Fall 2017 www.nrvc.net | Volume 42, Number 4
The road toward communion 2 Updates 3 8
Building communal life through prayer By Sister Marcia Allen, C.S.J. Craft authentic community By Sister Ruth Anne Harkins, I.H.M.
15 Signs of readiness for religious community By Father David B. Couturier, O.F.M. Cap.
24 What you need to know about civil and canon law By Donna Miller 30 31
Let the spirit breathe By Father Donald Goergen, O.P. Film notes Silence provokes core questions By Carol Schuck Scheiber
21 International immersion for discerners By Jonathan Bishop Fall 2017 | HORIZON | 1
You belong with us. We are a community of communities whose common mission is helping people respond to God’s call. We need you. You need us. TOGETHER, WE’RE BETTER. Please join or renew your membership today at NRVC.net We have your back. Professionals and fellow vocation ministers with whom to consult and share. Programs and resources to educate, inform, and inspire. Plus the many privileges that come with membership: . Reduced rates on workshops and convocation . Access to HORIZON’s extensive library . Input on vocation-ministry decisions
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Editor’s Note NRVC Executive Director Sister Sharon Dillon, S.S.J.-T.O.S.F. HORIZON Editor Carol Schuck Scheiber Proofreaders Sister Mary Ann Hamer, O.S.F.; Virginia Piecuch Editorial Advisory Board Margaret Cartwright; Father Thomas McCarthy, O.S.A.; Sister Elaine Penrice, F.S.P.; Sister Elyse Ramirez, O.P.; Sister Mary Rowell, C.S.J.; Jennifer Tomshack Page Designer Patrice J. Tuohy © 2017, National Religious Vocation Conference. HORIZON is published quarterly by TrueQuest Communications on behalf of the National Religious Vocation Conference, 5401 South Cornell Avenue, Suite 207, Chicago, IL 60615-5664. 773-363-5454 | nrvc@nrvc.net | nrvc.net Facebook: Horizon vocation journal Twitter: @HORIZONvocation 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 office at 773-363-5454 or margyelan@nrvc.net. POSTMASTER Send address changes to HORIZON, 5401 S. Cornell Ave., Suite 207, Chicago, IL 60615-5664. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL and Toledo, OH. ISSN 1042-8461, Pub. # 744-850. REPRINTS, ARCHIVES, ELECTRONIC EDITIONS Permission is granted to distribute no more than 50 copies of HORIZON articles for noncommercial use. Please use the following credit line: Reprinted with permission from HORIZON, nrvc.net. For other types of reprints, please contact the editor at cscheiber@nrvc.net. HORIZON archives, including files for mobile readers, can be accessed by subscribers at nrvc.net. EDITORIAL INQUIRIES & ADVERTISING All editorial inquiries, including article proposals, manuscript submissions, and requests for writer’s guidelines should be directed to the editor: Carol Schuck Scheiber, cscheiber@nrvc.net. For advertising rates and deadlines, see nrvc.net or contact the editor. COVER ART: “Autumn Road” by David Soldano davesoldanoimages.com
Where are you going?
