>
<p>This workshop gave a clear framework for moving forward ethically in this ministry! It provided clear principles for ethics with the space to ask real life questions. Thank you Fr. Ray for your years of dedication to this field!</p>

<p style="text-align:right"><em>&ndash;Sr. Tracy Kemme, S.C.</em></p>
</blockquote>

<p>Workshops are designed from the NRVC three-component <a href="/ckeditor_assets/attachments/4770/nrvc_curriculum_2018.pdf" target="_blank">curriculum</a> 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.&nbsp;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.&nbsp;Please read the&nbsp;<a href="https://nrvc.net/publication/8096/article/17281-terms-of-nrvc-membership-and-events" target="_blank">terms and conditions</a>&nbsp;of all NRVC programs and events.</p>

<h4>Register in February</h4>
 


How the pope’s Jesuit roots affect his ministry

By Father Thomas Rosica C.S.B.

Pope Francis greets the faithful in St. Peter’s Square. His papacy reflects an Ignatian spirituality at every turn, allowing the church and the world to glimpse one tradition within the world of religious life. 

 

 

 

 

Editor's note:  We have been notified about errors in this article and are are investigating so that we can rectify problems in accord with the highest standards in publishing. Please check back later for more information.

SINCE MARCH 2013, few people in the world have not been touched or inspired by the Ignatian spirituality being offered daily by the current bishop of Rome, who happens to be a son of Ignatius. Francis is the first pope from the Society of Jesus—this religious congregation whose worldly, wise intellectuals are as famous as its missionaries and martyrs. It’s this all-encompassing personal and professional Jesuit identity and definition that the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio brought with him from Buenos Aires to Rome, and that continues to shape almost everything he does as Pope Francis. From his passion for social justice and his missionary zeal, to his focus on engaging the wider world and his preference for collaboration over immediate action without reflection, Pope Francis is a carJesuit through and through.

What kind of a Jesuit is Francis?

Jorge Mario Bergoglio had initially joined the Jesuits in the 1950s because he was attracted to its position on, to put it in military terms, the front lines of the church. But little did he know how serious the combat would become. As a Jesuit in Argentina, ordained in 1969, Bergoglio found himself in the midst of the tumult of the Argentine Dirty Wars which erupted one year later. The violence that overtook the country also threatened many priests—especially Jesuits—even as the regime co-opted much of the Argentine hierarchy. Bergoglio was made provincial superior of the Argentine Jesuits at the age of 36, thrown into a situation of internal and external chaos that would have tried even the most seasoned leaders. In a revealing interview in the fall of 2013, (published in America magazine), Francis spoke honestly about the situation that had engulfed his early priesthood: “That was crazy. I had to deal with difficult situations, and I made my decisions abruptly and by myself.” He acknowledged that his “authoritarian and quick manner of making decisions led me to have serious problems and to be accused of being ultraconservative.”

Bergoglio fully embraced the Jesuits’ radical turn to championing the poor, and although he was seen as an enemy of liberation theology by many Jesuits, others in the order were devoted to him. He turned away from devotional traditionalism, but was viewed by others as still far too orthodox. Critics labeled him a collaborator with the Argentine military junta even though biographies now clearly show that he worked carefully and clandestinely to save many lives. None of that ended the intrigue against Bergoglio within the Jesuits, and in the early 1990s, he was effectively exiled from Buenos Aires to an outlying city, “a time of great interior crisis,” as he himself described it. As a good, obedient Jesuit, Bergoglio complied with the society’s demands and sought to find God’s will in it all. His virtual estrangement from the Jesuits encouraged then-Cardinal Antonio Quarracino of Buenos Aires to appoint Bergoglio as auxiliary bishop in 1992.

In 1998, Bergoglio succeeded Quarracino as Archbishop. In 2001, John Paul II made Bergoglio a cardinal, one of only two Jesuits in the 120-member College of Cardinals. The other Jesuit cardinal was Carlo Maria Martini of Milan. Bergoglio’s rise in the hierarchy, however, only seemed to solidify suspicions about him among his Jesuit foes. During his regular visits to Rome, Bergoglio never stayed at the Jesuit Curia on Borgo Santo Spirito but rather at a guest house for priests and prelates in central Rome—a place that became famous when, as the newly minted pope, Francis would return to the Domus Paulus VI the morning after the events in the Sistine Chapel to pay his own hotel bill!

I can assure you as one who lived through the conclave experience in a very intense way, and resided at the Jesuit headquarters in Rome during the entire Papal transition, that the initial response of Jesuits to Bergoglio’s election consisted of gasps, shock, bewilderment that has since been transformed into profound gratitude, exhilaration, pride and at times, incredible joy. How many times have these two scripture passages run through my mind as I watched Pope Francis move among his Jesuit confrères in different parts of the world over the past three and a half years: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone … a marvel in our eyes,” and another exclamation from Genesis 45: “... then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Please come closer to me. And they came closer. And he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.’ ”

Today, the Holy Father is living his Jesuit vocation with a true missionary zeal, a love for community that is oriented for mission, and a discipline that does not waste anything, especially not time. To journalists aboard the return flight to Rome after his first World Youth Day in Brazil in 2013, the newly-elected Jesuit pope said: “I am a Jesuit in my spirituality, a spirituality involving the Exercises (of St. Ignatius).... And I think like a Jesuit,” he said, but smiled and quickly added, “but not in the sense of hypocrisy.” Francis’ Jesuit confrère, Father Tom Reese said it well: “He may act like a Franciscan, but he thinks like a Jesuit.” The question I want to look at is: How is Francis’ “Jesuitness” impacting his Petrine ministry and through that ministry, the entire church, including vocation directors and their religious communities?

Here are some key moments and words that reveal the infiltration of Ignatian spirituality or as one cardinal called it: the ‘“Jesuit virus” on the universal church. In October 2016 Pope Francis went with a message to the General Chapter of the Jesuits, taking place in Rome. His address was characterized by an openness to what lies ahead, a call to go further, a support for caminar, the way of journeying that allows Jesuits to go toward others and to walk with them on their journey.

 Francis began his address to his Jesuit confrères quoting St. Ignatius, reminding them that a Jesuit is called to converse and thereby to bring life to birth “in every part of the world where a greater service of God and help for souls is expected.” Precisely for this reason, the Jesuits must go forward, taking advantage of the situations in which they find themselves, always to serve more and better. This implies a way of doing things that aims for harmony in the context of tension that is normal in a world with diverse persons and missions. The pope mentioned explicitly the tensions between contemplation and action, between faith and justice, between charism and institution, between community and mission.

The Holy Father detailed three areas of the Society’s path, yet these areas are not only for his religious family, but for the universal church. The first is to “ask insistently for consolation.” It is proper to the Society of Jesus to know how to console, to bring consolation and real joy; Jesuits must put themselves at the service of joy, for the Good News cannot be announced in sadness. Then, departing from his text, he insisted that joy “must always be accompanied by humor,” and with a big smile on his face, he remarked, “as I see it, the human attitude that is closest to divine grace is a sense of humor.”

 Next, Francis invited the Society to “allow yourselves to be moved by the Lord on the cross.” The Jesuits must get close to the vast majority of men and women who suffer, and, in this context, it must offer various services of mercy in different forms. The pope underlined certain elements that he already had occasion to present throughout the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Those who have been touched by mercy must feel themselves sent to present this same mercy in an effective way.

 Finally the Holy Father invited the Society to go forward under the influence of the “good spirit.” This implies always discerning how to act in communion with the church. The Jesuits must be not “clerical” but “ecclesial.” They are “men for others” who live in the midst of all peoples, trying to touch the heart of each person, contributing in this way to establishing a church in which all have their place, in which the Gospel is inculturated, and in which each culture is evangelized.

These three key words of the pope’s address are graces for which each Jesuit and the whole Society must always ask: consolation, compassion, and discernment. But Francis has not only reminded his own religious family of these three important gifts that are at the core of Jesuit spirituality, he has also offered them to the universal church, especially through the Synods of Bishops on the Family.

Pope Francis is clearly a man of a certain temperament. Whether it is living in Santa Marta guesthouse, turning the Papal apartment of Castel Gandolfo into a museum, or traveling in simple vehicles, he knows what he wants. Beginning with his refusal to wear the red mozzetta, or cape, for his introduction to the world from St. Peter’s loggia, Francis showed he was in charge. In doing so he also showed his freedom from pressures that have made previous popes prisoners of the Vatican.

Francis manifests to the world a deep, interior, joyful freedom. What is the source of such freedom? I think it comes from Francis’ appropriation of the Ignatian value of “indifference.” This classic, philosophical term, borrowed from the Stoics, means a freedom from distracting and degrading attachments, so as to be free to do what is more conducive to the good of souls. As Pope Francis goes about his daily work, and slowly implements the reform his brother cardinals commissioned him to do, it has become clear that his aim is to make the church of Jesus Christ welcoming to all and appealing and attractive because it shows its care for all people.

Discernment

Pope Francis has also stressed that quintessential quality of Ignatius of Loyola: discernment. Discernment is a constant effort to be open to the Word of God that can illuminate the concrete reality of everyday life. It was eminently clear to me and many who took part in the recent Synods of Bishops on the Family that this Jesuit spirit of discernment was a guiding principle throughout the synodal process. One concept that re-emerged at the 2015 Synod of Bishops was the proper formation of conscience. The Synod’s apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love) states:

We have long thought that simply by stressing doctrinal, bioethical and moral issues, without encouraging openness to grace, we were providing sufficient support to families, strengthening the marriage bond and giving meaning to marital life. We find it difficult to present marriage more as a dynamic path to personal development and fulfillment than as a lifelong burden. We also find it hard to make room for the consciences of the faithful, who very often respond as best they can to the Gospel amid their limitations, and are capable of carrying out their own discernment in complex situations. We have been called to form consciences, not to replace them (37).

The church does not exist to take over people’s consciences but to stand in humility before faithful men and women who have discerned prayerfully and often painfully before God the reality of their lives and situations. Discernment and the formation of conscience can never be separated from the Gospel demands of truth and the search for charity and truth and the church’s tradition.

In keeping with his own Jesuit formation, Pope Francis is a man of discernment, and, at times, that discernment results in freeing him from the confinement of doing something in a certain way because it was ever thus. In paragraph 33 of his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (Joy of the Gospel) Francis writes:

Pastoral ministry in a missionary key seeks to abandon the complacent attitude that says: “We have always done it this way.” I invite everyone to be bold and creative in this task of rethinking the goals, structures, style and methods of evangelization in their respective communities. A proposal of goals without an adequate communal search for the means of achieving them will inevitably prove illusory.

Tantum quantum

As he pointed out to his brother Jesuits gathered in October 2016, a maxim from the Spiritual Exercises, tantum quantum, summarizes the principle for using all created things: Use them insofar as they contribute to the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Discard and reject them when they lead away from that goal. Francis has done much to further the supervision and reform of the Vatican bank, but he has also made it clear that the Holy See may not need its own bank. His basic choices follow the rule of tantum quantum. If there is a genuine apostolic purpose for running a bank, and it is run in accord with that purpose and does not distract from the church’s evangelizing mission, then it has a place. If not, then it is wholly dispensable.

The first Jesuits were “a holiness movement,” inviting everyone to lead a holy life. Francis of Assisi was committed to a literal imitation of the poor Christ. Ignatius was inspired by that poverty and originally planned that the Jesuits would follow the same route. But as the historian Father John O’Malley, S.J. has indicated, just as Ignatius learned to set aside his early austerities to make himself more approachable, he later moderated the Society’s poverty to make it possible to evangelize more people, especially through educational institutions. Even evangelical poverty was a relative value in relation to the good of souls and their progress in holiness. That same apostolic reasoning is found in Pope Francis’ instructions to priests around the world about their ministries.

An inclusive, listening church

The spirit of openness is foundational to the Jesuit way of proceeding. Jesuit parishes are known for their inclusiveness and Jesuit confessors for their understanding and compassion. At a time of religious controversy Ignatius Loyola urged retreatants to listen attentively to others, to give a positive interpretation to their statements, and when there was apparent error, to question them closely, and only when the interlocutors were steadfast in their error to regard them as heretics. At the time of the Reformation, that was a remarkable point of departure for retreatants preparing to make life decisions. Early in his pontificate, when Pope Francis made his controversial statement about even atheists having a chance to get into heaven, he was following the teaching of Vatican II, but he was also following a very Ignatian approach toward the good of souls.

In keeping with the Jesuit emphasis on attention to those in greatest need, Pope Francis has emphasized the call to justice and service  to the poor. Pictured here are youth from the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan doing home repairs for the needy.

Care of those most in need

Ignatius of Loyola’s recommended style of ministry anticipates the positive pastoral approach Pope Francis has taken to evangelization. Pope Francis’ attention to refugees, the abandoned elderly, and to unemployed youth exhibit the same concern as the first Jesuits for the lowliest and most needy people in society. Ignatius’ twin criteria for choosing a ministry were serving those in greatest need and advancing the more universal good. The Jesuit Refugee Service and creative Jesuit projects in education, like the Nativity and Cristo Rey schools, are contemporary embodiments of the same spirit of evangelical care for the neediest. These apostolates are part of the post-conciliar renewal of the Society of Jesus, but they have deep, formative roots in Jesuit history and spirituality as well. In the mind and heart of Pope Francis, even elite Jesuit institutions can combine the intellectual apostolate with service to the poor in the spirit of Ignatius.

Humility and clerical reform

Pope Francis’ humility has impressed people around the world. His style has truly become substance. It is the most radically evangelical aspect of his spiritual reform of the papacy, and he has invited all Catholics, but especially the clergy, to reject success, wealth, and power. Ignatius insisted that a Jesuit is never to have an anti-ecclesial spirit, but always be open to how the spirit of God is working. The Jesuit commitment not to seek ecclesiastical office, even in the Society, is an outgrowth of that experience. What is surprising is that Francis has so interiorized those values that without hesitation he applies it to clerical and curial reform today. He has told cardinals and priests not to behave as princes, counseled priests to abandon their expensive cars for smaller, more economical ones, and he has given them personal examples.

Humility is a central virtue in the Spiritual Exercises. One of its key meditations focuses on the “three degrees of humility.” In Ignatius’ eyes, humility is the virtue that brings us closest to Christ, and Pope Francis appears to be guiding the church and educating the clergy in that fundamental truth. Reform through spiritual renewal begins with the rejection of wealth, honors, and power, and it reaches its summit in the willingness to suffer humiliation with Christ. Humility is the most difficult part of the Ignatian papal reform, but it is essential for the church’s purification from clericalism, the source of so many ills in the contemporary church. Undoubtedly, it is here that Francis’ reform is receiving the most resistance from practitioners of the millennial-old system of clerical entitlement and a distorted ecclesiology that stems from bygone days of the church triumphant! Francis is teaching us that precisely this humility is essential to make the New Evangelization real and effective both within the church and in her encounter with the world.

