Fall & winter events
Fall & winter events
"Talk it Up Tuesdays," are back in January 2025! These 60-minute Zoom gatherings are designed for members to learn together, encourage each other, and share ideas.
These one-hour sessions will start at 1:00 p.m. CDT and focus on a topic in vocation ministry. The time will consist of an opening prayer, introductions, a 20-minute short presentation, 15-minute breakout groups, and 15 minutes to share the best ideas, announcements, and gratitude. Best of all, these are free for NRVC members!
Tuesday, January 28, 2025, Found in Translation: Navigating generational communication nuances using Canva, presented by Mr. Jorge Martins (for the O.F.M. Guadalupe Province)
Tuesday, February 4, 2025, Vicars and Vocation Ministers: Allies in the Vineyard presented by Sister Mary Beth Bromer, C.S.S.F.
Tuesday, February 11, 2025, Sources of Encouragement: Inside and Outside of Vocation Circles, presented by Sister Judith Blizzard, C.S.S.F.
Tuesday, February 18, 2025, Enhancing Vocation Culture through Youth Ministry: Accompaniment, Empowerment, and Possibility presented by Brother Rafael Vargas, S.D.B.
Tuesday, February 25, 2025, We’re All Connected: Involving Community and non-Community members in Vocation Ministry, presented by Sister Mary Jo Curtsinger, C.S.J. and Sister Erin McDonald, C.S.J.
Tuesday, March 4, 2025, Keeping the Conversation Going: Leadership and Vocation Ministry in Collaboration presented by Brother John Skrodinsky, S.T.
Tuesday, March 11, 2025, Sometimes you need to pivot – incorporating non-religious tactics into vocation ministry, presented by Father Paul Shelton, SJ
Tuesday, March 18, 2025, Being the Voice of Hope: Navigating Vocation Ministry Challenges from Multiple Sources, presented by Father Stephen Sohe, S.S.J.
Tuesday, March 25, 2025, Full of grace: Incorporating Marian traditions in Vocation Ministry presented by Brother Mark Motz, S.M.
Tuesday, April 1, 2025, You Have What the World Needs: Conversations about Charism, presented by Sister Heather Jean Foltz, O.S.B.
Tuesday, April 8, 2025, Capture the Moment: Unplanned Instances of Inspiration, presented by Sr. Carolyn Martin, lsp
We look forward to seeing you for this interactive winter gathering! If there is a topic that you are willing to present, let us know and we will add it to the schedule.
Remember these sessions will not be recorded. Please refer all questions to Sister Dina Bato, S.P. at dinasp@nrvc.net
In 1997, Pope Saint John Paul II instituted a day for women and men in consecrated life. This global 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.
There are several ways to celebrate World Day for Consecrated Life. Invite sisters, brothers, and priests to publicly renew their vows at Mass, send cards of support to newer entrants, ask to visit a mother house to meet and pray with sisters, brothers, and priests, invite a vocation director to visit your classroom, Board meeting, or faith group to learn more about consecrated life. Send flowers, make a donation to a religious community, or invite someone to discern their vocation to consecrated life!
Spark a conversation about religious life using the Abundant Hope prayer cards, and Abundant Hope video series of newer entrants and senior professed members talking about their lived experiences of intergenerational and intercultural vowed communal life. There are 76 videos of sisters, brothers, and priests sharing abundant hope on the NRVC YouTube Channel. On World Day for Consecrated Life, gather together to talk about unwavering hope, invite others to celebrate, and record your own short videos to post on your social media sites to join this global celebration!
VISION Vocation Network articles on Religious Life
VISION Vocation Digital Guides
Consecrated Life through the lens of Fratelli Tutti video
Ideas for families and parishes to celebrate WDCL video
Fundamentals from call to charism to community living video
What you might not know about religious life three minute video
Finding joy in religious life three minute video
Religious Life is...three minute video
Takeaways from Christus Vivit through the lens of vocation ministry video
Selected vocation quotes from Christus Vivit!