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HOSE WHO KNOW ME know I am not a great navigator. I love maps and apps, but ... I still get lost. So the question, “Where are you going?” is a natural for me. We ask that question about HORIZON too. Just like religious communities constantly work at where they are headed and how to update themselves, HORIZON is always looking at what it does and how to do it better. This column and “Updates” are both shorter now, allowing us to devote more energy to main features. The question “Where are you going?” runs through each article in this edition, as our authors examine different ways to nurture communal life, that is, different ways to stay on the “road to communion.” Where is prayer taking the community? How can communities arrive at healthier, stronger communal life? How do we know someone is ready to live and contribute in community? It’s always good to keep our destination in mind. When I think of destinations, it reminds me of the slogan that Alliance for Catholic Education uses at the Notre Dame ACE Academies. Kids wear T-shirts that say, “Our goals: 1) College 2) Heaven.” It makes me laugh because there are many goals in between college and heaven, but I think all of us can agree on that final destination, for ourselves and for our community members. —Carol Schuck Scheiber, editor cscheiber@nrvc.net
HORIZON is an award-winning journal for vocation ministers and those who support a robust future for religious life. It is published quarterly by TrueQuest Communications on behalf of the National Religious Vocation Conference. NATIONAL RELIGIOUS VOCATION CONFERENCE BOARD Father Toby Collins, C.R. Sister Gayle Lwanga Crumbley, R.G.S. Sister Sharon Dillon, S.S.J.-T.O.S.F., Executive director Sister Anna Marie Espinosa, I.W.B.S. Sister Virginia Herbers, A.S.C.J. Brother Ronald Hingle, S.C., Board chair
Father Charles Johnson, O.P. Sister Lisa Laguna, D.C. Father Adam MacDonald, S.V.D. Sister Kristin Matthes, S.N.D.deN. Sister Belinda Monahan, O.S.B. Sister Priscilla Moreno, R.S.M. Sister Anita Quigley, S.H.C.J.
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Updates
Videos for NRVC members NRVC members are encouraged to view two new videos recently posted to the members-only area of the website, nrvc.net. In addition to dozens of other professional development videos are: “Trends in vocation ministry,” by Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M. and “Best practices for finding joy in the ministry” by Father Adam MacDonald, S.V.D. Both films were produced in collaboration with A Nun’s Life Ministry. “Trends in Vocation Ministry,” is 32 minutes long and covers the vocation context today, including who is coming to religious life and what attracts them. The presenter, Sister Deborah Borneman, SS.C.M. is director of member relations and services for NRVC. In “Best practices for finding joy in the ministry,” NRVC board member Father Adam MacDonald, S.V.D. talks about time-tested practices to bring forth the joyfulness available to all who labor in the vocations vineyard. The video is 20 minutes long.
Save these 2018 dates! World Day for Consecrated Life February 2, 2018 National Catholic Sisters Week March 8-14, 2018 Religious Brothers Day May 1, 2018 NRVC Summer Institute July 9-27, 2018 Bishops Synod on vocational discernment October 2018 NRVC Convocation November 1-5, 2018 National Vocation Awareness Week November 4-10, 2018 2 | HORIZON | Fall 2017
Resources for spreading the good news of religious life NRVC has developed several resources in recent months that bring the message of religious vocations to wide audiences. The following may be ordered at the NRVC store at nrvc.net. The first two on this list are also available for free download at nrvc.net. Statistics on recent vocations to religious life and the priesthood This single-page, double-sided handout briefly explains the current context for God’s call: who is choosing a church vocation, what their backgrounds are like, and what kinds of support helps them. Use this with parish groups, members of the media, college groups, etc. 2018 Synod of bishops on “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment” This single-page, double-sided handout expertly summarizes the Vatican preparatory document for the forthcoming synod. Use it with your own community members and young people to understand the synod themes. 10 Questions people ask and 10 Questions parents ask about vocations to religious life These two brochures each respond to basic questions. From “Are people joining communities?” to “How restrictive are the vows?” this is must-see, basic reading for many audiences. n
The Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet of Los Angeles gather with associates and St. Joseph Workers. Photo courtesy of the Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet.
Building communal life through prayer
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IVING COMMUNITY IS an art and a work! Community and its relative, communion, come from the Latin words com + munio, which mean working together, or building something together. What does it mean to truly build life together? This question artfully and persistently explored and seriously worked on yields a profound mystery. In fact, it reveals the Mystery that lies in the depths of each person’s being and ultimately in that of the communal self. To build a life together means asking what it means to live; and, what it means to undertake this work of living together. First, let us explore the context for this work together. Not long ago I ran across an intriguing sentence from The Go-Between by L. P. Hartley: “The past is a foreign country; they do things differently there.” The enigma here is the way the idea is stated. You’d expect the statement to be: The past is a foreign country; they did things differently there. Gener-
Allen | Prayer
Those who consider consecrated life are seeking a community life worth joining. And prayer is foundational to community.
