2016 HORIZON, Number 1, Winter

Winter 2016

3 Updates

5 Year of Mercy: Renewing a cornerstone of faith

8 How mercy connects to vocation By Brother Jonathan BeeBe, C.s.C.;

sister MiChelle lesher, s.s.J.; Brother WilliaM spraUer, o.s.B.;

sister CaMille d’arienzo, r.s.M.

16 How universities can cultivate vocations

By Father VinCent J. o’Malley, C.M.

23 Equipping teens with tools for discernment By sister JUlia Walsh, F.s.p.a.

27 How one community renewed its spirit and attracted new members By Father daVe donnay, o.s.C. &

Father riChard MCGUire, o.s.C.

33 Feed yoUr spirit

Who are we? By Father tiMothy radCliFFe, o.p. 35 Book notes

Classic Nouwen wisdom on divine signs By edWard p. hahnenBerG

Mercy and vocations

www.nrvc.net | Volume 41, Number 1

Br. Paul Michalenko, ST, Director773.371.5481 or [email protected]

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Winter 2016 | HORIZON | 1

Editor’s note

Mercy and meaning

I’M A BIG FAN OF THE YEAR OF MERCY (if a jubilee year can have a fan).Certainly the world needs more mercy at both an individual and social level. So it has been a real pleasure for me to pre-pare this issue—from choosing the beautiful sculp-

ture on the cover, to working with talented writers who have uncovered the many ways that vocation and mercy are intertwined.

During the production of this edition, we learned some sad news that, in a way, also carried a message of what vocation ministry is all about. Father Richard McGuire, O.S.C., one of our contributors, died very sud-denly on Sept. 30, 2015. It seems one of the last things he wrote was the article on page 27 that describes how his community experienced renewal and new life.

The tribute below to Father Rick provided by Lisa Cassidy, communications director for the Crosiers, speaks to the heart of what voca-tion ministry is about. What do we live for? How do we show God’s mercy? To what do we dedicate our lives? Father Rick’s life answered those questions with profound depth. He was a man of God, who poured his life out for others. And that is how he is remembered, as Cassidy writes:

Though he is unable to see the fruits of his labor in print, Father Richard McGuire’s spirit of renewal remains with the lives he helped during his 42-year service to the church and world, and certainly within the hearts of his fellow Cro-siers.

Father Rick worked for many years in hospital and jail chaplaincy, though most of his years of service were spent in parish ministry. He was a strong advocate of Gospel justice—the way in which we embrace indi-vidual persons and work to change systems—and his joyful spirit brought hope to many people who were suffering.

Father Rick was very deliberate about welcoming people from other countries. He was passionate about people coming together, listening, deciding, and working together in God. The process was as important to him as the result. For Father Rick, to “shine like bright stars . . . offering the world the word of life” included a very strong commitment to living with skill in community. May the spirit of renewal and growth continue in his memory. n

—Carol Schuck Scheiber, editor, [email protected]

Father Richard McGuire, O.S.C. is remembered for his service to those who suffered.

What do we live for? How do we show God’s mercy? To what do we dedicate our lives?

2 | HORIZON | Winter 2016

Visit NRVC.net for details on subscriptions, advertising, archives and more.

SUBSCRIPTIONS Additional subscriptions are $40 each for NRVC members; $95 each for non-members. Single copies are $25 each. Subscribe online at www.nrvc.net/signup_horizon. Please direct subscription inquiries to Marge Argyelan at the NRVC offices at 773-363-5454 or [email protected].

POSTMASTERSend address changes to HORIZON, 5401 S. Cornell Ave., Suite 207, Chicago, IL 60615-5698. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL and Toledo, OH, ISSN 1042-8461, Pub. no. 744-850.

REPRINTS, ARCHIVES, ELECTRONIC EDITIONSPermission is granted to distribute no more than 50 copies of HORIZON articles for noncommercial use. Please use the fol-lowing credit line: Reprinted with permission from HORIZON, www.nrvc.net. For other types of reprints, please contact the editor at [email protected].

HORIZON archives, including files for mobile readers, can be accessed by subscribers at www.nrvc.net.

EDITORIAL INQUIRIES & ADVERTISINGAll editorial inquiries, including article proposals, manu-script submissions, and requests for writer’s guidelines should be directed to the editor: Carol Schuck Scheiber, [email protected]. For advertising rates and deadlines, see www.nrvc.net or contact the editor.

© 2016, National Religious Vocation Conference

HORIZON Journal of the National Religious Vocation Conference

NRVC Executive DirectorBrother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C.

HORIZON Editor Carol Schuck Scheiber

ProofreadersSister Mary Ann Hamer, O.S.F.; Virginia Piecuch

Editorial Advisory Board Sister Susan Rose Francois, C.S.J.P.; Father Christopher Gibson, C.P.; Sister Cathy Jones, R.A.; Andrew O’Connell; Sister Mary Rowell, C.S.J.; Brother Tom Wendorf, S.M.

Page Designer Patrice J. Tuohy

Cover ArtThe Prodigal Son, by Guy Martin à Beckett Boyd

HORIZON is published quarterly by TrueQuest Communications on behalf of the National Religious Vocation Conference, 5401 South Cornell Avenue, Suite 207, Chicago, IL 60615-5698.

773-363-5454 | 773-363-5530 fax | [email protected] | nrvc.net

Facebook: Horizon vocation journal | Twitter @cscheibercarol

HORIZON is an award-winning journal for vocation ministers andthose who support a robust future for religious life. It is published quarterly by TrueQuest Communications on behalf of the National Religious Vocation Conference.

Sister Michele Vincent Fisher, C.S.F.N. Region 7

Brother Ronald Hingle, S.C. Region 5

Sister Maria Iannuccillo, S.S.N.D. Region 4

Sister Kristin Matthes, S.N.D.deN. Region 4

Father Don Miller, O.F.M. Region 6

Sister Priscilla Moreno, R.S.M. Region 9 Sister Anita Quigley, S.H.C.J.

Region 3

Brother Tom Wendorf, S.M. Region 9

Father Vince Wirtner, C.PP.S. Region 6

Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C. Executive Director

Father Toby Collins, C.R. Canada

Sister Gayle Lwanga Crumbley, R.G.S. Region 9

Sister Anna Marie Espinosa, I.W.B.S. Region 10

National Religious Vocation Conference Board for 2016-2017


Updates

Important workshops offered at Summer Institute Once again, the National Religious Vocation Conference will offer several workshops at its downtown Chicago Summer Institute to be held July 13 to 23. Each of the workshops are part of NRVC’s recommended core cur-riculum for vocation ministry training. Summer Institute 2016 will consist of the following. Details can be found at nrvc.net.

Orientation Program for New Vocation DirectorsJuly 13-17

Ethical Issues in Vocation and Formation MinistryJuly 18-19

Behavioral Assessment 1 July 21-23

Updates

Vocation ministers to be present at World Youth Day Vocation leaders from the English-speaking world have been working for many months to organize an English-speaking pavilion at World Youth Day, to be held in Kra-kow, Poland July 25-31, 2016. The Knights of Columbus, Salt + Light TV, Holy Cross Family Ministries, the Sisters of Life, and the National Religious Vocation Conference are the five partners overseeing the planning of the pro-gram at the Tauron Arena in Krakow. This brand-new arena has a seating capacity for more than 15,000 people and is located just outside of the city center.

The forthcoming World Youth Day has the theme “Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy.” The English speaking vocation-area—the Vocation Kawiarnia/Cafe—will consist of an inviting seating area where youth can meet and talk with sisters, priests, and brothers. NRVC will distribute details to its members as they become known. Learn more about World Youth Day at worldyouthday.com.

Youth visit with sisters, brothers, and priests in the Vocation Ve-randa that was part of the 2013 World Youth Day. A similar setup is being organized for the 2016 World Youth Day in Krakow.

Presenter Sister Lynn Levo, C.S.J. gives a presentation during the 2014 Summer Institute.

4 | HORIZON | Winter 2016 Updates

Save the date! NRVC Convocation October 27-31The National Religious Vocation Conference will hold its biennial conference October 27-31 at the Sheraton Hotel in Overland Park, Kansas (near Kansas City). Its theme will be “Awakened by the Spirit: Called to Discipleship.” The keynote speakers will be Father Kevin O’Brien, S.J. and Ms. Sherry Weddell.

Father Kevin O’Brien, S.J. is vice president for mission and ministry at Georgetown Univer-

sity. In this role he shares the Catholic and Jesuit tradition of education and spirituality with faculty, students, staff, and alumni through semi-nars, social justice immersion programs, and retreats. Father O’Brien also oversees campus ministry programs on four campuses and the Mission and Pastoral Care Program at

MedStar Georgetown Hospital. In addition, he is a lecturer and writer in history and spirituality.

Sherry Weddell co-founded the Catherine of Siena Institute (CSI) with Father Michael Swee-ney, O.P. in 1997. CSI is an af-filiated international ministry of the Western Dominican Province and trains Catholic leaders in evangelization and the formation of parishes of “intentional disciples.” Ms. Weddell and her interna-tional team of collaborators have worked with 120,000 lay, religious, and ordained Catholics in well over 500 parishes in 137 dioceses. In addition Ms. Weddell has authored Become a Parish of Inten-tional Disciples (2015) and Forming Intentional Disciples: the Path to Knowing and Following Jesus (2012).

International Vocation Conference continues collaborationIn Paris, from November 30 to December 3, NRVC convened a subgroup follow-up meeting

of the February 2015 International Vocations Conference.The February conference brought together religious

life leaders and directors of vocation centers from nine countries. At that initial gathering a topic of concern was that many countries have no coordinated action to support vocations to consecrated life. At the December meeting, the subgroup explored possible ways to support coordinated vocation efforts around the world.

The gathering was facilitated by NRVC Executive Director Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C. and hosted by Sister Nathalie Becquart, Xav., director of the French Bishops’ Conference’s National Service for the Evange-lization of Youth and for Vocations. Participants repre-sented the following vocation organizations: National Religious Vocation Conference, USA; Vocations Ireland; the Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales; Bishops’ Conference of France; Canada’s National Association of Vocation and Formation Directors; and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

World Day of Prayer for Vocations World Day of Prayer for Vocations will take place April 17. Consider doing something in a parish to commemo-rate this day. Three quarters of those entering religious life have contributed service in or have been active mem-bers of a parish. See nrvc.net for ideas and resources. n

The International Vocation Conference reconvened a subgroup in Paris to work out follow up plans for supporting coordinated action on behalf of religious life vocations.

Father Kevin O’Brien, S.J.

Sherry Weddell


Whoever sees Jesus sees the Father (Jn. 14:9). Jesus of Nazareth, by his words, his actions, and his entire person reveals the mercy of God (Misericordiae Vultus, Bull of Indiction for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, sec. 1).

We need constantly to contemplate the mystery of mercy. It is a wellspring of joy, serenity, and peace. Our salvation depends on it. Mercy: the word reveals the very mystery of the Most Holy Trinity. Mercy: the ultimate and supreme act by which God comes to meet us. Mercy: the fundamental law that dwells in the heart of every person who looks sincerely into the eyes of his broth-ers and sisters on the path of life. Mercy: the bridge that connects God and man, opening our hearts to the hope of being loved forever despite our sinfulness (Misericor-diae, sec. 2).

At times we are called to gaze even more attentively on mercy so we may become a more effective sign of the

The following excerpts from the Bull of Indiction for the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, Misericordiae Vultus, give an overview of the intention and spirit of the year.

JESUS CHRIST IS THE FACE of the Father’s mer-cy. These words might well sum up the mystery of the Christian faith. Mercy has become living and visible in Jesus of Nazareth, reaching its culmina-tion in him. The Father, “rich in mercy” (Eph. 2:4),

after having revealed his name to Moses as “a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ex. 34:6), has never ceased to show, in various ways throughout history, his divine nature. In the “fullness of time” (Gal. 4:4), when everything had been arranged according to his plan of salvation, he sent his only Son into the world, born of the Virgin Mary, to reveal his love for us in a definitive way.

Year of Mercy: renewing a cornerstone of faith

The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy is an opportunity to reflect on the nature of mercy and to renew our efforts to practice it. Pictured here are Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Cross distributing lunches during an annual pilgrimage walk.