USCCB Resources
Sample renewal formula from the Diocese of Brooklyn:
Eternal and Loving God, trusting in your faithful love,
I, _____________, renew my vows to live my life
following Jesus Christ in chastity, poverty, and obedience.
I commit myself anew to serve the Church
in the ministries entrusted to my Religious Congregation.
Grant me the grace, Lord Jesus,
through the intercession of Our Lady
and the prayers and support of my sisters and brothers in Christ
to live these vows faithfully. Amen.
Sample renewal formula from the Diocese of Ogdensburg:
O my God, I ____________, renew my vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience, hoping with your Divine Grace to observe them faithfully.” Amen.
Sample renewal formula from the Archdiocese of Chicago:
Trusting in God’s love and fidelity,
I ____________, renew my dedication to God
Through the vows of Chastity, Poverty, and Obedience.
I renew the gift of my life in community
and in mission to extend God’s reign of justice, love, and peace in the world.
With total dependence upon God,
I promise fidelity to this commitment
made in accordance with the Constitutions
of my Religious Congregation.
I ask you to pray
that I will be faithful to this commitment. Amen
"This community really, for me, gave me a place and a voice to say, it's okay that you sing in Spanish. It's okay that you're abuelito did this. You had a little altarcito. It's okay. That cultural experience is valid, is valued. That's what attracted me to my community, where I could explore that and celebrate that."
"I was attracted to living in community with other people with the same charism, with the same spirit, with the same hopes for the world with our differences. I wanted to be in community. That was really important to me."
"I think the greatest joy and the greatest challenge is community life, always."
2024 Papal Message for the 28th World Day for Consecrated Life
It is good for us to look at these two elders who were waiting patiently, vigilant in spirit and persevering in prayer. Their hearts have stayed awake, like an eternal flame. They are advanced in age, but young at heart. They do not let the days wear them down, for their eyes remain fixed on God in expectation (cf. Ps 145:15). Fixed on God in expectation, always in expectation. Along life’s journey, they have experienced hardships and disappointments, but they have not given in to defeat: they have not “retired” hope.
2023 Papal Message for the 27th World Day for Consecrated Life
Your mission is enriched by the charisms of your institutes and societies, the charisms of your founders. In their remarkable variety, they all gave themselves for the edification of the Church and for her mission. All charisms are for the mission, and they are precisely so with the incalculable richness of their variety; so that the Church may bear witness to and proclaim the Gospel to everyone and in every situation.
2022 Papal Homily for the 26th World Day for Consecrated Life
What is our vision of consecrated life? The world often sees it as “a waste”, a relic of the past, something useless. But we, the Christian community, men and women religious, what do we see? Are our eyes turned only inward, yearning for something that no longer exists, or are we capable of a farsighted gaze of faith, one that looks both within and beyond? I am greatly edified when I see older consecrated men and women whose eyes are bright, who continue to smile and in this way give hope to the young. Let us think of all those times when we encountered such persons, and bless God for this. For their eyes are full of hope and openness to the future.
2021 Papal Homily for the 25th World Day for Consecrated Life
2020 Papal Homily for the 24th World Day for Consecrated Life
2019 Papal Homily for the 23rd World Day for Consecrated Life
2018 Papal Homily for the 22nd World Day of Consecrated Life
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
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
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
Updated on: 2020-12-31
National Vocation Awareness Week (NVAW) is an annual week-long celebration of the Catholic Church in the United States dedicated to promote vocations to ordained ministry and consecrated life through prayer, invitation, and education, and to renew our prayers and support for those who are considering these vocations.
Please avail yourself of the many resources NRVC offers to help promote NVAW in your community, parish, school, or campus ministry office. Note: for social media posts, use the hashtag #NVAW. or #NationalVocationAwarenessWeek.
The new interactive vocation resource showcases today’s Catholic sisters, nuns, brothers, and priests, the Bold and Faithful Storymap: Meet Today's Religious.
This storymap is designed for use by individuals considering a religious vocation and for parishes, campuses, and classrooms to promote vocations and connect those in religious life to everyday Catholics.