Francis’ Ignatian style of leadership

Ignatius did not use the word “leadership” as we commonly do today. Someone whose style of leadership is inspired by the Ignatian tradition will particularly emphasize certain habits or priorities. One of these is the importance of formation—not just learning to do technical tasks like strategic planning but also commitment to lifelong self-development. Another Ignatian priority is deep self-awareness, of coming to know oneself, for example, as happens in the Spiritual Exercises. The Jesuits also emphasize becoming a skilled decision-maker, as happens through the discernment tools of the Exercises, and committing oneself to purposes bigger than self, to a mission of ultimate meaning. Jesuits often refer to this commitment by the expression of “magis. ” Then, too, Ignatian spirituality emphasizes a deep respect for others, “finding God in all things.”

The difference between the worldly style of leadership and that traced by Ignatius is that the Jesuit style of leadership always points to God, the ultimate source of meaning. Great Jesuit figures like Peter Faber, Francis Xavier, Matteo Ricci or Alberto Hurtado were able to accomplish their feats not simply because they had some good leadership skills but because they were inspired by love of God. I cannot tell you how many times these very ideas have surfaced in Pope Francis’ addresses to the cardinals, bishops, priests, deacons, religious, lay leaders, catechists, and young people around the world. These leadership qualities are distinctly Ignatian!

St. Ignatius once wrote that sometimes we have to go in through the other person’s door in order to come out through our own. That is a very powerful idea for us and it is completely relevant to the church in the 21st century. We live in a secularized society, and young adults in particular are showing little interest in the church. What are we going to do for young adults, our target audiences as vocation directors? We are being challenged daily to find ways to “enter the other’s door,” to offer them some of the riches of our traditions in ways that will better their lives and that might invite their deeper thought, that might draw them toward the essence of Christianity.

Contrary to some voices in the church today, we are not being called by Christ, St. John Paul II or Pope Francis to bring about a smaller church for the perfect, the holy, those who think like us. St. John Paul II did not write his final apostolic letter at the close of the Great Jubilee with the title “Stay close to the shore and don’t risk.” He filled that hopeful document with the mantra: Duc in altum, put out to the deep! Francis has said to us: “I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.” Our goal is not to form a smaller church where we all end up sitting around in small circles talking to each other and bemoaning what we have lost!

The devil

Pope Francis seems obsessed with the devil. His tweets and homilies about the devil, Satan, the Accuser, the Evil One, the Father of Lies, the Ancient Serpent, the Tempter, the Seducer, the Great Dragon, the Enemy and just plain “demon” are now legion. For Francis, the devil is not a myth, but a real person. Many modern people may greet the pope’s insistence on the devil with indifference or, at best, indulgent curiosity. Francis, however, is drawing on a fundamental insight of St. Ignatius of Loyola! In his first major address to the cardinals who elected him, the Argentine pontiff reminded them: “Let us never yield to pessimism, to that bitterness that the devil offers us every day.”

The pope has stressed that we must not be naive: “The demon is shrewd: he is never cast out forever, this will only happen on the last day.” Francis has also issued calls to arms in his homilies: “The devil also exists in the 21st century, and we need to learn from the Gospel how to battle against him.” Acknowledging the devil’s shrewdness, Francis once preached: “The devil is intelligent, he knows more theology than all the theologians together.”

In a rally with thousands of young people during his visit to Paraguay, the pope offered the job description of the devil in these words:

Friends: the devil is a con artist. He makes promise after promise, but he never delivers. He’ll never really do anything he says. He doesn’t make good on his promises. He makes you want things which he can’t give, whether you get them or not. He makes you put your hopes in things which will never make you happy.... He is a con artist because he tells us that we have to abandon our friends, and never to stand by anyone. Everything is based on appearances. He makes you think that your worth depends on how much you possess.

In all these references to the devil and his many disguises, Pope Francis wishes to call everyone back to reality. The devil is frequently active in our lives and in the church, drawing us into negativity, cynicism, despair, meanness of spirit, sadness, and nostalgia. We must react to the devil, Francis says, as did Jesus, who replied with the Word of God. The temptations Francis speaks about so often are the realistic flip side to the heart of the Argentine Jesuit pope’s message about the world that is charged with the grandeur, mercy, presence, and fidelity of God. Those powers are far greater than the devil’s antics.

The field hospital

There is also another image from Pope Francis that has captivated the minds and hearts of millions: the powerful image of the “field hospital” which he uses often and is drawn from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. When Francis speaks of the church as a “field hospital after a battle” he appeals to the Jesuit founder’s understanding of the role of the church in light of God’s gaze upon the world: “So many people ask us to be close; they ask us for what they were asking of Jesus: closeness, nearness.” In his 2013 interview, published in America magazine, he said:

The thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the church as a field hospital after battle. It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood sugars! You have to heal his wounds. Then we can talk about everything else. Heal the wounds, heal the wounds.... And you have to start from the ground up.

A field hospital image is contrary to an image of a fortress under siege. From the image of the church as a field hospital we can derive an understanding of the church’s mission as both healing and salvific.

What a Jesuit pope means for the church

We’ve looked at some critical Ignatian principles, styles, concepts, and images that make Pope Francis who he is. Let us now turn to how some of his deeply Jesuit approaches might affect the church. The whole concept of setting up committees, consulting widely, and convening smart people around you is how Jesuit superiors usually function. They do these things, then they make the decision. This sort of discernment—listening to all and contemplating everything before acting—is a cardinal virtue of the Ignatian spirituality that is at the core of Francis’ being and his commitment to a conversion of the papacy as well as the entire church.

It’s hard to predict what will come next. Francis is shrewd, and he has repeatedly praised the Jesuit trait of “holy cunning”—that Christians should be “wise as serpents but innocent as doves,” as Jesus put it. However, the pope’s openness also means that not even he is sure where the Spirit will lead. He has said: “I don’t have all the answers. I don’t even have all the questions. I always think of new questions, and there are always new questions coming forward.”

Pope Francis breaks Catholic traditions whenever he wants, because he is “free from disordered attachments.” Our church has indeed entered a new phase: with the advent of this first Jesuit pope, it is openly ruled by an individual rather than by the authority of Scripture alone or even its own dictates of tradition plus Scripture. Pope Francis has brought to the Petrine office a Jesuit intellectualism. By choosing the name Francis, he is also affirming the power of humility and simplicity. Pope Francis, the Argentine Jesuit, is not simply attesting to the complementarity of the Ignatian and Franciscan paths. He is pointing each day to how the mind and heart meet in the love of God and the love of neighbor. And most of all he reminds us each day how much we need Jesus, and how much we need one another along the journey.

 

Father Thomas Rosica, C.S.B. is a priest of the Congregation of St. Basil. After working in campus ministry and overseeing the 2002 World Youth Day in Toronto, in 2003 he became the founding chief executive officer of Salt + Light Catholic Media Foundation, based in Toronto. He also serves as the English language attaché to the Holy See Press Office and as  procurator general of his congregation. This article is a condensed version of his presentation to the 2016 convocation of the National Religious Vocation Conference.

RELATED HORIZON ARTICLES

Spring 2015 HORIZON. Theme: Pope Francis and vocations.


2019 NRVC Workshop Information

Schedule & fees

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General Information

This year, NRVC is offering nine workshops intended for vocation ministers, formation teams, communicators, religious leadership, and others entrusted with the assessment of discerners and candidates. Workshops are designed from the NRVC three-component 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. 

These workshops are in line with the mission of the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) to provide membership with educational opportunities, resources, and other supportive services that strengthen and enhance the practiced ministerial skills of those serving in vocation ministry. NRVC strongly suggests that vocation ministers participate in continuing educational opportunities not only to attend to their own vocation and faith formation and to further develop their professional competencies, but to keep up-to-date on trends, issues, skills, and best practices in the field of vocation ministry.  

 

2019 Workshop Schedule 

Summer Institute at Catholic Theological Union,  Chicago, IL

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Orientation Program for New Vocation Directors,  July 9-13

Ethical Issues for Vocation and Formation Directors, July 15-16

Behavioral Assessment 1,  July 18-20

Due Diligence in Vocation Ministry,  July 18-20

Communication Skills to Promote Vocations,  July 22-24

Fall Institute at Marillac Center, Leavenworth, KS

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Behavioral Assessment 2, October 8-9

Behavioral Assessment 1, October 11-13

Orientation Program for New Vocation Directors, October 15-19

The Art of Accompaniment and Discernment, October 21-23

Workshop registration fees

Workshops are open to NRVC members at a discounted rate and for non-members at an affordable price. All NRVC workshops (which includes lunch) are consistently priced at $175 per day per NRVC member, regardless of the topic or speaker. Non-members pay $260 (an additional 50%) per person per day for each workshop. If you would like to become a member to receive the discounted rate, click here. Overnight accommodations are $115 per night for anyone in need of housing regardless of membership status. 

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Registrations for workshops received after the following dates will incur a $100 late fee per workshop:

Summer Institute:                     The late fee begins on June 23

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Cancellations for workshops and/or accommodations must be received in writing to debbiesscm@nrvc.net before the dates listed below receive a full refund, less a $100 processing fee per workshop. After the deadline, all fees are non-refundable for the cancellation of workshops and/or accommodations. 

Summer Institute:         The cancellation deadline is June 23.

Fall Institute:                 The cancellation deadline is September 22.

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 email Sr. Debbie at debbiesscm@nrvc.net for an application.

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The programme was very well organized. I appreciated the schedule and the interaction from the presenters and participants. Everything was close in proximity, access to food, Mass, internet, etc.

—Sister Winfridah Chileshe, R.S.C. from Dublin, Ireland

I appreciated Sr. Debbie’s knowledge, helpfulness, insights and generosity. I feel the members of our vocation and leadership team ought to attend these workshops. 

--Sister Cheryl Wint, O.S.F. from Honolulu, Hawaii 


Original Rosica article



World Day for Consecrated Life Feb. 2

Celebrate!

Image by Vivian Imbruglia.

With the February 2 celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life, The NRVC board and staff extend warm wishes to consecrated men and women and thank the millions of lay Catholics who support and collaborate with them.

Enjoy this day, and consider sharing your thoughts on social media!

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Find further information about this day at this link. 


How the pope’s Jesuit roots affect his ministry

By Father Thomas Rosica C.S.B.

Pope Francis greets the faithful in St. Peter’s Square. His papacy reflects an Ignatian spirituality at every turn, allowing the church and the world to glimpse one tradition within the world of religious life. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Editor's note: This article has problems with attribution and has been revised. Find the revised version here.

SINCE MARCH 2013, few people in the world have not been touched or inspired by the Ignatian spirituality being offered daily by the current bishop of Rome, who happens to be a son of Ignatius. Francis is the first pope from the Society of Jesus—this religious congregation whose worldly, wise intellectuals are as famous as its missionaries and martyrs. It’s this all-encompassing personal and professional Jesuit identity and definition that the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio brought with him from Buenos Aires to Rome, and that continues to shape almost everything he does as Pope Francis. From his passion for social justice and his missionary zeal, to his focus on engaging the wider world and his preference for collaboration over immediate action without reflection, Pope Francis is a carJesuit through and through.

What kind of a Jesuit is Francis?

Jorge Mario Bergoglio had initially joined the Jesuits in the 1950s because he was attracted to its position on, to put it in military terms, the front lines of the church. But little did he know how serious the combat would become. As a Jesuit in Argentina, ordained in 1969, Bergoglio found himself in the midst of the tumult of the Argentine Dirty Wars which erupted one year later. The violence that overtook the country also threatened many priests—especially Jesuits—even as the regime co-opted much of the Argentine hierarchy. Bergoglio was made provincial superior of the Argentine Jesuits at the age of 36, thrown into a situation of internal and external chaos that would have tried even the most seasoned leaders. In a revealing interview in the fall of 2013, (published in America magazine), Francis spoke honestly about the situation that had engulfed his early priesthood: “That was crazy. I had to deal with difficult situations, and I made my decisions abruptly and by myself.” He acknowledged that his “authoritarian and quick manner of making decisions led me to have serious problems and to be accused of being ultraconservative.”

Bergoglio fully embraced the Jesuits’ radical turn to championing the poor, and although he was seen as an enemy of liberation theology by many Jesuits, others in the order were devoted to him. He turned away from devotional traditionalism, but was viewed by others as still far too orthodox. Critics labeled him a collaborator with the Argentine military junta even though biographies now clearly show that he worked carefully and clandestinely to save many lives. None of that ended the intrigue against Bergoglio within the Jesuits, and in the early 1990s, he was effectively exiled from Buenos Aires to an outlying city, “a time of great interior crisis,” as he himself described it. As a good, obedient Jesuit, Bergoglio complied with the society’s demands and sought to find God’s will in it all. His virtual estrangement from the Jesuits encouraged then-Cardinal Antonio Quarracino of Buenos Aires to appoint Bergoglio as auxiliary bishop in 1992.

In 1998, Bergoglio succeeded Quarracino as Archbishop. In 2001, John Paul II made Bergoglio a cardinal, one of only two Jesuits in the 120-member College of Cardinals. The other Jesuit cardinal was Carlo Maria Martini of Milan. Bergoglio’s rise in the hierarchy, however, only seemed to solidify suspicions about him among his Jesuit foes. During his regular visits to Rome, Bergoglio never stayed at the Jesuit Curia on Borgo Santo Spirito but rather at a guest house for priests and prelates in central Rome—a place that became famous when, as the newly minted pope, Francis would return to the Domus Paulus VI the morning after the events in the Sistine Chapel to pay his own hotel bill!

I can assure you as one who lived through the conclave experience in a very intense way, and resided at the Jesuit headquarters in Rome during the entire Papal transition, that the initial response of Jesuits to Bergoglio’s election consisted of gasps, shock, bewilderment that has since been transformed into profound gratitude, exhilaration, pride and at times, incredible joy. How many times have these two scripture passages run through my mind as I watched Pope Francis move among his Jesuit confrères in different parts of the world over the past three and a half years: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone … a marvel in our eyes,” and another exclamation from Genesis 45: “... then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Please come closer to me. And they came closer. And he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.’ ”

Today, the Holy Father is living his Jesuit vocation with a true missionary zeal, a love for community that is oriented for mission, and a discipline that does not waste anything, especially not time. To journalists aboard the return flight to Rome after his first World Youth Day in Brazil in 2013, the newly-elected Jesuit pope said: “I am a Jesuit in my spirituality, a spirituality involving the Exercises (of St. Ignatius).... And I think like a Jesuit,” he said, but smiled and quickly added, “but not in the sense of hypocrisy.” Francis’ Jesuit confrère, Father Tom Reese said it well: “He may act like a Franciscan, but he thinks like a Jesuit.” The question I want to look at is: How is Francis’ “Jesuitness” impacting his Petrine ministry and through that ministry, the entire church, including vocation directors and their religious communities?

Here are some key moments and words that reveal the infiltration of Ignatian spirituality or as one cardinal called it: the ‘“Jesuit virus” on the universal church. In October 2016 Pope Francis went with a message to the General Chapter of the Jesuits, taking place in Rome. His address was characterized by an openness to what lies ahead, a call to go further, a support for caminar, the way of journeying that allows Jesuits to go toward others and to walk with them on their journey.

 Francis began his address to his Jesuit confrères quoting St. Ignatius, reminding them that a Jesuit is called to converse and thereby to bring life to birth “in every part of the world where a greater service of God and help for souls is expected.” Precisely for this reason, the Jesuits must go forward, taking advantage of the situations in which they find themselves, always to serve more and better. This implies a way of doing things that aims for harmony in the context of tension that is normal in a world with diverse persons and missions. The pope mentioned explicitly the tensions between contemplation and action, between faith and justice, between charism and institution, between community and mission.

