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16 Nov 2014 - Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A

Religious obligations are often presumed to be pious things we do to please God. What if God wants us to be who we were created to be most of all? Vocation is not just a job, a role, or an activity. It is a fulfillment of our humanity characterized by spiritual fruitfulness. God gives us “talents” to bring to fruition, but the external fruits are empowered by spiritual ones. The final spiritual fruit, self-control, keeps us faithful to the rest and to our ultimate goal.

vocations talents

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Exploring the word

29 Apr 2012 - Fourth Sunday of Easter; Good Shepherd Sunday, Cycle B

HOW OFTEN DO you pray for the president? It doesn’t matter if you didn’t vote for him—maybe you should pray harder for those you didn’t want to elect! Have you ever prayed for the leaders of Europe, or Russia, or China, or the Middle East? Would you lift up a prayer for a poor leader or one you deemed outright evil? Leadership might be one of the world’s most neglected vocations. There will always be folks who grab power, but leadership is something else again. When we look to the gospel for direction, we see that a leader must first of all be a servant. To serve at the top, one must be familiar with the bottom. To know how and where to lead, you have to know where your followers are to begin with and where they need to go. The church teaches something called the "common good.” If leaders want to serve their people best, they should determine what’s best for all, not only for the strongest, smartest, or loudest. “Survival of the fittest” is not a principle that serves the common good. “The last will be first” is more like it. This is why, on this World Day of Prayer for Vocations, we might consider the example of Saint Peter, the church’s rock. Even if Jesus hadn’t appointed him as head over all, perhaps he might have been voted in by popular acclaim. It’s hard not to like Peter: bold, passionate, articulate, impetuous. Above all, he’s very human. Peter makes sense to us. He also wakes up our inner hero and makes us aspire to be like him. Consider his speech today, delivered after a night spent in jail under custody of the religious authorities. These are the same authorities who mere weeks ago dragged Jesus before Pilate and demanded his crucifixion. Peter has every reason to be afraid. If ever there was a time to soft-pedal your dogma, this is it. But Peter’s learned some things from his time at the bottom—about the true cost of compromise and the grief of denying your friends and yourself. He’s not going to take the safe way out and refuse to acknowledge the one he denied before. So he declares that he comes in the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, the crucified one, the Risen One, the stone rejected, the cornerstone, the name that saves. Clear enough? Such courage garners a collective gasp from the Sanhedrin. They instinctively know they can’t contain this determination. So they let their captives go. If we want to see this kind of courage in the world again, all we have to do is pray for it. Today’s a good day for that. Every day is. Related scripture links Jesus is the same: Heb. 13:8 Trusting in God: Ps. 32:10; 37:3; 40:4; 131:1-3; Prov. 3:5; 20:22; Isa. 26:4 The paradox of the Resurrection: 1 Cor. 15:42-44 The strength of the kingdom: 2 Cor. 10:3-5 In weakness, power reaches perfection: 2 Cor. 12:7b-10 Catechism links The good shepherd: CCC 551-553; 606; 609; 649; 753-754

Authors Alice Camille

leaders Leadership common good World Day of Prayer for Vocations

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Sign & sacrament

29 Apr 2012 - Fourth Sunday of Easter; Good Shepherd Sunday, Cycle B

Today the church invites us to pray for vocations. Consider starting with a prayer about your own religious vocation. Have you considered religious life, holy orders, or lay ministry? Living a life of Christian witness carries with it much responsibility, but when practiced with humility and compassion it engenders a life of great joy. The church needs you and your commitment to serve. Be open to unexpected options, and in the words of Pope John Paul II, “Trust Christ, because he trusts you.”

