Reflection on Vocations in the Church

God Calling…
by Teresa R. Albright, Pastoral Associate

Throughout the month of July, the church memorializes the lives of several saints who were either founders of or pioneers in their respective religious communities. On July 11, we remember St. Benedict, founder of the Benedictines and father of Western monasticism. On July 15, we remember St. Bonaventure, a pioneer and reconciler among the Franciscans. On July 16, we celebrate Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the patron of the Carmelite Order that brought us Doctors of the Church such as Saints John of the Cross, Teresa of Avila and Therese of Lisieux. On July 23, we remember St. Bridget of Sweden who worked against corrupt papacies and founded the Order of the Most Holy Savior, known as the Bridgettines. And on July 31, we remember St. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, also known as the Jesuits, who have taught and formed so many Visitation families.

I remember being around thirteen years old when I told my mother that I wanted to be a nun and live in a convent. I was a typical teenager – goofy, creative, thoughtful and boy-crazy. I was also angry, anxious, lonely and confused. I guess my mom could see how my struggles might inform my judgment. She encouragingly responded to my declaration by saying, “Teresa, it is good that you are thinking about this; but you need ask yourself, ‘am I running toward something or running away from something?’ If you want to become a nun because you are running away from something, then it is probably not God who is calling you. Fear does not come from God. But if you would be running toward something, then let’s talk some more about it.”

I never followed up with my mom about becoming a nun. Not because I felt unsupported, but because my mom was right. I DID want to run away from something, and my romantic view of vowed religious life made it the ideal escape. Looking back on those middle school years, I cannot recall specifically what I wanted to avoid. I suppose it probably had to do with my dislike for school and the difficult relationships every young person must navigate. The convent seemed like a good solution to my problems. However, a vocation is not a solution, it is a calling.

One October day in Houston years ago, I invited the archdiocesan Vocations Director to speak with an adult faith formation class I led in my parish. We examined the classical categories of “Vocation” in the church, but also dove deeper into the meaning of vocation in the broader sense as “an inner calling.” We reflected on how each experienced God calling them and what it means to be disciples of Jesus within different states of life; whether in the context of a marriage, an intentional community, the priesthood or as a single person.

Two moments stand out from our small group’s encounter with the Vocations Director. First, I remember the tears of one woman who for the first time felt validated in her Christian life as a single person. No one had ever told her that she could authentically respond to God’s call as a lay, unmarried, non-vowed person. She had concluded that as far as the church was concerned, her mode of living was “less than ideal,” “stunted” or “incomplete.” God had placed a call to holiness in her heart, but we the church had failed to give her the religious language to integrate that calling into her identity.

The second memorable moment from our group’s conversation was the Vocation Director’s response to those of us who bemoaned the extreme decline in religious and priestly vocations in the Catholic Church. Our guest speaker confidently and calmly replied, “God gives us as many vocations as we need.” Think about that for a moment! If this statement is true, which I am inclined to believe it is, what does that say about the needs of the church today? Are the needs of the American church, which has seen a decline in vocations, different from the needs of the universal church that has seen a rise in religious and priestly vocations in developing countries?

For centuries, Religious sisters, brothers and priests in our Catholic tradition have carried the Gospel message to all corners of the world. At times they did so while aiding subjugators and being complicit in genocide. But our Catholic tradition’s vowed Religious have also been among the first members of Christ’s Body to serve and live in solidarity with the poorest and most vulnerable people of the world. They have built schools and hospitals, called for church reform, were martyred for standing up against tyranny and marched for racial justice alongside Martin Luther King, Jr. And their spiritual particularities have enhanced the way Catholics pray, read Scripture and approach the Sacraments.

As generations of vowed Religious grow older and the numbers of new vocations decrease, some communities have turned their focus to Third Order membership and Lay Associateship. This is evident in the work of movements such as the North American Conference of Associates and Religious. Other vowed Religious have found creative ways to live in community, such as the intentional communities of Nuns & Nones. Experience has taught me that God does in fact gives us what we need, if not always what we want. And the witness of so many holy men and women I have met at Visitation gives me confidence that God stills calls the faithful into beautiful varieties of life that we could never imagine before.

Portal to Prayer

Many local convents, monasteries and centers offer spaces for private retreats. Consider going on retreat as an individual. Perhaps your child or teenager would like to go with you.

·         Missionaries of the Precious Blood (CPPS)—Liberty, MO 

·         IgnatianCenter of Kansas City (SJ)—Kansas City, MO

·         Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth (SCL)—Leavenworth, KS

·         Sisters of St. Francis of the Holy Eucharist (OFS)—Independence, MO

·         Conception Abbey (OSB)—Conception, MO 

·         Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration (OSB)—Clyde, MO

·         St. Benedict’s Abbey (OSB)—Atchison, KS 

·         Mount St. Scholastica (OSB)—Atchison, KS

An Ecumenical Moment

In the last hundred years the Catholic Church has shown support for a handful of new religious orders and movements that, from their beginnings, have been ecumenical. That is, they are communities of vowed men and women from different Christian traditions all living out the same charism while maintaining their respective traditions. The Taizé community, founded in 1940, is a Christian monastic fraternity of both Catholic and Protestant monks from around the world. It is known for meditative, musical prayer and its work with youth culture. The Focolare movement was founded in 1943 in response to the violence and hatred of the Second World War. Officially recognized by the Vatican under the name “Work of Mary,” this primarily Catholic movement promotes unity and universal siblinghood through intentional communities (Focolare Towns) marked by a humble sharing of material, cultural and spiritual resources. The Chemin Neuf Community was formed in 1973 by a Jesuit priest. Rooted in Ignatian spirituality and the Charismatic Renewal, the community is now composed of lay and religious, married and celibate persons from several Christian denominations. Officially recognized by the Vatican in 1984, the community is known for its work in evangelization, theological formation, and parish leadership.