The Holy Father detailed three areas of the Society’s path, yet these areas are not only for his religious family, but for the universal church. The first is to “ask insistently for consolation.” It is proper to the Society of Jesus to know how to console, to bring consolation and real joy; Jesuits must put themselves at the service of joy, for the Good News cannot be announced in sadness. Then, departing from his text, he insisted that joy “must always be accompanied by humor,” and with a big smile on his face, he remarked, “as I see it, the human attitude that is closest to divine grace is a sense of humor.”

 Next, Francis invited the Society to “allow yourselves to be moved by the Lord on the cross.” The Jesuits must get close to the vast majority of men and women who suffer, and, in this context, it must offer various services of mercy in different forms. The pope underlined certain elements that he already had occasion to present throughout the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Those who have been touched by mercy must feel themselves sent to present this same mercy in an effective way.

 Finally the Holy Father invited the Society to go forward under the influence of the “good spirit.” This implies always discerning how to act in communion with the church. The Jesuits must be not “clerical” but “ecclesial.” They are “men for others” who live in the midst of all peoples, trying to touch the heart of each person, contributing in this way to establishing a church in which all have their place, in which the Gospel is inculturated, and in which each culture is evangelized.

These three key words of the pope’s address are graces for which each Jesuit and the whole Society must always ask: consolation, compassion, and discernment. But Francis has not only reminded his own religious family of these three important gifts that are at the core of Jesuit spirituality, he has also offered them to the universal church, especially through the Synods of Bishops on the Family.

Pope Francis is clearly a man of a certain temperament. Whether it is living in Santa Marta guesthouse, turning the Papal apartment of Castel Gandolfo into a museum, or traveling in simple vehicles, he knows what he wants. Beginning with his refusal to wear the red mozzetta, or cape, for his introduction to the world from St. Peter’s loggia, Francis showed he was in charge. In doing so he also showed his freedom from pressures that have made previous popes prisoners of the Vatican.

Francis manifests to the world a deep, interior, joyful freedom. What is the source of such freedom? I think it comes from Francis’ appropriation of the Ignatian value of “indifference.” This classic, philosophical term, borrowed from the Stoics, means a freedom from distracting and degrading attachments, so as to be free to do what is more conducive to the good of souls. As Pope Francis goes about his daily work, and slowly implements the reform his brother cardinals commissioned him to do, it has become clear that his aim is to make the church of Jesus Christ welcoming to all and appealing and attractive because it shows its care for all people.

Discernment

Pope Francis has also stressed that quintessential quality of Ignatius of Loyola: discernment. Discernment is a constant effort to be open to the Word of God that can illuminate the concrete reality of everyday life. It was eminently clear to me and many who took part in the recent Synods of Bishops on the Family that this Jesuit spirit of discernment was a guiding principle throughout the synodal process. One concept that re-emerged at the 2015 Synod of Bishops was the proper formation of conscience. The Synod’s apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love) states:

We have long thought that simply by stressing doctrinal, bioethical and moral issues, without encouraging openness to grace, we were providing sufficient support to families, strengthening the marriage bond and giving meaning to marital life. We find it difficult to present marriage more as a dynamic path to personal development and fulfillment than as a lifelong burden. We also find it hard to make room for the consciences of the faithful, who very often respond as best they can to the Gospel amid their limitations, and are capable of carrying out their own discernment in complex situations. We have been called to form consciences, not to replace them (37).

The church does not exist to take over people’s consciences but to stand in humility before faithful men and women who have discerned prayerfully and often painfully before God the reality of their lives and situations. Discernment and the formation of conscience can never be separated from the Gospel demands of truth and the search for charity and truth and the church’s tradition.

In keeping with his own Jesuit formation, Pope Francis is a man of discernment, and, at times, that discernment results in freeing him from the confinement of doing something in a certain way because it was ever thus. In paragraph 33 of his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (Joy of the Gospel) Francis writes:

Pastoral ministry in a missionary key seeks to abandon the complacent attitude that says: “We have always done it this way.” I invite everyone to be bold and creative in this task of rethinking the goals, structures, style and methods of evangelization in their respective communities. A proposal of goals without an adequate communal search for the means of achieving them will inevitably prove illusory.

Tantum quantum

As he pointed out to his brother Jesuits gathered in October 2016, a maxim from the Spiritual Exercises, tantum quantum, summarizes the principle for using all created things: Use them insofar as they contribute to the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Discard and reject them when they lead away from that goal. Francis has done much to further the supervision and reform of the Vatican bank, but he has also made it clear that the Holy See may not need its own bank. His basic choices follow the rule of tantum quantum. If there is a genuine apostolic purpose for running a bank, and it is run in accord with that purpose and does not distract from the church’s evangelizing mission, then it has a place. If not, then it is wholly dispensable.

The first Jesuits were “a holiness movement,” inviting everyone to lead a holy life. Francis of Assisi was committed to a literal imitation of the poor Christ. Ignatius was inspired by that poverty and originally planned that the Jesuits would follow the same route. But as the historian Father John O’Malley, S.J. has indicated, just as Ignatius learned to set aside his early austerities to make himself more approachable, he later moderated the Society’s poverty to make it possible to evangelize more people, especially through educational institutions. Even evangelical poverty was a relative value in relation to the good of souls and their progress in holiness. That same apostolic reasoning is found in Pope Francis’ instructions to priests around the world about their ministries.

An inclusive, listening church

The spirit of openness is foundational to the Jesuit way of proceeding. Jesuit parishes are known for their inclusiveness and Jesuit confessors for their understanding and compassion. At a time of religious controversy Ignatius Loyola urged retreatants to listen attentively to others, to give a positive interpretation to their statements, and when there was apparent error, to question them closely, and only when the interlocutors were steadfast in their error to regard them as heretics. At the time of the Reformation, that was a remarkable point of departure for retreatants preparing to make life decisions. Early in his pontificate, when Pope Francis made his controversial statement about even atheists having a chance to get into heaven, he was following the teaching of Vatican II, but he was also following a very Ignatian approach toward the good of souls.

In keeping with the Jesuit emphasis on attention to those in greatest need, Pope Francis has emphasized the call to justice and service  to the poor. Pictured here are youth from the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan doing home repairs for the needy.

Care of those most in need

Ignatius of Loyola’s recommended style of ministry anticipates the positive pastoral approach Pope Francis has taken to evangelization. Pope Francis’ attention to refugees, the abandoned elderly, and to unemployed youth exhibit the same concern as the first Jesuits for the lowliest and most needy people in society. Ignatius’ twin criteria for choosing a ministry were serving those in greatest need and advancing the more universal good. The Jesuit Refugee Service and creative Jesuit projects in education, like the Nativity and Cristo Rey schools, are contemporary embodiments of the same spirit of evangelical care for the neediest. These apostolates are part of the post-conciliar renewal of the Society of Jesus, but they have deep, formative roots in Jesuit history and spirituality as well. In the mind and heart of Pope Francis, even elite Jesuit institutions can combine the intellectual apostolate with service to the poor in the spirit of Ignatius.

Humility and clerical reform

Pope Francis’ humility has impressed people around the world. His style has truly become substance. It is the most radically evangelical aspect of his spiritual reform of the papacy, and he has invited all Catholics, but especially the clergy, to reject success, wealth, and power. Ignatius insisted that a Jesuit is never to have an anti-ecclesial spirit, but always be open to how the spirit of God is working. The Jesuit commitment not to seek ecclesiastical office, even in the Society, is an outgrowth of that experience. What is surprising is that Francis has so interiorized those values that without hesitation he applies it to clerical and curial reform today. He has told cardinals and priests not to behave as princes, counseled priests to abandon their expensive cars for smaller, more economical ones, and he has given them personal examples.

Humility is a central virtue in the Spiritual Exercises. One of its key meditations focuses on the “three degrees of humility.” In Ignatius’ eyes, humility is the virtue that brings us closest to Christ, and Pope Francis appears to be guiding the church and educating the clergy in that fundamental truth. Reform through spiritual renewal begins with the rejection of wealth, honors, and power, and it reaches its summit in the willingness to suffer humiliation with Christ. Humility is the most difficult part of the Ignatian papal reform, but it is essential for the church’s purification from clericalism, the source of so many ills in the contemporary church. Undoubtedly, it is here that Francis’ reform is receiving the most resistance from practitioners of the millennial-old system of clerical entitlement and a distorted ecclesiology that stems from bygone days of the church triumphant! Francis is teaching us that precisely this humility is essential to make the New Evangelization real and effective both within the church and in her encounter with the world.

Francis’ Ignatian style of leadership

Ignatius did not use the word “leadership” as we commonly do today. Someone whose style of leadership is inspired by the Ignatian tradition will particularly emphasize certain habits or priorities. One of these is the importance of formation—not just learning to do technical tasks like strategic planning but also commitment to lifelong self-development. Another Ignatian priority is deep self-awareness, of coming to know oneself, for example, as happens in the Spiritual Exercises. The Jesuits also emphasize becoming a skilled decision-maker, as happens through the discernment tools of the Exercises, and committing oneself to purposes bigger than self, to a mission of ultimate meaning. Jesuits often refer to this commitment by the expression of “magis. ” Then, too, Ignatian spirituality emphasizes a deep respect for others, “finding God in all things.”

The difference between the worldly style of leadership and that traced by Ignatius is that the Jesuit style of leadership always points to God, the ultimate source of meaning. Great Jesuit figures like Peter Faber, Francis Xavier, Matteo Ricci or Alberto Hurtado were able to accomplish their feats not simply because they had some good leadership skills but because they were inspired by love of God. I cannot tell you how many times these very ideas have surfaced in Pope Francis’ addresses to the cardinals, bishops, priests, deacons, religious, lay leaders, catechists, and young people around the world. These leadership qualities are distinctly Ignatian!

St. Ignatius once wrote that sometimes we have to go in through the other person’s door in order to come out through our own. That is a very powerful idea for us and it is completely relevant to the church in the 21st century. We live in a secularized society, and young adults in particular are showing little interest in the church. What are we going to do for young adults, our target audiences as vocation directors? We are being challenged daily to find ways to “enter the other’s door,” to offer them some of the riches of our traditions in ways that will better their lives and that might invite their deeper thought, that might draw them toward the essence of Christianity.

Contrary to some voices in the church today, we are not being called by Christ, St. John Paul II or Pope Francis to bring about a smaller church for the perfect, the holy, those who think like us. St. John Paul II did not write his final apostolic letter at the close of the Great Jubilee with the title “Stay close to the shore and don’t risk.” He filled that hopeful document with the mantra: Duc in altum, put out to the deep! Francis has said to us: “I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.” Our goal is not to form a smaller church where we all end up sitting around in small circles talking to each other and bemoaning what we have lost!

The devil

Pope Francis seems obsessed with the devil. His tweets and homilies about the devil, Satan, the Accuser, the Evil One, the Father of Lies, the Ancient Serpent, the Tempter, the Seducer, the Great Dragon, the Enemy and just plain “demon” are now legion. For Francis, the devil is not a myth, but a real person. Many modern people may greet the pope’s insistence on the devil with indifference or, at best, indulgent curiosity. Francis, however, is drawing on a fundamental insight of St. Ignatius of Loyola! In his first major address to the cardinals who elected him, the Argentine pontiff reminded them: “Let us never yield to pessimism, to that bitterness that the devil offers us every day.”

The pope has stressed that we must not be naive: “The demon is shrewd: he is never cast out forever, this will only happen on the last day.” Francis has also issued calls to arms in his homilies: “The devil also exists in the 21st century, and we need to learn from the Gospel how to battle against him.” Acknowledging the devil’s shrewdness, Francis once preached: “The devil is intelligent, he knows more theology than all the theologians together.”

In a rally with thousands of young people during his visit to Paraguay, the pope offered the job description of the devil in these words:

Friends: the devil is a con artist. He makes promise after promise, but he never delivers. He’ll never really do anything he says. He doesn’t make good on his promises. He makes you want things which he can’t give, whether you get them or not. He makes you put your hopes in things which will never make you happy.... He is a con artist because he tells us that we have to abandon our friends, and never to stand by anyone. Everything is based on appearances. He makes you think that your worth depends on how much you possess.

In all these references to the devil and his many disguises, Pope Francis wishes to call everyone back to reality. The devil is frequently active in our lives and in the church, drawing us into negativity, cynicism, despair, meanness of spirit, sadness, and nostalgia. We must react to the devil, Francis says, as did Jesus, who replied with the Word of God. The temptations Francis speaks about so often are the realistic flip side to the heart of the Argentine Jesuit pope’s message about the world that is charged with the grandeur, mercy, presence, and fidelity of God. Those powers are far greater than the devil’s antics.

The field hospital

There is also another image from Pope Francis that has captivated the minds and hearts of millions: the powerful image of the “field hospital” which he uses often and is drawn from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. When Francis speaks of the church as a “field hospital after a battle” he appeals to the Jesuit founder’s understanding of the role of the church in light of God’s gaze upon the world: “So many people ask us to be close; they ask us for what they were asking of Jesus: closeness, nearness.” In his 2013 interview, published in America magazine, he said:

The thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the church as a field hospital after battle. It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood sugars! You have to heal his wounds. Then we can talk about everything else. Heal the wounds, heal the wounds.... And you have to start from the ground up.

A field hospital image is contrary to an image of a fortress under siege. From the image of the church as a field hospital we can derive an understanding of the church’s mission as both healing and salvific.

What a Jesuit pope means for the church

We’ve looked at some critical Ignatian principles, styles, concepts, and images that make Pope Francis who he is. Let us now turn to how some of his deeply Jesuit approaches might affect the church. The whole concept of setting up committees, consulting widely, and convening smart people around you is how Jesuit superiors usually function. They do these things, then they make the decision. This sort of discernment—listening to all and contemplating everything before acting—is a cardinal virtue of the Ignatian spirituality that is at the core of Francis’ being and his commitment to a conversion of the papacy as well as the entire church.

It’s hard to predict what will come next. Francis is shrewd, and he has repeatedly praised the Jesuit trait of “holy cunning”—that Christians should be “wise as serpents but innocent as doves,” as Jesus put it. However, the pope’s openness also means that not even he is sure where the Spirit will lead. He has said: “I don’t have all the answers. I don’t even have all the questions. I always think of new questions, and there are always new questions coming forward.”

Pope Francis breaks Catholic traditions whenever he wants, because he is “free from disordered attachments.” Our church has indeed entered a new phase: with the advent of this first Jesuit pope, it is openly ruled by an individual rather than by the authority of Scripture alone or even its own dictates of tradition plus Scripture. Pope Francis has brought to the Petrine office a Jesuit intellectualism. By choosing the name Francis, he is also affirming the power of humility and simplicity. Pope Francis, the Argentine Jesuit, is not simply attesting to the complementarity of the Ignatian and Franciscan paths. He is pointing each day to how the mind and heart meet in the love of God and the love of neighbor. And most of all he reminds us each day how much we need Jesus, and how much we need one another along the journey.