By Sister Marcia Allen, C.S.J. Sister Marcia Allen, C.S.J. is a Sister of St. Joseph of Concordia, Kansas. She has a Doctor of Ministry Degree in spirituality. She lives and works at Manna House of Prayer, a center for spiritual renewal and material resources for the poor in Concordia, Kansas. She also teaches in the community’s formation program. For details about sources used in this article, please contact the author at marciacsj@ mannahouse.org.
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ally that’s the way we think about the past, in the past tense. The past is now foreign because that’s where they did things differently. Instead the author, and in fact, his book, shows how the past might be foreign to us, but it remains with Each person of the us. community must access This enigma is also her or his deepest inner at the crux of what it self, the cavern where means to work together toward true community. God awaits. Access Although we understand requires discernment, a rationally that the past is heart that is open and the past and we long to loving, that has been do things differently, as a gentled, tamed, so that matter of fact, the past is compassion becomes the always with us, ready to habitual fountain out of entice us into the same which flows joyful action. old behaviors. As we live into each day’s new world with its new set of challenges and responses we cling to the past where they do things as they always did—differently than what the now calls for!
Into the communal cavern of desire So what has this to do with true communal living? Perhaps everything, if we are as we say we are: Christians for whom the only thing necessary is following Jesus the Christ, to be in relationship with Jesus and with one another. What does this require? The easy answer is charity, the love that is agapic, without prejudice or bias, totally inclusive. How do we live this agapic love as a community? Let me assume that the reader who takes up this essay is already motivated to move deep into the cavern of his or her personal desire. I propose that this is also true at a communal level: we must move into the communal cavern of desire. This is a profound need, a critical exploration, an active search for Jesus, the Christ, and a difficult journey of discipleship. In these times we cannot do this alone. These times, times of general fractiousness! Chaos, indifference, intense poverty and equally intense wealth, locations of unrelieved violence, violence of attitudes and actions, relentless oppositional stances among people in politics and government, resistance to forgiveness and reconciliation. Such is the world in which we live. However there is something else! Thomas Merton, in 4 | HORIZON | Fall 2017
his poem “Hagia Sophia” has this to say: There is in all visible things an invisible fecundity, a dimmed light, a meek namelessness, a hidden wholeness. This mysterious Unity and Integrity is Wisdom, “Natura Naturans.” There is in all things an inexhaustible sweetness and purity, a silence that is a fountain of action and joy. It rises up in wordless gentleness, and flows out to me from unseen roots of all created being.
Thomas Merton lived during the Second World War, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War, the cultural upheaval of the 1960s, and the assassinations of John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King, Jr. And in this milieu, this mystic, Thomas Merton, could see in the chaos an invisible fecundity, a silent fountain of action and joy, and the gentleness that flows out from unseen roots of all created being. He could believe that natura naturans—that the course of nature is naturally toward a hidden wholeness. Nature natures, in English. Nature does what its intrinsic meaning calls it to do… that is, nature always moves toward wholeness. Romans Chapter 8, verse 22: “All creation groans and is in agony” … all creation stretches, bidden by the invisible fecundity, toward a wholeness that it perceives intrinsically. There is in every thing, says the scientist, a strange attractor that calls the creature to be what the creature is meant to be, that orders chaos and gives meaning. This source of meaning lies within our deepest human self. It is the inner cavern of desire where God awaits to do God’s thing in and through us. It is where our desires are mirrored in God’s desire. This strange attractor that keeps all things moving toward their fullest meaning permeates every creature, from the smallest particle or wave to the so-called most sophisticated being, the human being. This strange attractor is the author of our unrest, of our struggles with ourselves and others for our own wholeness. It is the most hidden and subtle part of us, buried deep below the egoic self and most often subject to the egoic self ’s own designs for control, power, affection, adulation, and security. In the language of faith we call this unifying energy the Holy Spirit of Love. This Strange Attractor sifts, sorts, and combines matter and energy. For us believers, it is the fundamental expression of the Trinity—that self-communicating, “self-giving community of love,” as Father George Maloney, S.J. put it. As members of religious communities our work, the art of communio in our collective life, is to recreate this self-giving community of love. It is a community that creates and recreates Allen | Prayer
