2023 HORIZON, Number 3, Summer

Synodality and collaboration

By SiSter tarianne Deyonker, o.p.

By Carol SChuCk SCheiBer

By Father Frank Donio, S.a.C. anD

BarBara MCCraBB

By Father MeMo hernanDez,

By Carol SChuCk SCheiBer

Editor

Carol Schuck Scheiber

Design

Consultant

Patrice J. Tuohy

Proofreaders

Rosemary Arnold, Virginia Piecuch

© 2023, National Religious Vocation Conference HORIZON is published quarterly by the National Religious Vocation Conference, 5416 South Cornell Avenue, Chicago, IL 60615-5664. 773-363-5454 | nrvc@nrvc.net | nrvc.net

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Cover image: America Windows by Marc Chagall, Xiquinho Silva, Flickr

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An approach that works

IF YOU’RE A GARDENER, maybe you’ve seen the brand Proven Winners. It is a clever name for seedlings, implying they will grow, bloom, and make your garden beautiful. While that brand name is already taken, it would be an apt way to think about “synodality,” a relatively new church concept. The Synod on Synodality has not exactly captured the world’s imagination since this new word needs a long explanation. However, in spite of that, the worldwide preparation for the Synod on Synodality has been interesting, with many observers hoping that this new idea of synodality will take root.

Synodality and its sister, collaboration, after all, may take longer than other methods, but they are proven winners in the world of vocation ministry. We have plenty of evidence of the effectiveness of these approaches. Through vocation minister collaboration, those considering the possibility of religious life can encounter not just one individual trying to “recruit” them but a group of religious who want what is best for each person in discernment. VISION Vocation Guide and its website, vocationnetwork.org, are among many collaborative projects sponsored by HORIZON’s publisher, the National Religious Vocation Conference. Nun runs, collaborative discernment houses, group-sponsored retreats, and many other collaborative opportunities for connection have proven helpful to those sorting out their future.

As you consider your ministry in light of synodality and collaboration, what’s your proven winner?

Carol Schuck Scheiber, editor, cscheiber@nrvc.net

HORIZON is an award-winning journal for vocation ministers and those who support a robust future for religious life. It is published quarterly by the National Religious Vocation Conference.

NATIONAL RELIGIOUS VOCATION CONFERENCE BOARD

Sister Nicole Trahan, F.M.I. Board chair

Sister Belinda Monahan, O.S.B. Vice chair

Mr. Len Uhal Vice chair

Ms. Nancy Costello

Father Adam MacDonald, S.V.D.

Brother Brian Poulin, F.M.S.

Sister Mary Yun, O.P.

Sister Mindy Welding, I.H.M.

Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M.

Ex officio

Virtual workshops offered in October

The National Religious Vocation Conference is offering three online workshops this October. Experienced presenters will engage participants with interactive, appropriately paced presentations. Printed workshop materials will be mailed to participants. Enroll now at nrvc.net.

Orientation Program for New Vocation Directors

October 9-13, 2023

Brother Joseph Bach, O.S.F., Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M., and Brother John Eustice, C.S.V.

Behavioral Assessment 1

October 17-19, 2023

Father Raymond P. Carey, Ph.D.

Accompaniment and Communication with Young Catholics

October 24-26, 2023

Stephen Carroll, Ph.D., Charlotte McCorquodale, Ph.D., and Darius Villalobos

VISION and HORIZON earn eight awards

The Catholic Media Association presented eight awards to VISION Vocation Guide and HORIZON vocation ministry journal at its June 2023 awards ceremony. Details about these editorial honors are at nrvc.net. HORIZON’s editorial staff extends heartfelt thanks to writers, translators, and graphic designers for their outstanding work.

2024 VISION Vocation Guide published

The 2024 edition of VISION Vocation Guide was published online and in print August 1. Find it at vocationnetwork.org. Sponsored by the National Religious Vocation Conference, VISION is the premier resource for people considering a vocation as a priest, sister, brother, or nun. Order copies to distribute in parishes, retreat centers, campus ministries, etc. at vocationnetwork. org/orders n

Synodality and new life

IT SEEMS TO ME that the Synod on Synodality has something to teach religious communities that are encouraging new membership. The synod—with its concept of “synodality”—is showing all who care about religious life an approach, attitude, and culture that makes sense for religious institutes that continue to invite new life. Religious life in North America is in a challenging moment. In the last three recorded years, 2019 to 2021, over 1,000 people entered initial formation in U.S. religious institutes. The significance of those new members cannot be underestimated. Despite hand-wringing in popular media, Catholic media, and even among Catholics and religious themselves, religious life is alive. However, the large, older generation of religious is over age 75 now, and those demographics of many elders and few under age 40, feel unsettling, even for the most dedicated religious and friends of consecrated life. And, of course, those inside and outside religious life know that these demographic realities mean many shifts in ministries, properties, etc.

By Carol Schuck Scheiber Carol Schuck Scheiber is the editor of HORIZON and the managing editor of VISION for the National Religious Vocation Conference.

A younger generation is entering religious life. Like their forebears, young men and women religious are listening to the Spirit. Might the Spirit be alive in a new, synodal way of being a church? Pictured here are Sisters Mary Pat Gallagher, O.P. (left) and Ana Gonzalez, O.P.

She has worked with the NRVC for more than 25 years.

Perhaps a sign of the way forward for consecrated life is revealed in the very nature of the Synod on Synodality.

We also must remember that the demographic reality in the United States—across the board—now skews older, to greater and lesser degrees.

In the face of this complex reality—new life and a large older cohort—a cornerstone of Catholic belief remains: the Spirit is alive under every circumstance, urging us to be good disciples. Perhaps the Spirit’s sign of the way forward for consecrated life is revealed in the very nature of the Synod on Synodality, which began in 2021 and culminates in October 2024. The form of the synod and the type of Catholic culture it is meant to foster may have messages for religious communities concerned about attracting new members. Perhaps the synod is reminding religious of what they already know and might sometimes take for granted in the way they live, lead, and invite. Let’s look at how synodality provides insights for vocation ministry.

Listening

The synod preparation incorporated a consciously grassroots form, allowing Catholics at many levels to participate. Religious institutes are organized in a form that likewise allows for grassroots involvement. Chapters, assemblies, convocations, and other forms of coming together to check the pulse of the community are common in religious life.

I have noted over 25 years of observing religious life from the outside that institutes with a healthy vocation ministry consciously listen to and involve both their members and young people—including listening to and

involving members in questions of new membership. These communities believe in their future, prioritize vocations, put resources into new membership, and work toward it. They are open to involvement in the lives of young Catholics, and they are open to inviting young Catholics to connect with them. There are no guarantees, but synodal, grassroots, respectful listening/conversing is an excellent starting point for any initiative, including efforts to invite new entrants.

The deep, respectful listening that occurred in many places in preparation for phase two of the synod is healthy and helpful at many levels. Many lay Catholics felt heard, and they sometimes completed the synodal listening process with a renewed sense of belonging to a community that cared to listen to them.

It stands to reason that listening is foundational in Christian communities, including religious institutes. Professed religious tend to understand well the necessity of listening since the vow of obedience is central to their lives. The word obedience comes from the Latin ob audire, which means to listen intently. This listening involves attentiveness to God, major superiors, and to one another in community. Listening takes an incredible amount of time in a loud, fast-paced world demanding our attention. Some of the best listeners in religious communities are the elders, and they may enjoy the role of encouraging younger members. Conscious listening to members in many forums and for many reasons can help build a positive community, a community a person wants to come home to.

Synodal listening builds up the loving bonds that

attract others. This is not listening as an exercise that is required of everyone, such as an administrator calling a mandatory meeting of employees who are expected to play along with corporate’s latest initiative. This is the kind of listening that a mom, dad, sibling, spouse, aunt, uncle, or friend does out of love, out of a desire to invest in the relationship, out of a commitment to be family, to maintain a marriage, to enjoy a friendship, to know one’s children, nieces, and nephews. That’s the kind of synodal listening that seems like a good thing in a Catholic ministry, board of directors, parish council, or religious institute.

Vocation ministry itself is based on synodal-style listening, whereby candidates and the vocation director listen to each other and the Spirit to discern God’s call.

