Vocation & Discernment

UISG workshop, based on the newly published book "God’s Call Is Everywhere. A Global Analysis of Contemporary Religious Vocations for Women".

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The book is the first comparative analysis of research in United States, Canada, Australia, and France, along with focus groups and interviews in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and France investigating women who have entered vowed religious life in Catholicism in the twenty-first century.

InFormation Bulletins - InFormation 2022 No.1 Spring

"The eight individuals who contribute to the collection present their stories humbly and honestly. Readers will find their own story reflected in the joys and struggles the authors describe from their own lives. One sister speaks of her family’s dysfunction, another of divorce, one of moving around as a child, another of school bullies. One speaks of a time where she experienced depression, while another talks of loving a boyfriend and choosing atheism with him. Each one presents steps on the path that led her to her calling as a sister."

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In this podcast recorded live at the opening of CTU’s Center for the Study of Consecrated Life, Rev. Robert Schreiter, CPPS, delivers the lecture “Re-Imagining Consecrated Life in a Changing World.” Filmed on February 12, 2015.

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InFormation Bulletins - InFormation 2020 No.1 Spring

"When we start to realize the shared calls to action, it becomes incredibly powerful to imagine what it might mean to gather forces – across traditions and generations. There are bridges to be built that can transform how we exercise our collective power in response to the greatest issues of our time. And in the process, we too grow in the ways we understand and relate to one another, and to our world. It is evolutionary and revolutionary hand-in-hand; it is rooted in tradition while responding to the signs of the times. It is the intersection of the emerging reality of religious life and spirituality today, and the prophetic stance. It feels like, frankly, exactly the moment we are all here for."

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InFormation Bulletins - InFormation 2021 No.3 Fall

"We believe it is essential to consider the following readiness questions before considering a person’s theology or ecclesiology because these questions reflect core issues of sound human development. That comes first. Sometimes issues around ecclesiology can mask developmental or even psychological issues. If we first ensure that people are healthy and capable of formation, then we can all genuinely and openly engage other areas."

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Religious women and men take a vow of obedience that binds them to those with whom they share life. In the contemporary experience, discernment - both individual and communal - is extremely difficult and has few, if any, parameters. The webinar will explore a model of communal discernment that is centered in communion ecclesiology and that offers religious a model for engaging in communal discernment.

Sister Judith Schaefer, O.P., Ph.D., is currently serving as president of Cotter Schools (grades 7-12) in Winona, Minnesota. Sister Judith is on leave from Saint Mary's University of MN where she previously served as Professor and Chair of Theology for 10 years, and as University Dean for University Affairs for three years. Sister Judith is a professed member of the Sinsinawa Dominican Congregation, which has its Motherhouse in Sinsinawa, Wisconsin. Sister Judith completed her doctoral work at Marquette University in Milwaukee, WI, in Theology and Society, with an allied discipline in psychology. She has a Masters of Divinity degree from Aquinas Institute in Saint Louis, MO, and a Masters in Pastoral Studies from Loyola University in Chicago. Sister completed her undergraduate work in elementary education and received a bachelor’s degree from Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago, IL.

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What do the Hebrew and Christian Scriptures tell us about the nature of a prophetic call by God and our response?  How do the narratives of the Bible challenge us in terms of both initial and ongoing formation?  This webinar will examine the call narratives of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Mary and seek to understand better how the stories of their call can deepen and enrich our own.

Brad A. Milunski, OFM Conv. is a friar of the Our Lady of the Angels Province of the Franciscan Friars Conventual. Having professed final vows in 1989 and ordained to the ministerial priesthood in 1993, Fr. Brad currently serves in province leadership and as director of post-novitiate formation in Silver Spring, MD.  He holds a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture from the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome.

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On September 20 and 21 the RFC participated in the Catholics on Call Partner Conference at Catholic Theological Union. The theme of the Partner Conference and the presentation was entitled, "Authenticity, Vocation & the Risk of Faith: Hopes and Challenges for the Synod On Young People." Fr. Dan Horan, OFM gave an overview of the preparatory materials that have been assembled for the Synod. To access the recorded video of the presentations (part 1 and 2), click:

Part 1

Part 2 

InFormation Bulletins - InFormation 1996 No.3 May-Jun

"It is curious to consider that we priests and religious do not scrutinize our own way of proceeding as well as we do others; moreover, we scrutinize others ways of proceeding from the pulpit and in episcopal letters and we hesitate scrutinizing our own, even within internal proceedings. The silence about the testing issue is disturbing, in the least."

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InFormation Bulletins - InFormation 1996 No.2 Mar-Apr

"From six monasteries within the CCA, eight of us gathered for ten days of prayer, quiet reflection, solitude and sharing, hoping to renew our call to religious life--as disciples of Christ. We based our daily schedule on the original Experiment in Hope. The Presentation Sisters' Marie Joseph Spiritual Center in Biddeford Pool, Maine provided the ideal setting with its magnificent view of the Atlantic Ocean."

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Formation Resources - Resource Manuals - Volume IV

I: Role Descriptions and Models for Choosing, Assessing and Valuing Formation Ministers

• 1.6. Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, National Formation Team:
  Roles, Responsibilities, Criteria, Selection
  • 1.6.1. Formation Ministers
  • 1.6.2. Mentors
  • 1.6.3. Leadership
  • 1.6.4. Members of the Initial Formation Community
  • 1.6.5. Congregational Members

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