that which God desires for the world and the planet—a wholeness—that is as yet hidden. It is the work of communio to bring this wholeness to light. This requires that each person of the community have access to her or his deepest inner self, the cavern where God awaits. Access requires discernment—a discerning heart that is open and loving, that has been gentled, tamed, if you will, so that compassion becomes the habitual fountain out of which flows joyful action. In our global culture where so many people are victims of fractured lives, where the economic structure caters to the individualism of silo-style living, where people are lonely, disaffected with their own lives and desiring community even though they might be fleeing it or unable to name it—that is where communio is situated. Working together at the common work of being together—not as a static self-contented entity but as actively joy-filled disciples who witness to the kin-dom that Jesus spoke of and gave his life for in their every word and action. That kin-dom is a self-giving community of love. How does this happen? One way is a prayer style that is effective in communities of St. Joseph throughout the world. Our technique is generally applicable, even though it was given to us by our 17th century Jesuit founder, Jean-Pierre Médaille. Médaille called us to examine weekly the “state of the Congregation and the works of zeal ordinarily done.” Research has shown us that this weekly examination of the communal heart and the accompanying works of zeal are nothing more nor less than a communal discernment directed toward creating a deeper understanding of the life to be lived through the works that each person undertakes. This discernment is to be the foundation of their work with others that fosters community among themselves and among themselves and all others.
Begin with discernment Let’s first examine the concept of discernment. Discernment is probing our inner lives in order to find and articulate our most fundamental desires. It is listening to one another in this probing, observing and listening to and participating in the world around us, probing the scriptures, following Jesus’ journey in his world, sharing how it relates to our journey in our world, how it touches our deep desires and registering or tracking our resistances and what we easily embrace. This discernment is naming our challenges, our resistance to let go or take up, supporting one another in the grief of loss and through the Allen | Prayer
mourning time, generously rejoicing when our community partners rejoice, discovering the new thing God is doing in and among us, coming to clarity about the truth and path for us as a community as well as for each of us individually. How does this happen? Médaille proposed a framework that he received from his Ignatian origins. The framework implies a weekly meeting. First, it is important to recall the way God has been working in our individual life during the past week. Where, when, and how did God encounter me in the events or engageWe think most of our ments that comprised my life during the week? This days are perfectly can be anything from a humdrum. Not so! simple act of kindness you The Holy Spirit of Love received or a great project is consistently at work that you engineered. The in us. question is: where did God reveal the Godself in this “work”? We think most of our days are perfectly humdrum. Not so! The Holy Spirit of Love is consistently at work—in us. We must honor this by recognizing how this happens and what happened as a result. Second, we describe this meeting of ourselves with God. What happened? When? Where? How? We describe this in as much detail as possible. Third, once we have told the story of our encounter with God we re-member the feelings we had; the movements within us. Were we moved to joy? Sorrow? Resistance? Challenge? Heartbreak? Action? Confusion? How were we moved at the time? And now as we re-member this instance? How is this encounter perhaps a pattern in my life? Or how is it remarkably different than other encounters? Finally, as we talk about the movement within that we feel, we begin to attempt to articulate how or where we feel drawn to respond. What do I want to say? What do I want to do? After each member of the community speaks his or her story through these four points the community begins to consider together what seems to be moving within the community itself. As a whole how has God been active within the community during this past week? As a community can we name the grace or graces that have permeated the group? Once these graces have been named the community considers together how they want to respond. What is Fall 2017 | HORIZON | 5
Participants reflect on God’s movement in their lives in a prayer circle at Manna House of Prayer in Concordia, Kansas.
their response to grace going to be now and during this coming week? What is the prayer they will say to remind themselves of this moment of grace and that will inspire and encourage them as they move in response during the coming week? Sometimes it’s good to name a symbol of this response that can be posted somewhere as a reminder. What I have described is a template for considering the “state of the congregation” through remembering ordinary works of zeal that our founder spoke of. It is actually a picture in time of how the Holy Spirit of Love, the Strange Attractor, has been at work throughout the week in this particular community. We can easily see that this community has been moved by the Spirit and is ready and willing to respond in word and action.