Discernment

Another key aspect of synodality is discernment. Synodality is a new word for Catholicism, and the concepts and behaviors it embraces will take time to parse out, be put into action, and form new structures and ways of being. Discernment, on the other hand, is an old church concept and practice. Many people in religious life see discernment as a lifelong practice for personal and communal decision making. The synodal processes of listening, discerning, and acting are symbiotic. Each process impacts the others, and each one is ongoing. Synodality encourages discernment, which takes time and follows listening—that is, listening to movements of the heart, stirrings of the Spirit, analysis of needs, understanding of strengths, and, of course, the voice of God present in all these things, as well as in the quiet of one’s heart.

Synodal discernment can, at times, be overlooked if decisions are made in haste. At a time when many religious institutes are discerning their future, members and leaders may need to remember to not miss the moment before them. Living in the precious present can be neglected when schedules become crowded. Discernment begs Catholics and religious to collectively slow down, to be as intentional in building community as they are in right-sizing buildings.

Religious who are concerned about new membership can walk the synodal path of discernment. They can individually and communally discern how best to invite and welcome new members.

Co-responsibility

Closely linked to the possibly inefficient, possibly slow

processes of listening and discernment is the process of involving others, with all stakeholders taking “co-responsibility.” It won’t do to simply talk, listen, and spin ideas, as beautiful as those things are. There is a time to listen lovingly and generate ideas and build bonds. And there is a time to take one’s discernment and put it into action. In the language of the synod, there is a time to take “co-responsibility.” These actions—conversing, discerning and acting—flow seamlessly back and forth.

For communities concerned about vocations, perhaps co-responsibility involves acknowledging the need for and accepting responsibility for spending time with young people and others open to religious life.

Taking responsibility for the mission is a major part of the synod. In fact, leaders say that the synod is meant to foster a Catholic Church lifestyle of co-responsibility. Governance in religious life is meant to build on co-responsibility, as professed members vote for their congregational leaders and work in tandem for the mission.

For communities concerned about vocations, perhaps co-responsibility involves acknowledging the need for and accepting responsibility for spending time with young people and others open to religious life. These activities are a critical part of vocation ministry, and they have enduring value for young people, apart from possible “fruit” in the form of new membership. Ministries directed at the young who are making vocational decisions are often ministries of presence. Ministries of presence are not measured in quantifiable results. What vocation directors frequently seek are community members who will take time to be present among young people, simply for the sake of being present and allowing relationships to develop.

Ministries of presence may lead some to question the value of the time involved. While some religious may wonder if it is even worth it to show up if no one enters the community, religious might instead ask what their presence means to those they spend time with. Religious have sometimes been surprised to learn what a difference their presence makes to young people and their parents. Co-responsibility beckons religious to recognize exactly how valuable time is to young people who are searching for direction in their lives, who desire

When members invest their time in building up their religious community, they may have to give up other opportunities. The price may be having to reign in a busy ministry schedule in order to make time.

to be around caring, wise adults, and who can also teach religious themselves how to be in the moment. What vocation directors frequently seek are community members who will take time to be present among young people, to engage in the art of conversation, to build intergenerational relationships—simply for the sake of being a caring presence and developing relationships.

When it comes to vocation ministry, synodal co-responsibility might take various forms: attending Mass at a campus parish, supporting a weekend retreat, sending hand-written cards to confirmandi, offering skills as a musician or graphics artist—the list is long and will vary by community.

An ongoing presence is more important than onetime contact. An example of co-responsibility in the form of presence is Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, B.V.M., who at 103 years of age, has been showing up on the Loyola University-Chicago campus for decades. Because vocation directors cannot be everywhere, they value community members who keep showing up at specific schools, parishes, and places young Catholics gather. Even members who are unaccustomed to contact with young people can likely shoulder some sort of responsibility.

The time involved with vocation ministry might come at a price. When members invest their time in building up their religious community, they may have to give up other opportunities. The price may be having to reign in a busy ministry schedule in order to make time. It might mean turning down a tantalizing activity. Like the dad who sacrifices evenings and weekends to coach track so his daughter can have a track team at her school, co-responsibility might have a cost. But the dad does it out of love, and the burden will seem light when he and his daughter come to know each other in new ways and grow in love. So too for the community members who sacrifice so they can take part in nurturing new life.

Taking time for others is the essence of religious life. While balance is critically important to avoid burnout or fatigue, as a friend in religious life tells me,

the vows are meant to be lived for the life of the world, not for one’s own self-actualization.

Synodal co-responsibility, then, goes beyond, “I’ll pray for you.” Vocation ministers need and want prayer, as do members immersed in any active ministry. Mutual prayer is a given in religious life. The synodal way is for all parties to take co-responsibility for fulfilling the church’s mission. And what is a more foundational mission than putting in time so that one’s marriage, family, or religious community can thrive? Synod leaders say no matter what role one plays (lay, cleric, consecrated) a synodal church shares a mission to follow Jesus Christ and build the kingdom of God. This vision for the church is aspirational, but we’re on our way—or we hope so. We are not there yet.

Openness to the Spirit

As tempting as it is to give in to cynicism or despair about the utility of building a better church community, parish community, or religious community, the Spirit prompts us. Leaving room for the Holy Spirit to work is a key part of being a synodal church. If we still believe in the Holy Spirit, we may need to give over space so the Spirit can enter in. Perhaps we simply stay neutral if that’s the best we can do. Or maybe we lend a helping hand or reconsider our despair—just in case something good can come of it.

Here’s an example from the work world. Once I was assigned to work with someone I thought had corrupted his role and really should be done with work in his chosen field. I was disgusted and expected failure. As I didn’t have much choice, I went through the motions until one day, I realized my cynical attitude was wrong. Maybe I needed to give him a chance, as my assumptions were not entirely accurate. This slow change in my attitude taught me to leave room for grace. It was not a church setting, but the Spirit still showed up when I least expected it, and I believe that is a truth worth applying to the church and religious life in this moment of dynamic change. What may religious have to rethink about vocation ministry? Have religious collectively abandoned a vision that sees vocation ministry as a ministry?

I have my concerns about the Catholic Church. Reading the results of the synodal process of participation opened my eyes to the fact that the issues I’m sad or angry about are things that dismay millions of other Catholics. There are tensions and lots of them. And some days I don’t have the patience or desire to persist. But that is where the community kicks in, and I think the

same could be true for others who grow weary with their own church community, including those in religious institutes. We need to support each other. Remember how Moses’ arms grew tired in the battle with Amalek (Exod. 17)? If he kept his arms raised, Israel prevailed, but if he lowered his arms, Israel began to lose the battle. Moses needed Aaron and Hur to stand with him and hold his arms up high when they felt heavy, which was probably about five minutes after he started!

Communion, support, and the Spirit

This kind of support for each other as we figure out how to be a better church, how to be a more authentic, welcoming, inviting religious community, is also part of the synod. One pillar of the synodal process is communion, and communion is nothing if we cannot support one another when we are weary. Vocation ministry is similar to child rearing: it takes a village. The whole village (or at least a critical mass) has to leave room for the Spirit, for hope for the future. Villagers—community members— are asked to care about the young people, the new generation, who are both the today and the tomorrow.

This invites each of us to realize that for each new person we meet, there is a two-way encounter. It means

that our efforts are focused on recognizing that each new person who has never met us before comes with their own hopes, fears, and dreams. In a two-way encounter, our own hearts may be stretched and renewed.

Synodality calls for respectful listening and conversation. It calls for forging a vision together. It calls for co-responsibility to carry out the mission of Jesus Christ. Every Catholic must decide for herself or himself what that means in their own context. Religious communities, as essential parts of the Catholic Church, likewise are called to consider this idea of synodality. What are its invitations? How could it shape the way communities function? Can the culture of synodality affect how religious think about vocation ministry and how they build the future?

The leaders of the Synod on Synodality remind Catholics that the synod is a spiritual process. “If the Spirit is not present, there will be no synod,” Pope Francis has said. In the same way, religious communities can invoke the Spirit—the Holy Spirit and the spirit of their founders and foundresses—as they follow the synodal path. n

Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M. contributed to this article.

Members of the Alexian Brothers dry the silverware at a charity event in Chicago. Investing time in community activities—listening, being present, helping—is part of synodal communion and co-responsibility.

