Last Monday, the Office for Religious of the Archdiocese of Chicago held a Vocation Ministry Summit at Catholic Theological Union.
Sr. Mila opens the summit alongside co-facilitator Fr. John.
About 50 vocation ministers serving in Chicagoland came together at the Viatorian-sponsored institution for lunch and an afternoon of activities. The group was mostly religious women and men, with some lay staff and collaborators. The afternoon consisted of networking, reflecting on the scope of ministry today, and identifying collaborative ministry to strengthen everyone’s outreach and visibility to better reach more people.
Vicar for Religious Sr. Mary Beth Bromer, CSSF, worked with a few vocation ministers to plan the day and invite guests. Fr. John Eustice, CSV, who served on the board of the former archdiocesan vocation ministry organization, co-facilitated the event with Sr. Mila Diaz, OP.
“We hope that you as vocation ministers will not work in silos. In archdiocesan gatherings, many have sought collaborative opportunities to do this ministry together. The synodal process has been helping us identify each congregation’s gifts to the Church and the world. Shared work sustains and fosters these gifts in our work in communion together,” Sr. Mila said. “Maybe this afternoon will inject new energy into the good work we are already doing, to have more support and more strength of gifts as we serve the Church.”
Br. Peter (top photo, center) and Bishop Chris (bottom photo, center) each participated with a table of peers from several communities.
One of the new initiatives in the Viatorian Community over the last few years is the institution of the Vocation Ministry Team. Professed Viatorians other than the vocation director have often informally assisted the director, but now the collaborative effort has been formalized to specifically empower and encourage shared responsibility and taking initiative.
Fr. John serves as the Director of Vocation Ministry. Fr. Mark Francis, CSV, Provincial, in consultation with Fr. John and the Provincial Council, appointed Fr. Dan Belanger, CSV, Bishop Chris Glancy, CSV, Br. Peter Lamick, CSV, Associate Dan Masterton, Fr. Jhobany Orduz, CSV, and Br. Rob Robertson, CSV. Up to three members of each vocation team were invited to the summit, so Bishop Chris, Br. Peter, and Dan participated for the Viatorian team. To help with networking and idea-sharing, each summit table could only have one member of a community, so Viatorians mixed with many different peers.
One concrete hope for networking among religious is to pool relationships and access. This can help diverse teams of religious women and men visit and present to more Catholic school students across the archdiocese than just those in schools these religious communities administer. “The archdiocesan survey in our parochial schools has consistently shown that the majority of students have thought about religious and ordained life. We don’t serve in every one of these schools or every one of these places where teens and young adults hold this possibility – but they may just not have met us yet,” Fr. John said to the group.
Sr. Mary Beth shared her hope that the first waves of outreach help deepen discerners’ explorations, citing that their experience of the lifestyle and community life is what more strongly draws them in. She helped conclude the day with a brief reflection: “Where two or three are gathered, there Jesus is among us, and it’s great to have so many of us together.”