Year of Mercy


Father’s action in our lives. For this reason I have pro-claimed an Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy as a special time for the Church, a time when the witness of believers might grow stronger and more effective (Misericordiae, sec. 3).

Motto: “Merciful like the Father”Merciful like the Father, therefore, is the motto of this Holy Year. In mercy, we find proof of how God loves us. He gives his entire self, always, freely, asking nothing in return. He comes to our aid whenever we call upon him. What a beautiful thing that the Church begins her daily prayer with the words, “O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me” (Ps. 70:2)! The assistance we ask for is already the first step of God’s mercy toward us. He comes to assist us in our weakness. And his help consists in helping us accept his presence and closeness to us. Day after day, touched by his compassion, we also can become compassionate towards others (sec. 14).

Year of Mercy

Reaching out to the marginalized

In this Holy Year, we look forward to the experience of opening our hearts to those living on the outermost fringes of society: fringes which modern society itself cre-ates. How many uncertain and painful situations there are in the world today! How many are the wounds borne by the flesh of those who have no voice because their cry is muffled and drowned out by the indifference of the rich! During this Jubilee, the Church will be called even more to heal these wounds, to assuage them with the oil of con-solation, to bind them with mercy and cure them with solidarity and vigilant care. Let us not fall into humiliat-ing indifference or a monotonous routine that prevents us from discovering what is new! Let us ward off destruc-tive cynicism! Let us open our eyes and see the misery of the world, the wounds of our brothers and sisters who are denied their dignity, and let us recognize that we are compelled to heed their cry for help! May we reach out to them and support them so they can feel the warmth

Religious men and women have long been involved in education, a spiritual work of mercy. Pictured here is Father John Holly, O.F.M. Cap. with students at St. Lawrence Seminary High School in Mount Calvary, Wisconsin.

Winter 2016 | HORIZON | 7 Year of Mercy

YEAR OF MERCY SPECIAL EVENTS Missionaries of Mercy will be sent forth from St. Peter’s Basilica, Feb-ruary 10, Ash Wednesday. Mission-

aries of Mercy are selected priests who will have special responsibilities

to preach and to celebrate the sacra-ment of reconciliation during Lent.

Lent with greater intensity—Pope Francis is encouraging the faithful to take part wholeheartedly in Lent this year. “The season of Lent during this Jubilee Year should also be lived more intensely as a privileged moment to celebrate and experience God’s mercy. How many pages of Sacred Scripture are appropriate for meditation during the weeks of Lent to help us rediscover the merciful face of the Father!” (Misericordiae, sec. 17).

24 Hours for the Lord—On March 13 and 14, the Friday and Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent, each diocese is urged to put a special emphasis on the sacrament of reconciliation.

Special jubilees will be held on dates throughout the year in St. Peter’s Square for different groups in the church, such as catechists, children, priests, deacons, those devoted to the spirituality of Divine Mercy, the sick and disabled, and more. Details are at im.va.

Pilgrimages to Holy Doors of Mercy — At the inception of the Holy Year of Mercy, Pope Francis opened the doors of St. Peter’s Basilica, declaring them, and the doors of registered cathedrals, shrines, and holy places through-out the world, “Door[s] of Mercy through which anyone who enters will experience the love of God who consoles, pardons, and instills hope.”

ONLINE RESOURCES

IM.VA The Vatican Year of Mercy website has complete information about the year, including the bull of indiction, Misericordiae Vultus; Pope Francis’ prayer for the year; the downloadable logo; a hymn; homilies; pastoral resources; Doors of Mercy details; and a calendar of events.

USCCB.ORG The U.S. bishops’ web page about the Year of Mercy includes meditations, monthly action suggestions, information on the spiritual and corporal works of mercy, and other pastoral resources.

of our presence, our friendship, and our fraternity! May their cry become our own, and together may we break down the barriers of indifference that too often reign su-preme and mask our hypocrisy and egoism (sec. 15)!

Rediscover the works of mercyIt is my burning desire that, during this Jubilee, the Christian people may reflect on the corporal and spiri-tual works of mercy. It will be a way to reawaken our conscience, too often grown dull in the face of poverty. And let us enter more deeply into the heart of the Gospel where the poor have a special experience of God’s mercy. Jesus introduces us to these works of mercy in his preach-ing so that we can know whether or not we are living as his disciples. Let us rediscover these corporal works of mercy: to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, welcome the stranger, heal the sick, visit the imprisoned, and bury the dead. And let us not forget the spiritual works of mercy: to counsel the doubtful, instruct the ignorant, admonish sinners, comfort the af-flicted, forgive offenses, bear patiently those who do us ill, and pray for the living and the dead (sec. 15).

Justice and mercy intertwinedIt would not be out of place at this point to recall the re-lationship between justice and mercy. These are not two contradictory realities, but two dimensions of a single reality that unfolds progressively until it culminates in the fullness of love (sec. 20).

If God limited himself to only justice, he would cease to be God, and would instead be like human beings who ask merely that the law be respected. But mere justice is not enough. Experience shows that an appeal to justice alone will result in its destruction. This is why God goes beyond justice with his mercy and forgiveness (sec. 21).

Authentic faith marked by mercyIn this Jubilee Year, let us allow God to surprise us. He never tires of casting open the doors of his heart and of repeating that he loves us and wants to share his love with us. The Church feels the urgent need to proclaim God’s mercy. Her life is authentic and credible only when she becomes a convincing herald of mercy. She knows that her primary task, especially at a moment full of great hopes and signs of contradiction, is to introduce every-one to the great mystery of God’s mercy by contemplat-ing the face of Christ (sec. 25). n


How mercy connects to vocation

By Brother Jonathan Beebe, C.S.C.Sister Michelle Lesher, S.S.J.Brother William Sprauer, O.S.B.Sister Camille D’Arienzo, R.S.M.

Brother Jonathan Beebe, C.S.C. is the vocation director for the Moreau and Midwest Provinces of the Congregation of Holy Cross. He is also a licensed clinical social worker.

Sister Michelle Lesher, S.S.J. is Sister of Saint Joseph of Philadelphia serving in vocation and formation ministry. She has also been a campus minister and a high school theology teacher.

Brother William Sprauer, O.S.B. is a monk at St. Meinrad Archabbey in St. Meinrad, Indiana and assists in the vocation office.

Sister Camille D’Arienzo, R.S.M. is a Sister of Mercy, a writer, a death penalty activist, and for many years was a college professor.

At first glance, the concept of mercy may seem remote from the world of vocations. But given the importance of mercy within the Christian faith, it takes only a little digging to begin finding connections. HORIZON invited vocation directors and other leaders in religious life to reflect on the presence of mercy in the many steps along a vocation journey.

MERCY IS CREATING A NEW STORYBy Brother Jonathan Beebe, C.S.C.

AS A CHILD I WOULD GATHER with my Italian-American relatives every Sunday afternoon for the traditional family dinner.

Attendance was mandatory. Overeating, laughter, and a few rounds of pinochle were the order of the day. However at some point—and we all knew it was coming—my aunt would turn the

Acts of mercy, large and small, are at the core of all Christian vocations, including religious life. Here Sister Clarisa Vázquez, S.S.J. helps a student at St. Cecilia School in Pennsauken, New Jersey, tie her shoe.

Beebe, Lesher, Sprauer, D’Arienzo | Mercy

Winter 2016 | HORIZON | 9 Beebe, Lesher, Sprauer, D’Arienzo | Mercy

It is only in trusting God’s mercy that we are able to move forward to what awaits us. For this reason mercy is key to vocation.

conversation to one of a number of upsetting memories. She was the victim and somebody at the table the villain. Heads down, the mood deflated, the meal was officially over.

My aunt was caught in the past—and all of us right along with her.

I found this same dynamic present at times in my religious community. “He promised to move me, but he left me there for 15 years,” “I was prepared to teach Eng-lish, but they gave me math instead,” “I asked to go home and was told I couldn’t leave.” Bitterness, resentments … a litany of personal lamentations that do more to create a culture of discouragement rather than a culture of voca-tions.

Evangelii Gaudium tells us that “[t]he joy of the gos-pel fills the hearts and lives of all who encounter Jesus. Those who accept his offer of salvation are set free from sin, sorrow, inner emptiness and loneliness.” How is it that we as consecrated religious so easily veer off course? More importantly, how do we find our way back to our fundamental vocation to love? The answer is found in God’s mercy.

Our stories must make room for mercyOur stories both define and confine us. Author Terry Pratchett writes, “People think that stories are shaped by people. In fact, it’s the other way around.” Rather than seeing our experiences as discrete events, we weave them together into storylines with plots and protagonists but rarely a surprise ending. Oftentimes this keeps us “stuck.”

The Bible is filled with examples of this human quagmire. In the Book of Exodus, the Israelites literally become stuck. They remain in the desert for a very long time. The Lord hears the cries of his people, slaves in the land of Egypt, and in his mercy sends them a leader (al-beit a reluctant one), who is to guide them to a promised land. However, after only a short time on the road, the grumbling begins. “Are we there yet?” “I’m thirsty!” “I’m hungry!” “Let’s turn around and go back!”

What emerges in the Old Testament is a clear sto-ryline, “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. You shall have no other gods before me” (Exod. 20:2-3). God shows himself to be faithful and compassionate, liberat-ing the people from their captivity. But, as the Israelites experience the obvious pitfalls and potholes on any jour-ney, we see that Egypt is also a state of mind—a story—which they must drop if they are to truly experience the fullness of God’s promise.

Pope Francis, our modern-day Moses, has parted the waters and given us a deep look into the heart of God by declaring an “Extraordinary Jubilee which has as its center the mercy of God.” Like any divine intervention, God’s mercy defies human logic. It is irrational, limitless in quantity and endless in time. Mercy leads us to real freedom, our heart’s desire.

When God breaks into our lives, storylines are shat-tered. “Remember not the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it?” (Isa. 43:18-19).

Mercy allows for new storiesIt is only in trusting God’s mercy that we are able to move forward to what awaits us. For this reason mercy is key to vocation, the calling forth of a new story that begins with three simple words, “Come. Follow me.”

To consider following Jesus requires discipline and courage. Letting go of familiar story-lines—particularly ones that shore up our fragile egos—is no easy task. Not all disciples are capable of this total commit-ment of the self. One asks first to bury his father, another to say goodbye to her family. It is only God’s mercy that gives us the radical freedom to say yes, to follow, and even to die if necessary.

We all hold back. My Holy Cross Constitutions tell me, “We wished to abandon all to follow Christ … We wish to be wholehearted yet we are hesitant. Still, like the first disciples we know that He will draw us along and reinforce our loyalties if we yield to Him.”

It is never too soon to become “unstuck.” In surren-dering to God’s unconditional love for us, our vocation as consecrated women and men leads to formation and, ultimately, transformation. In the words of Pope Francis, we learn to “smile from the heart.”

There are many factors that contribute to an effec-tive vocation program. We vocation directors spend a great deal of our time and money updating websites, visiting schools, and leading retreats—all with the hope of attracting the attention of someone who might want to join our community. However, the only thing that discerners really notice is the joy in our members. We all want a happy ending to our story.

Recently a young man in formation spontaneously

10 | HORIZON | Winter 2016 Beebe, Lesher, Sprauer, D’Arienzo | Mercy

approached me, a smile wide on his face. “Brother, I did it, I did it!” Wondering what could have triggered such happiness, he explained that he knew that his father’s abandoning the family when he was a teenager had up-set him terribly, forcing him to become the man of the house long before his time. He shared, “I called my father and talked with him. It wasn’t easy, but I was determined. It was awkward at first since we haven’t spoken in a few years, but I wanted him to know that I forgave him. I knew that I couldn’t preach about God’s mercy if I wasn’t going to put it into practice myself.”

Mercy is freedom, a radical freedom to love, which is the heart of a religious vocation. And this man surely entered the Promised Land.

PRACTICING MERCYBy Sister Michelle Lesher, S.S.J.

“SNAPCHAT MERCY: Faces of Mercy in Modern Times.” This was the unfortunate title

I gave to a breakout session I hosted during a Jesuit high school pilgrimage to see the pope in Philadelphia in September 2015. When the booklet for the pilgrimage needed to be printed, the focus seemed

like a really great idea, one that I was hoping would be attractive! After all, Snapchat is among the most preferred social media outlets for teenagers, and we certainly live in a culture bombarded by images. What could be better?