Synodality rests upon particular understandings and attitudes say theologians.

Elements of synodality

The following thoughts about the concept of synodality were offered to the church by the International Theological Commission in 2017 in the document “Synodality in the Life and Mission of the Church.” The full essay with footnotes for quotes and references may be found online: tinyurl.com/8869rymm.

Synodality, a new term

6. Although synodality is not explicitly found as a term or as a concept in the teaching of Vatican II, it is fair to say that synodality is at the heart of the work of renewal the Council was encouraging. The ecclesiology of the People of God stresses the common dignity and mission of all the baptized, in exercising the variety and ordered richness of their charisms, their vocations, and their ministries. In this context the concept of communion expresses the profound substance of the mystery and mission of the Church, whose source and summit is the Eucharistic synaxis. This is the res of the Sacramentum Ecclesiae: union with God the Trinity and unity between human persons, made real through the Holy Spirit in Christ Jesus.

In this ecclesiological context, synodality is the specific modus vivendi et operandi of the Church, the People

of God, which reveals and gives substance to her being as communion when all her members journey together, gather in assembly and take an active part in her evangelizing mission.

Call for a change in church culture

105. Pastoral conversion for the implementation of synodality means that some paradigms often still present in ecclesiastical culture need to be quashed, because they express an understanding of the Church that has not been renewed by the ecclesiology of communion. These include: the concentration of responsibility for mission in the ministry of pastors; insufficient appreciation of the consecrated life and charismatic gifts; rarely making use of the specific and qualified contribution of the lay faithful, including women, in their areas of expertise.

Listening and dialogue for communal discernment

110. The synodal life of the Church comes about thanks to the implementation of genuine communication of faith, life, and missionary commitment among all its members. It gives expression to the communio sanctorum

which lives from prayer, is nourished by the sacraments, flourishes in love of each other and of everyone, grows by sharing the joys and trials of the Bride of Christ. Communication needs to become explicit through the community listening to the Word of God in order to know “what the Spirit is saying to the Churches” (Rev. 2:29). “A synodal Church is a Church which listens…. The faithful People, the College of Bishops, the Bishop of Rome: all listening to each other; and all listening to the Holy Spirit.”

111. Synodal dialogue depends on courage both in speaking and in listening. It is not about engaging in a debate where one speaker tries to get the better of the others or counters their positions with brusque arguments, but about expressing whatever seems to have been suggested by the Holy Spirit as useful for communal discernment, at the same time being open to accepting whatever has been suggested by the same Spirit in other people’s positions, “for the general good” (1 Cor. 12:7). The criterion according to which “unity prevails over conflict” is of particular value in conducting a dialogue, managing different opinions and experiences and learning “a style of constructing history, a vital field where conflicts, tensions and opposites can reach a pluriform unity which generates new life,” making it possible to “build communion amid disagreement” [Evangelii Gaudium 228]. Actually, dialogue offers the opportunity to acquire new perspectives and points of view in order to shed light on the solution of the matter in question. It is a matter of adopting “a relational way of viewing the world, which then becomes a form of shared knowledge, vision through the eyes of another and a shared vision of all that exists.” For the Blessed Paul VI, true dialogue is spiritual communication, which requires specific attitudes: love, respect, trust, and prudence; “Dialogue thrives on friendship, and most especially on service.” Because truth—as Benedict XVI emphasized—“is lógos which creates diá-logos and hence communication and communion.”

112. An essential attitude in synodal dialogue is humility, which inclines each one to be obedient to God’s will and obedient to each other in Christ. The Apostle Paul, in the Letter to the Philippians, illustrates what it means and how it works in relation to the life of communion to be “of a single mind (φρόνησις), one in love (άγάπη), one in heart and one in mind” (2:2). He homes in on two temptations which undermine the life of the community: The spirits of jealousy (έριθεία) and vanity

(κενοδοξία) (2:3a). By contrast, the attitude to have is humility (ταπεινοφρυσύνη): either by seeing others as more important than ourselves, or by putting the common good and interest first (2:3b-4). Here Paul recalls Him in whom, through faith, we became a community: “Make your own the mind of Christ Jesus” (2:5). The φρόνησις of the disciples must be that which we receive from the Father if we are living in Christ. The kenosis of Christ (2:7-10) is the radical form of His obedience to the Father, and for the disciples it is the call to feel, think, and discern together with humility the will of God in following the Master and Lord.

113. Exercising discernment is at the heart of synodal processes and events. That is the way it has always been in the synodal life of the Church. The ecclesiology of communion and the specific spirituality and praxis that follow on from it involve the mission of the entire People of God, so that it becomes “necessary today more than ever ... to be formed in the principles and methods of a way of discernment that is not only personal but also communitarian.” It is a matter of the Church, by means of the theological interpretation of the signs of the times under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, traveling the path that is to be followed in service of God’s plan brought to eschatological fulfillment in Christ, which also has to be fulfilled in every kairós throughout history. Communal discernment allows us to discover God’s call in a particular historical situation.

114. Communal discernment implies carefully and courageously listening to “the groans” of the Spirit (cf. Romans 8:26) which emerge through the explicit or sometimes silent cry that goes up from the People of God “to listen to God, so that with Him we may hear the cry of His People; to listen to His People until we are in harmony with the will to which God calls us.” A disciple of Christ must be like a preacher, who “has to contemplate the Word, but he also has to contemplate his people.” Discernment must be carried out in a space of prayer, meditation, reflection, and study, which we need to hear the voice of the Spirit; by means of sincere, serene, and objective dialogue with our brothers and sisters; by paying attention to the real experiences and challenges of every community and every situation; in the exchange of gifts and in the convergence of all energies in view of building up the Body of Christ and proclaiming the Gospel; in the melting-pot of feelings and thoughts that enable us to understand the Lord’s will; by searching to be set free by the Gospel from any obstacle that might weaken our openness to the Spirit. n

Collaboration is a popular concept in church circles, but how exactly do we carry it out gracefully?

Seven keys to Christ-centered collaboration

By Father Frank Donio, S.A.C. and Barbara McCrabb

Father Frank Donio, S.A.C. is the executive director of the Conference of Major Superiors of Men and is the founding director of the Catholic Apostolate Center. He also serves on the leadership team of the Immaculate Conception Province of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottines). Barbara McCrabb is the Assistant Director for Higher Education in the Secretariat of Catholic Education at the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

AS WE DISCUSS the seven keys to Christ-centered collaboration, we want to encourage you to begin your initiatives with collaboration in mind from the very beginning. In that way, you can proceed in an inclusive and communal fashion that engages those who want to be involved—those who recognize the need to act, who are prepared to analyze the situation, discern how best to act, and who are ready to collectively move forward. Ideally the collaborative approach is the starting point.

While starting with collaboration is the ideal, sometimes people encounter resistance to collaboration and resistance to the possibility of change associated with it. Often such pushback comes from a lack of familiarity with one another, fear of the unknown, or simply from the comfort people have with how things are now. So we need to keep in mind that there can be resistance to collaboration.

Sometimes when we look at change, a single person might try to impact a situation. A person might try to change things on their own by making decisions and then trying to get others to agree and work with

McCrabb | Collaboration

Collaboration is at the heart of the Encuentro Project, an effort at the United States-Mexico border spearheaded by several religious institutes. Pictured here is Brother Todd Patenaude, F.M.S. (right) with a colleague in the Encuentro Project. The project has several components, from direct aid to education.

them on a particular effort. That approach describes collaboration for something, which focuses on the task.

Another approach involves gathering influential people and those with a stake in the outcome of a project. That describes collaboration with, where the emphasis is on who is around the table helping make decisions. In both approaches, if we think about collaboration from the beginning of a project, it becomes a more wholistic method for working together. A third way engages all those who want to play a part, especially those impacted by the decisions to be made. Let’s unpack some keys to this third approach.

1) Christ

The first key to collaboration is, of course, Christ, the one whom we, the baptized, want to place at the center of our lives, the one in whom we live and move and have our being. Christ is the center of all we do, and he is the one who sends us out and accompanies us. Being centered on Christ helps us to recognize that we are part of his body, the church. We are not just individuals on our own journeys, separate from one another.

