News of our collaborators

Australian vocations study shows similarities to U.S. vocation realities

The Australian Catholic Bishops Conference released a major study and analysis of religious vocations in February, and several of the findings show parallels to vocation realities in the United States.

One similarity is in community best practices for attracting candidates.  "Congregational leaders identified three main factors that contributed to success in attracting new members: having an integrated and well-resourced approach, offering a live-in experience, and having a full-time vocation director or team,” the report concluded.

The study also contradicted popular wisdom in Australia that new members are all foreign-born (60 percent are not) and that only highly traditional orders are receiving new members. "The data shows that by no means could all the  congregations that have been successful in attracting new members in the last 15 years be said to be at the conservative or traditional end of the spectrum," the report states, another finding that is in sync with the U.S. reality.

The report explores challenges posed by Australian sex abuse cases and by difficulties new members have in adjusting to communal life. Nevertheless it ends on an upbeat note: "The report leaves us in no doubt that religious life has a future in Australia, although the future will not look like the past or even the present." 

Refer discerners to Catholics on Call 

Consider referring discerners ages 18-35 to the Catholics on Call Summer Conference to take place July 25-28 in Chicago. Participants will have the opportunity to connect and pray with other like-minded young people, hear nationally known speakers, discuss how to listen to God’s call, and learn skills for discerning all types of vocations. 

Register or learn more at catholicsoncall.org/apply or call 773-371-5432.

Conference on intercultural competencies April 15-18

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, at Saint Meinrad Archabbey and Seminary in Indiana. 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.

Canadian vocation conference April 22-25

The National Association of Vocation and Formation Directors in Canada invites U.S. vocation directors to attend its conference April 22-25 in Hamilton, Ontario, near Toronto. Find details here.

Communicator conference October 2-5

Communicators for Women Religious will hold its 24th annual conference in Fort Worth, Texas October 2-5. The theme is "FORTify your Mission: The Path WORTH Taking." The conference will take place at the Sheraton Fort Worth Downtown. For more information, visit c4wr.org.