However, when I finally sat down to prepare the ses-sion that would welcome 35 students anxiously awaiting Pope Francis’ visit, I immediately realized the error of my choice. You see Snapchat is a media that by its very nature encourages a lack of commitment, transparency, and permanence. It gives users the freedom to snap and send pictures that won’t linger in cyberspace for more than 10 seconds (unless a screenshot or video is taken, but that’s another story). Therefore, with Snapchat, there is little fear of inappropriate, malicious, incriminating, or just plain silly actions being preserved eternally and dis-covered at a later inopportune time, like when applying to college or for a job.

The more I pondered this, the more I realized that this kind of attitude can interfere with creating and cul-tivating a culture of vocation where we recognize that we are each called to live a life of holiness, to become saints by being the best possible version of ourselves in union with our God. We are called to give witness to the conviction that we are made for a purpose greater than self-service. Indeed, our lives are meant to leave a lasting impression on the hearts of our dear neighbors, not one

Vocation directors can encourage those considering religious life to be open to God’s mercy. In accepting that mercy in its fullness, we become free to follow our call. Above, Father Jarrod Waugh, C.S.C. speaks with novice David Smith, C.S.C. Photo by Barbara Johnston / University of Notre Dame.


first discern their call. Maybe a question for vocation directors is: How can we help people curious about dis-covering their place in the world to believe that they are loved and that God’s mercy is already theirs? How do we encourage the paradox that because one’s life is so beau-tiful, worthwhile, and filled with such great potential, there is nothing greater than to give it away for the sake of another, just as Jesus did? In this “temporary culture” how do we foster a sense of commitment to a life that is meant to leave a lasting mark?

Images of Pope Francis’ visit to the United States still linger in my mind even now. Why? Conceivably it is because he preached by word and deed a message of mercy, a message that considers our call to care for the most vulnerable among us. Ac-cording to the wisdom of Pope Francis, being mercy is our vocation as Chris-tians!

Looking back I believe that using images of modern faces of mercy was, indeed, the perfect focus for the breakout session for high school students that day in September. However I think the social

media instrument should have been Instagram. With In-stagram those images at least remain; they are less transi-tory; they can be “favorited,” shared in a variety of ways, and even saved so that they might leave a more lasting imprint on our own hearts and in the lives of others. Af-ter all that is the motion of mercy!

HAVE MERCY!By Brother William Sprauer, O.S.B.

ANY 30-SOMETHING would recognize Jesse Katsopolis’ catch phrase “Have mercy!”

from the late 80s-early 90s TV sitcom Full House. This was typically said in the presence of a beautiful woman for whom “Uncle” Jesse was particularly smitten, and often would precede or follow a kiss from said woman. For those curious, a simple search on YouTube for “Jesse Katsopolis Have Mercy” will yield a two-minute super-cut of each and every time he uttered the phrase in the entire eight-season run of the series.

I think Uncle Jesse is perhaps much more spiritu-ally inclined than we are initially led to believe. His catch

that will fade before we know it. In this regard Snapchat just wasn’t the right choice!

After all, we religious are called to stand behind and be proud of the images created by the way we live, not as a result of our own merit, but simply and solely because we are following in the footsteps of Jesus, the one who modeled our truest vocation. We are called to become more and more like Christ, persons willing to give ourselves away in love for the sake of another. We are challenged to be a face of mercy in these modern times, offering lasting compassionate treatment to those in distress, not just within our own communities but to all members of our human family.

During that same breakout ses-sion on mercy, I used a song written by Francesca Battistelli entitled The Mo-tion of Mercy. In it she reminds us that even though we are unworthy, God gave God’s very self away in love for us; by that very action, we are impelled to do the same! After all, that’s the motion of mercy! Mercy leads us on to be filled by and to become the love we’ve received. Mercy is an integral part of our vocation as Christians since there is no way to live our vocation authentically, to become the best version of ourself, without becoming increasingly more sensitive and responding to the needs of others. Battistelli’s lyrics weave together a beautiful connection between mercy and vocation, reminding us that it is our call as Christians to “live for the lost … love ‘til it hurts … no matter what the cost … like we’ve been loved first!”

Training ground for mercyIn an even more specific way, isn’t this the particular vocation of vowed consecrated life? Our call is to center our lives increasingly on Jesus as the ground of our be-ing, leaving behind good and genuine values such as an exclusive loving relationship, a family of our own, per-sonal property, and total freedom in making decisions so as to reach out in love as fully as possible to others in need. Essentially then, aren’t we called to live mercy—to be mercy—to let mercy pour out from the very depth of our relationship with God? Perhaps religious life, in its experience of the vows, community life, prayer and min-istry, is a wonderful practice ground for mercy.

However before people can get to that practice ground for mercy that is consecrated life, they need to

How can we help people curious about discovering their place in the world to believe that they are loved and that God’s mercy is already theirs?



phrase is a brief acknowledgement of humility and grati-tude and an indicator for us that he knows he doesn’t deserve what he is receiving, yet he still receives humbly and gratefully. The tax collector in St. Luke’s gospel who was humble enough to utter: “O God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Lk. 18:13) has more in common with Uncle Jesse than we might initially con-sider.

Pope Francis has declared a Holy Year of Mercy for 2016, and we religious certainly have a duty, following the Year of Consecrated Life, to reflect on the role of mercy in attracting new vocations to our respective communities. This reflec-tion has to begin with ourselves, that is, recognizing, like Uncle Jesse, like the tax collector, that we are all ultimately sinners in need of God’s unending mercy and love, “for his mercy endures forever” (Ps. 118), as the psalmist reminds us. And so, in recognizing ourselves as sinners be-fore God, accepting his unending mercy, we must forgive ourselves, that is, show ourselves mercy before we can begin to show others that same mercy.

Mercy for candidates, their familiesThis is also true of those young men and women enter-ing religious communities. Perhaps some of them fell away from the church for a time. Perhaps some of them lived the traditional college experience of drugs, sex and rock n’ roll. These young men and women, in discerning religious life, now may need to learn to show themselves mercy when entering a community. This is where voca-tion directors have a crucial role in being ministers of God’s mercy to candidates.

This begins with helping candidates understand that no one enters religious life without some baggage. Part of the screening process (through interviews and psy-chological evaluations) involves helping candidates both acknowledge and understand their strengths and weak-nesses. Candidates also set formation goals to address any baggage. Showing a candidate compassion (that is, sharing in his or her suffering) during this sometimes painful evaluation and formation process is crucial to the development and perseverance of the candidate’s voca-tion within the community.

Not only do candidates need to learn to show mercy

to themselves while transitioning into a religious voca-tion, but they may also need to learn how to show mercy to friends and family who are grieving over their deci-sion. Navigating the tides of negative parental reactions to a vocation decision can put much stress on the dis-cernment process itself.

Speaking from experience I never really understood why my parents were upset about my decision to enter mo-nastic life until my novitiate year, when I read Rémy Rougeau’s All We Know of Heaven. In the novel, on the day of the main character’s solemn profession of monastic vows, his mother laments: “… I will never be able to share this life with you. I don’t know it. I understand mar-riage and children. If you had a wife and little babies, I could give you advice, but you won’t, and I can’t help you.”

In reality I think his mother did help in that instant, by explaining her feelings about his decision, thus open-ing the door for merciful dialogue. This

anecdote certainly helped me understand my own pa-rental relationships with respect to entering religious life. Although some parents and families can be supportive of this decision, others may have strong reactions (even some hurtful) that the candidate must be willing to ac-cept while showing compassion and mercy to all those affected by such a life-altering decision.

Likewise we must show mercy and compassion to our brothers and sisters in our religious communities if we expect to not only attract but retain new candidates. This means being willing to admit our faults to com-munity members. This means reaching out for recon-ciliation to those from whom we are estranged. This means entering into the suffering of confrères, by taking on some of their pain as one’s own. Active mercy and compassion within a religious community certainly con-tributes to an “internal culture of vocations” a concept described by Brother John Mark Falkenhain, O.S.B., in the Summer 2014 issue of HORIZON.

As I write these words, I am currently recovering from a foot surgery that requires me to use crutches for six weeks. It has been difficult emotionally and physical-ly to be immobile, but certain small acts of compassion have shown me a beautiful side of community life that I perhaps would not have noticed otherwise.

The simple act of a brother preparing a plate of food, or opening a door, or offering to carry something, or


We must show mercy and compassion to our brothers and sisters in our religious communities if we expect to not only attract but retain new candidates.


even simply asking how I’m feeling has certainly light-ened the load. These confrères, like Simon of Cyrene, help me carry this cross of healing a broken foot, and I’m not sure I would have been able to do it on my own with-out the mercy of the community.

Christ calls us to “be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Lk. 6:36). If we expect to attract and retain new vocations to our communities, we must show mercy and compassion to our brothers and sisters with whom we live. This doesn’t necessarily need to be done on a grand scale, but small, daily acts of compassion to one another cultivates a loving environment in which new life can grow and prosper.

Our vocation is a gift we probably don’t deserve, yet God in his goodness grants us this way of life that will ultimately lead us to him. Our duty in receiving this pre-cious gift is to recognize our own brokenness and, like Uncle Jesse, have the courage to accept it with an enthu-siastic “Have Mercy!” It is only then that we’re able to ex-tend the same mercy, not only to our brothers and sisters but also to any prospective candidates.

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Family members sometimes need the mercy of the religious community as they adjust to their loved one’s new life as a sister, brother, or priest. Pictured here is Brother Andre Dedecker, O.S.B. embracing his father, Darrel, after his first vows ceremony with the monks of St. Meinrad Arch-abbey. Behind them is his mother, Henrietta.

MERCY AT HEART OF VOCATIONBy Sister Camille D’Arienzo, R.S.M.

AMONG THE ENDEARING qualities of Pope Francis’ example of loving leadership is

his promotion of the virtue of mercy. In this, his soul partners with that of William Shakespeare who explained mercy in the words of Portia, spoken to Shylock in Act IV, Scene 1 of The Merchant of Venice:

The quality of mercy is not strained;It droppeth as the gentle rain from heavenUpon the place beneath. It is twice blest;It blesseth him that gives and him that takes:’Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomesThe throned monarch better than his crown:His sceptre shows the force of temporal power,The attribute to awe and majesty,Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings;But mercy is above this sceptred sway;


Mercy is central to religious lifeAs followers of Jesus naturally the acceptance of and extension of mercy is at the heart of a religious vocation. The 16th century mystic, Teresa of Avila, understood this well, telling her sisters:

Christ has no body now on earth but yours,No hands but yours,No feet but yours.Yours are the eyes through whichChrist’s compassionIs to look out to the world.

These words demonstrate a profound comprehen-sion of the essence of a call to religious life. They also support a life lived in community. It is through the ex-ample and influence of our sisters that we gain the cour-age and wisdom to offer God’s love and mercy to others, especially to the loveless and unlovable. It is the persis-tent faith in the potential for conversion that allows us to reach out, to speak out, and to wait in patient silence for conversion. And sometimes patience itself has to be discarded. Catherine McAuley, the 19th century found-ress of my religious community, insisted, “The poor need help now; not next week.”

The annals of the Brooklyn Sisters of Mercy contain an account of an outreach of mercy driven by urgency. For the man recorded as “The prisoner Greenwall” time was truly running out. Incarcerated in a local jail, John Greenwall was awaiting execution for a crime he insisted he had not committed.

Although he observed the sisters visiting other pris-oners, his anger was so deep that he rebuffed their efforts to make contact with him. However, as time passed and his execution date drew near, he summoned them and they, after winning his trust, convinced him to welcome a Father O’Hara, the priest who administered the last rites.

On December 6, 1889 John Greenwall was the last man to die by hanging in New York State. His guilt was never fully confirmed.

As one who has spent 10 years visiting a man on death row (after which his death sentence was reduced to life in prison without parole) I suffered the dismay and discomfort of interacting with a repentant murderer who was anticipating death by lethal injection. He had three dates for this procedure and I spent hours in his pres-ence before the executions were postponed and finally dismissed. Finding words for the impact of those vigils is beyond difficult for me. I cannot fathom what it must be for the one who waits to have his life ended.