As a project begins, we might ask ourselves whose mission we are on together. Certainly, we are on the mission of Christ. That is apparent in the gospels and also in the history and teachings of the church. We need an ongoing encounter with Christ in order to move forward in service to him, together with one another.

2) Cenacle

We might think of the Cenacle as a particular way we experience this idea of collaboration. In the image of the Cenacle by El Greco on this page we see Mary, the Holy Spirit (in the form of a dove), and the disciples and apostles gathered together. All are in the presence of the Spirit. It is that communal experience of prayer, discernment, and action that should root our collaboration. It is the upper room experience where we receive the Spirit and are sent out with the gifts we have been given. Collaboration is meant to be done in unity with the Holy Spirit.

Sometimes, the differences between people and between communities prove uncomfortable. But it is the Holy Spirit who transforms the experience of fragmentation and even conflict into an experience of unity. We might look at how we promote inclusion when we try to incorporate the full diversity of the church into our efforts. If we become too self-focused in that process, we can lose the larger picture. If

we’re overly focused on representing each difference, we can end up magnifying what divides us. Pluralism and diversity are great things, but when we cooperate with the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit can transform our diversity into a unitive experience.

3) Communio

The third key for Christ-centered collaboration is communio. The icon [on page 12] is by the Russian iconographer Andrei Rublev and it depicts the Terebinth at Mamre. It shows the angels who visited Abraham in the form of travelers seeking food. Christians have always seen these angels as a theophany, a visible manifestation of God, and a prefiguring of the Trinity collaborating together. And so, we too collaborate with the Trinity. We see this relationship of love among God, Jesus, and Holy Spirit that is poured out in the incarnation. Christ has come into the world, and the Word is made flesh. We are drawn into relationship with each other with and through Christ. The Trinity draws us into relationship. Living in cooperation with the Trinity, everything we

The Cenacle, by El Greco

do reflects this communion. Everything we do is a communion. As Christians we are in communion with one another. Saint Paul refers to the communion among the Trinity in his words to the early church: “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you” (2 Cor. 13:14). We are called to communion, and that calling is core to our collaboration.

4) Cooperation

Let’s turn now to cooperation, our fourth key to Christcentered collaboration. There can be a certain functionality to cooperation. I (Father Frank) have traveled and worked in a variety of ministerial settings that represent a wide ecclesiological spectrum of our church, and I wonder if we honestly take time to truly know one another and seek avenues of cooperation. Or do we prefer to work strictly with people who are just like us? Are we willing to cooperate and work with those whose vision of the church is different? Do we take time to understand their perspective?

Jesus calls us to go to the margins, and Pope Francis has emphasized this. We’re encouraged to be with people who are not necessarily like us, to share our gifts and to be open to the gifts of the other. I (Barbara) once worked to help create a leadership institute for campus ministry, and one of my best experiences of collaboration in ministry was when the national team came together to develop that project. We had six campus ministers from all

over the country, each with a student leader from their campus. In our work to prepare the institute—which was essentially a leadership-in-ministry training program for students and campus ministers—we brought our best efforts to the table. We brought our best thinking, our best experiences, and these enriched our work. We shared and critiqued each other’s ideas toward a constructive end. Through that openness, trust, and willingness to accept and give criticism, we were able to achieve a good result.

Another perspective on cooperation comes from Pope Francis, who talks about the disease of poor coordination, that once members of a church group lose communion and cooperation among themselves, the body loses its harmonious function, its equilibrium. It then becomes an orchestra that produces noise. There’s not a harmony among the members of the group creating an effective, enjoyable experience. Harmony comes from cooperation.

5) Communication

Communication is another important key to collaboration centered on Christ. We’re talking about communication that is more than a dialogue between two people, rather a trialogue, communication that includes God. We don’t necessarily recognize that God is in the midst of our communication. In collaboration we’re meant to stop, recognize God’s presence, and bring it into our discernment. Sometimes we begin a meeting with a prayer, but then that’s it. God doesn’t really come into the picture unless we stop for a moment and recognize that is the case.

Again, Pope Francis provides insights on this topic. He talks about the “disease of excessive planning and functionalism.” In a 2014 address to the Roman Curia, he wrote : “When the apostle plans everything down to the last detail and believes that with perfect planning things will fall into place, he becomes an accountant or an office manager. Things need to be prepared well, but without ever falling into the temptation of trying to contain and direct the freedom of the Holy Spirit, which is always greater and more flexible than any human planning.” Pope Francis invites us to recognize that the Holy Spirit is active in our time together. We can make our plans, but many times we have to risk in order to move forward, going beyond “business as usual.”

6) Compassion

When we take risks in our efforts at collaboration, we

Terebinth at Mamre by Andrei Rublev.

do so in a spirit of compassion. You may recall the times that Pope Francis washed the feet of prisoners during Holy Week. In 2016, the Jubilee of Mercy called us to remember how to live mercy in our daily lives, and that call continues. We are called to witness the compassion of Christ to one another. We’re called to live as Jesus proclaimed after washing the feet of his apostles: “As I have done for you, you should also do” (John 13:15).” What we do as ministers of the church is not about us; it’s about Christ and his mission.

Consider those tender moments. There are days when it takes all we have to simply be in the room at a particular meeting, let alone continue with some collaborative effort. There are difficult days. We might not have much to say at a meeting because we’re struggling with a personal issue. We might not be comfortable sharing our thoughts but instead turn to a friend or confidante to talk about them. It is amazing the number of people we encounter in our day-to-day lives who just below the surface struggle and suffer. On any given day, their burden can be particularly difficult. The key is compassion, our willingness to accept and embrace that people carry grief or anger or anxiety or any number of other burdens. How we share compassion with one another is very important in pastoral work, including how we treat our fellow ministers.

Now there are still those who come to the church with a desire for power—and that can disrupt our efforts at collaboration—but that power is not really our focal point when we are working together. We may find it strange but it happens often: we can move the focus away from power and back to our ministry priorities when we operate out of a sense of compassion, when we ask how we can assist each other in sharing a sense of God’s mercy. How do we live compassion?

7) Co-responsibility

Our final key to Christ-centered collaboration is coresponsibility, the idea that we are all co-responsible for the mission of Christ. That concept, while preached from the Second Vatican Council onward, has not necessarily permeated the church community. We have been invited in recent years by Popes Benedict and Francis to engage even further in carrying out the mission of Christ. But there is a reluctance among many of the baptized to do so. Partially it may stem from an unwillingness to follow these keys as a way to greater co-responsibility.

We are all called to co-responsibility for the mission of Christ and the church, starting with our encounter

with Christ, who accompanies us, draws us into communion with one another and then sends us out. That sending out involves everyone, not just a certain few.

Co-responsibility does not diminish the diversity of roles. Not everybody has the same role; in reality people have different roles. There are many roles but one mission. Whose mission? Christ’s mission. What mission? The evangelization, by the baptized, of all people. Pope Francis tells us we are all called by the Holy Spirit who enriches the entire evangelizing church with different charisms. These gifts are meant to build and renew the church. All the baptized in their diversity of roles and gifts and charisms are drawn into collaboration with one another and aided by the development of coresponsibility.

We encourage church ministers to choose the path of collaboration from the very beginning of their projects and to recognize the role of the seven keys we’ve outlined here. Healthy church collaboration is founded on three fundamental aspects: a Cenacle spirituality, a communion or communio ecclesiology, and a cooperation that includes communication and compassion. These elements, when combined, integrate the spiritual, the ecclesial, and the human dimensions in mission, resulting in a wholistic and pastoral way of being church that is truly Christ-centered. These six keys are critical to the final key, which is co-responsibility.

This framework fosters collaborative and co-responsible action that advances the work of the church. Remember, the mission of the church isn’t simply the work of the baptized, it is also the work of the Holy Spirit. We’re doing this together. A small portion of the baptized are going to be involved as full-time ministers in the church as laity, priests, or consecrated persons. But these are not the majority of the church. The majority of the church are the baptized who are sent. Equipped with these seven keys for Christ-centered collaboration, all the baptized can be co-responsible for the mission of Christ in the world. n

This article is drawn from a presentation originally given by Father Frank Donio, S.A.C. at a J.S. Paluch Vocation Seminar and later presented by him and Barbara McCrabb as a webinar of the Catholic Apostolate Center. View it at: catholicapostolatecenter.org/collaboration-inministry.