Featuring audio, video, articles, an interactive events calendar, and a religious institute map, the 2023 Bold and Faithful storymap is a companion resource, along with 2021 Religious Life Today storymap, to the NRVC’s 2020 Study on Recent Vocations to Religious Life.
Fifty Fun Facts about Religious Life handout
Responsibilities of Members for Vocation Ministry Handout
Ten Questions Parents ask about Vocations to Religious Life Brochure
Ten Questions People ask about Vocations to Religious Life Brochure
VISION Vocation Guide Digital Edition | VISION Article Index
What You Might not Know about Religious Life
Additional NRVC videos to share on your social media platforms are also available on the NRVC YouTube Channel, including our Learn it! Love it! Live it! webinar series.
VISION Vocation Network resources: NRVC's VocationNetwork.org offers many vocation-related resources, including, articles, videos, prayers, and quizzes on vocation discernment and religious life. Order free VISION guide, prayer cards, and posters.
The USCCB website offers news releases, prayer cards, video clips, and other resources.
Global Sisters Report offers lessons for classrooms about Catholic Sisters.
Serra International offers Spark Vocation Tools.
Please send us any plans, photos, or news about your events celebrated during National Vocation Awareness Week. We're happy to spread the good news.
Observance of Vocation Awareness Week began in 1976 when the U.S. bishops designated the 28th Sunday of the year for the celebration. It was later moved to the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord in January. In 2014, after extensive consultation, the Committee on Clergy, Consecrated Life, and Vocations moved the observance of National Vocation Awareness Week to November to engage Catholic schools and colleges more effectively in this effort.
Come a day early to elevate your skills and enhance your ministry! There are five workshops available, and you can select two to attend. The workshops are designed for vocation ministers, leadership teams, and all those responsible for the admissions process. When making your hotel reservations, plan to arrive on October 30, the day before the workshops on October 31.
The workshops begin at 9:00 a.m., shortly after 8:00 a.m. Mass, and conclude at 4:30 p.m. All workshops include a buffet lunch.
Workshop registration for NRVC members is $200 which includes your choice of two workshops and a buffet lunch. Price for non-members is $300.
MORNING WORKSHOPS (9-noon)
AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS (1:30 - 4:30 pm)
1. Requirements of Immigration Law in the Discernment Process
This workshop focuses on the critical components of immigration law in the application process for international applicants for religious institutes and societies of apostolic life in the U.S. Topics include the clarification of key immigration definitions, the R-1 Religious Worker Visa process/changes, documentation, and tracking of immigration status throughout formation, permanent residence process/changes, long-term immigration planning, and legal responsibilities of the religious institute and candidate. It will also include some of the ways religious institutes can be advocates to help immigrants/migrants/newcomers. Ms. Mateo will discuss suggestions on how to ask essential questions in a minimally invasive and timely way so if there is a reason to stop an application, it can be done early on to either resolve the issue or end the discernment, including insights into culturally sensitive issues that may delay an application or in seeking legal counsel.
Ms. Graciela Mateo is the Managing Attorney of the Religious Immigration Services (RIS) section of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINC). She has been with CLINIC in its RIS section since 2017 practicing exclusively in religious immigration law. CLINIC currently represents over 100 religious organizations assisting them in bringing international priests, brothers, sisters, novices, seminarians, and other religious workers into the U.S. to serve the Church. Ms. Graciela Mateo has been practicing immigration law since 2018. She graduated from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Charlotte School of Law.
2. Requirements of Civil and Canon Law in Candidate Assessment
This workshop focuses on the critical components of civil and canon law in candidate assessment and the application process. Because religious institutes and societies of apostolic life are non-profit voluntary religious associations, it will address pertinent information on policies and practices concerning financial assets, salary, savings, property, and tax issues along with debts, liabilities, and lawsuits of applicants to initial formation. Mr. Chris Fusco will include community transfers, international candidates, and special issues regarding the assets of older, widowed, and annulled Catholics. He will address document disposition, internal and external forums, and confidentiality. He will include suggestions on how to ask essential questions in a minimally invasive and timely way so if there is a reason to stop an application, it can be done early on to either resolve the issue or end the discernment, including insights into culturally sensitive issues that may delay an application or in seeking legal counsel.