At work in the prayer process Now let’s look at what has actually happened. I have described the mechanics of the process. But what has happened in the heart of the community that gathered for that prayer? First of all, each person has expressed her faith stance in her life. If faith is a relationship, then she has described how she and God were in relationship during this past week. This candid admission is a profound act of courage and humility. First of all, it takes enormous courage to tell the story of God’s action in our individual life. It is an act of complete trust in the persons listening. It is an act of profound humility as we recognize that, yes, we were an instrument of God’s communication of love in a given situation—either through our very weakness or through our aptitude for the message. We abandon ourselves—the egoic self—in the telling of this story. Marguerite Porete, a late 14th century mystic, says that in this kind of abandonment the “soul 6 | HORIZON | Fall 2017
is dangerous, noble, and delicious” (as quoted by Evelyn Underhill in The Essentials of Mysticism). That is, the person who dares to reveal her or himself in this way is vulnerable as never before in the conversionary grace that God wishes for that person. And, if the person is open to conversionary grace, then so, too, is the whole community. This type of faith empowers us as a community to continue building on the presence of God at the moment within the group. The more we share, the stronger God’s presence among us becomes. We tap the potential that God’s presence offers. Faith builds on faith. We discover a hidden strength among us. At the same time we begin to understand that we are building a friendship among ourselves that is not based on personal preferences but on the faith that we express. We are becoming a genuine Christian community. As we learn to experience, understand, and appreciate this prayer, we realize that we are a community whose work is to continue the work of the Holy Spirit in the world. Christ as our community center empowers us through the power of the Holy Spirit to live the Trinitarian life in the world, whatever the cost. The community will hold together and it will hold us in the courage and humility we need to continue God’s work in the world wherever and through whatever work we do.
Mystical power in community prayer Karl Rahner, the late 20th century Jesuit theologian, is known for saying that “the Christian of the future will either be a mystic or will cease to be anything at all.” This simple practice that Médaille proposed is indeed a mystical way. Bernard McGinn, another 20th century Jesuit and a scholar of mysticism, explains that the mystical life is comprised of three steps. First, we anticipate Allen | Prayer
the presence of God. That is, we watch for it, wait for it, look for it, expect it, we are sure that God will surprise us somewhere along our way. Second, we recognize God’s presence. Because we have learned to expect that God will surely come in some way—either easily recognizable or in disguise—we believe that we have been met with the God who loves us. Our faith reaches out and God embraces us, whether felt or not. Third, we respond. In the immediacy of God’s presence, how do I respond? This, according to McGinn is how the mystical life takes shape in us. And this, says Rahner, is what it means to be a Christian. The follower of Christ anticipates, recognizes and responds to God’s immediate presence—which she or he understands is constant throughout any day, whether felt or not felt.