§ § § §

Dioceses and religious have myriad opportunities for promoting a vocation culture.

Collaborate in your diocese

Bishop Gary Janak, Sister Ana Cecilia Montalvo, F.Sp.S., and Ana Bojorquez work together to promote Catholic vocations within the Archdiocese of San Antonio.

This article is based on the webinar by these individuals, “Creating a collaborative environment.” The webinar was one of a series of six sponsored in 2021-22 by the National Religious Vocation Conference with support from the GHR Foundation. This webinar and the full series, “Religious Life Today: Learn it! Love it! Live it!” are at youtube. com/NatRelVocationConf

My experience of working with religious communities

By Father Memo Hernandez

IAM HONORED TO SHARE my experience of working together in collaboration with religious sisters and brothers as a diocesan priest. But before that, I want to say that the presence of religious men and women in my life journey has been crucial for me to become the Christian man and priest that I am.

The first memory I have of a person dedicated to God, is the memory of religious sisters that ran the Catholic school I attended back in Mexico during my school years. Their joyful presence and homemade sweets remain in my mind as a very positive memory.

Then, in my years of faith formation at my home parish, the constant

Two sisters from the Archdiocese of San Antonio take part in a collaborative event.

Father Memo Hernandez is the director of vocations for the Diocese of Sacramento.

presence of a group of religious sisters was key in my faith. However, I became more aware of religious life and the work they did for the church when I was in high school.

It so happened that I studied in an institution run by Marist priests and brothers, and at the same time a group of missionary religious priests called Missionaries of the Holy Spirit came to help the pastor at my parish. They worked as youth and young adult ministers. So I had the opportunity to see how these men dedicated to God brought so much energy and joy to the people around them.

I can say that my whole life has been accompanied by the presence of religious men and women. I knew that religious people had something special to offer to the church and to me. I knew that they carried a unique strength and courage that I didn’t see in many diocesan priests.

As a young man, my idea of church and parish life was a community formed of priests, religious men and women, and the people of God—each person in those three groups doing God’s will and answering God’s call to holiness and evangelization.

When the time came for me to discern the call the Lord had for me, the three vocations (priest, religious, and married layman) each held beautiful possibilities for me. I had the chance to explore each one of them. In the end, God put me on the diocesan priest path, even though it was the life-form I thought would be the least likely for me.

This personal experience, plus the knowledge that I acquired through theological studies, convinced me that it is indispensable for the healthy life of the people of God and the parish, to work, pray, and hang out in a fraternal atmosphere with religious communities. And that is what I did when I became a pastor.

At St. Rose parish in South Sacramento, California I had the privilege to work directly with four religious communities. Two of them worked as teachers in the parish school, the Sisters of Our Lady of Notre Dame and the Servants of the Blessed Sacrament. A sister from the Catechist Sisters of the Crucified Jesus served as the Spanish director of religious education. Lastly, the Missionaries of Charity served as a spiritual presence, organizing summer camps for children and being spiritual guides. In addition to these four religious communities working at the parish, every day I presided at the 6:30 a.m. Mass for a community of Vietnamese sisters, whose prayerful attitude attracted many people.

The Sunday Mass attendance at my parish averaged close to 3,000 people. For this medium-sized parish, the presence of religious organizations was powerful.

I constantly invited religious orders to come and share their talents with us by guiding retreats or giving talks. This was the case, for instance, with the Verbum Dei Community sisters. And in regards to the celebration of the Sacraments, it was great to count on the support of ordained religious priests.

As a pastor, I wanted my people to have the experience of knowing that the church has different members who are dedicated to serving the whole family of faith; and each one of them is needed for the wellbeing of everyone.

Regarding the latter, I need to say that the male congregations in my diocese have offered me not only a helpful hand in the ministry, but also an honest and sincere friendship. I sometimes go out with some of them for a meal and a beer.

As a pastor, I wanted my people to have the experience of knowing that the church has different members who are dedicated to serving the whole family of faith; and each one of them is needed for the well-being of everyone. We can function as a real body when all the parts are working together and are united by the link of love for God and commitment to God’s people. This makes us truly the Body of Christ.

Now as a vocation director for the Diocese of Sacramento, I have the joy of working with religious institutes in the diocese in order to promote vocations. For instance, I organize events in which religious sisters and priests are invited to be present and speak about their charism.

Even though my focus is to promote and accompany men who are called to the diocesan priesthood, the Lord gives me the opportunity to meet young people who discover in their discernment process that God is calling them to belong to a religious community. For me it is a great joy whenever I am able to introduce a young man or woman to a religious community. It makes me feel I am fulfilling my job in the charism that I have received as a diocesan priest: to be a shepherd for all and accompany them in their life journey.

How our diocese collaborates to build

a vocation culture

By Bishop Gary Janak, Sister Ana Cecilia Montalvo, F.Sp.S., and Ana Bojorquez

The vocation office of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas has a rich history of collaborating with parishioners and the roughly 80 religious communities of men and women that serve here. Like the readers of HORIZON, those of us who staff the vocation office greatly understand the need for such collaboration. The archdiocese is not in competition with religious communities. Rather, we work together with them to assist the people who are being called to serve as ordained and consecrated leaders. In recent months the need for this type of collaboration has been highlighted even more by Pope Francis in his call for us to be a synodal church, seeking to listen more effectively to the Holy Spirit and to one another.

Religious help organize projects

Our vocation office has two auxiliary groups that help to build the culture of vocations: a Vocation Committee and a group called Lay Vocation Promoters. Presently the Vocation Committee consists of 27 different religious congregations and more than 50 vocation directors and vocation promoters. This large representation did not

come about overnight. Three religious sisters founded this group in 1978 in an effort to reach out to a broad audience and to have an official recognition by the archdiocese of varied vocation efforts.

These sisters desired a relationship with the archdiocesan vocation office. That fact inspired the vocation director at that time to hire a Catholic sister as an associate vocation director, a practice that has continued until today.

Ever since the Vocation Committee was founded, the collaboration with our local religious communities has played a very important role in fostering priestly and consecrated life vocations here. It is worth noting that collaboration in ministry is emerging as a favored style in religious life. The NRVC 2020 study refers more than once to the fact that newer members of religious orders see collaborative ministry as the path forward in consecrated life.

It is also important to note that our Vocation Committee is multicultural. The fact that it is formed by sisters and brothers of different cultural backgrounds offers the people of God a picture of our Catholic Church that is universal, embracing all cultures.

At a practical level, the committee meets every other month to plan, evaluate, and vision vocation promotion in our archdiocese. These meetings help us cultivate a network among ourselves, share best practices and new ideas, and together create discernment opportunities and resources for our youth.

We work together on projects such as:

A young woman takes part in an effort to post vocation-related messages on social media.

Bishop Gary Janak takes a walk with a young man considering the possibility of a church vocation.

• Parish vocation presentations

• Catholic schools visits

• Youth group visits

• Service and presence at different youth and young adult events

• Vocation displays at different archdiocesan conferences

• Vocation radio program in Spanish

• Life Awareness Discernment Retreat

• Discernment opportunities for women

• Discernment opportunities for men

Other supports for a vocation culture

In addition to working with religious communities on the Vocation Committee, we also use our vocation office social media to publicize events, photos, promotional videos, and other information about our different religious communities. Our Facebook page (facebook.com/ SAVocations) has more than 3,000 followers, and we’re also present on Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Spotify, and more. In addition, the communications department of the archdiocese supports us by posting, livestreaming, recording and promoting all our initiatives.

Besides a robust presence on social media, another important part of our vocation culture is to ensure that our resources and events are bilingual in English and Spanish. We want to address the people of God in their own language, and we know that the San Antonio Archdiocese has a significant number of Spanish speak-

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At a vocation-promotion event are Brother José Barroso, O.F.M.Cap., Shannon Moy of the Lay Vocation Promoters, and Father Victor Patricio, O.M.I.

ers, including some young men and women who prefer Spanish when talking about their vocation.