vocations

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Welcome to the Big Apple

01 Mar 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The psalmist this Sunday asks God for teaching and guidance. The Archdiocese of New York will soon be guided by a new shepherd, Milwaukee Archbishop Timothy Dolan. Dolan succeeds Cardinal Edward Egan, 76, who retires after nine years in the post that Pope John Paul II once called "archbishop to the capital of the world." At his inaugural news conference a few hours after the appointment was announced Monday, Dolan shared the stage with his predecessor, whom he will officially replace when he is installed on April 15. Dolan, who has a doctorate in American church history, acknowledged that he and the archdiocese face challenges of historic proportions, with fewer Catholics marrying in the church, attending Mass, or joining the priesthood. "Those are the things we bishops worry about," he said. "It's not the money stuff that keeps us awake at night." Dolan is known to be orthodox in his theology, but in choosing him Pope Benedict XVI passed over other candidates who are equally conservative but more confrontational with priests, parishioners, and politicians who question church teaching. "Our priests are on the front lines of an important ministry, so I'm here to help them," Dolan said. "I'm their servant, I work for them, and I need them more than ever." The archdiocese, the nation's second largest after Los Angeles, has undergone huge shifts in recent decades. As in other parts of the country, many Catholics who once lived in cities have moved to the suburbs. And though New York is better off than most dioceses in its ratio of priests to parishioners, priests are aging and retiring far more quickly than new seminarians are signing up to take their place. Many New York priests had also complained about their deteriorating relationship with the outgoing archbishop. Egan said at the news conference that his "greatest sadness" was that the archdiocese did not produce more vocations to the priesthood. Late in the afternoon Dolan visited St. Joseph's Seminary in Yonkers, which will graduate only three students this year to be ordained as priests for the New York archdiocese. Dolan said that increasing vocations was his "first mandate." Asked his strategy, he said, "Happiness attracts." Source: Articles by David Gibson for the New York Daily News and Laurie Goodstein for the New York Times

vocations new york timothy dolan edward egan priests

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Quite a following

29 Mar 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of service to his mission when he says, “Whoever serves me must follow me . . . .” There is growing interest in “following Jesus” by way of Catholic religious life, according to results from the most recent survey conducted by VocationMatch.com, the leading online religious vocation discernment website. Sixty-nine percent of the communities responding to the website’s annual “Survey on Trends in Religious Vocations” reported increased inquiries into religious life. Discerners—those interested in religious life—are primarily under 40 years old and say they are looking at religious life because of a desire for deeper spirituality. Most are quite serious about exploring religious life, and nearly 20 percent plan to enter religious formation in the next 12 months. In addition to their desire for a deeper spirituality and a life of faithfulness to the church, discerners say they are most drawn to a particular religious community by its prayer life and community living. A significant 35 percent ranked justice and peace outreach as essential. Celibacy, a life of service, and living simply are all perceived as more challenging to this year’s crop of discerners than last year’s. Prayer and spiritual direction continue to rank as the most essential element in making a decision about religious life, and the discipline of prayer remains the greatest perceived challenge in living as a religious priest, sister, or brother. “This information is vital to the life of the Catholic Church and the future of religious life,” commented Holy Cross Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., executive director the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) in Chicago. The NRVC and its publishing partner TrueQuest Communications annually survey discerners who have completed profiles on VocationMatch.com. Ninety percent of discerners say their inquiries into religious life are made easier because of access to information about religious life on the Internet. “With the dawn of instant and anonymous information-gathering via the Internet, we’ve begun to see a steady increase in inquiries about religious life, which we expect will translate into more vocations over the next decade,” said Patrice Tuohy, executive editor of VISION Vocation Guide and VocationMatch.com. Not surprisingly, those discerning a call to religious life still consider personal contact with someone in religious life as the most essential resource for gathering information about vocations (53 percent). However, “Come and See” weekends ranked high on every age group’s list (42 percent) as did working with a counselor or spiritual director (38 percent). A religious community’s website ranked next, above vocation directors, parish priests, parents, and friends, and 58 percent rated vocation-related websites as either very important or essential to their information-gathering. Source: TrueQuest Communications and VocationMatch.com. The full results of the survey are available online.

vocations vocationmatchcom survey on trends in religious vocations religious life discerners paul bednarczyk truequest communications patrice tuohy