It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings,It is an attribute to God himself;And earthly power doth then show likest God’sWhen mercy seasons justice.

As Shakespeare fathomed, mercy is a foundational quality of God; it is inherent in the essence of God. Bak-er’s Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology connects the English term “mercy” with a Hebrew term hesed, which means God’s covenant’s loving kindness.

Mercy is central to an appreciation of God’s dealings with humankind. In English translations of the Bible, mercy makes this connection and shows us that this quality is also one that God requires of his people. It de-scribes not just feelings or emotions, but compassion and love, as expressed in tangible ways.

Although people have the capacity for showing mercy, especially toward relatives, friends or others who claim their sympathy, (1 Kgs. 20:31; Isa. 49:15; Jer. 31:20; 1 Macc. 2:57), the human extension of mercy often lacks the called for generosity. This deficit seems more natural to the human condition (Prov. 5:9; 12:10; Isa. 13:18; 47:6; Jer. 6:23; 50:42; cf. Wisd. of Sol. 12:5). God, on the con-trary, cannot be defined without mercy because “God is love.” Mercy, therefore, is an inexhaustible expression of God’s nature.

Mercy and hesed, the term for God's covenant love, are integrally related. So close is the relationship that hesed sometimes is to be viewed in terms of mercy. In this relationship, mercy then comes to be seen as the quality in God that directs him to forge a relationship with people who absolutely do not deserve to be in rela-tionship with him.

The parables that Jesus offered sparkle in a firma-ment darkened by evil. They recount alternate ways of responding to the sinner. We see this in the story of the Prodigal Son which, in truth, exposes the prodigal af-fection of the father. There’s no evidence that he’s plan-ning ways to scold or punish his errant son. No, his love makes him only able to wait and hope and burst into welcome when his dissolute son returns to him, having sullied his own virtue and the family reputation.

Examples of mercy afforded by Jesus are often em-bedded in the outreach to individuals in need of spiritual or physical healing. These are often people incapable of returning favors or expressing appreciation. His hands tenderly touched the bodies of people from whom others fled—lepers for sure. It is as if his need to demonstrate his pity, his compassion, was greater than the suffering one’s need to receive it.


Good works and mercy There are so many ways to become the hands and feet and heart of God to the desperate and abandoned. Those at the receiving end of love and mercy may be grateful enough to express appreciation; however the wise ones among us who extend kindness will neither require nor expect it. They understand the counsel St. Vincent de Paul gave to members of his fledgling religious community:

You will soon learn that charity is a heavy burden to bear, heavier than the kettle of soup and the basket of bread… But you must keep your gentleness and your smile.

It’s not enough to give bread and soup. That the rich can do. You are the little servant of the poor, the Maid of Charity, always smiling, always in good humor. The poor are your Masters, terribly sensi-tive and exacting, as you will see.

But the uglier and dirtier they are, the more unjust and bitter, the more you must give them of your love. It’s only because of your love, only your love, that the poor will forgive you the bread you give them.

Those who live their lives conscious of the example of Jesus, perhaps anticipating some future reward, have blessings enough in the certainty that God who sees the heart will reward it. As religious, we cannot expect that our efforts to be the mercy of God will result in apprecia-tion and good feelings.

Still, sometimes acting as a conduit of God’s mercy brings us blessings when we least expect it. We can go through life often unaware of how our smallest kindness may fill a great void. This came home to me recently when I stopped in a McDonald’s for a cup of coffee.

The place was pretty empty, so I struck up a conversa-tion with the young woman serving me. I asked if she was attending college. She replied that she’d graduated from high school the previous June and was working to earn enough for tuition. I told her that I had been a college professor for many years and was sure I’d enjoy having her as my student. To my surprise, she came from behind the counter, wrapped her arms around my neck and sobbed.

“What’s wrong?” I asked. To which she answered, “No one ever speaks to me the way you just did.”

A few minutes later I went to my car and returned with a $20 bill I keep for an emergency. I offered it to her for her college fund.

She declined it, saying, “No. I don’t want your mon-ey. What you just gave me is worth so much more.”

We who are members of religious communities carry within us the heritage of our foremothers and forefathers who challenged authority for the sake of the dependent and discarded. We have learned from their strength to explore alternate ways of getting behind doors closed to us. We often know the ways to gain trust and help and to offer both when others’ needs arise. We can see wounds invisible to others, and we are not afraid to tenderly touch those who hurt, to offer mercy and a word of love.

I write these words a few days after celebrating my 64th anniversary as a Sister of Mercy. I know that the greatest gift I could offer a young woman looking for an outlet for her love is the invitation to “Come and see.” Come see what religious life is. Come and grow in mercy, which, as Shakespeare understood, is to grow in God—for the two are one. n

Maryknoll Sister Jane Buellesbach, M.M. has served the poor of Guatemala as a doctor for over 50 years. Photo courtesy of Maryknoll Sisters, maryknollsisters.org.


For years Father Vincent J. O’Malley, C.M. noted that some universities sent men regularly to the seminary while his own institution did not. With a desire to change that, he conducted an extensive study to learn what factors seem to encourage college men to enter the priesthood. We present the results of his study here. While Father O’Malley’s focus was on men and the priest-hood, the study’s conclusions are in many ways consistent with findings from studies about both men and women. (See other vocation related studies at nrvc.net). It is our hope that this article will continue the conversation about how Catholic colleges and universities and public school Newman Centers can foster a culture of vocations that will benefit not only men’s religious communities but women’s communities and dioceses as well.

UNIVERSITIES, AND CATHOLIC UNIVERSITIES in particular, play a critical role in fostering vocations to the priesthood. A little data sheds light on this reality. For the last 20 years the number of seminarians nationwide has been increasing slowly but steadily. In spring 2015 the

number of ordinands jumped from the previous year’s 477 to 595, a 25 percent increase. Among the 2015 ordinands 66 percent entered the semi-

O’Malley | Universities and Vocation

Father Vincent J. O’Malley, C.M. has been a Vincentian priest since 1973. He has ministered for 22 years at Ni-agara University as an instructor, senior administrator, and

now as university chaplain. For 13 years, he served in vocation-formation ministry: five as vocation director and eight as the college seminary student director. He has published five books on saints and a dozen pastoral articles, mostly in Priest magazine.

By Father Vincent J. O’Malley, C.M.

How universities can cultivate vocations

A study of 22

universities sheds

light on what

encourages young

people to choose a

church vocation.

Young people take part in the annual Mass in honor of St. Thomas Aquinas held at Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C. Universities with a strong Catholic culture are associated with sending higher than average numbers of graduates to the seminary.


nary after having graduated from universities. Among these university-grad ordinands, 45 percent graduated from Catholic universities, which demonstrates a vast over-representation since only 7 percent of Catholic col-lege-age students attend Catholic universities. More than half of the 2015 ordinands graduated from non-Catholic private and state universities. Clearly universities have provided the context in which the most recent ordinands discerned and developed their vocations.

For me these concerns are personal. My Vincentian province sponsors two universities, Niagara University which borders Niagara Falls, New York; and St. John’s University in New York City. Combined, these two in-stitutions have yielded some seminarians for various dioceses and religious communities but none for our own community during the last decade. In fall 2014 my provincial assigned me to investigate what other univer-sities were doing to successfully encourage men to enter the seminary.

How I approached this research Before contacting any universities, I sought the advice and insights of experts in the field. I spoke by phone with Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C., longtime executive director of the National Religious Vocation Conference. I studied documents from the “Summit on Vocations,” that Boston College hosted in June, 2013. The Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA) and the Pew Research Center have published numerous data-rich documents about Millennials in general and Catholic Millennials in particular, recent ordinands and religious, and the influences of college life on vocational discern-ment. These studies provided much information and insight. I also re-read Raymond Hostie’s definitive work, Life and Death of Religious Orders (CARA, 1983), which had provided perspective for me during my years as the province’s vocation director, 1981-1986.

The bulk of my research consisted of in-person interviews at 22 colleges and universities, 15 of them Catholic. The criteria for selecting universities to visit consisted of three categories. First I wanted to visit some with a reputation for producing many vocations. Sec-ondly I wanted to include some that I identified as peer institutions for Niagara University and St. John’s Univer-sity. And, finally, I chose several universities at random because of their proximity to Vincentian apostolates. At the start of the study I knew little about the 22 schools’ vocation successes except that Franciscan University and Texas A&M had produced many vocations.

The 22 selected schools (see page 18) provided a felicitous cross-section of size, geographical region, and identity. They also were varied in terms of the portion of students who are Catholic. At each these of 22 universi-ties, I typically spoke with either the vice president for mission or the director of campus ministry and some staff, or the director of the Newman Center and some staff. Oftentimes I followed up campus visits with telephone calls to a community’s vocation director. All of the inter-viewees received me with great kindness and inter-est in this project. Before publishing this article, I sent a draft to the princi-pal contact at each university to welcome their feedback and take it into account in the final draft.

What schools with high rates of priest-vocations have in commonUniversities in the top quarter of the 22 selected schools send roughly 2-to-11 graduates to the seminary each year. Schools in the second quartile send someone to the seminary almost every year. The lower half of the 22 selected institutions each send someone to the seminary occasionally or rarely. Common denominators among the most successful vocation-producing universities in-clude the following factors.

Enthusiastically Catholic—The top tier Catholic universities or Newman Centers at state universities “publicly proclaim” themselves Catholic. They do not simply “name” themselves Catholic. Franciscan Univer-sity’s website identifies the institution as “passionately Catholic.” At Texas A&M the Newman Center of St. Mary’s Church posts hand-made student signs which boast, “Aggie Proud, Aggie Catholic.” At the nation’s capital in 1998, I attended the Inauguration Mass for my former student, Father David O’Connell, C.M., now Bishop of Trenton, who declared unabashedly in his homily that he intended “to put the Catholic back into Catholic University of America (CUA).” The University of Notre Dame (ND) is regarded nationwide and beyond as the premier Catholic university in the U.S., although Boston College, CUA and Georgetown may beg to differ. ND intends that approximately 85 percent of its student


Clearly universities have provided the context in which the most recent ordinands discerned and developed their vocations.

18 | HORIZON | Winter 2016 O’Malley | Universities and Vocation

Ranking1 As of September

2014

University Estimated Catholic population

Seminarianstotal number/ average per year

Seminarians for sponsoring order2

1Franciscan University Steubenville, OH 99% of 2,741 (2714) 400 in 35 years / 11

UnknownT.O.R.

2 Catholic University of America3

Washington, D.C.70% of 4,500 (3,100) 80 in 12 years / 6.6 NA

Pontifical

3 University of Notre DameSouth Bend, IN

82% of 8,477 (6,888) 30-35 in 5 years / 6.5 26 in 5 years / 5.3 C.S.C.

4 Texas A&MCollege Station, TX

23% of 44,000 (10,120) 131 in 20 years / 6.55 NAState

5 Belmont AbbeyBelmont, NC

74% of 862 (638) 20 in 10 years / 2 0 in 10 yearsO.S.B.

6 Mount St. Mary’s UniversityEmmitsburg, MD

75% of 1,741 (1,306) 12 in 7 years / 1.71 NAPrivate

7 Oklahoma State UniversityStillwater, OK


8 Auburn UniversityAuburn, AL


9 Providence CollegeProvidence, RI

75% of 3,810 (2,858) 10 in 10/ 1 0 in 5 yearsO.P.

10 Scranton UniversityScranton, PA

70% of 4,000 (2,800) Unknown 7 in 10 years / .7S.J.

11 Boston CollegeChestnut Hill, MA

70% of 9,049 (6,334) 5 in 5 years / 1 2 in 5 years / .4S.J.

12 Villanova UniversityVillanova, PA

67% of 7042 (4,718) Unknown 6 in 10 years / .6O.S.A.

13 Princeton UniversityPrinceton, NJ

24% of 5,244 (1,259) 3 in 5 years / .6 NAPrivate

14 Marist CollegePoughkeepsie, NY

50% of 6,303 (3151) 5 in 10 years / .5 NAFormerly Catholic

15 Canisius CollegeBuffalo, NY

67% of 3,142 (2,105) 6 in 12 years / .5 3 in 5 years / .6S.J.