When it comes to events, one of our largest gatherings each year is the Life Awareness retreat, a three-day weekend retreat for those considering religious life. The Vocation Committee organizes it. Another important event each year is the Advent Gathering, where religious sisters, brothers, priests, seminarians, and laity come together to pray, share a meal, and have fun. Archbishop Gustavo García-Siller—himself a member of the Missionaries of the Holy Spirit—and our two auxiliary bishops usually join us as well.

In recent years, we’ve seen young men and women enter our seminary and some seven different religious communities. Oftentimes these young people first meet their community through one of our discernment events, particularly through the Life Awareness retreats.

In vocation ministry we often hear “everything is about relationships,” and this is true. The relationship of the vocation office with our shepherds, our archbishop and auxiliary bishops, is strong. They support our many efforts to cultivate vocations.

Another relationship that our staff nurtures is with the Office for Consecrated Life, directed by Sister Elizabeth Ann Vasquez, S.S.C.J. Our two offices support each other in the different initiatives that each one sponsors. Sister Vasquez attends some of our vocation events, and

we include her in the agenda to give a message to our youth. Additionally, someone from our staff is always present at events organized by the Office for Consecrated Life.

Building a culture of vocations in our archdiocese, has been a process, a process that involves not just the vocation office but all the different departments, parishes, and ministers. This is our dream: that through this collaborative work all the baptized may be aware of their own vocation and their responsibility to foster vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.

Lay Vocation Promoters reach parishes

The other major auxiliary group that helps us further our dream of full vocation awareness is our Lay Vocation Promoters (LVPs), made up of lay men and women of all ages who are dedicated to promoting and fostering vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. The LVPs started in 2012, originally as a Serra Club, and we now have more than 50 members representing more than 30 parishes.

Our LVPs promote priestly and consecrated vocations through prayer, service, and support of the archdiocesan vocation office. They work with parishes throughout the archdiocese to establish and support vocation committees.

LVP members understand that ecclesial vocations begin in families and that our San Antonio parents require bilingual tools and support from the parish and the different religious communities to help them discuss, pray for, and encourage vocation discernment among their children. Our archdiocese has been blessed with about 80 different religious communities. Therefore, it is essential that lay people support the many initiatives and programs sponsored by these communities and our vocation office. In addition, we take time to nurture and grow in our own lay vocations through speakers, programs, and days of reflection. The vocation office also offers monthly formation days to all the LVPs.

True vocations to the priesthood and religious life will occur when all the people of God realize their vital role in modeling their faith and inviting young people to follow. These many forms of collaboration—among religious communities, laity, diocesan departments, and vocation office staff members—are the way we spread a vocation culture, an invitation to all Catholics. How else will our youth be able to hear the call of the Lord or the challenge of our Blessed Mother to, “Do whatever He tells you”? (John 2:5). n

Sisters from the San Antonio Archdiocese staff a display table at a vocations event. Collaborative events are helpful ways to introduce people, young and old, to religious communities.

Tips for discernment conversations

AFTER SEVERAL YEARS of using the valuable resource, God, grant me a discerning heart (published and distributed by the National Religious Vocation Conference), I began to innovate with adaptations, techniques, and accompanying resources. The following ideas helped me and—even more important—they helped the candidates I was meeting with. This article is my attempt to gather up what I’ve learned from my own experience and also tap into the wisdom of six other vocation directors, three women and three men. I present these ideas with the hope that they might aid others who practice this ministry of vocational accompaniment. The effort to listen to God’s call is supremely important, and it is our privilege as vocation directors to be part of this sacred journey with people in discernment.

By Sister Tarianne DeYonker, O.P

Sister Tarianne DeYonker, O.P. is a member of the Adrian Dominican Vocation Team and lives in Adrian, Michigan. She also offers creative writing workshops.

The booklet God, grant me a discerning heart, available at nrvc.net/store, provides a framework for vocation discussion. Vocation directors have found many ways to use this resource effectively.

Time, place, and frequency

Of course, many meetings with discerners over the pandemic years were online. Although we have discovered this style of conversation can be helpful, most of us in vocation ministry are relieved to again meet in person. Most of us pace our frequency of meetings according to where discerners are in their own busy lives. Sessions vary, from monthly to bi-weekly. One vocation director commented that the frequency tells him how eager the person is to discover and make a decision. All of us expect discerners to do their own reflection ahead of time on the chosen topic and to share the fruits of that reflection once they arrive at the session.

Using art to enhance the process

Art in any form calls on a different sense of ourselves and of life. This is especially true of someone with artistic skills, but creating simple artwork can be useful to any discerner, along with the assurance that no one will judge the art. The point of creating a drawing is simply to help the person think differently. Here’s how one vocation director uses art. While reading through a scripture reference, the discerner chooses a word or phrase that stands out as she reads it. Much like lectio divina is a process called visio divina, by which the person writes down that chosen word or phrase and then draws around it or decorates it. The process of drawing allows a discerner to linger with the Word and allows the Spirit room to take the reflection further into their heart.

This technique may not resonate with every person considering religious life, but it can be a fruitful exercise,

opening up new insights and emotions.

“Zentangles” are another simple artistic expression. They can be drawn while praying the rosary or another prayer. It is a relaxing and fun way to create beautiful images by drawing structured patterns, or “tangles.” By combining dots, lines, simple curves, an individual creates shapes known as Zentangles. This kind of art is unplanned but happens within an easy, structured framework so discerners can focus on each stroke and not worry about the result. The discerner doesn’t need to know what a tangle is going to look like in order to draw it. The result is a delightful surprise, much like the outcome of one’s discernment.

Sometimes using a relevant page in an out-of-date reflection booklet, such as Give Us This Day (Liturgical Press) lets a person circle words that stand out, or draw or doodle around the letters. Another idea is to choose words from fable books. One vocation director copies a page from The Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams and uses the page with a discerner in the same fashion.

Following the advice of poet Mary Oliver, “Instructions for Living a Life: Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it,” at the end of the day, a discerner can recall where they noticed or experienced God acting that day and write about the observation in a journal.

Many communities have members who have created art, such as paintings, sculptures, tile work, creative writing, or music. These, too, can be used with discerners to see through the eyes of the artist how God is working in the world and is available to each of us as we discern our next steps in life.

Images and stories can help us as vocation directors to accept discerners where they are, but not leave them there. Christus Vivit (the document from the 2018 Synod on Young People, Faith, and Vocational Discernment) mentions the stories of what was happening in Jerusalem when Jesus encountered disciples on the road to Emmaus. Discerners’ reflections on images, whether they are verbal or visual images, can move their awareness a step further as they approach the insights they need.

For this kind of reflection process a vocation director might say, “Imagine how Mary was different after God visited her and called her.” (Pause.) “Now imagine how any person is different after they sense a call from God.” (Pause.) “How do you sense you might be called to more than your current involvements in your everyday life?”

One vocation director says, “I’m always ready to plug in the booklet, God, grant me a discerning heart where it fits into the process. Since I don’t consider myself all that creative, it offers me a steady guide on where

An example of a Zentangle. This art form is simple and accessible and can help those in discernment to think with greater freedom and creativity.

to move next with a discerner. I feel free to skip around in the booklet depending on what the discerner needs.”

Picking and choosing topics

Instead of going through the booklet page by page, several vocation directors are selective about which pages to use. Some copy a relevant page and give it to a discerner struggling with or curious about some aspect of his or her life. Another director chooses one of the topics, its quotes and questions as the theme for a college reflection day. Another leads small groups that reflect and share together their responses to the questions.

Several vocation teams brought forward scripture stories about call for discerners to use in personal prayer. Discerners who have never been part of a campus ministry setting sometimes ask questions about how to choose which scripture to use. For this the NRVC office and website store have prayer cards with quotes and scripture references to stories of calling in the Bible. These prayer cards (called “I hope you come to find” cards) are ideal to use in conjunction with God, grant me a discerning heart.

Other vocation ministers find that some discerners need instruction about what is meant by the question “What speaks to you in this scripture?” Discerners seem to find it helpful to learn that not everyone is touched in the same way by scripture quotes. The director can

ask, “What it is about this scripture that speaks to you, touches you, or means something to you?” Questions from discerners can convey a willingness to risk being touched by the scripture and be a sign of the person’s inner development through prayer and silence. Keeping the conversation going requires attentive listening and creative questions from the vocation director.