 

Father Thomas Rosica, C.S.B. is a priest of the Congregation of St. Basil. After working in campus ministry and overseeing the 2002 World Youth Day in Toronto, in 2003 he became the founding chief executive officer of Salt + Light Catholic Media Foundation, based in Toronto. He also serves as the English language attaché to the Holy See Press Office and as  procurator general of his congregation. This article is a condensed version of his presentation to the 2016 convocation of the National Religious Vocation Conference.

RELATED HORIZON ARTICLES

Spring 2015 HORIZON. Theme: Pope Francis and vocations.


How the pope’s Jesuit roots affect his ministry

By Father Thomas Rosica C.S.B.

Pope Francis greets the faithful in St. Peter’s Square. His papacy reflects an Ignatian spirituality at every turn, allowing the church and the world to glimpse one tradition within the world of religious life. 

 

 

 

 

Editor's note:  We have been notified about errors in this article and are are investigating so that we can rectify problems in accord with the highest standards in publishing. Please check back later for more information.

SINCE MARCH 2013, few people in the world have not been touched or inspired by the Ignatian spirituality being offered daily by the current bishop of Rome, who happens to be a son of Ignatius. Francis is the first pope from the Society of Jesus—this religious congregation whose worldly, wise intellectuals are as famous as its missionaries and martyrs. It’s this all-encompassing personal and professional Jesuit identity and definition that the former Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio brought with him from Buenos Aires to Rome, and that continues to shape almost everything he does as Pope Francis. From his passion for social justice and his missionary zeal, to his focus on engaging the wider world and his preference for collaboration over immediate action without reflection, Pope Francis is a carJesuit through and through.

What kind of a Jesuit is Francis?

Jorge Mario Bergoglio had initially joined the Jesuits in the 1950s because he was attracted to its position on, to put it in military terms, the front lines of the church. But little did he know how serious the combat would become. As a Jesuit in Argentina, ordained in 1969, Bergoglio found himself in the midst of the tumult of the Argentine Dirty Wars which erupted one year later. The violence that overtook the country also threatened many priests—especially Jesuits—even as the regime co-opted much of the Argentine hierarchy. Bergoglio was made provincial superior of the Argentine Jesuits at the age of 36, thrown into a situation of internal and external chaos that would have tried even the most seasoned leaders. In a revealing interview in the fall of 2013, (published in America magazine), Francis spoke honestly about the situation that had engulfed his early priesthood: “That was crazy. I had to deal with difficult situations, and I made my decisions abruptly and by myself.” He acknowledged that his “authoritarian and quick manner of making decisions led me to have serious problems and to be accused of being ultraconservative.”

Bergoglio fully embraced the Jesuits’ radical turn to championing the poor, and although he was seen as an enemy of liberation theology by many Jesuits, others in the order were devoted to him. He turned away from devotional traditionalism, but was viewed by others as still far too orthodox. Critics labeled him a collaborator with the Argentine military junta even though biographies now clearly show that he worked carefully and clandestinely to save many lives. None of that ended the intrigue against Bergoglio within the Jesuits, and in the early 1990s, he was effectively exiled from Buenos Aires to an outlying city, “a time of great interior crisis,” as he himself described it. As a good, obedient Jesuit, Bergoglio complied with the society’s demands and sought to find God’s will in it all. His virtual estrangement from the Jesuits encouraged then-Cardinal Antonio Quarracino of Buenos Aires to appoint Bergoglio as auxiliary bishop in 1992.

In 1998, Bergoglio succeeded Quarracino as Archbishop. In 2001, John Paul II made Bergoglio a cardinal, one of only two Jesuits in the 120-member College of Cardinals. The other Jesuit cardinal was Carlo Maria Martini of Milan. Bergoglio’s rise in the hierarchy, however, only seemed to solidify suspicions about him among his Jesuit foes. During his regular visits to Rome, Bergoglio never stayed at the Jesuit Curia on Borgo Santo Spirito but rather at a guest house for priests and prelates in central Rome—a place that became famous when, as the newly minted pope, Francis would return to the Domus Paulus VI the morning after the events in the Sistine Chapel to pay his own hotel bill!

I can assure you as one who lived through the conclave experience in a very intense way, and resided at the Jesuit headquarters in Rome during the entire Papal transition, that the initial response of Jesuits to Bergoglio’s election consisted of gasps, shock, bewilderment that has since been transformed into profound gratitude, exhilaration, pride and at times, incredible joy. How many times have these two scripture passages run through my mind as I watched Pope Francis move among his Jesuit confrères in different parts of the world over the past three and a half years: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the corner stone … a marvel in our eyes,” and another exclamation from Genesis 45: “... then Joseph said to his brothers, ‘Please come closer to me. And they came closer. And he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. Now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.’ ”

Today, the Holy Father is living his Jesuit vocation with a true missionary zeal, a love for community that is oriented for mission, and a discipline that does not waste anything, especially not time. To journalists aboard the return flight to Rome after his first World Youth Day in Brazil in 2013, the newly-elected Jesuit pope said: “I am a Jesuit in my spirituality, a spirituality involving the Exercises (of St. Ignatius).... And I think like a Jesuit,” he said, but smiled and quickly added, “but not in the sense of hypocrisy.” Francis’ Jesuit confrère, Father Tom Reese said it well: “He may act like a Franciscan, but he thinks like a Jesuit.” The question I want to look at is: How is Francis’ “Jesuitness” impacting his Petrine ministry and through that ministry, the entire church, including vocation directors and their religious communities?

Here are some key moments and words that reveal the infiltration of Ignatian spirituality or as one cardinal called it: the ‘“Jesuit virus” on the universal church. In October 2016 Pope Francis went with a message to the General Chapter of the Jesuits, taking place in Rome. His address was characterized by an openness to what lies ahead, a call to go further, a support for caminar, the way of journeying that allows Jesuits to go toward others and to walk with them on their journey.

 Francis began his address to his Jesuit confrères quoting St. Ignatius, reminding them that a Jesuit is called to converse and thereby to bring life to birth “in every part of the world where a greater service of God and help for souls is expected.” Precisely for this reason, the Jesuits must go forward, taking advantage of the situations in which they find themselves, always to serve more and better. This implies a way of doing things that aims for harmony in the context of tension that is normal in a world with diverse persons and missions. The pope mentioned explicitly the tensions between contemplation and action, between faith and justice, between charism and institution, between community and mission.

The Holy Father detailed three areas of the Society’s path, yet these areas are not only for his religious family, but for the universal church. The first is to “ask insistently for consolation.” It is proper to the Society of Jesus to know how to console, to bring consolation and real joy; Jesuits must put themselves at the service of joy, for the Good News cannot be announced in sadness. Then, departing from his text, he insisted that joy “must always be accompanied by humor,” and with a big smile on his face, he remarked, “as I see it, the human attitude that is closest to divine grace is a sense of humor.”

 Next, Francis invited the Society to “allow yourselves to be moved by the Lord on the cross.” The Jesuits must get close to the vast majority of men and women who suffer, and, in this context, it must offer various services of mercy in different forms. The pope underlined certain elements that he already had occasion to present throughout the Jubilee Year of Mercy. Those who have been touched by mercy must feel themselves sent to present this same mercy in an effective way.

 Finally the Holy Father invited the Society to go forward under the influence of the “good spirit.” This implies always discerning how to act in communion with the church. The Jesuits must be not “clerical” but “ecclesial.” They are “men for others” who live in the midst of all peoples, trying to touch the heart of each person, contributing in this way to establishing a church in which all have their place, in which the Gospel is inculturated, and in which each culture is evangelized.

These three key words of the pope’s address are graces for which each Jesuit and the whole Society must always ask: consolation, compassion, and discernment. But Francis has not only reminded his own religious family of these three important gifts that are at the core of Jesuit spirituality, he has also offered them to the universal church, especially through the Synods of Bishops on the Family.

Pope Francis is clearly a man of a certain temperament. Whether it is living in Santa Marta guesthouse, turning the Papal apartment of Castel Gandolfo into a museum, or traveling in simple vehicles, he knows what he wants. Beginning with his refusal to wear the red mozzetta, or cape, for his introduction to the world from St. Peter’s loggia, Francis showed he was in charge. In doing so he also showed his freedom from pressures that have made previous popes prisoners of the Vatican.

Francis manifests to the world a deep, interior, joyful freedom. What is the source of such freedom? I think it comes from Francis’ appropriation of the Ignatian value of “indifference.” This classic, philosophical term, borrowed from the Stoics, means a freedom from distracting and degrading attachments, so as to be free to do what is more conducive to the good of souls. As Pope Francis goes about his daily work, and slowly implements the reform his brother cardinals commissioned him to do, it has become clear that his aim is to make the church of Jesus Christ welcoming to all and appealing and attractive because it shows its care for all people.

Discernment

Pope Francis has also stressed that quintessential quality of Ignatius of Loyola: discernment. Discernment is a constant effort to be open to the Word of God that can illuminate the concrete reality of everyday life. It was eminently clear to me and many who took part in the recent Synods of Bishops on the Family that this Jesuit spirit of discernment was a guiding principle throughout the synodal process. One concept that re-emerged at the 2015 Synod of Bishops was the proper formation of conscience. The Synod’s apostolic exhortation, Amoris Laetitia (The Joy of Love) states:

We have long thought that simply by stressing doctrinal, bioethical and moral issues, without encouraging openness to grace, we were providing sufficient support to families, strengthening the marriage bond and giving meaning to marital life. We find it difficult to present marriage more as a dynamic path to personal development and fulfillment than as a lifelong burden. We also find it hard to make room for the consciences of the faithful, who very often respond as best they can to the Gospel amid their limitations, and are capable of carrying out their own discernment in complex situations. We have been called to form consciences, not to replace them (37).

The church does not exist to take over people’s consciences but to stand in humility before faithful men and women who have discerned prayerfully and often painfully before God the reality of their lives and situations. Discernment and the formation of conscience can never be separated from the Gospel demands of truth and the search for charity and truth and the church’s tradition.

In keeping with his own Jesuit formation, Pope Francis is a man of discernment, and, at times, that discernment results in freeing him from the confinement of doing something in a certain way because it was ever thus. In paragraph 33 of his apostolic exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (Joy of the Gospel) Francis writes:

Pastoral ministry in a missionary key seeks to abandon the complacent attitude that says: “We have always done it this way.” I invite everyone to be bold and creative in this task of rethinking the goals, structures, style and methods of evangelization in their respective communities. A proposal of goals without an adequate communal search for the means of achieving them will inevitably prove illusory.

Tantum quantum

As he pointed out to his brother Jesuits gathered in October 2016, a maxim from the Spiritual Exercises, tantum quantum, summarizes the principle for using all created things: Use them insofar as they contribute to the glory of God and the salvation of souls. Discard and reject them when they lead away from that goal. Francis has done much to further the supervision and reform of the Vatican bank, but he has also made it clear that the Holy See may not need its own bank. His basic choices follow the rule of tantum quantum. If there is a genuine apostolic purpose for running a bank, and it is run in accord with that purpose and does not distract from the church’s evangelizing mission, then it has a place. If not, then it is wholly dispensable.

The first Jesuits were “a holiness movement,” inviting everyone to lead a holy life. Francis of Assisi was committed to a literal imitation of the poor Christ. Ignatius was inspired by that poverty and originally planned that the Jesuits would follow the same route. But as the historian Father John O’Malley, S.J. has indicated, just as Ignatius learned to set aside his early austerities to make himself more approachable, he later moderated the Society’s poverty to make it possible to evangelize more people, especially through educational institutions. Even evangelical poverty was a relative value in relation to the good of souls and their progress in holiness. That same apostolic reasoning is found in Pope Francis’ instructions to priests around the world about their ministries.

An inclusive, listening church

The spirit of openness is foundational to the Jesuit way of proceeding. Jesuit parishes are known for their inclusiveness and Jesuit confessors for their understanding and compassion. At a time of religious controversy Ignatius Loyola urged retreatants to listen attentively to others, to give a positive interpretation to their statements, and when there was apparent error, to question them closely, and only when the interlocutors were steadfast in their error to regard them as heretics. At the time of the Reformation, that was a remarkable point of departure for retreatants preparing to make life decisions. Early in his pontificate, when Pope Francis made his controversial statement about even atheists having a chance to get into heaven, he was following the teaching of Vatican II, but he was also following a very Ignatian approach toward the good of souls.

In keeping with the Jesuit emphasis on attention to those in greatest need, Pope Francis has emphasized the call to justice and service  to the poor. Pictured here are youth from the Diocese of Saginaw, Michigan doing home repairs for the needy.

Care of those most in need

Ignatius of Loyola’s recommended style of ministry anticipates the positive pastoral approach Pope Francis has taken to evangelization. Pope Francis’ attention to refugees, the abandoned elderly, and to unemployed youth exhibit the same concern as the first Jesuits for the lowliest and most needy people in society. Ignatius’ twin criteria for choosing a ministry were serving those in greatest need and advancing the more universal good. The Jesuit Refugee Service and creative Jesuit projects in education, like the Nativity and Cristo Rey schools, are contemporary embodiments of the same spirit of evangelical care for the neediest. These apostolates are part of the post-conciliar renewal of the Society of Jesus, but they have deep, formative roots in Jesuit history and spirituality as well. In the mind and heart of Pope Francis, even elite Jesuit institutions can combine the intellectual apostolate with service to the poor in the spirit of Ignatius.

Humility and clerical reform

Pope Francis’ humility has impressed people around the world. His style has truly become substance. It is the most radically evangelical aspect of his spiritual reform of the papacy, and he has invited all Catholics, but especially the clergy, to reject success, wealth, and power. Ignatius insisted that a Jesuit is never to have an anti-ecclesial spirit, but always be open to how the spirit of God is working. The Jesuit commitment not to seek ecclesiastical office, even in the Society, is an outgrowth of that experience. What is surprising is that Francis has so interiorized those values that without hesitation he applies it to clerical and curial reform today. He has told cardinals and priests not to behave as princes, counseled priests to abandon their expensive cars for smaller, more economical ones, and he has given them personal examples.

Humility is a central virtue in the Spiritual Exercises. One of its key meditations focuses on the “three degrees of humility.” In Ignatius’ eyes, humility is the virtue that brings us closest to Christ, and Pope Francis appears to be guiding the church and educating the clergy in that fundamental truth. Reform through spiritual renewal begins with the rejection of wealth, honors, and power, and it reaches its summit in the willingness to suffer humiliation with Christ. Humility is the most difficult part of the Ignatian papal reform, but it is essential for the church’s purification from clericalism, the source of so many ills in the contemporary church. Undoubtedly, it is here that Francis’ reform is receiving the most resistance from practitioners of the millennial-old system of clerical entitlement and a distorted ecclesiology that stems from bygone days of the church triumphant! Francis is teaching us that precisely this humility is essential to make the New Evangelization real and effective both within the church and in her encounter with the world.

Francis’ Ignatian style of leadership

Ignatius did not use the word “leadership” as we commonly do today. Someone whose style of leadership is inspired by the Ignatian tradition will particularly emphasize certain habits or priorities. One of these is the importance of formation—not just learning to do technical tasks like strategic planning but also commitment to lifelong self-development. Another Ignatian priority is deep self-awareness, of coming to know oneself, for example, as happens in the Spiritual Exercises. The Jesuits also emphasize becoming a skilled decision-maker, as happens through the discernment tools of the Exercises, and committing oneself to purposes bigger than self, to a mission of ultimate meaning. Jesuits often refer to this commitment by the expression of “magis. ” Then, too, Ignatian spirituality emphasizes a deep respect for others, “finding God in all things.”