Mr. Christopher J. Fusco, JCL, Esq. serves as the associate director for civil law at the Resource Center for Religious Institutes since March 2018 and has served as the associate general counsel and moderator of the Tribunal for the Diocese of Metuchen since September 2011. Mr. Fusco holds a master’s degree in religious studies and a licentiate degree in canon law from The Catholic University of Louvain in Belgium. He received his Juris Doctor degree from The City University of New York School of Law and clerked for The Superior Court of New Jersey. He also holds a master’s degree in music from The New England Conservatory of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. Christopher is a member of the Bars of New York, New Jersey, Maryland, and the District of Columbia. He has also been admitted to the US Court of International Trade, the US Tax Court, and the US Supreme Court. He is a member of the Canon Law Society of America, the Canon Law Society of Great Britain and Ireland, and the National Diocesan Attorneys Association.
3. Navigating the Maze of Psychological Assessment in the Application Process
With all the new and effective treatments available for chronic conditions, it can be difficult to distinguish the seriousness of mental health conditions which necessitates telling a discerner to delay or stop discerning religious life. This workshop will address how to respectfully gather the information needed without minimizing behaviors that can make community life challenging. It will address issues that can be resolved with counseling and realistic expectations for the length of time needed to change behaviors before admission. The presenters will also explore serious mental health illnesses that can be hereditary, have no simple cure, or have enduring behaviors that require lifelong treatment that would preclude admission to vowed communal life. Generational family-of-origin issues and how the presence of mental health concerns in the family impacts the life of the individual and potentially of the community will be included in this workshop. The presenters will also explain the purpose of each component of psychological assessment and how to read the report.
Sister Karen Cote, I.H.M. Psy.D., serves as the Director of Outpatient Services at Saint John Vianney Center since 2019. Sister Karen is a licensed psychologist for the Outpatient Department conducting psychological assessments and psychotherapy for priests, deacons and their spouses, and men and women religious. She has previous experience as a staff psychologist at a state hospital, director of a residential treatment facility for Native American adolescents, and a member of a crisis response team in New Mexico. She earned a Psy.D. in Clinical Psychology from Immaculata University and an MSW in Clinical Social Work from New Mexico Highlands University. Sister Karen has written articles for HORIZON and presented workshops for the NRVC in the mental health field. Her interests include psychological assessment, personality disorders, and cultural diversity.
Sister Mary M. Lindsay, SSJ, Ph.D. is a Sister of St. Joseph of Philadelphia, PA. She holds an M.A. in Clinical Psychology from Loyola University, Maryland and a Ph.D. in Clinical/Counseling Psychology from Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. Mary is a licensed psychologist who has been practicing in outpatient and inpatient settings for over 35 years. Her focus for the past 20 years has been the treatment of diocesan clergy and religious priests, brothers, and sisters at Saint John Vianney Center in Downingtown, PA. She has also lectured on topics such as: mood disorders, psychological assessment, the aftereffects of abuse, and personality issues.
4. Are you Really Woke to the Opportunity?
This interactive workshop created by the NRVC African American Vocation Committee explores how racial biases and stereotypes impact vocation ministry. Participants will have the opportunity to reflect on what it means to welcome people of color into their communities, what they experience upon entering, and how to support them in their discernment. This workshop will leave attendees with topics for further personal and communal reflection, practical wisdom, resources, and a better appreciation of our call to be Catholic (Universal) in our promoting and nurturing the call.