Adapting familiar skills in new ways

Another vocation director says God, grant me a discerning heart is a handbook to use with all discerners. A lifelong nurse used to keeping meticulous medical records, he encourages discerners to write down their responses to the questions and reflections. When he meets with a young man, they discuss the questions, and the person in discernment leaves his written reflection behind, eventually creating a portfolio that can be used if he applies for entrance. This director finds that having the discerners’ written response takes their time together to a deeper level and makes the accompaniment relationship that much more profound.

New, but related

Another vocation director has developed short reflection questions, pertinent scripture passages, and a lectio divina process as a way to accompany discerners. He acknowledges that many topics are the same as in the booklet but treated in a way he can use more effectively. He begins with personal and family information, follows with an introduction to discernment and what spiritual direction should be, and then uses the first six of his 12 modules.

If all signs indicate moving forward after session six, the discerner is encouraged to begin the application process. The way he uses the final six modules depends on the relationship he has established between himself and the discerner. This vocation director also holds key discussions based on readings from the community’s founder and spirituality.

With each module, this vocation director invites the discerner’s questions and asks the man what his preparation for the session was like. Did any scripture reference seem vital to the process? He continues to ask about the experiences the discerner has had of the community. What attracts him? What concerns came up that surprised him? This vocation director has found it important to bring to each session fresh questions so the discerner doesn’t arrive overly prepared.

The Annunciation by Toros Taronetsi, 1323.

Relationship with the church

Another fruitful area of discussion is what meaning church has for candidates. This includes discussion of ways candidates interact with their local parish community and questions about the influence of the parish community. Some discerners have not been exposed to much understanding about the church beyond the concept of church as people of God. This is especially true since most adults considering religious life were born well after the close of Vatican II in 1965. One vocation director primes the pump for these conversations using magazine articles: “Pope Francis’ critics are dividing the church and families—including mine” (from America) and “Two very different parishes point to divisions in the church” (from U.S. Catholic).

These and other articles can be used for discussion. Much depends on a discerner’s background and involvement with the institutional church. The vocation director will also want to point out how his or her particular congregation lives and ministers within the church. It may benefit discerners to clarify the distinction between the church and its practices and the current political discussions in the media about church teachings. The vocation director can model a way to respond to differences in beliefs and expressions, noting the emphasis on certain teachings at different times in history and among different members of congregations.

Decision-making, challenging skills

One vocation director comments: “Discernment is often between a choice that is good and another choice that is good. That’s why discerners are left wondering which good calls them more.” Here is where it helps if the discerner knows his or her gifts and sees where they can best be used. It’s also valuable to know why the discerner is drawn to some things and not others. Paying attention to what attracts them is an asset in this process, as discerners benefit from feedback on what they are saying.

The vocation director often acts as a coach on the skills of decision-making; how to narrow the options and what to look for in the process. As mentors we tune into what truly matters to the individual. We also bring these parts of ourselves into the relationship. When we know our own strengths and motivations, we can support our discerners in knowing theirs.

Interactions, conversations, questions

When discerners ask us questions, do we have answers

for them? It’s usually not hard to respond to questions about our congregation’s incorporation process, and it can help to give candidates something in writing about this process and then walk through it with them.

Deeper questions can challenge even experienced vocation directors: Will I know what God wants? Can I join a religious community even if my parents don’t approve? One vocation director says that she wants to respond at some level to every question, but then she also worries whether the discerner understands the answers she gives. She finds it hard to sense whether they grasp some concepts. It takes reflection on the vocation director’s part afterward to determine whether more conversation will make things clearer.

Another vocation director struggles with how to make questions not sound clinical but instead seem conversational. Discerners will perceive our own genuineness, both in how we phrase our responses and in our timing. For instance, when in the process do you ask, “What do you like about serving in the soup kitchen / being on parish council / reading at Mass?” “If you have discretionary funds, give an example of how you tend to use them.” “Describe your favorite way to pray.”

One more option

One director uses the booklet with a young man who had originally discerned very quickly to enter the community, then left. A few months later, he returned asking to be re-admitted. The vocation director wisely decided to use God, grant me a discerning heart in a series of bimonthly sessions to slow him down and help him take time to consider the decision more fully. This approach was effective in keeping him from entering since his call seemed to be to another way of life. Sometimes our work with candidates leads them to not choose our way of life, and that’s important too.

I hope these ideas spark your own imagination and help you to develop new approaches for accompanying those in discernment. Life decisions are critical, sacred moments for every Christian. n

Related articles

“Accompaniment for discernment,” by Colleen Campbell and Thomas Carani, HORIZON, Winter 2020.

“Ignatian discernment: insights for you and those you serve,” by Father Timothy Gallagher O.M.V., HORIZON Summer 2018.

The essential role of leadership in nurturing new members

WHILE EVERY VOCATION is grounded in a unique call and response, some general guidelines for successful new membership promotion can be gleaned from research, including the 2020 Study on Recent Vocations to Religious Life. This study was carried out for the National Religious Vocation Conference by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. Based on this study and other data, the NRVC recommends that those in consecrated life leadership take the following steps.

1. Prioritize vocation ministry and formation as essential to the community

Religious institutes that make vocation ministry a priority and believe in

This article is based on the handout, “Role of Religious Leadership in Vocation Ministry.” The suggestions are based on the 2020 Study of New Vocations to Religious Life conducted by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate for the National Religious Vocation Conference. Find the study and many related resources at nrvc.net

Father Arturo Sosa, S.J. (front right) walks with pilgrims who are taking part in a “Camino Ignaciano,” a pilgrimage in Spain related to Saint Ignatius, founder of the Jesuits.

International religious institutes often have a team of leaders from different parts of the world, such as these women on the Congregational Leadership Team for the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. Vocation ministry and outreach will vary culturally, but the need for leaders to value and emphasize vocation ministry is universal. Pictured here (seated) are Sisters Amarachi Ezeonu, Mary Johnson, and Evalyne Aseyo, S.N.D.deN. Standing are Sisters Miriam Montero Bereche and Lorraine Connell, S.N.D.deN.

their role in creating a future in their congregations attract and retain new members. Ways to do this include:

• Have a deep commitment to inviting, incorporating and supporting new members in the congregation. Believe in the vitality of the institute’s charism and foster this belief among the membership. Recognize that the best way to support the vocation of a new member is to ensure that it is strengthened by a solid formation experience.

• Stay abreast of current vocation trends, especially the fact that there are still Catholics discerning and entering religious life. The 2020 study showed that most religious institutes promote vocations, accept new members, and have serious discerners.

• Celebrate major vocation promotion days: World Day for Consecrated Life (February 2), World Day of Prayer for Vocations (Good Shepherd Sunday), National Vocation Awareness Week (first full week in November), National Catholic Sisters Week (March 8-14) and Religious Brothers Day (May 1).

• Encourage professed members to participate in discernment events to build relationships with inquirers to

religious life. The example of members is more influential than the ministries of the institute in attracting new members. Likewise, 95 percent of new members report that meeting with members of the institute was the most helpful piece in discerning a call to religious life.

2. Appoint highly capable people to vocation ministry

Religious institutes with a full-time vocation director and support from clerical and communications personnel have a higher number of new members than those with fewer human resources dedicated to the ministry.

• Ensure that inquirers and discerners receive the highest standard of care from capable people appointed to this important congregational ministry. Vocation ministers are entrusted with the privileged and sacred responsibility of accompanying inquirers and assessing candidates as they discern their baptismal call.

• Choose vocation team members who are outgoing, resilient, and responsible. Women’s institutes are more likely than men’s to include a member of the leadership team or a council liaison on the vocation team.

• Appoint perpetually professed members as vocation directors, as it can be difficult for someone who is still being evaluated in initial formation to be assessing the suitability of discerners. Naturally, those in temporary profession may still be part of a vocation team and attend NRVC workshops.

• Select a vocation director who focuses on possibilities, who is a collaborator (not a competitor), a person of prayer, both personally and communally. The average length of service for vocation directors is seven years.

3. Provide your vocation director and team with education, resources, and accountability

Communities whose leadership team meets regularly with the vocation director tend to receive more new members.