The difference between the worldly style of leadership and that traced by Ignatius is that the Jesuit style of leadership always points to God, the ultimate source of meaning. Great Jesuit figures like Peter Faber, Francis Xavier, Matteo Ricci or Alberto Hurtado were able to accomplish their feats not simply because they had some good leadership skills but because they were inspired by love of God. I cannot tell you how many times these very ideas have surfaced in Pope Francis’ addresses to the cardinals, bishops, priests, deacons, religious, lay leaders, catechists, and young people around the world. These leadership qualities are distinctly Ignatian!

St. Ignatius once wrote that sometimes we have to go in through the other person’s door in order to come out through our own. That is a very powerful idea for us and it is completely relevant to the church in the 21st century. We live in a secularized society, and young adults in particular are showing little interest in the church. What are we going to do for young adults, our target audiences as vocation directors? We are being challenged daily to find ways to “enter the other’s door,” to offer them some of the riches of our traditions in ways that will better their lives and that might invite their deeper thought, that might draw them toward the essence of Christianity.

Contrary to some voices in the church today, we are not being called by Christ, St. John Paul II or Pope Francis to bring about a smaller church for the perfect, the holy, those who think like us. St. John Paul II did not write his final apostolic letter at the close of the Great Jubilee with the title “Stay close to the shore and don’t risk.” He filled that hopeful document with the mantra: Duc in altum, put out to the deep! Francis has said to us: “I prefer a church which is bruised, hurting and dirty because it has been out on the streets, rather than a church which is unhealthy from being confined and from clinging to its own security.” Our goal is not to form a smaller church where we all end up sitting around in small circles talking to each other and bemoaning what we have lost!

The devil

Pope Francis seems obsessed with the devil. His tweets and homilies about the devil, Satan, the Accuser, the Evil One, the Father of Lies, the Ancient Serpent, the Tempter, the Seducer, the Great Dragon, the Enemy and just plain “demon” are now legion. For Francis, the devil is not a myth, but a real person. Many modern people may greet the pope’s insistence on the devil with indifference or, at best, indulgent curiosity. Francis, however, is drawing on a fundamental insight of St. Ignatius of Loyola! In his first major address to the cardinals who elected him, the Argentine pontiff reminded them: “Let us never yield to pessimism, to that bitterness that the devil offers us every day.”

The pope has stressed that we must not be naive: “The demon is shrewd: he is never cast out forever, this will only happen on the last day.” Francis has also issued calls to arms in his homilies: “The devil also exists in the 21st century, and we need to learn from the Gospel how to battle against him.” Acknowledging the devil’s shrewdness, Francis once preached: “The devil is intelligent, he knows more theology than all the theologians together.”

In a rally with thousands of young people during his visit to Paraguay, the pope offered the job description of the devil in these words:

Friends: the devil is a con artist. He makes promise after promise, but he never delivers. He’ll never really do anything he says. He doesn’t make good on his promises. He makes you want things which he can’t give, whether you get them or not. He makes you put your hopes in things which will never make you happy.... He is a con artist because he tells us that we have to abandon our friends, and never to stand by anyone. Everything is based on appearances. He makes you think that your worth depends on how much you possess.

In all these references to the devil and his many disguises, Pope Francis wishes to call everyone back to reality. The devil is frequently active in our lives and in the church, drawing us into negativity, cynicism, despair, meanness of spirit, sadness, and nostalgia. We must react to the devil, Francis says, as did Jesus, who replied with the Word of God. The temptations Francis speaks about so often are the realistic flip side to the heart of the Argentine Jesuit pope’s message about the world that is charged with the grandeur, mercy, presence, and fidelity of God. Those powers are far greater than the devil’s antics.

The field hospital

There is also another image from Pope Francis that has captivated the minds and hearts of millions: the powerful image of the “field hospital” which he uses often and is drawn from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola. When Francis speaks of the church as a “field hospital after a battle” he appeals to the Jesuit founder’s understanding of the role of the church in light of God’s gaze upon the world: “So many people ask us to be close; they ask us for what they were asking of Jesus: closeness, nearness.” In his 2013 interview, published in America magazine, he said:

The thing the church needs most today is the ability to heal wounds and to warm the hearts of the faithful; it needs nearness, proximity. I see the church as a field hospital after battle. It is useless to ask a seriously injured person if he has high cholesterol and about the level of his blood sugars! You have to heal his wounds. Then we can talk about everything else. Heal the wounds, heal the wounds.... And you have to start from the ground up.

A field hospital image is contrary to an image of a fortress under siege. From the image of the church as a field hospital we can derive an understanding of the church’s mission as both healing and salvific.

What a Jesuit pope means for the church

We’ve looked at some critical Ignatian principles, styles, concepts, and images that make Pope Francis who he is. Let us now turn to how some of his deeply Jesuit approaches might affect the church. The whole concept of setting up committees, consulting widely, and convening smart people around you is how Jesuit superiors usually function. They do these things, then they make the decision. This sort of discernment—listening to all and contemplating everything before acting—is a cardinal virtue of the Ignatian spirituality that is at the core of Francis’ being and his commitment to a conversion of the papacy as well as the entire church.

It’s hard to predict what will come next. Francis is shrewd, and he has repeatedly praised the Jesuit trait of “holy cunning”—that Christians should be “wise as serpents but innocent as doves,” as Jesus put it. However, the pope’s openness also means that not even he is sure where the Spirit will lead. He has said: “I don’t have all the answers. I don’t even have all the questions. I always think of new questions, and there are always new questions coming forward.”

Pope Francis breaks Catholic traditions whenever he wants, because he is “free from disordered attachments.” Our church has indeed entered a new phase: with the advent of this first Jesuit pope, it is openly ruled by an individual rather than by the authority of Scripture alone or even its own dictates of tradition plus Scripture. Pope Francis has brought to the Petrine office a Jesuit intellectualism. By choosing the name Francis, he is also affirming the power of humility and simplicity. Pope Francis, the Argentine Jesuit, is not simply attesting to the complementarity of the Ignatian and Franciscan paths. He is pointing each day to how the mind and heart meet in the love of God and the love of neighbor. And most of all he reminds us each day how much we need Jesus, and how much we need one another along the journey.

 

Father Thomas Rosica, C.S.B. is a priest of the Congregation of St. Basil. After working in campus ministry and overseeing the 2002 World Youth Day in Toronto, in 2003 he became the founding chief executive officer of Salt + Light Catholic Media Foundation, based in Toronto. He also serves as the English language attaché to the Holy See Press Office and as  procurator general of his congregation. This article is a condensed version of his presentation to the 2016 convocation of the National Religious Vocation Conference.

RELATED HORIZON ARTICLES

Spring 2015 HORIZON. Theme: Pope Francis and vocations.


Resource of the month

"Listening to the call" prayer cards

This attractive postcard-size prayer card can complement the vocation promotion resources given at events. It also makes a perfect gift enclosure for building relationships with catechists and directors of religious education. The front of the card has space to place contact information for your community. This resource was designed by the NRVC Black Religious Committee.

Available in packs of 100. $5 a pack for members; $8 non-members.


Documents/resources/tips


Resource of the Month

"I hope you come to find" prayer card


SEDIAL EIUSMOD TEMPOR

By Sister Deborah M. Borneman SS.C.M., Director of Mission Integration

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisici elit, sed eiusmod tempor incidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Idque Caesaris facere voluntate liceret: sese habere. Magna pars studiorum, prodita quaerimus. Magna pars studiorum, prodita quaerimus. Fabio vel iudice vincam, sunt in culpa qui officia. Vivamus sagittis lacus vel augue laoreet rutrum faucibus.

Nihilne te nocturnum praesidium Palati, nihil urbis vigiliae. Non equidem invideo, miror magis posuere velit aliquet. Qui ipsorum lingua Celtae, nostra Galli appellantur. Prima luce, cum quibus mons aliud consensu ab eo. Petierunt uti sibi concilium totius Galliae in diem certam indicere.

Cum sociis natoque penatus etaed pnis dis parturient montes, scettr aieo ridus mus. Etiam portaem mleyo.

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisici elit, sed eiusmod tempor incidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Idque Caesaris facere voluntate liceret: sese habere. Magna pars studiorum, prodita quaerimus. Magna pars studiorum, prodita quaerimus. Fabio vel iudice vincam, sunt in culpa qui officia. Vivamus sagittis lacus vel augue laoreet rutrum faucibus.

Nihilne te nocturnum praesidium Palati, nihil urbis vigiliae. Non equidem invideo, miror magis posuere velit aliquet. Qui ipsorum lingua Celtae, nostra Galli appellantur. Prima luce, cum quibus mons aliud consensu ab eo. Petierunt uti sibi concilium totius Galliae in diem certam indicere.

Nihilne te nocturnum praesidium Palati, nihil urbis vigiliae. Non equidem invideo, miror magis posuere velit aliquet. Qui ipsorum lingua Celtae, nostra Galli appellantur. Prima luce, cum quibus mons aliud consensu ab eo. Petierunt uti sibi concilium totius Galliae in diem certam indicere. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisici elit, sed eiusmod tempor incidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Idque Caesaris facere voluntate liceret: sese habere. Magna pars studiorum, prodita quaerimus. Magna pars studiorum, prodita quaerimus. Fabio vel iudice vincam, sunt in culpa qui officia. Vivamus sagittis lacus vel augue laoreet rutrum faucibus.


Contemplation/ monastic / cloistered


Original Rosica article


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The Roots of Racism Workshop, Feb. 18-21, 2018

Implications for Candidate Assessment and Integration into Vowed Communal Life

Workshop Description

In this challenging time of political polarization, racially charged rhetoric, and shocking violence, the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) invites you to gather in San Antonio, Texas, for contemplative dialogue and discernment on how these signs of the times impact vocation ministry. How are we, as leaders, called to an even deeper conversion, reconciliation, and transformation? The Mexican American Catholic College (MACC) will provide a welcoming, safe space to engage in the often difficult conversations about race and racism.  Dr. Arturo Chavez and Dr. John Chitakure will guide participants to examine beliefs and mindsets about race.  Engaging presentations will help build a common language and historical analysis of race as a social construction.  Prayer, reflection, and rituals will guide our planning for communal action and systemic change.

Schedule

For residents, this workshop begins at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday, February 18 with an evening social, supper and night prayer. For commuters, it begins at 8:30 a.m. on February 19th. Please note this workshop ends at 4:30 p.m. on Monday and Tuesday, and at noon on Wednesday, February 21. Mass is available each day. Overnight accommodations are contracted for 3 nights with arrivals on February 18 after 3 p.m. and check out at noon on February 21.

Fees

Workshop fees include materials, speaker, lunch and facility fees:

Commuter   (for commuters, fees do not include breakfast, welcome reception, supper or evening socials)     
$200 – NRVC member                   
$300—Non NRVC Member

Resident (includes private room with shared bath; breakfast, lunch and supper, welcome reception and evening socials)

$545—NRVC member                   
$645—Non NRVC Member

Presenters

A. Chavez
Dr. Arturo Chávez

Dr. Arturo Chávez is the President of the Mexican American Catholic College.  He holds a Ph.D. in Religious and Theological Studies, from the University of Denver and the Iliff School of Theology, with a focus on the relationship between religion and social change.

 

J. Chitakure
Dr. John Chitakure

Dr. John Chitakure serves as an Associate Professor of Pastoral Theology at the Mexican American Catholic College. He holds a D.Min. from the Catholic Theological Union, Chicago. He is the author of The Pursuit of the Sacred (2016), Shona Women in Zimbabwe—A Purchased People? (2016), and African Traditional Religion Encounters Christianity: The Resilience of a Demonized Religion (2017).

 

Register now.


Executive director candidates being sought

Submit your suggestion by Dec. 12

NRVC members are encouraged to to name possible candidates for the position of executive director up until December 12. Find the form for making a nomination here.


Follow the NRVC convocation

On social media

Take part virtually in the NRVC convocation. Photo by Nordwood Themes, Unsplash.

Convocation attendees and non-attendees alike can engage virtually with the November 1-5 NRVC convocation in Buffalo, New York virtually by following NRVC on Twitter (@NatRelVocConf)  and Facebook, and by taking part in the listening session with young adults on November 3 at 3 p.m..

To be part of the livestreamed young adult listening session, go to nrvc.net at 3 p.m. on Saturday, November 3 and find the link on the homepage—or copy and save this link to use that day.

In addition to the interaction online, NRVC will be publishing a selection of the presentations in the Winter HORIZON edition, which will mail February 1 and be available online in late January. 

Nearly 300 sisters, brothers, priests and lay ministers are gathering for the convocation. Nineteen exhibitors are present. NRVC will celebrate its 30th anniversary by acknowledging some of its founding members in attendance. They include Sisters Lucille Flores, S.S.M.; Suzanne Marie Kush, C.S.S.F.; Marie Francis Lomeo, R.G.S.; Juliana Miska, S.C.C.; Josefina Ramac, S.P.; Concetta DeFelice, O.S.F. and Pat Dowling, C.B.S. as well as Brother Bill Boslett, O.S.F.


2018 World Day of Prayer for Vocations, April 22

Resources and link to Pope's message

Vocaiton Prayer Card
                        NRVC 2019 Vocation Prayer Card. Order your copies now in the NRVC store.

The purpose of the World Day of Prayer for Vocations is to publicly celebrate encourage vocations to ordained ministry and religious life in all its forms.  Many parishes and religious institutes commemorate this day with prayer for vocations and vocation promotion events.

Considering that 73 percent of women and men professing final vows participated in one or more parish activities and 88 percent served in one or more parish ministries before entering religious life, our presence and participation in activities that mark this special day is essential. 

Ask parishes for opportunities to speak, pray, provide bulletin inserts, prayer cards, and conversation before and after Masses, in religious education programs, RCIA and confirmation formation classes on this day. 

Prayer for World Day of Prayer for Vocations

Holy Spirit,  stir within us the passion to promote vocations to the consecrated life, societies of apostolic life, diocesan priesthood, and permanent diaconate. Inspire us daily to respond to Your call with boundless compassion, abundant generosity, and radical availability.

Help us to remember our own Baptismal call to rouse us to invite the next generation to hear and respond to Your call.

Inspire parents, families, and lay ecclesial ministers to begin a conversation with young Catholics to consider a how they will live lives of holiness and sacred service.

Nudge inquirers and motivate discerners to learn more about monastic life, apostolic life, missionaries, cloistered contemplative life, and evangelical Franciscan life.

Ignite our Church with the confident humility that there is an urgent need for religious sisters, brothers, deacons, and priests to live in solidarity with those who are poor, neglected, and marginalized.

Disrupt our comfortable lives and complacent attitudes with new ideas to respond courageously and creativity with a daily 'YES!'  Amen.

 

Additional vocation prayers.

Resources offered by the USCCB.