16 Mount St. Mary’s CollegeNewburgh, NY

46% of 2,625 (1,208) 2 in 6 years / .5 NA O.P.

17 Niagara UniversityNiagara Falls, NY

46% of 3,300 (1,518) 4 in 10 years / .4 0 in 10 yearsC.M.

18 University of North CarolinaCharlotte, NC

10% of 15,000 (1,500) 3 in 10 years / .3 NA State

19 DePaul UniversityChicago, IL

38% of 15,500 (5,890) 3 in 10 years / .3 2 in 10 years / .16 C.M.

20 Siena CollegeAlbany, NY

70% of 3,161 (2,213) 1-2 in 10 years / .15 0 in 10 yearsO.F.M.

21 University of North Carolina, Greensboro, NC

20% of 15,000 (3,000) 1 in 10 years / .1 NAState

22 St. John’s UniversityQueens New York, NY

44% of 15,773 (6,940) 0 in 10 years / 0 NAC.M.

1. Ranking is calculated by number of seminarians per year in relationship to size of institution. 2. These seminarians were included in the total number of seminarians in the previous column.3. These numbers pertain to the years 1998-2010, when Father David O’Connell, C.M. was president.


body and 50 percent of its faculty be Catholics. Mount St. Mary’s University at Emmitsburg, Maryland advertis-es itself as “proudly and joyfully Catholic.” Banners flying from every lamp post on campus identify the university’s four pillars, the first of which is “Faith.”

At Oklahoma State University St. Mary’s Parish and Newman Center describes itself as “a distinctive Catholic voice” for the university community. At Auburn Uni-versity, members of St. Michael’s Parish conduct at the downtown campus an annual Corpus Christi procession complete with a half-dozen torch bearers and four cano-py bearers surrounding the priest who carries the mon-strance with Eucharist. When the hundreds of believers arrive at the outdoor destination, the faithful kneel in adoration and publicly profess their Catholic faith.

The top tier universities and Newman Centers are very public and pro-active in proclaiming their Catholic-ity. They make no claim to being “more” Catholic than other Catholic institutions. Most Catholics know that the church extends a big umbrella for all its members. These universities and Newman Centers staunchly and positively assert their Catholic identity. Five of the top six vocation-promoting institutions are Catholic uni-versities. Among these five all but ND are listed in the 27-school 2015 Newman Guide to Choosing a Catholic College. The guide recommends universities “because of their commitment to a faithful Catholic education.” Among the remaining 10 Catholic universities, none is included in that list.

Another example is this: when dozens of Catholic institutions in 2013 opposed the controversial Health and Human Services mandate, all five of the Catholic

top vocation-sending universities took public action: Belmont Abbey, CUA, Franciscan University and ND filed lawsuits against the federal government, and Mount St. Mary’s University at Emmitsburg took out a full page ad in the Washington Post. Among the remaining 10 Catholic universities, none publicly opposed the federal government. Being publicly passionate, proud, and joy-ful about the Catholic faith emerges as one common denominator for schools which successfully develop vocations.

Sunday Mass—The top vocation-producing Catholic universities and Newman Centers successfully promote Sunday Mass attendance. Despite the fact that students oftentimes go home for weekends, many of the top tier universities report that at least one-third of their Catholic students attend Sunday Mass on campus. That figure doubles the national average of 17 percent, which Pew Research identifies as the weekly Sunday Mass at-tendance rate for Catholic Millennials. At Franciscan University the director of campus ministry claims that on and off campus about 95 percent of the students at-tend Mass each Sunday. At Texas A&M, the 800-seat church is filled to standing room only capacity for virtu-ally all of the eight Sunday Masses. ND has 30 residence halls. In each hall, the resident priest celebrates Mass each Sunday, usually as a late Sunday night “last chance Mass.” Boston College (BC) celebrates Sunday Mass at six prayer sites with multiple offerings at each site for a total of 15 Sunday Masses. When I commented to my Jesuit interviewee that there seems to be a great demand for Masses, he replied, “It was not always that way. The

The presence of a Marian grotto, along with multiple prayer sites on campus, are factors associated with a larger number of men who go to semi-nary. Pictured here is the University of Notre Dame grotto. Photo by Matt Cashore / University of Notre Dame.


20 | HORIZON | Winter 2016 O’Malley | Universities and Vocation

Jesuits have learned that we must invite the students to Mass.” Regarding vocations the dictum is, “If a young man is not going to Sunday Mass, it’s not likely he will be going to the seminary.”

Vocation panels, discernment groups—The vocationally successful schools present panels on all vocations. They offer panels with representatives from married life, single life, priesthood, diaconate, and re-ligious life. They do not limit panels to the vocation of priesthood. By presenting the theology, spirituality, and personal experiences of all vocations, these institutions simultaneously promote priesthood. Some schools, however, conduct no vocation panels of any kind, which results in missed opportunities to expose young people to this way of life. Raymond Hostie, author of Life and Death of Religious Orders, reminds readers that in the ebb and flow of church history, vocations to married life and priesthood prosper together or suffer together. Faith and spirituality underlie all vocations. When one vocation flourishes, all flourish. A vibrant Catholic family, com-munity or university yields vocations to priesthood.

The top vocation-producing universities also have vocation-discernment groups which meet two or three times each semester for an evening of prayer, pizza, dis-cussion, and discernment.

Presence of FOCUS—Most of the successful vocation-producing universities employ the services of the Fel-lowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS). The FOCUS teams of young, enthusiastic, evangelical mis-sionaries serve on over 100 university campuses nation-wide: 93 large state universities and seven generally small Catholic universities. FOCUS teams bring the faith to millions of students, one-third of whom are unchurched, and who otherwise likely would not hear the teachings of Jesus and the church.

The FOCUS missionaries go where few campus ministers and vocation directors go: the residence halls, hundreds of sporting events, and social gatherings late at night when discussions on deep questions includ-ing religion and vocation oftentimes arise. Six of the 22 universities I studied utilize the services of FOCUS. All six are in the top half of the ranking. They are Auburn, Franciscan, the Mount at Emmitsburg, Oklahoma State, Belmont, and Texas A&M.

The physical presence of vocation-promoters— Top performing schools value immeasurably the physi-cal presence of vocation promoters, be they priests, religious, or committed laity. Physical presence occurs especially in the classroom but also in campus ministry offices and programs, in chaplaincies and moderator-ships for sports teams and organizations. Vocation pro-moters may be found eating lunch in the students’ dining hall or attending student social and service activities. Most religious communities open their house chapel and dining room to faculty, staff, and students. Wherever students are, Jesus instructs his disciples to be and to evangelize (Matt. 28:19).

Physical presence provides the opportunity for social interaction, personal witness, and meaningful conversations that might lead to discussions about voca-tion. The 2012 report by the Center for Research in the Apostolate (CARA) “The Influence of College Experi-ences on Vocations Discernment to Priesthood and Re-ligious Life,” lists 22 factors that influence a young man’s decision to enter the seminary. Spiritual direction (65 percent) tops all other suggested factors, such as Eucha-ristic Adoration (53 percent), Mass (52 percent), voca-tion events (42 percent), retreat experiences (36 percent), service programs (25 percent) and quality of homilies (19 percent).

Traditional Catholic spirituality appeals to many vocation-minded Catholic Millennials. In NRVC’s 2009 study of newer vocations, CARA reported that

An emphasis on Catholic identity is associated with a strong record of sending men to seminary. In this photo Catholic University of America students take part in a campus-wide Way of the Cross.

Winter 2016 | HORIZON | 21 O’Malley | Universities and Vocation

Top performing schools value immeasurably the physical presence of vocation promoters, be they priests, religious, or committed laity.

newer members desire spiritual growth and feel called by a community’s prayer life and its joyful members. CARA indicated that when youth discern a vocation to a particular community, that the commu-nity’s ministry is important but less important than prayer and spirituality.

Many youth who wish to dedicate their lives to the church seek a community committed to fidelity to the church and its teachings. This coincides with Hostie’s observation that after the “radical decline” of a major 300-year spirituality, the subsequent third generation of youth will seek a new spirituality rooted in traditional Catholic practice and responding to so-ciety’s newest needs.

Encompassed in this context of fidelity to the church and community life, CARA reports that to-day’s youth value daily Eucharist, Eucharistic adora-tion, Divine Office, and Marian and other devotions. My study would add to that list Praise and Worship evenings and Taizé prayer. Exemplifying CARA’s research, 70 percent of the ordination class of 2015 report that they regularly pray the rosary and partici-pate in adoration. Frequent confession also exempli-fies the desire for traditional Catholic spirituality. Among the 22 universities considered herein, all but a handful offer confession multiple times weekly.

A secluded yet accessible Marian grotto and multiple prayer sites can be found at the most suc-cessful seminarian-producing universities. Franciscan has a traditional manger scene, Portiuncula Chapel, outdoor Stations of the Cross, Tomb of the Unborn Child, and chapels in two of its dorms. Notre Dame has its world-renowned Lourdes Grotto and chapels in all 30 dorms. CUA welcomes millions of visitors and countless students to the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception with its dozens of side altars, shrine rooms, and crypt chapel. The Mount at Em-mitsburg annually receives hundreds of thousands of visitors including students at its National Lourdes Grotto, and many students pray in the half dozen chapels across campus. Texas A&M provides an out-door Marian grotto and an indoor adoration chapel. At Auburn some students pray daily in the parish’s adoration chapel, and every Monday evening they gather in a larger room, where 50-100 students join in Eucharistic adoration. At Villanova, a core group of students gathers daily to pray in its adoration chapel. Almost all of the 15 Catholic institutions have Marian grottos and adoration chapels, or dedicated adoration

hours. Multiple chapels and other sacred spaces are situ-ated throughout most of these 15 institutions.

Related but not essential factors for promoting vocations. Service—In my conversations about factors which pro-mote vocations, almost none of the interviewees men-tioned service. Eventually, I introduced the topic. Every interviewee waxed eloquently about service performed by their students and priesthood candidates. Service has become de rigeur for many university students. Data about the level of volun-teering among college students in general ranges from 30 to 47 percent of them performing service, with specialized groups of college students show-ing even higher volunteer rates.

CARA studies of recent ordinands show 70 percent participation rates in helping nonprofit organizations. The seminarian rate may be higher than average, but service itself provides no distinctive cor-relation for vocational interest. As early as the 1970s, Niagara and St. John’s universities had become national leaders in Learn and Serve, but this has not resulted in many vocations.

Religious garb—I regard garb as a non-essential fac-tor because, after my five decades of living religious life, I observe that wearing religious garb doesn’t compensate for the sacrifices involved in promising obedience to a bishop or professing vows in a religious community. At the 22 universities that I visited virtually 100 percent of the priests in administration, classrooms, campus min-istry, and Newman Centers wear the Roman clerical col-lar except at Belmont Abbey, Franciscan University and Providence College, where the Benedictines, Franciscans and Dominicans wear their respective brown, black, and white monastic habits.

Garb matters as a visible identifying factor. It may attract vocations, but garb isn’t sufficient to retain voca-tions. Hostie points out that the third generation mem-bers of newer religious communities request to wear identifying garb. We see this phenomenon repeated now by the third generation youth after Vatican Council II.


Priests on campus—On the one hand, some Catholic universities enjoy an abundance of clerical presence and availability. Counting priests who serve as administra-tors, professors, campus ministers and students, and seminarians; ND has about 100 “Roman collars” on campus; BC, about 120; the Mount at Emmitsburg, about 175; and CUA, about 250. All of these institutions rank in the top half of vocation-sending universities. On the other hand, and similarly in or near that same top half are included the non-Catholic institutions of Auburn, Marist, Oklahoma State, Princeton and Texas A&M, which have only one priest on campus. Marist benefits, too, from two part-time lay brother campus ministers, and A&M receives weekend assistance.

Campus ministry staffing and facilities vary widely. Some universities and Newman Centers, namely, St. John’s, Texas A&M, Villanova, and Notre Dame em-ploy about two dozen staff members. Most of the 22 campus ministry and Newman Center staffs studied here, however, have only a handful of employees. Some universities such as Auburn, Providence College, St. John’s University, and Texas A&M enjoy relatively new and extensive facilities, while other programs’ facilities are limited to a few 12-foot square offices and a small general meeting space.