Father Anthony Bozeman, S.S.J., a priest with the Society of St. Joseph of the Sacred Heart (The Josephite Community), was raised in Philadelphia within the parish boundaries of Our Mother of Sorrows. Father Anthony joined the U.S. Military, serving his country for a total of 16 years of combined Active and Air National Guard Reserve duty. Father Anthony has pastored parishes in Philadelphia, Houston, New Orleans, and Los Angeles. He is the immediate past president of the National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus. He serves as assistant vocation director, administrator of Our Lady of Grace Parish in Reserve, LA, and as an Outreach Priest. Known for his enthusiasm and reliability, he is highly sought out nationally for preaching, retreats, and revivals. He describes himself as a man on fire for the Gospel of Christ, as a Preacher, Teacher, and Soul Reacher. Father Anthony understands that “to whom much is given, much is expected.”
5. God’s Call is Everywhere: A Global Analysis of Contemporary Religious Vocations
Religious life is vitally necessary to the Catholic church today in an era of globalization and shifts in demographics beyond a numerical perspective. Through a comparative analysis of six countries researching newer entrants of women religious, the workshop presenters will provide a global understanding of the hopes and concerns of women discerning a vocation to religious life in the twenty-first century. What can we learn from a meta-analysis? This workshop moves beyond counting sisters to listening to and learning from one another about the obstacles to vocation discernment in various parts of the world. It brings together the sociological data to facilitate timely reflection for leadership, vocation, and formation directors through a global lens to remember that God’s call is everywhere.
Father Luis Fernando Falcó, MSpS, Ph.D., is a Mexican priest and member of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit congregation. He is trained as a psychotherapist and psychoanalyst and completed doctoral studies in political science and sociology at UNAM (Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México). Fr. Luis served in religious formation ministry for 21 years in his congregation and was rector of the Instituto de Formmación Filosófica Intercongregacional de México. He is the director of Proyecto Cruces, providing professional formation and consultancy to religious communities and priesthood, applying organizational and psychosocial knowledge to religious life. He has written a book, Contingencia y llamado eterno (2010), reflecting on the new sociocultural conditions of new vocations in religious life.
Ms. Mary L. Gautier, Ph.D. retired in 2019 as a senior research associate at CARA, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate at Georgetown University, a position she held for 21 years. Mary holds an M.A. and Ph.D. in Sociology from Louisiana State University. At CARA, she specialized in Catholic demographic trends in the United States, managed CARA databases, and conducted demographic projects and computer-aided mapping. She also edited The CARA Report, a quarterly research publication, and other CARA publications. She is the co-author of twelve books on Catholicism in the United States. She currently serves on the Board of Directors for Liturgical Press and for ASEC, the African Sisters Education Collaborative.
Sister Gemma Simmonds, C.J., is a sister of the Congregation of Jesus. She is a senior research fellow at the Margaret Beaufort Institute of Theology in Cambridge, where she is director of the Religious Life Institute. An international speaker and lecturer, she lectured in theology at Heythrop College, University of London, specializing in spiritual direction in the Ignatian tradition, and has been a spiritual director and retreat giver for over thirty years. Gemma has been a missionary in Brazil, a chaplain at the Universities of Cambridge and London, and a chaplaincy volunteer in Holloway Prison. She is a regular broadcaster on religious matters on the BBC, Radio Maria England, and other radio and television networks.
Sister Patricia Wittberg, S.C., Ph.D., is a sister of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati, Ohio. She holds a Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of Chicago, is an emeritus professor at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI), and is currently a research associate with the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA). She is particularly interested in generational continuity and change among Catholics. Her academic research focuses on the sociology of religion, community, and church and nonprofit organizations. She is the author of numerous books and articles on Catholicism and Catholic religious life, most recently chapters in Faith and Spiritual Life of Young Adult Catholics in a Rising Hispanic Church (Liturgical Press, 2022).
Registration for Convocation and Pre-Convocation workshops is open in the store. For more information about Convocation, click here.
We kindly request that you stay at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel by registering using this link. The NRVC takes a financial risk when securing rooms for the Convocation. Reserving rooms at other hotels or BNB sites increases this risk, which could result in higher room and registration rates in the future. Room rates are guaranteed until October 6, 2024.