World Day of Prayer for Vocations Doodle

Vocation Prayer DoodleNRVC member, Sister Chela Gonzalez, O.P. was inspired to create two doodles for World Day of Prayer for Vocations. These coloring pages can be used with all ages who want to pray through art. Sr. Chela used the rosary as the core focus of her design, using any Mystery of the Rosary. The lower left swirl is for the Apostles Creed while the lower right swirl is for the Hail, Holy Queen. Each of the diamonds (two at the top and three at the bottom) are for the Lord’s Prayer, while each row of circles represents five Hail Mary prayers. The Glory Be prayer is prayed after praying ten Hail Mary prayers, and the artist can color in the design around the circles. This design is meant to intentionally bring one into prayer while coloring. The person can prayerfully name those who are discerning vocations, those who have already committed to single, ordained or vowed life, as well as asking for direction to answer God’s continuous call to holiness. Click here for a doodle with the April 22 date and here without the date.

Papal Messages for World Day of Prayer for Vocations

2018 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message

2017 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

2016 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal messsage.

2015 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

2014 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

2013 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

2012 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

2011 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

2010 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

2009 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

2008 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

2007 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

2006 World Day of Prayer for Vocations Papal message.

 

Mark your calendar, World Day of Prayer for Vocations, will be celebrated May 12, 2019.


Privacy Statement and Cookies Policy

privacy policy graphic

 

National Religious Vocation Conference
Privacy Statement and Cookies Policy

 

NRVC is committed to protecting your privacy. The Privacy Statement and Cookies Policy outlined below provides you with information concerning our practices and procedures related to how we collect data and manage and protect your personal information.

Contact

If you have any questions or concerns regarding our Privacy Statement or Cookies Policy or they way we process your personal information, please contact:

The National Religious Vocation Conference
5401 South Cornell, Suite 207
Chicago, IL  60615
Email: compliance@nrvc.net
Telephone:  773-595-4034

 

How do we collect personal information?

We collect information directly from you. Personal information is collected using various means and methods. You will be asked to provide information when donating, becoming a member, purchasing resources, signing up for a workshop, and/or requesting information or updates through our website, e-mail, direct mail, or telephone communications. We do not collect any personal information about you via our website unless you specifically choose to provide the information. 

We may supplement the information you provide us with data that is available to the public. Additional data may be gathered so that we can better understand your needs and serve you better. For example we gather additional data on members, such as their religious institute’s social media contacts and main (governance) address, and special feast days.    

We use authentication cookies for the purpose of maintaining continuity during a user session and are used only for the duration of the session.  No personal data is being gathered nor will these authentication cookies track any other Internet activity.  

 

What information do we collect?

Personal information collected may include, but is not limited to, your name, postal address, zip code, email address, telephone number, credit card number, and expiration date. We ask for information that is related specifically to your needs as a donor, member, subscriber, site visitor, or buyer of resources.   

 

If you use a credit card to sign up for membership or subscriptions, purchase resources, or donate to NRVC, credit card details are processed securely, using SSL standard encryption to our payment processing partners as part of the payment process.  We follow all payment card industry security standards and do not store any details on our website or databases.  

 
In some cases we request and collect additional sensitive or personal data but only if there is a clear reason for doing so, such as if the information is needed to ensure that we provide appropriate facilities or support to enable you to participate in one of our events. NRVC retains no permanent record of this sensitive and personal data.

 

How do we use your information?

We use the information you provide in a number of ways including:

  • Provide you with information, products, or services which you have requested from us as well as those we may feel may be of interest to you as it relates to vocation ministry.
  • Provide you with information about the work being done in the field of vocation ministry.
  • Process donations and fees.
  • For administrative purposes, such as contacting you in regard to an upcoming event, respond to a query, or notify you of NRVC policy or administrative changes.
  • To invite you to participate in surveys or research.
  • To analyze and improve the content and operation of our website and organization.

Like most websites, NRVC uses Google Analytics (GA) to track user interaction.  We use this data to gather data which will help us improve user experience and our website.  Google Analytics does not grant us access to any information which personally identifies you.

 

Am I required to provide certain information?

The information we request of members/subscribers is for the purpose of providing the best benefits and services possible.

Members/Subscribers:  Failure to provide an email address or postal address simply means that some benefits may not be realized. We respect your right not to provide certain information.

Donors:  Donors have the right to make donations anonymously. Failure to provide a postal or email address merely means we cannot thank you or keep you aware of our ongoing work.

 

Do we share your information?

The National Religious Vocation Conference does not sell information on its donors or members.  Additionally, NRVC does not collect any personal information of those visiting the NRVC website which is then sold.

We disclose information only as agreed upon. For example general member contact information is disclosed to other members on the password protected portion of the website. Members also have the choice to opt out of having their information shared with member-area coordinators or collaborators.  

We do contract with other companies to provide services on our behalf, such as publishing, printing, and mailing VISION Vocation Guide and HORIZON journal, VocationNetwork.org, and NRVC.net. We use third-party platforms for our email broadcasts and event registration. We will only provide those companies the information they need to deliver the required/contracted services and these companies are prohibited from using that information for any other purpose. In addition, we select providers who value your privacy and adhere to the strictest standards in terms of data protection. If you have any questions regarding any of these companies please contact: Compliance Officer at compliance@nrvc.net.

 

How can I change my information or sharing preferences?

We will do our best to maintain accurate and up-to-date information and take all reasonable steps to correct or erase inaccurate information.  

Your information can be retrieved, changed, or purged at any time by contacting us at:

NRVC
5401 South Cornell, Suite 207
Chicago, IL  60615
Phone: 773-595-4034
Email: compliance@nrvc.net

Active members or subscribers may update personal information on the website via their My Account page. You may request that we do not contact you, which we will honor to the extent we can in accordance with the terms of our commitment to you (e.g., to provide specific goods and services).

 

How long do you retain my information?

We store your information as long as needed to provide the services requested.  We retain membership, subscription, and buyer history for ease in the renewal and reorder process.

At any point any person or institute in our database may request that their name be removed from our database or marked as do not solicit by calling  773-595-4034 or email compliance@nrvc.net.

 

How does NRVC protect my information?

While no website can guarantee security, we maintain appropriate physical, electronic, and procedural safeguards to protect your information collected via the website. Our databases are secure sites and are protected by various physical, technical, and procedural measures. We restrict access to your information by unauthorized persons. If you would like more information regarding the protocols used please contact: compliance@nrvc.net.

NRVC provide links to other websites and webpages for your convenience. As much as we will ensure that the links lead to legitimate and secure sites, we cannot be responsible for their security practices.  We encourage members to look for websites that have privacy policies, provide notice of cookies being used, and websites whose url addresses contain an s in the https portion of the address.

 

How does NRVC protect my credit card information?

NRVC does not store any credit card information either in electronic or paper form.  NRVC retains a third-party service, Authorize.net, which is a reputable service that meets both payment card industry security standards and the EU General Data Protection Requirements. Furthermore, NRVC employs Trustwave to monitor the website and transactions for any signs of fraud.

 

What are my emailing options?

NRVC uses a broadcast email service to keep in contact with its members and donors. An individual may unsubscribe from emails at any time by selecting the opt-out option at the bottom of the email or by contacting our office at 773-595-4034. Once an individual opts out, the email address is marked do not contact in our database and cannot be reentered into the broadcast email system without the user’s direct authorization to the broadcast emailer.   

Our email broadcast system employs analytics so that we can track what articles our readers find most interesting or helpful. We also collect data to determine if the broadcasts are being received or opened so that we can better assess if email broadcasts are being blocked. The data collected is directly related to our ability to improve our services to you. 

 

Your rights

  • You always have the right to make a complaint or raise a concern as to how we process your data. 
  • You have the right to request information on our process for collecting and storing data.
  • You have the right to receive a copy of the personal information relating to you that we keep on file. 
  • You have the right “to be forgotten” and have your data erased from our database.
  • You will be notified of any breach to your data within 72 hours. 

 

Changes to our privacy policy

Our privacy policy may change from time to time and changes will be posted on this page. The most recent version of the policy is reflected by the version date located at the bottom of this policy. 

If you have any questions about this policy or would like to learn more about how we protect privacy please contact us at compliance@nrvc.net.

 

Thank you for your trust in NRVC

Your privacy is very important to us, and we want to make sure your experience with us is a positive one. We want to keep you informed about our vital work and the interests we share, but we don't want to do that at the expense of your privacy or trust in us. If you have any concerns, please call 773-595-4034 or email our compliance officer at compliance@nrvc.net.

 

Cookies policy

Our server tracks anonymous information, such as IP addresses, from our website visitors. In addition, we use services hosted by third parties, such as Google Analytics, to provide you with a better experience, diagnose technical problems, analyze trends, and improve our website. These tools collect information anonymously using first-party cookies, tracking visitor browsing actions and patterns, and reporting website trends without identifying individual visitors. This information is used for internal processes to measure web traffic and to improve the content of our web pages. No personally identifiable information is collected or used in this process.

Cookies contain information that is transferred to your computer’s hard drive. These cookies are used to store information, such as the time that the visit occurred, whether the visitor has been to the site before, and what site referred the visitor to the webpage.

You can opt out of Google Analytics without affecting how you visit our site. For more information about Google Analytics or to opt out of Google Analytics, please go to Google’s opt-out information page.

In addition, we may use third-party vendor remarketing tracking cookies, including the Google Adwords tracking cookie, to advertise on third-party websites. Consequently, after leaving our website you may see NRVC or VISION advertisements on other websites, such as the Google search results page or websites using the Google Display Network. As always we respect your privacy and are not collecting any identifiable information through the use of Google’s or any other third-party remarketing system. Any data collected will be used in accordance with our own privacy policy and Google’s privacy policy.

May 18, 2018


Prayer intentions of NRVC benefactors

Please include your special intention when you offer your donation to support the work of the National Religous Vocation Conference. Or send us an email with your request for prayers.

Active intentions receiving our prayers

Tony N. in Georgia – that his children find Jesus.

Mary R. in South Carolina – for her husband’s recovery and for world peace.

Mary Ann R. in New York – for living and deceased family members, for Linda who is suffering from cancer, for Gene and James.

Dan M. in Ohio – for family, friends, and pets. 

Laurence F. in Illinois – for the repose of the souls of Nick, Rita, Michael, and Uncle Bart,

Sister Antonia in New Jersey – for her special intentions.

Dan M. in Ohio – for the security of his family.

Stanley D. in Texas – for all those trying to discern God’s call.

John E. in Pennsylvania – for his daughter’s pregnancy and the health of friends and family.

Alfred D. in California – for the health and happiness of friends and family and in thanksgiving.

Lucille in Illinois – for all those suffering from Parkinson’s disease and for their families.

Raymond J. in Oregon – that the power of Christ be with us.

Rocco G. from New York – for the family of Rocco and Teresa and friends and neighbors.

Mother Magda in New Mexico – for vocations for the Sisters of Our Lady Guadalupe and St. Joseph.

Alfred D. in California – for the health and happiness of friends and family, religious world peace, and for inactive Catholics.

Gerald S. of Minnesota – for deceased parents.

Roger M. of Arizona – for Pope Francis, persecuted Christians in Middle East, and for Bishops Strickland, Robinson, Grom and Wallace.

Hardar F. of Michigan – for the Sadeer family.

Nancy S. of Illinois – for the repose of the souls of her husband, her father, and her grandfather, and for unity within the family in faith.

John E. in Pennsylvania – for his family members, deceased and living, increased devotion to prayer life, and the well-being and intentions of clergy and religious.

Edward L. in Pennsylvania – for his family, Pope Francis and health.

Lawrence F. in New Jersey – for his son Thomas who suffers from autism, his daughter Alyssa who suffers from cysts, and his cousin Anthony who is sick with cancer.

Edward L. in Ohio – for his family, their faith life as well as health, and President Trump.

Laurence F. in Illinois – for the repose of the souls of family and friends.

Vincente G. in Michigan – for peace in his own family and the world, especially for his son Andrew and himself.

Joshua C. in Indiana – for his own peace, for Father Timothy and Lisa.

Mary W. in Wisconsin – for her family.

Donald S. in Michigan – for his own healing as he recovers from cancer, help with his finances, direction and discernment and that he find his cat.

Joseph M. in Michigan – for the health of Donna.

Silma K. in Illinois – for the repose of the soul of Lisa Therese Sasing Kuivinen who passed away August 16, 2016.

J. G. in Illinois – for vocations.

Barbara M. in Illinois – for her family’s health.

Constance S. in Michigan – for recovery from cancer.

Liz H. in Michigan – for her grandchildren, especially those in college, for her nephew who is battling cancer, and her son’s return to the church.

Steve F. in New Jersey – for his own vocation.

Alfred D. in California – for the health and happiness of his family; priests and religious; and the poor souls in purgatory.

Donna A. in Michigan – for her three oldest children and for her youngest son who has physical and mental health problems.

Maria S. in Wisconsin – for all priests and religious; an end to abortion; and that those in the new administration be guided by the Holy Spirit.

Ann M. in New Jersey – for the catechists she teaches.

Laurence F. of Illinois – for the recovery of Mike S., repose of the soul of Rita F., for unification of his family, for people to return to church and the end of abortion.

Aurura P. of California – for her health (especially her migraines) and her family (especially her daughter).

James F. of Illinois – for his son who died in 2013 of a heroin overdose.

Dr. and Mrs. A. of Colorado – for the indifference they have shown the Lord, for the soul of Emma and that she be released from prison, for the sins of Earl G.; for healing for Melvin B.

Mr. John L. of Illinois – for his upcoming cataract surgery.

Mrs. Mary Ellen M. of California – that her son find suitable employment.

Deacon Charles G. of Florida – that he continue to appreciate God’s blessings and to be able to pray and receive Him every day in his own home.

Mr. William C. of New Jersey – for his family, including 13 children, 56 grandchildren and 3 great grand children.

Mr. Carlos H. of Florida – for the eternal rest of his ancestors.

Ms. Carmen G. of Illinois – for her mother Maria Gomez that she have peace of mind and that she be able to sleep all her nights in peace.

Ms. Barbara D. of New York – for the conversion of terrorists; for family members to return to the church, for the healing of relationships within her family; and for the physical healing of Don so that he may walk again.

Brother Kent C., F.S.C. of Illinois – for the young Christian Brothers coming out of formation in Chicago and for the blessings and grace they will need in their ministry.

Sister Elizabeth A. O.P. of Wisconsin – for her brother and for the Marywood Franciscan Spirituality Center.

Sr. Mary Joseph of New Hampshire – for growth in holiness and in an increase in members of their community.

Sr. Susanna E. of California – for help with the presidential election, God’s mercy to overcome violent fanatics, help and comfort for their victims, and for the souls of Sandor M., Elizabeth N. and Agnes G.

Mr. and Mrs. Steven N. of Iowa for thanksgiving for the many blessings that God has bestowed upon their family, for family members undergoing surgery, for departed family members, and for health issues of friends and family.

Mr. Richard S. of California – for Patricia, Marion and Leona S. and Rich and Joan W.

Brother Robert L., C.S.C. of Ohio – Greater courage to embrace the call of the Gospel; vocations to consecrated life, all in need of mercy.

Ms. Margaret C. of Illinois – Repose of the soul and the family  of Lucas M. , Sr. Dorothy B., R.S.F.