Lay leadership plays a prominent role, but doesn’t seem to affect priestly vocations. Lay presidents lead two of the top vocation-producing Catholic universities, namely CUA and Mount St. Mary’s University at Em-mitsburg. In addition lay presidents lead three of the 15 Catholic universities on this list, namely, Canisius College, Mount St. Mary’s College at Newburgh, and St. John’s University. Almost half of the 15 Catholic univer-sities considered herein, have lay directors of campus ministry. Regarding the seven non-Catholic universities, the directors of the Newman Centers are priests except at UNC-Charlotte and UNC-Greensboro, where laity lead the programs. On all campuses, staff members invite students to accept appropriate organizational and leader-ship responsibilities for adoration, rosary, retreats, prayer groups, and Bible studies.

In this article I’ve named factors that appear to en-courage priestly vocations, as well as factors that seem to be neutral. In addition I want call attention to a reality that simply deserves attention. A challenge for all vocation-promoters is the hiatus between college graduation and entrance into a seminary. For the class of 2015, the average age of ordinands was 34, and the

median age was 31. Thus a hiatus of a few years occurs for most university-grad seminarians. Who is keep-ing in touch with these candidates during the interim between university and seminary? University-based vocation promoters and vocation directors will need to cooperate in accompanying candidates during this post-graduation period.

A note of caution and encouragementFirst a caution. This article identifies some common de-nominators found among the most successful vocation-sending Catholic universities and Newman Centers from my selected group of 22. This article suggests no necessary cause and effect relationship. Just incorporat-ing these seven common denominators does not guar-antee success in recruiting candidates. The situation is complex. Many factors affect success. Perhaps the most important factor might be the established culture within a particular university or Newman Center.

Now a word of encouragement. Mystery permeates this ministry. When Elijah tried to discern the move-ment of the Spirit, it surprised him in a gentle breeze (1 Kgs. 19.11-13). A contemporary mystery of vocation discernment is the “vocation boom” which the Eastern Province of the Dominican Friars is enjoying. Even the Dominicans are surprised! Although the province’s single college, namely, Providence College, has sent no candidate to the religious order in the past five years, young men are racing from all across the country to the Dominican House of Studies at DC. This past year, 58 seminarians were living and studying there.

The former provincial, and now archbishop, J. Augus-tine DiNola, O.P., wrote a few years ago that he suspects the sea change may have resulted from a coalescence of certain ecclesial, historical, and cultural factors. In my conversa-tion with the Dominican provincial vocation director he suggested that the province’s vocation upsurge may be at-tributable to the universal Dominican spirit of sentire cum ecclesia and the Dominicans’ balanced transition between the pre-Vatican II and post-Vatican II times. Who really knows? Vocation discernment and development ultimate-ly remain clothed in mystery for all involved.

My intention in writing this article is that we voca-tion promoters might learn from one another. I hope that this information and analysis might lead to new in-sights, new ideas, and new successes. Most of all, I hope that we might practice St. Augustine’s instruction: “Pray as though everything depends on God. And work as though everything depends on you.” n



I ATTENDED A PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL IN THE 1990s in an Iowa farming community. Belonging to a small parish and attend-ing a fairly isolated public school nestled in between pasture and cornfields, I never knew any Catholic sisters growing up. My only images of religious life were based on representations in movies

such as Sister Act and The Sound of Music. Yet, somehow, my high school classmates pegged me “most likely to become a nun” at graduation.

Now, over 15 years later, I am a perpetually professed Franciscan Sister of Perpetual Adoration, teaching theology at a Catholic high school. Like most teachers, I am influenced by my own memories and experiences while planning my curriculum and lessons. I draw upon my memories of how little I knew about the Catholic church as a teen; I desire to present Catholic teachings in a clear and accessible manner. I am impacted by my narrow exposure to the church and religious life in my own youth; I aim to expose my students to the broadness and beauty of Catholicism. I am con-scious of how helpful media has been to me throughout my journey. Thus I happily utilize technology and media to reach my students where they are. Ultimately I work toward equipping youth with a toolbox for discern-

Walsh | Tools for Discernment

Equipping teens with tools for discernment

By Sister Julia Walsh, F.S.P.A.

Sister Julia Walsh, F.S.P.A. teaches theology at Aquinas High School in La-Crosse, Wisconsin and is a member of the Franciscan Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. She is

also a social justice activist and a stu-dent at Catholic Theological Union. Her award-winning writing has appeared in America, Global Sisters Report, Living Faith, and PILGRIM Journal. Visit her online at messyjesusbusiness.com and @juliafspa on Twitter.

What do teenagers

need from religious

communities and

vocation directors?

Can our contact

with them help

foster vocational

discernment?

Sister Julia Walsh, F.S.P.A. makes a point with the teens in her religion class. She encourages vocation directors and other adults to help teens foster not only a lively faith but also a sense of dignity, imagination, and playfulness—all of them helpful traits for vocation discernment.

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ing their vocation—a better toolbox than I had available during my own teenage years.

The particular needs of teensI have worked in a variety of Catholic high schools and with many different types of youth during my nearly 10 years as a teacher. I have also worked with youth outside of classroom settings, such as in youth-mentoring pro-grams, retreats, and camps. Certainly the complexities of culture, family, and environment impact each individual differently, but there are some baseline commonalities. In other words, for the most part, teens are teens.

All teens are experiencing rapid changes, doing an awkward dance on the border between adulthood and childhood. With their rapidly develop-ing brains and bodies, they are con-stantly dealing with feelings and expe-riences related to these huge life and identity transitions. They are repeatedly recalibrating their sense of self, trying to find what fits. Their moods, emo-tions, attention and attitudes are just as jumpy as their energy.

Sometimes the unpredictability of teens might be a tad frustrating to adults who are trying to work with them. Even so, we must avoid being dismissive of the very real project of identity work that they are doing. It’s not helpful for us to think, “It’s just a phase.” But it is also true that this dynamic time of deep flux is temporary. At parent-teacher conferences over the years I’ve found myself offering the gentle reassurance that teens, like all of us, are truly works in progress. Adults are needed to compassionately coach them through the challenges of growing and changing.

Many teens perceive themselves as young adults and believe that they are deserving of all the independence of adulthood. Along those lines, they respect adults who treat them like adults—and are totally turned off by adults who are condescending toward them. They want to feel respected and cared for, and to be listened to with-out judgment is especially important. When I have asked youth what the least helpful thing an adult could do for them is, I’ve heard a consistent response: “not listen.” My personal experience reminds me that teens are indeed worth listening to. They are capable of great depth, rev-erence, compassion and seriousness. The witness and devotion of many of the teens I have gotten to know fre-quently inspires me.

When I was in high school in the 1990s, using a computer still seemed special. The Internet was excit-ing and new. Along those same lines, watching a movie in class was a rare thrill. Nowadays today’s teens spend more time looking at a screen and using media and tech-nology than they spend on any other activity, including sleeping and talking to their parents or teachers. Accord-ing to PBS Newshour, in an interview with a Common Sense Media representative, “Among teenagers, average screen time [is] more than six-and-a-half-hours a day, and almost nine hours with media overall. Those totals don’t count educational uses in school or for homework.” [The figure includes online music, entertainment, read-

ing, social media, games, etc.]I used to be amused when my

students admitted that they had sub-scribed to my congregation’s YouTube channel and watched all the videos that featured me. But, considering that 74 percent of them use YouTube (and ac-cording to Adweek prefer it over other social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram), I am no longer surprised.

With so many messages coming at them through technology and media, teens need strong relationships with adults who can answer questions and guide them in their discovery of the truth. That’s what my job is ultimately about, and where the role of every youth minister, coach, teacher, and parent comes in. As a classroom teacher, I have taught a variety of courses, such as morality and ethics, peace and justice, and scrip-ture. Although I haven’t taught a course that was specifi-cally about vocations and discernment, certain aspects of my pedagogy and its hidden curriculum have been designed with what I perceive to be the particular needs of today’s teens in mind. Through a variety of activities and methods, I hope to help youth develop attributes I consider essential for vocational discernment, namely playfulness, a sense of dignity, and imagination.

PlayfulnessPartly due to an excessive amount of time spent consum-ing media and using mobile devices, today’s teens are much busier than previous generations. They are dealing with pressures and stress, as they are well aware of the expense of college and the instability of the economy, not to mention how racial and religious tensions might impact their futures. I am always stunned when my students tell me that they were working past midnight


Teens respect adults who treat them like adults—and are totally turned off by adults who are condescending.


on homework, or that they studied all weekend instead of having fun with their friends. But considering that including arts or athletics in their day can regularly keep them at school from 7 a.m. until 9 p.m., it’s not surpris-ing. Even their childhoods were highly scheduled. There-fore, one of the most important traits that I hope to help students foster in my classroom is a spirit of playfulness.

I believe that playfulness is an important trait for today’s youth to have in their toolbox for discernment, because a familiarity with the freedom and joy that comes with play can deepen one’s prayer life. Abbie McDonald, age 16, is a former student of mine who is actively dis-cerning a vocation to religious life while in high school. When I asked her how playfulness is a part of her life she spoke about being a pianist. “I stopped taking piano les-sons a couple years ago and so I started playing at Mass instead, accompanying. I have found a lot of freedom in being able to express and channel the Holy Spirit and the gifts he has given me. So opening up to the Spirit when playing piano has really helped me open up to the Spirit in general, like in my prayer life.”

I deliberately make an effort to build opportuni-ties for playfulness into my classroom environment. Together, my students and I keep each other buoyant through humor, games, and music. I’ll randomly talk in goofy voices to keep the attention of my students. I throw a ball around during discussions, and laugh at myself when I can’t catch it. I find that another powerful tool for encouraging playfulness is simply giving my students permission to make choices freely. I regularly ask my stu-dents questions like, “How do you want to pray today?” before we start class. To be given that choice, that space for openness, encourages them to step out of their over-structured lives and into their capacity for play.

Sense of dignityAlthough each generation of teenagers is plagued by the need to fit in and establish their identity, today’s teens are especially vulnerable to doubting their self-worth. As I mentioned, they are inundated with endless media mes-sages, such as the secular culture’s tendency to encourage competitiveness. Mental health problems are common. Aware of this, and conscious that Catholic morality is taught most effectively if students have a foundational appreciation of human dignity, I have begun nearly every course I’ve taught with a unit on human dignity.

In my unit about human dignity I expect my stu-dents to practice certain skills that I believe they ought to develop in order to become faithful, discerning young


adults, namely reflective thinking, and vulnerability within a safe community. I continue to expect them to engage in these practices throughout the remainder of the course. First, the Scriptural basis of human dignity is established (Gen. 1:27) and we define dignity by exam-ining church documents. Second, I model vulnerability when I give a witness talk and tell them about a time I suffered greatly and as a result, more deeply realized my value and worth. Third, I expect students to think and write reflectively when I assign an essay about an experi-ence they had that helped them to understand who they were at their core. Over the years, reflection papers have ranged from stories about times when they were given a particular compliment to a time when one defended someone else from bullies to narratives about overcom-ing tragedies and traumas. Fourth, I lead them through a game that helps them consider which of their personal characteristics show that they are made in God’s image and likeness. Lastly, I ask them to create a self-portrait that demonstrates that they have dignity. I don’t require that students tell their story and share their art with their classmates, but I reward those who choose to take the risk and do so.

Through these activities, I hope that students devel-op a deeper understanding about the meaning of dignity and why it matters that everyone’s dignity is honored. Some students have shared with me that they have come

Young people receive several hours worth of messages each day through electronic media. It’s helpful for their faith formation to also have adult faith mentors who can answer questions about faith and meaning.

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26 | HORIZON | Winter 2016 Walsh | Tools for Discernment

to discern their vocation by way of considering which lifestyle or career could allow them to help others come to know their dignity, or that would permit them to pro-tect the dignity of others. For example, current student Maddie Belland, 14, enjoys helping others. She regularly volunteers in her parish and at the local Salvation Army and Catholic Worker House because she “feels really close to God there.” In her words, “I can help people find

their dignity” by pointing out what they are good at.