Download a draft Convocation schedule.
Convocation brings together the NRVC membership with its trademark excellence in workshops, liturgies, keynote presentations, and networking. This large membership conference also includes the member business meeting, awards banquet, and invitations to several organizational collaborators. It provides the opportunity to celebrate the mission and vision of the organization while engaging in professional development and ongoing formation. We are excited to be heading out to Minneapolis for our biennial Convocation, October 31- November 4, 2024. Thank you to the Upper Midwest Member Area for serving as hosts for our 2024 conference.
Visit our online store to make your selections, register, and make payments.
Welcome Reception and Ritual begins at 6:00 p.m., October 31, 2024
Awards dinner ends at 9:00 p.m., November 3, 2024
The venue selected is the Doubletree Hotel at 1500 Park Place Blvd, Minneapolis, MN. It's in Saint Louis Park, across from The Shops at West End, which has numerous affordable dining options. Central Minneapolis is five miles away, and the Mall of America is less than a half-hour drive from the hotel. There's free car parking, free wi-fi, an indoor swimming pool, and a fitness center.
Within walking distance next to the hotel, there is a Costco, Cub Supermarket, Arby’s, Bruegger's Bagels, Five Guys Burgers, Jersey Mike’s Sub, Jimmy Johns, Panera Bread, Punch Pizza, Raku Sushi, Rojo Mexican Grill, Yard House Restaurant, and Crave American Kitchen & Sushi Bar. There’s also an Office Depot, Home Depot, and Marcus Cinema!
The NRVC has contracted a block of rooms for three days prior and 3 days after Convocation for a reduced rate of $129 per night plus 10.525% taxes. While it may be cheaper for reservations elsewhere or through third parties, the NRVC depends upon your reservations through Nix conference management to keep the overall rate of the conference affordable. If we do not meet our contracted rooms, the NRVC will be penalized financially. Check-in is after 3:00 pm and check-out is before 10:00 am. Please note reservations for the hotel discount rate ends on October 6.
Please use this link for your hotel reservation.
An opening reception on Thursday evening, lunch on Friday and Saturday, along with the closing awards banquet on Sunday, are all included in your registration fee. There are several restaurants within walking distance from the hotel. There is also a restaurant in the hotel
Registration fee after October 1: $700 for members and $1,000 for non-members
Pre-Convocation workshops, 9:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., on October 31, 2024
Member rate: $200 includes lunch & 2 workshops
Non-member rate: $300, includes lunch & 2 workshops
The Sacred Sites,Sacred Stories pilgrimage is sold out. If you want to be on a waiting list in case of cancellations, please call Sister Kathleen at 513.504.4276.
The hotel overnight rate is $129 plus 10.525% taxes from October 29 to November 6. Parking is free. Please do NOT make reservations directly to the hotel or through third parties as they will not be applied to our NRVC contract. Thank you. Make your hotel reservations with this link.
If you need to cancel your reservation, please email debbiesscm@nrvc.net Due to contracts with the hotel/vendors, all registration fees are non-refundable after October 1, 2024.
If you need financial assistance, the NRVC Misericordia Fund is available to help with Convocation registration fees. For information and applications, please click here.
Many levels of Sponsorship are available and we welcome your support. Please contact our Director of Development, Mr. Phil Loftus at ploftus@nrvc.net. Click to find information on sponsorship opportunities, and see who is already on the Sponsor list!
Exhibits are available to those who are sponsors at the $2,000 and higher levels. Exhibits open at 3:00 p.m. on October 31 and close at 4:00 p.m. on November 2 p.m. Exhibits include 1 table, two chairs, and up to two Convocation registration fees.
Come a day early to elevate your skills and enhance your ministry! There are five workshops available on October 31, and you can select two to attend. The workshops are designed for vocation ministers, leadership teams, and all those responsible for the admissions process. Workshop registration for NRVC members is $200 which includes your choice of two workshops and a buffet lunch. The price for non-members is $300. Registration is open in the store.