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Quite a following

29 Mar 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

In this Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of service to his mission when he says, “Whoever serves me must follow me . . . .” There is growing interest in “following Jesus” by way of Catholic religious life, according to results from the most recent survey conducted by VocationMatch.com, the leading online religious vocation discernment website. Sixty-nine percent of the communities responding to the website’s annual “Survey on Trends in Religious Vocations” reported increased inquiries into religious life. Discerners—those interested in religious life—are primarily under 40 years old and say they are looking at religious life because of a desire for deeper spirituality. Most are quite serious about exploring religious life, and nearly 20 percent plan to enter religious formation in the next 12 months. In addition to their desire for a deeper spirituality and a life of faithfulness to the church, discerners say they are most drawn to a particular religious community by its prayer life and community living. A significant 35 percent ranked justice and peace outreach as essential. Celibacy, a life of service, and living simply are all perceived as more challenging to this year’s crop of discerners than last year’s. Prayer and spiritual direction continue to rank as the most essential element in making a decision about religious life, and the discipline of prayer remains the greatest perceived challenge in living as a religious priest, sister, or brother. “This information is vital to the life of the Catholic Church and the future of religious life,” commented Holy Cross Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., executive director the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) in Chicago. The NRVC and its publishing partner TrueQuest Communications annually survey discerners who have completed profiles on VocationMatch.com. Ninety percent of discerners say their inquiries into religious life are made easier because of access to information about religious life on the Internet. “With the dawn of instant and anonymous information-gathering via the Internet, we’ve begun to see a steady increase in inquiries about religious life, which we expect will translate into more vocations over the next decade,” said Patrice Tuohy, executive editor of VISION Vocation Guide and VocationMatch.com. Not surprisingly, those discerning a call to religious life still consider personal contact with someone in religious life as the most essential resource for gathering information about vocations (53 percent). However, “Come and See” weekends ranked high on every age group’s list (42 percent) as did working with a counselor or spiritual director (38 percent). A religious community’s website ranked next, above vocation directors, parish priests, parents, and friends, and 58 percent rated vocation-related websites as either very important or essential to their information-gathering. Source: TrueQuest Communications and VocationMatch.com. The full results of the survey are available online.

vocations vocationmatchcom survey on trends in religious vocations religious life discerners paul bednarczyk truequest communications patrice tuohy

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Vocation study reveals changing face and habits of new entrants

16 Aug 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday's psalm seems ready-made for those who in recent years have chosen to "taste and see" for themselves what Catholic religious life is like. In keeping with the psalmist's desire to bless and praise the Lord at all times, a landmark vocations study reveals that newer recruits place a high priority on shared prayer and worship, communal living, and Catholic identity. The newest generation of religious priests, brothers, sisters, and nuns are more ethnically diverse than their predecessors and also drawn to more traditional expressions of piety, according to the "Study of Recent Vocations to Religious Life" conducted by Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) for the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC). "We've heard anecdotally that the youngest people coming to religious life are distinctive, and they really are," said Sister Mary Bendyna, executive director of CARA. "They're more attracted to a traditional style of religious life, where there is community living, common prayer, having Mass together, praying the Liturgy of the Hours together. They are much more likely to say fidelity to the church is important to them. And they really are looking for communities where members wear habits," said Bendyna. "This younger generation is seeking an identity, a religious identity as well as a Catholic identity," said Brother Paul Bednarczyk, executive director of the Chicago-based NRVC, a professional organization of Catholic religious vocation directors. "Symbolism, images, and ritual are all very important to this generation, and they want to give witness to their faith." The study also found that non-Hispanic whites account for 94 percent of current nuns and priests but only 58 percent of those in the process of joining orders, including 21 percent who are Hispanic, 14 percent Asian or Pacific Islander, and 6 percent African or African American. In addition, the study revealed that the graying of American religious is more pronounced than many Catholics might have realized. Ninety-one percent of nuns and 75 percent of priests are 60 or older, and most of the rest are at least 50. And finding new members remains a struggle for many orders. Thirty-four percent of women's orders and 22 percent of men's orders surveyed had no candidates. Almost half the orders that do have someone on the early path toward his or her vows have no more than one or two in the pipeline. Bednarczyk drew reason to hope from the fact that 43 percent of those in the early stages of joining an order are under 30. "Younger people are re-looking at religious life as a viable life option," he said. "It does speak of a future." A full summary and review of study results, as well as a list of best practices that foster vocations, can be found at the NRVC's website, www.nrvc.net. Source: Articles by Eric Gorksi for the Associated Press and Laurie Goodstein for the New York Times

vocations cara studies national religious vocation conference nrvc mary bendyna religious orders study of recent vocations to religious life paul bednarczyk religious life center for applied research in the apostolate

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Vocation study reveals changing face and habits of new entrants