Another student, Andrew Miller, 17, said it this way: “Even though you have sinned, it doesn’t mean you have less dignity than others, because we’re all on the same path.” His articula-tion of dignity this way is in line with the commu-nal mindset that comes with a strong sense of

dignity. When a young person deeply understands that in the eyes of God we are all equal, it is possible he or she will then become motivated to help create a world that reflects that truth. They may be called to be service-ori-ented and concerned with social justice. In other words, a strong sense of dignity can help youth comprehend our God-given interdependency and open them to discern the role that they are called to play in the Body of Christ.

Unleash the imaginationA few years ago, another youth minister despairingly asked me a fascinating question that has influenced my work ever since: “Julia, what can we do about the overall lack of imagination in the youth today?” I think the ques-tion emerged from my friend’s analysis regarding the resistance we encounter when we challenge young people to dream and think beyond the ways of the mainstream culture. Like its companion, creativity, imagination can come more naturally to some people than others. Yet I believe a well-stocked toolbox for discernment must contain some ability to be imaginative. A strong imagina-tion can help disciples envision a world that is Gospel-centered and begin to conceive of how they could help to create it. Such contemplation opens space to consider how they can be an instrument for God’s service.

In an academic environment where students are

motivated by earning grades, encouraging youth to be imaginative can be especially challenging since they are so frequently concerned with “the right answer” and “what’s going to be on the test.” I find a sturdy and eter-nally renewable resource for cracking open this door through the study of Scripture. These powerful founda-tional stories have triggered deep reflective thinking for thousands of years, and I invite my students into that rich and holy tradition. With such nourishing food for thought, asking a question as simple as, “Which char-acter or part of the story do you relate to the most and why?” can lead to deeply meaningful and thought-pro-voking classroom discussions. Reflecting on Scripture in this way lays the foundation for my students to perhaps be better prepared to engage in the Ignatian Spiritual Exercises and Lectio Divina in the future. I have also en-couraged my students to let their imaginations take wing when I have asked them to dramatize Scripture stories or participate in a guided meditation. In these and other situations, I encourage my students to step out of their comfort zone, and into the unexpected. This ability to engage with the imagination is key to developing tools of dynamic discernment, as our young people are mov-ing into a future not set in stone but that must be imag-ined into being.

Passing along the giftWhen I reflect upon my time as a teenager in public school, and why it may have been that my classmates pegged me as “most likely to be a nun,” I suspect that it may be because I had a lot of transparent enthusiasm and joy about my love for God.

Although I didn’t have a lot of information about the realities of religious life, God was still able to guide me through my discernment process and help me find a com-munity of religious women with whom I fit. I believe this is partly because I had been gifted with the tools I needed to discern my vocation. Key to this process was an open imagination to dream a new future into being, a sense of play to keep me open to new possibilities, and a strong conviction in the dignity and interdependence of people.

I aim to pass on the gifts I have been given so that my students are equipped with the tools they need to become discerning adults—men and women who are prayerfully listening and responding out of love for God and neighbor. From what I have seen in the classroom, I feel blessed to be helping to nurture some of the traits our young people of strong virtue and faith will need in their quest to discern and to build the reign of God. n

The ability to engage with the imagination is key to developing tools of dynamic discernment, as our young people are moving forward into a future not set in stone.

Winter 2016 | HORIZON | 27 Donnay & McGuire | Renewal

THE STORY OF HOW THE CROSIER Fathers and Brothers revitalized their vocation spirit sounds like the tale of The Little Engine That Could. Many talented and dedicated Cro-siers worked diligently in vocation ministry over the past two decades. Wave after wave of creative initiatives were taken

and innovative programs and activities were attempted, along with notable commitments of financial and human resources, all without much result. However, it was the work done in refounding our life and mission, and a conversion in Crosier souls, that finally has begun to bear fruit.

Intentional community a priorityThis work progressed with much dialogue and determined follow-through as we rediscovered and reinvested in intentional community. Through the fruit of several major projects, we learned more about our differences and

Father Dave Donnay, O.S.C., is director of novices for the Prov-ince of St. Odilia and a member of the Cro-sier Community of Onamia, Minnesota. The late Father Rick McGuire, O.S.C., was a member of the Cro-sier Community of Phoenix and parochial vicar at St. Andrew the Apostle parish in Chandler, Arizona.

By Father Dave Donnay, O.S.C. & Father Richard McGuire, O.S.C.

How one community renewed its spirit and attracted new members

The Crosier

community’s

renewal process

was not easy,

but ultimately it

created a stronger

community that

is now attracting

new members.

Father Kermit Holl, O.S.C. during the sacrament of the sick.

28 | HORIZON | Winter 2016 Donnay & McGuire | Renewal

decided that we could, and wanted to, resolve our con-flicts.

One of these projects, “On Common Ground,” in-volved meetings of confreres throughout the province in mixed groups—with members from different communities mixed together, some who had not seen or interacted with one another in years or decades. We developed a process for reconcili-ation and encounter, and engaged a facilitator who helped us speak re-spectfully and substantively with one another about our past experiences and future hopes and dreams. With God’s help we found common ground upon which we could recreate a Cro-sier mythos that would rejuvenate our Crosier religious life, giving us a deep-seated sense of renewed meaning and purpose.

Working first on inner changeOur revised Crosier constitutions lean heavily on col-legiality and subsidiarity, and these principles were given expression in the ongoing function of our local and pro-vincial chapters in these years of renewal, which facili-tated our rebirth on the local and national levels. Crosier

leadership proclaimed “A Decade of Transformation,” a period of renewal that was promoted throughout the entire order in preparation for our 800th Jubilee celebra-tion in 2010. They named three transformational values:

1) strengthening the contemplative di-mension of our lives,

2) actually living together, and

3) pursuing apostolates that fostered community life.

This vision and the values articu-lated produced changes, some of them incremental and others more dramatic. We Crosiers developed better fraternal living skills, greater understanding and ownership of the charism, and the confidence to live without apology the unique way of religious life that we were called to embody. In the United

States we consolidated our communities and called con-freres to return to more robust communal living. The vi-sion and values were supported by bold decision-making on the part of leadership and accompanied by critical and sometimes painful discernment of members, several of whom left the order as a result of this work.

We learned again how to better self-disclose, to build trust, and to heal past wounds. We pursued excellence

We Crosiers developed better fraternal living skills, greater understanding and ownership of the charism, and the confidence to live without apology our unique way of religious life.

The Crosiers worked first on

healing internal di-visions and renew-

ing their communal life. With their own house in better or-der, they were able

to invite young men to consider religious

life. Depicted here are community

members holding a small group

discussion at a 2014 Provincial Chapter.


in our fraternal life, in our personal and liturgical prayer and in serving those around us, especially those in need. Apostolic presence became our passion as we looked for new ways to serve not just as individual ministers but, as we had done in the past, together in a common mission.

The grace of refounding was expressed well in a for-mation tool, “The Profile of a Crosier at Solemn Profes-sion,” developed by an ad hoc group of Crosier leaders acting on the directive of the General Chapter and gen-eral leadership. It provides a snapshot description of the international order, including the skills, aptitudes, and competencies of each Crosier who completes initial for-mation, regardless of his cultural background or country of origin. The vision of who and what a Crosier is in liv-ing the charism, as articulated in this document, is clear and compelling. This rebirth of purpose has given many of us in the older generation a new passion for being a Crosier, so that our life has once again become an evi-dent gift and a wonderful blessing that is worth sharing. We like being Crosiers, and this reclaimed deep joy is evident among us. As committed individuals and vital communities, we have become sentinels of the dawn of revitalized Crosier life and mission. As a result, others have taken note and want to stand with us!

We now have several young members in the dif-ferent stages of initial formation and a pool of vocation inquirers and regular visitors who are discerning their calls. A substantial portion of this revitalized vocation effort is with candidates from Mexico. This is itself a gift and grace from God because, given our personnel and fi-nancial limitations and policy parameters, we were stra-tegically looking for recent college graduates who were permanent U.S. residents as opposed to casting a wider net. At the time we were not looking to launch an initia-tive to bring in new members from different countries. Yet we did take measures as a community to better situ-ate ourselves in the contemporary multicultural context and facilitate a more welcoming atmosphere for younger, global candidates.

Preparing for diversityAs we accepted the challenging work of renewal and re-founding, we engaged in awareness building of cultural and generational diversity through a province-wide workshop led by Father Robert Schreiter, C.PP.S. We worked through the “Cultural Audit” in local communi-ties. This tool was developed by the now-closed Center for the Study of Religious Life at Catholic Theological Union. The audit enabled us to be more aware of our

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challenges of refounding and renewal. In these years, the energy and drive of leader-ship has shifted to a greater emphasis on bearing the gifts of this renewal to the church. This has included a more conscious effort to invite men to take up the banner of living our charism into the coming decades. The benefit and blessing of experienced and focused leadership can-not be overstated in both the renewal of religious life and the conscious effort at incor-porating new members into the community.

Another significant fac-tor that has facilitated the connection with younger

inquirers is the use of the Internet and social media communications such as Facebook. Twenty years ago, the Crosiers were among the first groups to establish a vibrant online presence. In these recent years, we have successfully used Facebook to connect with inquirers from Mexico who are discerning a call to religious life and priesthood. Our pioneering Latino confrere, Brother José Velázquez, O.S.C., a seminarian in initial formation in the United States, came to know the Crosiers through social media connections with Indonesian and European Crosiers. He eventually contacted and visited the Cro-siers in Phoenix, Arizona. Through his diligent Facebook presence and engagement in our Spanish Facebook page, Vocaciones Cruzadas, we have developed a vibrant and continuous pipeline of potential Crosier candidates from Mexico. We are working to replicate this effort in our English Facebook presence.

The Crosiers in the United States have three men from Mexico in stages of initial formation: two in post-novitiate formation and one in novitiate. Several other candidates are in the process of discerning their call as well. We require those who enter our formation process to have a working knowledge of English, as we do not have the capacity to provide Spanish-language forma-tion. All of these men have worked diligently at building their English competency both before coming to visit and through classes and tutoring sessions often provided by Crosiers during extended live-in experiences. Addi-tionally we have reviewed and made adjustments to our

cultural biases, be attentive to the diversity already in our midst, and understand how we could better honor it. While this work helped build the foundation for the capacity to welcome new members from other cultures, three other factors facilitated the renewed energy and success we have experienced as a community in our vo-cation recruitment efforts: articulation of our charism, leadership, and online presence.

Because of the refounding efforts undertaken in preparation for our 800th Jubilee we have been able to articulate our charism with greater clarity. It is unam-biguously lived out in our concrete communal experi-ence. When a vocation inquirer asks about the Crosier charism, we communicate the centrality of fraternal living, a rhythm of liturgical prayer, and service to the church that flows from this context. These attributes are more evident among us than they were 15 years ago. It is clear who and what we are and who we strive to be. Equally as important is knowing what we are not—that makes working with a vocation inquirer much easier, regardless of his cultural background.

Leadership, online presence key factorsThe recent success of our efforts has also benefitted from having the right people in leadership positions at this particular moment in the life of our community. We were blessed to have strong leadership at the local, national and international level to lead us through the

Brother José Velázquez, O.S.C. makes his first vows.


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province policies regarding citizenship and residency requirements. We recognize our limited capacity and the substantial challenges involved in the incorporation of non-American candidates into the community. We re-searched other religious communities’ successes and ob-stacles in bringing men to the United States from foreign countries and decided to limit our international vocation recruitment efforts in the United States to Mexico and other Spanish-speaking Western Hemisphere countries.

In speaking with the young men who have pio-neered the connection of the Latino culture with Crosier religious life, what resonates with them is the

authentic experience of fraternal living and the spirituality of the glorious cross that is at the heart of the Cro-sier charism. Brother José said, “Back in 2010, the Crosiers caught my eye while they were celebrating 800 years of love, the mystery of the Cross embraced by Blessed Theodore and his four brothers. My brother

Crosiers embrace this mystery in both suffering and new life.” Not long after Brother José entered the forma-tion process as a postulant and then novice, he began working on the Vocaciones Cruzadas Facebook page and drew in a group of prospective Mexican candidates. One of them, Brother Daniel Hernández, O.S.C., responded to this invitation and visited the United States in 2013, entering novitiate in the fall of 2014. He affirms and embraces the centrality of communal living under the Rule of St. Augustine, “I see the Crosiers as men living together for God in oneness of mind and heart, like the first community from the Acts of the Apostles. I seek to live in this community and offer my gifts for service in the church.”