MORNING WORKSHOPS (9-noon)
AFTERNOON WORKSHOPS (1:30 - 4:30 pm)
For all workshop descriptions and presenter bios, visit this website article dedicated to Pre-Convocation workshops.
On November 1, Ms. Ann M. Garrido, D.Min., will present an all-day workshop entitled, “Walking Humbly in Tough Conversations.” She has a passion for bringing the best research and practice around healthy communication and conflict management from the business world into the church world. Dr. Garrido is an associate professor of homiletics at Aquinas Institute of Theology and a consultant with Triad Consulting Group, a conflict mediation and communications team. She has taught courses in pastoral theology, homiletics, and catechetics. She has served as Director of Field Education, Director of Distance Learning, Director of the Aquinas Ministry Integration Project, Director of the Doctor of Ministry program, and Director of the Masters in Catechesis of the Good Shepherd. Dr. Garrido is the author of numerous articles and ten books in the field of church leadership and ministry including the series, Redeeming Administration, Redeeming Conflict, and Redeeming Power. She earned a master of divinity and a doctor of ministry in preaching at Aquinas Institute of Theology.
On November 2, Brother Christopher A. Patiño, F.S.C., will focus his presentation on “Leaven of Hope: Envisaging and Engendering an Open World.” He is the son of Mexican immigrant parents and currently serves as General Councilor for the Institute of the Brothers of the Christian Schools (De La Salle Brothers). His ministerial responsibilities as General Councilor include accompanying the institute’s “beyond the border” projects, the mission in South Sudan, and Bethlehem University in Palestine with the congregation’s North America and Pacific Asia regions. Previously, Brother Chris served as director of vocation ministry, teacher, administrator, and in other capacities at various Lasallian educational apostolates. Brother Chris holds a master of arts in pastoral studies (Loyola University of Chicago), and a certificate in Catholic School Administration (Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles). He was part of the NRVC Orientation Program for New Vocation Directors presenters team for four summers, served as a Member Area Coordinator for six years, and received the NRVC Outstanding Recognition Award in 2022.
On November 3, Sister Patricia Chappell, SNDdeN will address the theme, “Walking Humbly Together through Foundational Transformative Values.” She was trained by Crossroads and serves as co-chair of the Sisters of Notre Dame, USA Anti-Racism Team. Sister Patricia is committed to working with religious congregations on dismantling racism. She was the first African American to serve on her Provincial Leadership Team and was elected to the US-East-West Unit Provincial team of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. She is a member of the National Black Sisters’ Conference and served as its president for 5 years. Sister Patricia became the first African American Executive Director of Pax Christi, USA. She holds a master’s degree in social work (Catholic University of America) and received her accreditation from the Academy of Certified Social Workers Incorporated. She is a licensed social worker in the District of Columbia. Sr. Patty received the LCWR Outstanding Leadership Award and received the Pax Christi USA Ambassadors of Peace Award.
Communal and personal prayer are important values of the NRVC. We are grateful to OCP for providing Breaking Bread 
Hymnals and our music director! Each day, Mass will be celebrated along with opportunities for Communal Prayer. A prayer room will be located in the hotel for those who seek a quieter, contemplative space. All Saints Day Mass will be celebrated by our NRVC episcopal liaison, Bishop Austin Vetter. All Souls Day Mass will be celebrated by Fr. Frank Donio, PAC, executive director of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men. Then our closing Mass will be celebrated by Archbishop Bernard Hebda to begin National Vocation Awareness Week!
Convocation participants are asked to bring two photos/statues of their favorite patron saints for the opening prayer ritual and two mementos of people who have died. We will collectively build an ofrenda (small altar) in the conference ballroom to focus our time and prayer together.
The NRVC presents up to four categories of awards at the biennial Convocation: The Harvest Award, the Lifetime Member Award, the Mustard Seed Award, and Outstanding Service Recognition. The NRVC Board selected the National Conference for Vicars for Religious to receive the Harvest Award. They also selected Ms. Marge Argyelan and Sister Josita Colbert, SNDdeN, to receive lifetime membership awards.
