Vocations And Their Formation Today

Formation in religious life is a very complex matter. Indeed, it has become even more so since we live in a time of doubt and uncertainty when religious houses are closing and more than a few religious communities are facing the possibility of extinction for lack of vocations. Yet, while it is neither popular, nor easy to speak positively of religious life, and much less of formation for religious life, we must find the courage to do so! The formation plan has to be clear, yet, in its clarity, it must not become too rigid. The author sets out a number of priorities and responsibilities in which the first person responsible for discernment and growth is the candidate himself. Without devoting special chapters to each group, he considers the differences between monasteries and apostolic congregations focusing a remark here and there, for example, on the difficulties met in contemplative monasteries where those in formation are few and formation can last 6 to 8 years without a change of spiritual guide. This book is extremely valuable for the way in which it draws our attention to details frequently assumed (and thus often forgotten), reminding us that the young candidate to religious life is truly representative of his or her generation. The work also points out a number of snares into which formation communities may fall, e.g., harshly critiquing the candidate or using those in formation as household servants. These pitfalls are easily and best avoided! In short, this is a solid, straightforward and faithful book that avoids indulging in illusions as it outlines conditions for a positive journey along the path of formation in religious communities today. Book jacket.

There has been an explosion of publishing in the faith-work movement in the last twenty years. Work is increasingly seen as the new frontier for Christian mission. However, the church and theological colleges have failed to keep up with the interest among, and needs of, workplace Christians. This book is the urgent corrective that is needed, moving past Theology of Work 101 to much deeper encounters with God's word as it relates to daily work. These twelve academic papers look at work through three different lenses: the workplace, the church, and theological education. It is prefaced by Mark Greene from the London Institute for Contemporary Christianity, reflecting on what work, church, and theological education would look like if there was no sacred-secular divide. In the concluding remarks, the editors imagine a future where each domain is transformed by the gospel, working dynamically together for the life of the world. While academic in terms of depth of thinking, quality of research, and referencing of crucial sources for further exploration, this book is never dry. Rather, it's life-giving and provocative for every vocation, asking fundamental questions of the reader: What is the work that God is calling you to do? How can the gospel transform your work? And how well-positioned are churches and colleges to be at the forefront of transforming vocation? With contributions from: Mark Greene James Pietsch Peter White Peter Docherty Gordon Preece Keith Mitchell David Fagg Ian Hussey Colin Noble Andrew Matthews Sarah Bacaller Samuel Curkpatrick Maggie Kappelhoff

Religious life is vitally necessary to the Catholic church today. But it will exist in new and varied forms which speak to the spiritual hungers of different societies, ethnic cultures, and generations. God’s Call Is Everywhere is the first comparative analysis of research in six countries investigating women who have entered vowed religious life in Catholicism in the twenty-first century. The data include survey responses from institute leaders, formation directors, and the women themselves, conducted in the United States, Canada, Australia, and France, along with focus groups and interviews in Ireland, the United Kingdom, and France. Through a careful summary of these studies and comparing differences, readers of this book will have a better understanding of the hopes and concerns of those discerning a vocation to religious life and learn how to move forward in the future. God’s Call Is Everywhere includes six major points of comparison: * Demographic characteristics of the women entering religious life and their personal and familial backgrounds * What attracted them to religious life and to their specific religious institute * What they find most satisfying and most challenging about religious life * Their hopes and concerns for the future * Experiences and programs that were helpful in their vocational discernment * Aspects of the larger society, of the Church, and of the religious institutes which make vocational discernment difficult for women today The analysis is followed by six reflective essays, two of which discuss the implications of the findings for future vocational discernment programs and four of which compare the findings to religious life in Asia, Africa, and Latin America.

This course leads high school juniors and seniors toward a deeper understanding of God's call in the life of his people. The course covers the call of the laity and the four states of life: married, single, ordained, and consecrated.

Pope Saint John Paul II declared that the great challenge for Christians today is to become "the home and school of communion." St. Teresa Benedicta (Edith Stein) in her life and her writings, is a sure guide to attaining the communion for which every human heart longs. This work considers St. Teresa's life and writings in the context of the "spirituality of communion." As a philosopher she was directed towards attaining communion with the Truth, and she discovered that Truth was a Person, Jesus Christ. As a Carmelite nun she gave up everything for communion with him. Dr. Alice von Hildebrand, in the foreword, says Edith Stein's message "is above her time" and that the author, Sister M. Regina van den Berg, "is well qualified to write such a book." Sister Regina explores in detail Edith Stein's theory of empathy as developed in her doctoral dissertation, as well as her theory of community. Sister Regina has also used a number of Edith Stein's writings which, until this work, have not yet been available in English translation. Each chapter explores an aspect of 'communion,' richly revealing how Edith Stein, "a Jew who became a philosopher. . . a convert to Catholicism who became a Carmelite nun and crowned her life with martyrdom." Stein's work "provides insights that can help us grow in the spirituality of communion, first by presenting to us the truth about the human person's nature and vocation and then by showing us how we can arrive at a spirituality of communion in the various aspects of life."