Both have experienced the blessings and the chal-lenges of living in a different culture, beyond the obvi-ous obstacles of language. “It has been a blessing to embrace the 800-year tradition of the Crosiers and to enrich the charism with the incorporation of traditions and devotions from my Mexican heritage like the Día de los Muertos altar and the celebration of Our Lady of Guadalupe,” said Brother José. At the same time he notes the challenge to “recognize the other as a brother

despite the cultural difference.” In addition he finds it difficult to reconcile his interest in being in solidarity with his Mexican brothers and sisters who struggle in poverty and oppression while he lives in the relative wealth of the United States. Yet he and Brother Daniel are finding a foundation for their personal and spiritual growth and formation in the fraternal way of life that overflows in a fruitful apostolic presence among God’s people and in response to the needs of the church.

When accepting the first profession of vows of Brother José, Prior Provincial Tom Enneking, O.S.C., reflected on the encounter that led to the first Mexi-can Crosier in our 800-year history: “Who would have thought that a young man living in the heart of Mexico would have such deep devotion to the Holy Cross that he would literally search the globe for a way to live a religious life with the Cross at the heart of it all? That he would find what he was looking for in a religious com-munity just to the north of his home country?” We are grateful that the providential adventure of the Crosiers’ revitalized vocation spirit continues as we embrace the future with hope. n

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Feed your spirit

I ONCE READ ABOUT a 13-year-old American boy called Jimmy, who got into trouble because he and his family insisted on his right to wear an earring to school. And they did so on the grounds that, “Each person has the right to choose who he is.” Of course in a way one wants to cheer on Jimmy. In a sense he is right. It belongs to

being someone, having an identity, that one can make significant choices and say, “This is me. I will wear those earrings.” But one cannot choose to be absolutely anyone. If I were to decide to put on earrings, leathers, and drive around on a motorbike, I expect that my brethren would object and say: “Timothy, that simply is not you.” At least I hope they would! I can no more decide to be a punk than I can decide to be Thomas Aquinas.

To be someone is to be able to make significant decisions about one’s life, but these somehow must hang together, make a story. To have an iden-tity is for the choices that one makes throughout one’s life to have a direc-tion, a narrative unity. What I do today must make sense in the light of what I did before. My life has a pattern, like a good story.

Radcliffe | Who Are We?

Father Timothy Radcliffe, O.P. joined the Do-minicans in 1965, studied in Oxford and Paris, taught scripture in Oxford, and was involved in ministry to people with AIDS. He was Master of the Order of Preachers from 1992 to 2001. Today he is an itiner-ant lecturer and the author of several books.

By Father Timothy Radcliffe, O.P.

Who are we?

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religious point to the central question of every life. Who is God calling me to be? Vocation directors keep raising this sacred question.

34 | HORIZON | Winter 2016 Radcliffe | Who Are We?

But our vocation as religious brings to light the deepest narrative structure of every human life. During my first class as a novice, the novice master drew a large circle on the board and told us: “Well lads, that’s all the theology you need to know. All comes from God and all goes to God.” It turned out to be a bit more complex than that! But the claim of our faith is that every human life is a response to a summons from God to share the life of the Trinity. This is the deep narrative in every human life. I discover who I am in answering that call. What he said to Isaiah he says to me: “the Lord called me before I was born, he named me from my mother’s womb.” A name is not a useful label but an invitation. To be someone is not to choose an identity off the supermarket shelf (Hell’s angel, pop star, Franciscan); it is to respond to the one who sum-mons me to life: “Samuel, Samuel” calls the voice in the night. And he answers, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.”

Jimmy, I hope now with his earrings, is partially right. Identity is about mak-ing choices. But it is not just a matter of choosing whom you will be, as one chooses the color of one’s socks; the choice is to respond to that voice that summons one to life. Identity is a gift, and the story of my life is made up of all those choices to accept or refuse that gift.

Paul writes to the Corinthians, “It is God who has called you to share in the life of his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord; and God keeps faith “(1 Cor. 1:9). What I suggest is that religious life is a particular and radical way of saying “yes” to that call. In a stark and naked way, it makes plain the plot of every human life, which is the answering of a summons. In our odd way of life we make explicit what is the drama of every human search for identity, as every human being tries to catch the echo of the voice of God calling him or her by name. Other Christian vocations, such as marriage, also do this but differently.

The role of vocation directors is surely to help people discover their way of responding to the call of God. We all travel together, which is the literal meaning of the word “synod,” but some of us go ahead exploring the way, oth-ers carry the baggage or grease the axles of the vehicles. Some of us are signs of the particularity of God’s love in the mutual commitment of marriage. Religious are called to be signs of the breadth and spaciousness of God’s love, which excludes no one. No vocation is better or superior to another. The vocation director helps us to discover in which vocation we can be at home and happy.

Closely connected to the work of vocation direc-tors, is the community’s ability to define itself. When we religious discuss our identity, you can be pretty sure that before long the word “prophetic” will occur. And this is understandable. Our vows are in such a direct contradic-tion with the values of our society that it makes sense to talk of them as prophetic of the Kingdom. The Apostolic Exhortation Vita Consecrata uses the term. I am de-lighted when other people use that term of us, but I am

reluctant for religious to claim it for ourselves. It could carry a hint of arro-gance: “We are the prophets.” Often we are not. And I suspect that true proph-ets would hesitate to claim that title for themselves. Like Amos, they tend to reject the claim and say “I am neither a prophet nor the son of a prophet.”

I prefer to think that we are those who leave behind the usual signs of identity. The rich young man asks Jesus “What do I still lack?” “Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to

the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. “ (Matt. 19:21).

In the first place, our vocation shows something about the human vocation by what we leave behind. We give up many of the things that give identity to human beings in our world; money, status, a partner, a career. In a society in which identity is already so fragile, so insecure, we give up the sorts of things to which human beings look for security, the props of our unsure sense of who we are. We ask incessantly the question: Who are we? But we are those who give up the usual markers of identity. That is who we are! No wonder we have prob-lems!

We do this so as to bring to light the true identity and vocation of every human being. First of all, we show that every human identity is gift. No self-created iden-tity is ever adequate to who we are. Every little identity which we can hammer out in this society is just too small. And secondly, we show that human identity is not finally given now. It is the whole story of our lives, from beginning to end and beyond, that shows us who we are.

St. John writes, “Dear friends, we are now God’s chil-dren; what we shall be has not yet been disclosed, but we know that when Christ appears, we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is” (1 John 3: 2). Throwing away the props is a sign that all human identity is a surprise, a gift, and an adventure. n

In our odd way of life we make explicit what is the drama of every human search for identity, as every human being tries to catch the echo of the voice of God calling him or her by name.

Winter 2016 | HORIZON | 35 Hahnenberg | Classic Nouwen

Classic Nouwen wisdom on divine signs

Book notes

DISCERNMENT: READING THE SIGNS OF DAILY LIFE is the third in a trilogy of books presenting Henri Nou-wen’s reflections on the spiritual life prepared by his long-time students Michael Christensen and Rebecca Laird (2015 rereleased by HarperOne).

Like the two previous volumes (Spiritual Direction, 2006; Spiritual Formation, 2010), this book draws together the words of Nouwen that he left behind in lecture notes and unpublished diaries. Adapted, revised, organized thematically, and supplemented by excerpts from Nouwen’s published work, Discernment is less a quilt than a seamless tapestry, less a recital of songs than a harmonious whole. What comes through this weav-ing of words and blending of insights is the voice of Henri Nouwen as we know him, always speaking directly, intimately, to each one of us.

Christensen and Laird organize 10 chapters into three parts. Part 1 ex-plores the meaning of discernment and its relationship to important prac-

Edward P. Hahnen-berg, Ph.D., is the author of Theology for Ministry and oth-er titles. He teaches theology at John Carroll University in Cleveland, Ohio.

By Edward P. Hahnenberg

God speaks as we go about our ordinary day. Henri Nouwen reflects on this and other insights about the discernment process.

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tices of the Christian life—prayer, community, worship, and ministry. Part 2 reflects on the guidance that God provides through the books we read, the world of nature we enjoy, the people we meet, and the events we experi-ence. Part 3 turns to a spirituality of vocational discern-ment. Walking alongside Nouwen throughout these reflections are his mentor Thomas Merton and his many friends, especially the members of Daybreak, the L’Arche community near Toronto where Nouwen spent the last

decade of his life.It may be tempting

for those engaged in voca-tion ministry to focus on the third part of the book, but I found the first two parts to be the most prac-tical and relevant. Here Nouwen discusses some of the ordinary spiritual practices that sustain a Christian life—reading, walking, praying with others, praying for others, helping people, and look-

ing around at what is going on in the world. These simple practices are the environment needed for discernment to thrive. In Nouwen’s view, discernment is not a systematic process. It is “a spiritual understanding and an experi-ential knowledge of how God is active in daily life that is acquired through disciplined spiritual practice” (page 3). Its goal is nothing less than to know God’s will, or, as Nouwen puts it, “to find, accept, and affirm the unique way in which God’s love is manifest in our life” (page 8).

At the root of it all is the identity of each of us as the beloved of God. Who I am—my vocation—is wrapped up in God’s love for me. That love is pervasive and pro-found. It comes to me in a unique and wholly unprec-edented way. But I still need to learn how to listen for it. And that takes practice.

One of the best things about this book is that each chapter ends not with “Questions for Reflection” or “Questions for Discussion,” but with “Exercises for Deeper Discernment.” These describe things to do, and they are so well done. Drive down a dirt road, get out, and walk in the dust. Gather up the books that have shaped your life. Write a letter responding to a young priest Nouwen describes. Share a simple meal with friends. Draw the architecture of your faith. These are exercises in reflection, the practice we need to develop habits of discernment. For vocation directors, I can

Hahnenberg | Classic Nouwen

imagine these exercises, and the questions they raise, animating book groups, fleshing out retreat talks, and working their way into coffee-shop conversations.

Just as vocational discernment grows out of the ground cultivated by practices of reflection, so part 3 of the book grows out of the first two parts. In a chapter his co-authors title, “Test the Call,” Nouwen describes the struggle he experienced trying to discern a call to live and work among the poor of Latin America. What he learns is the fundamental freedom that grounds all authentic discernment. It is a freedom that radically rela-tivizes every choice we have to make: “The question of where to live and what to do is really insignificant com-pared to the question of how to keep the eyes of my heart focused on the Lord.” It is a lesson we can share with those women and men among whom we work, especially those facing major life choices: “Living in Lima or not for five, ten, or twenty years was no great decision. Turning to the Lord fully, unconditionally, and without fear is” (page 107).

Such a realization only emerges out of a regular dis-cipline of learning how to listen. If we turn discernment into a big decision, and keep it separate from concrete practices of prayer, conversation, community building, and service, then we act like the basketball player who expects to hit a long jump shot at the buzzer, without ever spending time in the gym.

To read Nouwen’s simple stories is to be reminded that the call of vocation ministry is not to manage a deci-sion, but to nurture growth in the awareness that Jesus is the beloved of God and—just as important—that every single one of us is God’s beloved. That, I believe, is the central insight of Henri Nouwen’s spirituality of discern-ment. What keeps drawing us back to Nouwen is the utter transparency of his quest to accept this fact: Henri is God’s beloved. He was no porcelain saint. And we take comfort in his jagged journey, relieved that we’re not the only ones who don’t have it all figured out. We find encouragement in his flaws, which he shares with naked honesty. We warm to a man whose friends were so very precious to him. Again and again, Nouwen reflects on the importance of other people in vocational discern-ment—the need for spiritual guides, the centrality of community, the presence of saints both living and dead. “No one,” he states categorically, “can discern the signs of daily life alone” (page 42). From its birth in conversa-tions among his students to the final appendices written by friends, Discernment is Henri Nouwen’s testament to the communal nature of vocation and a gentle reminder that we are not in this alone. n

The call of vocation ministry is not to manage a decision, but to nurture growth in the awareness that Jesus is the beloved of God and—just as important—that every single one of us is God’s beloved.

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