16 Aug 2009 - Preaching the News for Sunday

This Sunday's psalm seems ready-made for those who in recent years have chosen to "taste and see" for themselves what Catholic religious life is like. In keeping with the psalmist's desire to bless and praise the Lord at all times, a landmark vocations study reveals that newer recruits place a high priority on shared prayer and worship, communal living, and Catholic identity. The newest generation of religious priests, brothers, sisters, and nuns are more ethnically diverse than their predecessors and also drawn to more traditional expressions of piety, according to the "Study of Recent Vocations to Religious Life" conducted by Georgetown University's Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) for the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC). "We've heard anecdotally that the youngest people coming to religious life are distinctive, and they really are," said Sister Mary Bendyna, executive director of CARA. "They're more attracted to a traditional style of religious life, where there is community living, common prayer, having Mass together, praying the Liturgy of the Hours together. They are much more likely to say fidelity to the church is important to them. And they really are looking for communities where members wear habits," said Bendyna. "This younger generation is seeking an identity, a religious identity as well as a Catholic identity," said Brother Paul Bednarczyk, executive director of the Chicago-based NRVC, a professional organization of Catholic religious vocation directors. "Symbolism, images, and ritual are all very important to this generation, and they want to give witness to their faith." The study also found that non-Hispanic whites account for 94 percent of current nuns and priests but only 58 percent of those in the process of joining orders, including 21 percent who are Hispanic, 14 percent Asian or Pacific Islander, and 6 percent African or African American. In addition, the study revealed that the graying of American religious is more pronounced than many Catholics might have realized. Ninety-one percent of nuns and 75 percent of priests are 60 or older, and most of the rest are at least 50. And finding new members remains a struggle for many orders. Thirty-four percent of women's orders and 22 percent of men's orders surveyed had no candidates. Almost half the orders that do have someone on the early path toward his or her vows have no more than one or two in the pipeline. Bednarczyk drew reason to hope from the fact that 43 percent of those in the early stages of joining an order are under 30. "Younger people are re-looking at religious life as a viable life option," he said. "It does speak of a future." A full summary and review of study results, as well as a list of best practices that foster vocations, can be found at the NRVC's website, www.nrvc.net. Source: Articles by Eric Gorksi for the Associated Press and Laurie Goodstein for the New York Times

vocations cara studies national religious vocation conference nrvc mary bendyna religious orders study of recent vocations to religious life paul bednarczyk religious life center for applied research in the apostolate

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It’s time to answer the baptismal call

09 Jan 2011 - Preaching the News for Sunday

The gospel story of Jesus’ baptism shows how Jesus answered the call to be the instrument of God’s salvation in the world. With the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, members of the church, made beloved of God by baptism, can rededicate themselves to follow Jesus and proclaim the Good News with their lives. National Vocation Awareness Week, which begins this Sunday, celebrates, in the words of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, “vocations to the priesthood, diaconate, or consecrated life in particular. During these days families and the parish community are urged to nurture the faith of their children to prepare them to respond to whatever God’s call is for them.” The VISION Vocation Network, vocation-network.org, offers resources to promote vocations among Catholics of all ages. Source: www.usccb.org and www.thinkpriest.org

baptism vocations baptism of the lord national vocation awareness week vision vocation network

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Too much in debt to take a vow of poverty

26 Feb 2012 - Preaching the News for Sunday

“This is the time of fulfillment. The kingdom of God is at hand,” Jesus announces in this Sunday’s gospel when he embarks on his public ministry. Many of those who would like to embark on a fulfilling ministry as members of religious communities are stymied because they are carrying an average of $28,000 in student debt. A new study on Catholic vocations has revealed that educational debt is derailing the dreams these young people have to become religious sisters, brothers, or priests. And the problem is likely to get worse: Religious institutes report an increase in the number of inquirers with large educational debt, and national averages show record levels of student debt continuing to rise. The 2012 Study on Educational Debt and Vocations to Religious Life, conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University for the Chicago-based National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC), finds that seven in ten institutes (69 percent) turned away at least one person because of student loans. In addition, many religious communities ask young people to delay their applications to enter because of educational debt. “For those entering religious life, the expectation is that they be debt-free,” said Holy Cross Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., executive director of the NRVC, “but for graduates in today’s economy, where education costs have risen by 900 percent since 1978, paying off loans can take years to accomplish. The burden of student debt has become a serious problem for religious communities desirous of welcoming younger members.” “Because religious sisters, brothers, and priests are vital to the life of the church and provide great service to society,” Bednarczyk said, “we plan to bring together key stakeholders to develop strategies to ease this significant and growing barrier to religious vocations.” Complete study results are available at nrvc.net. Sources: A news release by the National Religious Vocation Conference (nrvc.net) and a SpiritCitings blog post

vocations educational debt debt center for applied research in the apostolate cara studies national religious vocation conference nrvc religious orders student debt

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