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Member area meetings

Enrichment opportunities


Signs of readiness for religious community

By David Couturier O.F.M., Cap.

SINCE THE 1980s I HAVE BEEN TRACKING the signs of readiness for life in a religious community—that is, I’ve studied the signs that vocation directors and formation advisors follow to see that those preparing for religious life are making progress. These signs of readiness reflect the emerging social, cultural, and ecclesial challenges of the times in which we live. It helps for vocation and formation directors to understand the ways that Millennials (25-34 years of age) and Mosaics (18-25 years of age) make sense of their world. These ways will be different, sometimes significantly so, from how other generations understand and experience their worlds. Those involved in ushering young people into consecrated life will want to use signs or markers of vocational progress that are enduring because they derive from the deepest anthropological aspects of the vocational journey, the consonance (or dissonance) between a person’s most salient vocational values and the person’s most troubling and contradictory emotional needs. 

There are three frameworks for looking at the traits our new members need : 1) social, cultural, and ecclesial; 2) generational and 3) anthropological. Let us consider each set briefly.

Communion as the context for religious life

In her presidential address at the 2017 assembly of the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, Sister Mary Pellegrino, C.S.J., indicated that religious communities are shaped by the narratives they use to understand and engage the world in which they live and work. She argues that religious congregations have stalled recently on a “narrative of diminishment,” seeing themselves largely within the constructs and constraints of loss, reduced capacities, and shrinking potentials that come from the reality of fewer new members and significant aging of current members. This sense of diminishment is the culture that has shaped our discourse and altered the perceptions we have of ourselves and that we allow others to have of us. 

Diminishment frames how we think of new members and the formation process and, perforce, the way we understand progress in vocational life. For example, can individuals “survive” in a world shrinking or even “collapsing” all around? Can they live proactively within an organizational system marked by death and dying, motherhouses shuttered, ministries closing and a congregational life having a difficult time “holding on” and holding back the forces of grief and loss? Can an individual find meaning within a community that has significant age differences and distinct orientations toward consecrated life?

Pellegrino argues that this narrative of diminishment has missed a deeper way of understanding what has been going on socially, culturally, and ecclesially. She says we are witnessing the emergence of a critically new and potentially evocative discourse, a “narrative of deepening communion.” She sees in our time a cry and a possibility for a deeper intimacy, a more solid mutuality, and a more critical empathy than the radical autonomy, isolation, and individualism that have marked our religious communities since the Enlightenment. 

In the midst of diminishment, she sees religious women and men developing new ways to break through the separating and secluding boundaries that have kept our communities from understanding and identifying “the others” in our world. It is as if the deaths, the ending of ministries, and other diminishments we have been experiencing have invited us into new coalitions of loving and serving, ministering, and praying. These experiences have allowed us to engage more globally and understand more critically and sympathetically the needs and concerns of those who have lived outside our previously established circles of concern. 

The new narrative of deepening communion calls us across charisms, customs, cultures, and individual concerns. Whereas previous narratives called us “within,” into our particular identities and distinct differences in order to appreciate what we have inherited from tradition, this new narrative, the new paradigm, moves us beyond and challenges us to go across what divides and individualizes us. Here is how Pellegrino describes the dynamic of “crossing over and into”:

We need to collaborate with each other to be reconciled to those with whom there have been rifts, eager to go beyond the polarization of our regions, harshness and anger. . . . we need to leave aside our certainties and learn to intuit with a heart in love and with an eye that sees clearly God’s plans as they unfold in novelty....  Above all, we need to ask ourselves what are God and humanity asking for today? 

What are the signs that a candidate might be right for religious life in a time when religious need to cross rifts, when we must overcome polarization, harshness, anger, and ideological certainties? 
How does one encourage vocational progress so as to embrace what the Magnificat and the Canticle of Zechariah proclaim—a church where the poor are raised up and the mighty are cast down? This vision of the faith must be met by a vocational stance that allows God’s new world order to break through, the world of radical hospitality, a world where all are accepted and included, a world without domination or deprivation, as equal sisters and brothers.

Qualities new members need in an era of deepening communion

How is vocational progress measured in a new narrative of deepening communion? What individual qualities should new members have and cultivate? The individuals we hope will enter our communities would need qualities such as these. 

• The individual is able and willing to cross over and into the work and worlds of others without defensiveness and without losing his or her own unique identity. The candidate doesn’t lose interior confidence in engagement with others. Instead the person’s well-being is strengthened, not threatened, when crossing over and into other cultures.

• The individual demonstrates empathy, sensitivity, and respect in the presence of other people’s personal meaning and distinct cultures. The candidate is humble, not superior.
• The individual works constructively with the anxiety that develops within while crossing boundaries in the service and care of others.

• The individual remains engaged and enlivened in the process of collaborating and cooperating with others in the pursuit of God’s justice in the world today.

• The individual has a history of neighborliness and a demonstrated desire to become an engaged global citizen in the kingdom of God, eager for unity and willing to learn how to move beyond and even to mediate “the polarization of our regions, harshness and hatred.”
Qualities new members need based on  generational differences

Turning now from the social, cultural, and ecclesial framework for looking at new members, let us consider how generational differences matter. The generational markers of vocational progress for Millennials and Mosaics are decidedly different from those that measured the vocational growth of people in the Boomer and Generation X eras. 

Millennials and Mosaics have experienced change across every sector of their lives (social, cultural, technological, psychological, spiritual and emotional) more rapidly, more intensely, and more globally than any previous generation. They expect change; they require change; they are impatient for change because change is in their psychological DNA. They are not as accommodating to custom and convention as previous generations. Their experiences have been shaped by the secularizing forces of our society, and young people are more seriously and substantively peer-oriented than any generation we have seen previously.
What are some qualities young, new members need, keeping in mind their generational differences? The following come to mind.

A CONTEMPLATIVE SPIRIT—Vocational readiness will be apparent in the construction of a true contemplative spirit that allows God the space now almost exclusively occupied by friends. Sensitive spiritual direction and formation advising will help individuals widen the circle of concern that God occupies in their consciousness. Questions emerge. Can individuals allow God longer and stronger moments of conversation? Do individuals over time reach for time alone with God more often and with more enthusiasm than they reach for their cell phones? Do they reference what they have learned in prayer (both individual and common prayer) more than what they have gleaned from social media about life, the world and themselves? Is God becoming the One Thing Necessary, more than their friends and peers? Can they love their peers but realize and cherish that they love Christ “more than these?”

Millennials and Mosaics who are attracted to religious life tend to be socially-oriented. They have grown up being introduced to “causes” and the benefits of becoming socially involved in changing the situation of injustice in our world. In many ways, this is a generation that is impatient and intolerant of injustices, especially racism, sexism and homophobia. They expect and even demand progress and are disappointed in communities that are still insensitive in these areas. For reasons far beyond the scope of this article, this generation of young people struggles mightily with the evils of economic classism and with evils that derive from a severely polarized  economy. One concern that looms large over the consciousness of Millennials and Mosaics is the power and force of the economy and its concerns. And this is true in ways that previous generations often cannot understand and largely do not acknowledge.

Millennials and Mosaics are shaped by the economic trauma of our times. They are the children of the Great Recession of 2007-2008 and everything that ran up to it and all that derives from it. Harvey Cox, in his latest book, The Market as God, argues that our world has become enthralled by a business theology of supply and demand that excludes, sidelines, diminishes, and excommunicates all other divinities, including the Christian God, from almost every sphere of modern influence. Increasingly Millennials and Mosaics have unwittingly become the Market’s acolytes and they have been taught that the Market is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. Because the Market knows the value of everything, determines the outcome of every transaction and can build nations and ruin households, this generation of young adults has become complicit in the commodification of their own deepest desires and has watched how everything and everyone in their lives has been given a price tag and a value that is limited and quantifiable. 

ABILITY TO PERCEIVE INTRINSIC VALUE BEYOND THE VALUE OF THE MARKETPLACE—Vocational readiness or progress requires helping these young adults in the sensitive work of “valuation.” What I mean here is that, unlike other generations, these adults must re-learn the value of life itself. Because their world has been quantified, commodified and defined exclusively on the economic scales of verifiable profit and loss, our communities need to help these young adults see the hidden and non-quantifiable value of things. The earth, for instance, that used to have infinite worth and exclusive rights as “God’s creation,” has been demoted since the Enlightenment to the devolving status of “nature,” “matter” and then “stuff,” which can be bought and sold, polluted, destroyed and eliminated at will and whim. Vocational progress, once again in the “narrative of a deepening communion” must be measured by a new love and a deeper commitment to God’s good creation. Vocational progress will evidence a growing refusal to be complicit with a strategy that seeks dominating profit and power over and against creation. 

IDENTIFICATION WITH THE POOR—Vocational progress in a previous age of an evolving and muscular economics in religious congregations could easily lead one to take comfort in the increasing number of ministries and convents, schools, houses and properties that the community owned or held. Religious life once had its own form of the “prosperity gospel.” Not so today! Vocational progress today must account for a new identification with the poor and marginalized, those left out and individuals and groups left behind in our new gilded age of greed. Vocational progress will be measured by a deeper identification with and service to those who are being swept away by the rising tides of economic isolation and discrimination.

FLEXIBLE, EFFICIENT, DEDICATED TO IMMEDIATE PASTORAL CARE—In the past, religious congregations built durable structures of ministry and service. We built formidable edifices of charity and justice: schools, hospitals, and social service agencies. These were buildings that were meant to last. They signaled staying power. They required vocational skills of endurance, patience, survival, stamina, and resilience over the long haul. Accordingly, formators overlooking these fortified ministry sites looked for candidates who could endure and sustain “muscular” ministries, services meant to establish a people in a locale with an education that would secure a career and a character for a lifetime. We are in a different time that requires different skills and distinct signs of vocational progress.

We are in a time where ministries must be flexible and services must be immediately responsive. If Pope Francis’ image of the church as a “field hospital” rather than a fortress is an apt descriptor of our ecclesial situation, then the progress of our candidates should look more like the maturity of an emergency room nurse than that of that financial officer in a paneled office, with all due respect to the creativity and imagination that the latter requires. 

If the times in which we live require a “field hospital” mentality, then the qualities candidates need perhaps must shift to become more dynamic and immediately responsive. The qualities needed in an ER nurse teach us what to expect of our candidates in the fast-paced, complex, and increasingly complicated moral world in which we live. Beth Hawkes describes the qualities and characteristics required of an emergency department nurse. She notes that they must be flexible (able to go rapidly from one patient situation to the next), tough (able to project calm in the midst of drama and tragedy), efficient time managers (managing multiple needs at once without wasted effort), and able to avoid bogging down in detail.

Hawkes’ adapted description of the emergency department nurse may indicate some new traits that women and men religious need in the field hospital of today’s church environment. Obviously, no hospital would survive with only professionals who race and are non-detail oriented, and who triage only at high speed and without tears. This is true of religious life as well. We cannot all be shifting gears constantly. Some of us have to create stability and the controlled and structured environments that make contemplation possible. At the same time, it would do us well to consider the specific traits and distinct characteristics required of prophetic ministry in the 21st century. Our more complicated and globalized world may demand of us flexibility more than staid endurance, agility more than simple perseverance “in the life,” and ability more to triage pastoral situations than to simply transmit the formulas of faith. Under these conditions, the measures of vocational progress would include: faithful flexibility, Gospel toughness, Kairos time management skill, and a dedication to immediate pastoral care.

Spiritual and psychological traits new members need

This final set of “measures of vocational progress” come from the intrinsic dynamics of the very vocation we have chosen, from the tension between our high transcendent call (our Gospel values and congregational charism) and our own developed or under-developed emotional traits (our attitudes and needs). A large body of psychological literature and vocational evidence is now available on how religious life actually progresses and how it is significantly impeded by the emotional traits we establish early in our development and in the tension and challenges of our family life. This literature reminds us that readiness or progress in our lives as religious is more than a process of surmounting the social, cultural, ecclesial and generational issues of an age. 

Religious life is primarily a deep encounter with the Lord. It is a conversation and, one might even say, a “confrontation” with the Lord, the One who meets us on every road to Emmaus with a challenge to return to Jerusalem and face the cross with all its love and humility.

The psychological literature on religious life indicates that its progress is not assured by high ideals alone. The motivation for entering, staying, and thriving in religious life is more complicated than holding and proclaiming the virtues of religion. That motivation is always complicated by emotional needs inside of us for such things as aggression, domination, autonomy, change, dependency, etc. Sometimes these emotional needs are recognized and worked with. At other times, they remain largely unknown, unrecognized, and unregulated. As such, they impede our progress and stifle our development. 

The late Luigi M. Rulla, S.J., was a psychiatrist and clinical psychologist who specialized in the field of religious vocational development. He enumerated several signs of vocational progress, based on years of studying the psychological and spiritual dynamics of those who entered, stayed, or left religious life. His signs of vocational readiness—or vocational progress for those already in formation or beyond—remain a powerful guide today. I have adapted his ideas for this article. They remain his powerful insights and the result of his profound psychological work to which I am indebted.

Ten signs that a person has the qualities needed for religious life are the following.

1. The individual has the capacity to face reality. A person who is confident and assured in a religious vocation doesn’t have to downplay difficulties, avoid problems, cut doubts, run away from issues, or escape into activity to deal with his or her world. A vocationally prepared individual doesn’t downplay the problems he or she sees in others and doesn’t need to exaggerate them either. The individual will confront issues, rather than escape from them.

2. The individual can integrate his or her needs with vocational values and attitudes. Someone making progress toward religious life (or within religious life) knows that he or she has emotional needs. This person has accepted emotional needs as a real part of his or her life and is working to become more mature in the approach to God and others. This person does not have to deny or minimize emotional needs. This individual does not have to make believe that she or he is perfect. The engine of this person’s life is Christian values, and this person works to make sure her or his emotional needs serve those values and not the other way around.

3. The individual can maintain tension when working on her or his spiritual life. The person recognizes that spiritual growth is hard work and that such growth is filled with paradox and develops in fits and starts. This individual uses the tension for his or her zeal and the achievement of vocational ideals. This person does not cut corners or look for quick relief for emotional needs.

4. The individual does not sacrifice principles for pragmatism. These individuals know what they stand for and are strong in conviction but flexible when it comes to the implementation and adaptation to real life circumstances. Those ill-prepared for religious life will be aggressive and angry in the defense of their principles. Mature people don’t have to be. They are secure enough to be firm but charitable, kind and convincing at the same time. They can be pragmatic and principled at the same time, sacrificing neither to expediency.

5. The individual does not need to be propped up or constantly reassured that he or she is doing well. The individual is not frustrated or dislodged when others are not providing a constant flow of affirmation. The person knows who he or she is and what he or she stands for. The individual resists from slacking off when those in authority are not around.

6. The individual knows the difference between essentials and accidentals in the faith. The person is secure in values and willing to put them to work in various settings. The person does not need to hammer home principles at every opportunity; nor does the person fall prey to every new spiritual fad that comes along.

7. The individual trusts others. Because the individual can trust him or herself, he or she has confidence in others. The person is free of inner turmoil between emotional needs and values and does not need to project that turbulence onto others or be defensive. The individual is not aggressive with others, openly or passively, because he or she has accepted that the primary competition of life is inside of ourselves. 