• Ensure opportunities for peer supervision and spiritual direction for vocation directors and teams. Vocation ministry requires continuous commitment to ethical and professional standards. Vocation directors with sufficient

resources usually remain in the ministry longer.

• Encourage vocation ministers to tend to their own vocations, further develop professional competencies, and participate in continuing education.

• Allocate adequate resources for vocation ministry, including time, budget, clerical support, and a network of spiritual, emotional, and professional support.

• Outline a clear set of responsibilities for vocation ministers written in a job description with established channels of accountability to religious leadership. An annual performance review assists vocation ministers in achieving goals. It is smart to name goals beyond simply the number of applicants, such as specific outreach activities, communications, and spiritual accompaniment.

4. Facilitate a corporate responsibility for promoting the future

All religious institutes with new members have vocation information on their website or a distinct website specifically for vocations. These communities use social media and print materials to promote new membership.

• Ask every member to promote vocations directly. People are twice as likely to consider a vocation to religious life when invited by another person. The effect is additive. People who are encouraged by three persons are five times more likely to consider a vocation than someone who was not encouraged by anyone.

• Encourage vowed members to be present among youth and young adults. The average age a person first considers religious life is 19. The average age of entrance to religious life is 28. Encouragement from members of their institutes was highly valued by new members when they first considered entering religious life.

• Sponsor vocation discernment events. Host discernment retreats, such as Come and Sees, online discernment experiences, and opportunities to mingle at prayer, meals, and community gatherings. Communities that sponsor vocation discernment programs directed at college students and young adults are more likely to have new members than those who do not. Post events on NRVC’s VISION Vocation Calendar at: vocationnetwork.org/en/events

• Consider a team approach. Expand a single NRVC

membership to a license for up to five members so that all five members receive the HORIZON vocation journal, monthly newsletters and updates, and membership discounts on resources and workshops. Attend the biennial NRVC convocation with your vocation team or send others to support the vocation director at NRVC member area events.

5. Apply what you learn from research and analysis about religious life vocations

• Reserve time on leadership agendas and congregational assembly days for vocation information.

• Access studies about vocations to religious life and related reports and analyses at NRVC.net

• Refer regularly to the NRVC’s Vocation Directors Manual, which contains over 700 articles on topics essential to vocation ministry. It can be accessed by NRVC members at https://nrvc.net/ vocation_directors_manual.

• View continuously updated VISION Vocation Network discerner demographics and engagement statistics at vocationnetwork.org/en/statistics/response_statistics. NRVC’s print VISION Vocation Guide and its website, vocationnetwork.org, both allow religious communities to connect with new discerners. n

Related articles

“How we organized a day of discussion for leadership and vocation directors,” by Vocation Ministers of the Milwaukee Archdiocese, HORIZON, Fall, 2008.

“Leadership makes the difference,” by Sister Mary Rowell, C.S.J., HORIZON, Spring 2022.

“Use your congregational gathering to further vocation ministry,” by Brother Paul Michalenko S.T., HORIZON, Spring, 2021.

“Involve your whole community,” by Father Andrew Carl Wisdom, O.P., HORIZON, Spring, 2009.

Role of Leaders

Feed your spirit

Trust

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to God, and God will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5-6

jonatHan klok, UnsplasH

Questions, miracles, and heathens

Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret

EVERYONE LOVES a good movie, and Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret makes the grade—at least partially. This romp through pre-adolescent angst is a well-done tribute to a book that female Boomers and GenXers are likely to remember fondly (Lionsgate, 2023). Judy Blume’s realistic books about sex, love, family conflict, divorce, and other issues revolutionized young adult fiction—a literary category she helped create.

Because it’s an enjoyable movie with tenderness and comedy and serious themes too, vocation directors alongside the general public will find it worth watching. At the same time, a major theme of the film is Margaret trying to establish a relationship with the divine, and this work does not do justice to its protagonist’s important spiritual quest. The spiritual quest is there but somewhat sidelined as Margaret negotiates boys, menstruation, junior high, and more. It seems to resolve as a rejection of religion (not faith) as Margaret is disgusted by the conflict and competition that two traditions introduce to her life. Margaret’s poignant conversations with God help her explore the rejected religions of her parents (Judaism and a narrow version of Christianity, the details of which are not revealed). It is a disappointment that this film never goes anywhere with the title theme. Is God there?

Despite the title, the nuances of faith exploration are not part of the

By Carol Schuck Scheiber

Carol Schuck Scheiber is the editor of HORIZON and the managing editor of VISION Vocation Guide for the National Religious Vocation Conference.

Margaret talks to God during the movie, Are you there God? It’s me Margaret.

movie, and it’s too bad. Margaret never talks to any thoughtful practitioners of either tradition who might help her go deeper or at least have a sounding board for her valid questions.

If anything, this film will remind vocation directors of just how important it is to accompany young people who want adults in their faith traditions to take their questions and concerns seriously. Making sense of the world through the eyes of faith has never been easy, and it’s never been more important than in today’s largely secular dominant culture.

This film will remind vocation directors of just how important it is to accompany young people who want adults in their faith traditions to take their questions and concerns seriously.

I recommend this film for vocation directors and their communities, especially for women’s communities. This movie could spark some lively discussion about why and how to accompany young people who yearn for truth. Like Margaret, young people don’t want pat answers or people eager to sign them up for “their team.” They want to wrestle with spiritual questions related to important events in their lives: Why are we here? Why do we suffer? How do we deal with loneliness? Where is God when friends let us down or our hopes are dashed?

The Miracle Club

The film, The Miracle Club (Sony Pictures Classics, 2023), seemed to hold promise since its lead characters are played by an A-list cast: Kathy Bates, Maggie Smith, and Laura Linney. Unfortunately, the storytelling never rises to the level of these actresses. Like Are you there God? this film is unwilling to look at complicated questions and let the characters go into deep waters. Instead, the movie skims past the kinds of questions that could have given it depth.

The one good line of a religious nature (which you’ll hear if you watch the preview) could have opened up a cascade of related material. But it ends there. The characters have to come to grips with the meaning of a pilgrimage to Lourdes. Three of them go hoping for a miracle, wanting the kind of magical cures that appear repeatedly in the Bible. When they don’t get that old time magic, they feel betrayed. What’s it all for? Is anyone listening?

Instead of digging into any of these questions, the film shows the pilgrimage helping get relationships back

on track, which could provide depth, but these scenes are so saccharine, you may just choke on them.

Watching these two movies—Are you there God? It’s me, Margaret and The Miracle Club—within a month’s time makes me wish for films that take seriously people’s questions of faith, belief, doubt, modernity, and vocation. Most human beings at some point in their lives struggle for meaning, whether or not they practice a faith tradition. Plenty of movies have been made that successfully navigate questions of faith, meaning, and purpose. Let’s hope that after a summer season of superheroes and action scenes, maybe Hollywood will send us a little something to chew on.

Heathen: Religion and Race in American History

Kathryn Gin Lum’s book, Heathen: Religion and Race in America (Harvard University Press, 2022), is one of a growing genre that critiques white nationalist Christianity. Catholics might conclude that this is an issue for Evangelicals and other conservative white Protestant churches, but Gin Lum quickly nixes any sense of “not my problem.” In reality, the Catholic role has been enormous in creating a Western culture that rests on a racial pecking order, and the author of this insightful book wants readers to see that racial bias religiously linked to “heathenism” is not something that was over and done with centuries ago but rather something that continues to affect Americans.

She brings readers back to when the Vatican gave stamps of approval to colonialism and slavery in earlier centuries. Gin Lum also shows how Christian evangelization has been knit together with a sense of Christian superiority, especially over racially distinct people whose spirituality was incomprehensible to Westerners. The idea of dark-skinned heathens in need of great White saviors has had staying power. It has permeated Western culture and American culture in many lasting ways.

Anyone concerned about the destructiveness of racism can benefit from the insights of this book, but it is especially urgent that vocation directors and religious communities carefully and honestly consider this book’s arguments. We need to listen to people outside the church tell how they see the church contributing to a sin that continues to dehumanize and marginalize much of the human race. We need to think anew about how the church and Catholic religious communities can be free of race bias and thus more authentic. n