The National Board has selected Mr. Greg Darr, Brother David Henley, G.H.M., and Sister Lisa Laguna, DC, to receive Outstanding Recognition Awards. In addition, the selected the Vocations Jamboree,
It is the custom of the Host Member Area to select a local non-profit organization for the collection taken at the closing Mass at Convocation. The Upper Midwest Member Area has selected the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition (NABS) as the recipient for 2024. NABS is the first and only national organization whose purpose is to advocate on behalf of Native peoples impacted by U.S. Indian boarding school policies. They seek truth through education and research, justice through activism and policy advocacy, and healing through programs and traditional gatherings.
The NRVC is committed to keeping participants healthy. Masks are not required, however, if you experience any cold symptoms, we kindly ask that you alert the Board/staff to determine if you need to take further steps to protect your immune system and those in attendance. Please bring a COVID test and cold medicine with you as a preventive gesture of compassion.
To carpool from Chicago, it's a 6-hour drive and from St. Louis, it's an 8-hour drive. The closest airport is the Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP). Arline service includes Air Canada, Alaska Airlines, Allegiant, American Airlines, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, KLM, Southwest, Spirit, Sun Country, United, and Westjet. Choose car and shuttle transportation to/from the airport through Taxi/Uber/Lyft/other app-based ride services, and Car rental companies at your own expense.
We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good, and decent are worth it. Laudato Si, 229
For more detailed information, click on the Convocation Pilgrimage website article. This pilgrimage is sold out, to be placed on a waiting list, please call Sister Kathleen at 513.504.4276.
Please read our NRVC terms and conditions for all events and programs.
Convocation provides the opportunity to celebrate the mission and vision of the NRVC while engaging in professional development and ongoing formation. Invite members of your congregation to attend with you to support you in vocation ministry.
The NRVC presents awards at its biennial convocation. These may include the NRVC Harvest Award, the Lifetime Member Award, the Mustard Seed Award, and the Recognition Award (for members who have demonstrated outstanding service within the field of vocation ministry).
At its September 2024 meeting, the NRVC board selected three NRVC members to receive its Recognition Award, which honors members who have provided outstanding service to vocation ministry as a whole. Congratulations to each of them for their commitment and expertise in this important ministry. The awards will be given during the 2024 convocation.
For the NRVC biennial Mustard Seed Award—also to be given during the 2024 convocation—the board selected the University of Mary Vocations Jamboree. This North Dakota annual event began in 2016. It is carried out through a partnership between the University of Mary, the Diocese of Bismarck, Annunciation Monastery, and Assumption Abbey. The Vocations Jamboree is described by proponents as a “welcoming and dynamic vocation event.”
At its April meeting, the National Board selected Ms. Marge Argyelan and Sr. Josita Colbert, SNDdeN, to receive the NRVC Lifetime Member Award. This significant award is given to those who will receive all the benefits of membership for the rest of their lives. Past recipients include: Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., Sister Catherine Bertrand, SSND, Rev. Raymond Carey, Sister Charlene Diorka, S.S.J., Sister Maryann Hamer, O.S.F., Sister Charlene Herinckx. SSMO, and Miss Delores Orzel.
At its spring meeting, the National Board selected the National Conference of Vicars for Religious (NCVR) to receive NRVC’s highest award in vocation ministry, the Harvest Award. The NCVR serves the vicars and episcopal delegates for religious serving in dioceses across the United States. At the annual NCVR conference, the NRVC liaison is invited as their guest to provide an update on the resources available and the endeavors of the NRVC mission to promote vocations to religious life. This mutual relationship between the two organizations has grown through the years. To assist in this collaboration, every vicar and delegate for religious receives the monthly NRVC newsletter, Focus on Vocation Ministry.
CONNECT WITH NRVC
Christmas holiday
via Zoom
via Zoom
© 2024 National Religious Vocation Conference NRVC
( * ) Site design and programming by ideaPort, LLC