8. The person is dependable. With a realistic self-assurance, she or he makes decisions consistent with her or his values, respecting the freedom of others in the process. Immature people, on the other hand, are either grossly independent or dependent. They feel threatened by superiors or people of more formidable skills and so avoid cooperation or collaboration as a defense against a fragile autonomy. Undependable individuals require endless assurances and so attach themselves to any alternative and supposedly “superior” power source.

9. The individual bounces back after difficulty. It is not that the individual is perfect and never fails. No one, except God, is perfect in all things. The individual fails and stumbles from time to time but is also resilient. The person comes back and has an inner capacity for renewal, knowing that he or she controls his or her destiny.

10. The person has internal flexibility. The individual is not stuck in place, either emotionally or ministerially. She or he can be flexible and move from one situation to the next without falling apart. The person’s inner values provide strength and an ability to integrate emotional needs. These characteristics help the individual to not be blind sided by the maneuvers involved with new people or unfamiliar situations.

§ § § § § §

What we need to live religious life well is determined by the times in which we live, the charisms we espouse, and the engagement of our personalities with the transcendent values we hold. We live in a complicated, globalized world that can challenge the stability, endurance, and perseverance that once characterized religious life. Our times require an agile, flexible, attentive and immediate pastoral care, especially with those who are being traumatized and excluded by unforgiving economic forces. 

The personal qualities of our faith and emotional lives also must be healthy to live consecrated life well. May God grant each of us already in religious life and those of us discerning religious life the grace we need to build a stronger narrative of deepening communion with all of God’s creation. 


World Day for Consecrated Life, February 2, 2018

Celebrated in parishes Feb. 3-4, 2018

Attachments (1)

About World Day for Consecrated Life

In 1997, Pope Saint John Paul II instituted a day of prayer for women and men in consecrated life. This celebration is attached to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord on February 2nd. This Feast is also known as Candlemas Day; the day on which candles are blessed symbolizing Christ who is the light of the world. So too, those in consecrated life are called to reflect the light of Jesus Christ to all peoples. The celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life is transferred to the following Sunday in order to highlight the gift of consecrated persons for the whole Church.

World Day for Consecrated Life is celebrated on February 2nd however, it is observed in parishes on the Sunday after February 2nd. In 2018, this day is celebrated in parishes on February 3-4 and in 2019 it will be celebrated February 2-3.

 

Resources to celebrate World Day for Consecrated Life:

NRVC Video: Why we love our vocation, produced for WDCL 2017

New NRVC Vocation Prayer Card

NRVC Vocation Icon Prayer CardWe are very happy to offer a new resource for members that features the beautiful "Wake up the world" icon written by Vivian Imbruglia. Please give credit to her when using this image. To learn more about Vivian and her beautiful icons, click here.

Please feel free to download the card for use in your ministry. You may reprint the card with our permission as formatted.

You may also purchase packs of 100 cards through the NRVC store.

 

USCCB 

SERRA 

 

Pontificate of Pope Francis

2017 Papal Homily for the 21st World Day of Consecrated Life

2016 Papal Homily for 20th World Day of Consecrated Life

2015 Papal Homily for 19th World Day of Consecrated Life

2014 Papal Homily for 18th World Day of Consecrated Life

Pontificate of Pope Benedict XVI

2013 Papal Message for 17th World Day of Consecrated Life

2012 Papal Message for 16th World Day of Consecrated Life

2011 Papal Message for 15th World Day of Consecrated Life

2010 Papal Message for 14th World Day of Consecrated Life

2009 Papal Message for 13th World Day of Consecrated Life

2008 Papal Message for 12th World Day of Consecrated Life

2007 Papal Message for 11th World Day of Consecrated life

2006 Papal Message for 10th World Day of Consecrated Life

Pontificate of Pope John Paul II

2005 Papal Message for 9th World Day of Consecrated Life

2004 Papal Message for 8th World Day of Consecrated Life

2003 Papal Message for 7th World Day of Consecrated Life

2002 Papal Message for 6th World Day of Consecrated Life

2001 Papal Message for 5th World Day of Consecrated Life

2000 Papal Message for 4th World Day of Consecrated Life

1999 Papal Message for 3rd World Day of Consecrated Life

1998 Papal Message for 2nd World Day of Consecrated Life

1997 Papal Message for 1st World Day of Consecrated Life


NCYC Registration Open

The National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) is a biennial three-day experience to encounter Christ, experience Church, and be empowered for discipleship sponsored by the National Federation for Catholic Ministry (NFCYM). Over 23,000 high school teens, parents, and youth ministers from around the country will gather November 16-18, 2017, around the theme Called/Llamados. NCYC takes place at the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. Register to volunteer in the thematic village and in Inspiration Nook to promote vocations to religious life. Read more.

In the NCYC thematic village, Catholic Relief Services is again reaching out to prepare 50,000 meals for the people of Burkina Faso, Africa. At a cost of $0.50 per meal, they need to raise $25,000.  Donate today here.

New NRVC Resources

 

 

 

 

 

New colorful brochures are available to purchase to answer ten commonly asked questions about vocations to religious life. These can be great giveaways for parish bulletins, board meetings, alumni events and presentations. Read more.

Newer Member Statistics

The downloadable handout Statistics on Recent Vocations to Religious Life and the Priesthood has been updated for presentations to inform the public as well as members of your religious institute about recent vocation trends. 

 Mark your calendar

NRVC Fall Institute

October 11-21, 2017

National Vocation Awareness Week

November 5-11, 2017

NRVC at NCYC

November 16-18, 2017

World Day for Consecrated Life

February 2, 2018

National Catholic Sisters Week

March 8-14, 2018

Religious Brothers Day

May 1, 2018

NRVC Summer Institute

July 9-27, 2018

NRVC Convocation 

November 1-5, 2018


Space available at Racism workshop

In San Antonio Feb. 18-21

There is still time to enroll in the NRVC workshop "Roots of Racism," to take place February 18-21. This


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Share VISION's vocation-related content on your social media sites, and take advantage of its quality material.

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Pinterest

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2017 NRVC Fall Institute, Oct.11-21, 2017

Marillac Center, Leavenworth, KS

Registration is now open.

Our biennial Fall Institute will offer three workshops at the Marillac Center in Leavenworth, Kansas, October 11-21. Similar to the Summer Institute, it’s your choice as to how many workshops you want to attend. Marillac Center is a sponsored ministry of the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth and is located on their Mother House grounds. It is accessible from the Kansas City Airport (MCI). Participants can use the Super Shuttle from the airport or take advantage of free parking if you rent a car or drive to Leavenworth. Lunch is included for all workshop participants at Fall Institute. For more information, visit the Marrilac website. 
 

Accommodations

If you need overnight accommodations at the Marillac Center, register as a resident (if you will drive to/from the center each day, register as a commuter). Enjoy the convenience of having a private spacious bedroom, bath and shower. Breakfast and supper is included for residents. Wireless internet access is available for all meeting rooms and guest rooms. Limited rooms are available; make your overnight accommodations when you register for your workshop. Please do not call the Marillac Center for reservations.

Reservations are contracted for arrivals after 3 p.m. the day before the workshop begins and most workshops have check-out before 9 a.m. the day after the workshop ends. This means you are responsible for the full payment of the room reservation, regardless of your arrival and departure date.  Unfortunately, room reservations cannot be made for earlier arrivals or later departures. The Center has a locked storage unit to hold luggage until you are ready to leave on the day of your departure. If you are staying for the next workshop, you will not need to check out. 

Please note that these accommodations are designed very simply for retreatants and short stays on a motherhouse campus for $115 per night per person. If you need more amenities, make your reservation at local hotels. The Hampton Inn, Days Inn, and Holiday Inn are all within driving distance from the Center. If you do not need overnight accommodations at the Marillac Center, register as a commuter.

 

Registration

To register for workshops, click on the link provided on each workshop page.

Late registration

Registrations for workshops received after September 16 will incur a $100 late fee per workshop.

Cancellations

Cancellations for workshops and/or accommodations must be received in writing before September 16 to receive a full refund, less a $100 processing fee per workshop. After the deadline, all fees are non-refundable for the cancellation of workshops and/or accommodations. 

Schedule

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mass

Mass for workshop participants will be offered each day at 8 a.m. in the Marillac Center.  We rely on our ordained participants to volunteer to preside at Liturgy . If you would like to provide music to enhance our liturgies, please email debbiesscm@nrvc.net

The schedule was super! Time for breakfast, prayer, Mass in the morning without rush--as well as generous time for lunch and breaks. 

Sr. Laura Cavanaugh, S.B.S. 


practice


News of our collaborators

Intercultural conference, communications conference, RFC job, and more

Registration open for Conference on Intercultural Competencies 

Join national experts in human formation and intercultural competency to address opportunities and challenges in evaluating and forming international priests and religious for ministry in the United States. "Intercultural Competencies for Human Formation" will be held April 15-18, 2018, at Saint Meinrad Archabbey and Seminary. The conference is co-sponsored by Saint Luke Institute and Saint Meinrad Archabbey. Learn more and register at sliconnect.org/conferences or contact Beth Davis at sliconnect@sli.org or 502-632-2471.

Communicators conference October 3-6

Communicators for Women Religious (CWR) will host its 23rd annual conference October 3-6 in Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada—its first outside the United States. The theme is “One Voice: Charged by the Current/Voix Unies: Courant Puissant.”

Presenters and topics include: Dr. Moira McQueen (Catholic social teaching and communications), Heather Mansfield (social media), Sister Nuala Kenny (ethics of communication), Blayne Haggart (copyright), and Sister Kateri Mitchell (spirituality of communications).

For more information, visit c4wr.org. 

RFC congress in November, seeking associate director

Registration is now open for the Religious Formation Congress November 16-18, to take place in Milwaukee. Titled “Grace in the Now: The Gospel of Encounter," the gathering and its related workshops will address current issues in initial and lifelong formation and help participants imagine new ways forward. Details and registration are at relforcon.org.

RFC is seeking a new associate director. The successful candidate will begin in November 2017.  Please consult relforcon.org for details, and please encourage the application of qualified candidates.


Calendar


News of our collaborators


News of our collaborators

Intercultural conference, communications conference, LCWR subscription, and more

RFC congress in November

Registration is now open for the Religious Formation Congress November 16-18, to take place in Milwaukee. Titled “Grace in the Now: The Gospel of Encounter," the gathering and its related workshops will address current issues in initial and lifelong formation and help participants imagine new ways forward. Details and registration are at relforcon.org.

 


2017 HORIZON No. 2 Spring


Bishops’ Conference website

This multi-layered site looks at Catholic vocation from many angles, all of which reflect a Catholic theology of vocation. Published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.
usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/vocations

Vatican documents

While vatican.va, the official church website, has a great deal of material related to vocations, the Institute on Religious Life and the National Religious Vocation Conference each have gathered many of those documents for easy access.
religiouslife.com/resources/church-documents
nrvc.net/320/publication/1419/article/
10217-additional-vocation-related-church-documents


VISION Vocation Guide and Network

In print and online, VISION has articles, videos, and interactive features about all aspects of religious life, vocations, the discernment process, and the many facets of Catholic teaching on vocations. Published by the National Religious Vocation Conference, which is also HORIZON’s publisher.
vocationnetwork.org

Catholics on Call

This program and website for young adults considering church ministry is based at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago.
catholicsoncall.org


2017 NCYC

Registration will open mid-August

The National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) is a biennial three-day experience to encounter Christ, experience Church, and be empowered for discipleship sponsored by the National Federation for Catholic Ministry (NFCYM). Over 23,000 high school teens, parents, and youth ministers from around the country will gather November 16-18, 2017, around the theme Called/Llamados. NCYC takes place at the Indiana Convention Center and Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis.

In collaboration with NFCYM, NRVC invites you to be part of this celebration of Catholic faith to be promote vocations to religious life. In order to broaden the invitation, NRVC is sponsoring a gathering space to meet participants and promote vocations to religious life called Inspiration Nook, in rooms 116-117, near the thematic village. All NRVC member participants will receive a ribbon for your name tag giving you access to Inspiration Nook as your schedule allows throughout NCYC.

There are three ways to participate in NCYC:

  1. Attend with high schools, parishes, and dioceses and register as an adult participant with these groups. As an NRVC member, you are welcome to volunteer at Inspiration Nook as your schedule allows. Typically, NCYC registration is $225 per person, however the group you attend with may have additional fees for meals, travel and accommodations.
  2. Register for an information exhibit booth in the thematic village to promote your religious congregation and volunteer at Inspiration Nook as your schedule allows. Registration is $750 for a 10 x 10 space and includes 4 exhibit credentials. Registration opens August 4 and more information can be accessed at http://www.ncyc.info/exhibits/  Travel, meals, parking, and accommodations are not included, you must make these reservations on your own.
  3. Participate as a volunteer throughout the thematic village, Catholic Relief Services Helping Hands service experience, and in Inspiration Nook as your schedule allows. You may register as an individual or register members of your religious institute; there is no minimum or maximum volunteers you can register. This is a change from previous years, where you needed to register as a team and pay a fee as a team. Before registering, please ask for t-shirt sizes as there will not be extra t-shirts available to exchange (for the stewardship of resources).  Travel, meals, parking, and accommodations are not included, you must make these reservations on your own. Registration for all volunteers will open in mid-August through the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.

Please note that ALL ADULTS are required to register with the Archdiocese of Indianapolis to complete their online Safe Environment training program and background check authorization process. THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS. If you participated in the 2015 NCYC and you registered in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis's Safe and Sacred program, those credentials should be valid for the 2017 NCYC. You can register at any time (including now) at https://safeandsacred-archindy.org/login/index.php Your position is your vocation and both your primary and secondary institution is: INDIANAPOLIS: NRVC Vocation Team—Location #705

After you register for NCYC, please email debbiesscm@nrvc.net names of participants, emails and the website of your religious institute. Additional information about NCYC is available at: http://www.ncyc.info

If you have any questions or concerns, email debbiesscm@nrvc.net  


Vocation Ministry video links

Trends in Vocation Ministry

by Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M.

 

Best Practices for Finding Joy in the Ministry

by Father Adam MacDonald, S.V.D.


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NRVC Member Areas

Click here to locate members of the NRVC in your Member Area.

CONNECT WITH NRVC

CALENDAR

World Day of Prayer for Vocations

April 21,

Plan now

National Board Meeting

April 24-28,

St. Paul, MN

Member Area Gathering - Mid-Atlantic

April 30,

Washington DC/hybrid

Member Area Gathering - Pacific Northwest

April 30 - May 2,

Hybrid

Member Area Gathering - Heartland

April 30 - May 2,

Atchinson, KS

Religious Brothers Day

May 1,

Plan ahead...

Member Area Gathering - New England

May 2,

via Zoom

Member Area Gathering - Hudson Valley

May 5-7,

Albany, NY

Member Area Gathering - Lake Erie/Ohio River

May 9,

via Zoom

Member Area Gathering - Midwest

May 13,

via Zoom

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Sister Tarianne DeYonker, O.P.

Sister Tarianne DeYonker, O.P.

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 who are making decisions about how to use their gifts. Read more...

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