Invitation to contemplation Let us return to where we began—with Merton’s mystical insight: “There is in all visible things an invisible fecundity.” As we go through our daily life we are pitched to and fro with the exigencies of technology, consumerism, instant communication, violence, war, injustice, and words, words, words. This constant battering of our senses can leave us senseless, for the most part. Yet, in every thing that is sensed there is an invisible fecundity—a tiny seed of life that is waiting to sprout forth, grow and blossom into fruit. In every visible thing! This is our invitation to contemplation, personal and communal. This is our invitation to attempt to articulate what we have seen. It is an invitation to a new consciousness, to step into mystery/Mystery, a mystical awareness of whatever situation I am in, whether I am there voluntarily or involuntarily, whether at peace or in pain, whether in confusion or clarity, there is buried in this “event” a seed that wants to live into its wholeness. It is also an invitation to a new conscience – an ethical integrity about how to respond to all the events of our life. This, of course, is a very personal journey. Yet, we are invited to share it with those with whom we form community. We are invited to do this because this sharing of our relationship with God who has been active in our personal life becomes the glue that holds the community together as a body and together in its work, its highest ideals for itself. If a community of women or men religious begins to share the state of its heart, that practice helps to order the community more closely to its charism. This prayer exercise, if you will, provides the ongoing formation of the individual and of the community. Allen | Prayer
So, for example: for Franciscans, how does this sharing of God’s work in you illuminate the Franciscan way? For Mercys, how does this sharing of God’s work in you become a “comfortable cup of tea?” For Dominicans, how does the weekly sharing become God’s truth illuminated for others? For Communities of St. Joseph, how does sharing God’s encounters effect union with others? What this prayer together does, quite simply, is “order the house.” It creates an image of how the community (house) RESOURCES lives out the mission most effectively (order). Outlines for this type of commuIt also provides a means nity-building discernment prayer of responding in joy and are available from Manna House gratitude for what has of Prayer in Concordia, Kansas: been and creates direcretreatcenter@mannahouse.org. tion for how the community hopes it to be in the future. Perhaps you are wondering if the community to which I belong experiences this prayer? Yes! We embrace it! And, just to be sure that it does not become a rote prayer we take for granted, we post a sign on our refrigerator door that reminds us of what we discovered in gratitude and direction during our last prayer together. We relish this time together. The community becomes a haven of faith where the sturm und drang of the world is for an hour or so forgotten. Well, not forgotten, but gathered into our communal heart where we can hear its seed growing into its fullness. It is where the past can be brought forward, not in some nostalgic way or as a resurrection of past contentions, but where it is purified and sanctified in the ground of self-revelation. The full potency of the past can be released to create within the community a new sense of belonging, a new sense of charism, and a new sense of identity—personally and communally. n
Related HORIZON articles “Feed your spirit: Detachment, starting point for prayer,” by Father John Orme Mills O.P., 2015 HORIZON No. 4. “Community: ready or not?” by Sister Kathleen Bryant, R.S.C. 2003 HORIZON No. 3. “Process for preparing a community to welcome and mentor new members,” by Sister Carole Riley C.D.P., 2006 HORIZON No. 4. Fall 2017 | HORIZON | 7
Photo by Father Lawrence Lew, O.P.
Authentic Christian community requires a willingness to embrace differences and engage the inevitable challenges.
Each ordinary moment of life together, from washing dishes to praying the office, is an opportunity to encourage healthy, authentic Christian community. Above are members of the Dominican Blackfriars community in London cleaning up after a meal.
Craft authentic community By Sister Ruth Anne Harkins, I.H.M. Sister Ruth Anne Harkins, I.H.M., is a member of the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, Scranton, Pennsylvania. She served as the vocation director from 2002-2012. Currently she is the associate campus minister for graduate and professional students at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C.
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The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was accorded them all. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need. —Acts 4:32-35
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OMMUNITY IS FUNDAMENTAL to human nature and deeply embedded in our Christian tradition. Human beings yearn to be in relationship with others; they long for a deep connection to self, others, and God. As members of the family of God, despite this human longing, a sense of community tends to elude our grasp. Yes, in the beginning was the early Christian community that is depicted in Acts, and this idealized community is what Harkins | Authentic Community
the church offers to religious congregations as a model. In the preface of her book, Where Two or Three are Gathered: Community Life for the Contemporary Religious, Sister Barbara Fiand, S.N.D.deN. poses two compelling questions: Why is it that what ought to empower us and give us strength for the mission of Jesus so frequently deprives us of even our basic adult necessities? What has happened to community life that for so many of us it has come to be seen as something that must be endured, rather than as an essential part of our life, as something that empowers us, as something we can truly enjoy?
And Sister Doris Gottemoeller, R.S.M., asserted in Review for Religious, “Community Living: Beginning the Conversation” in 1999: “Community is the Achilles heel of contemporary religious life.” Religious life, as a vocation in the church, is a call to live authentic community that is both counter-cultural and gospel-centered, closely resembling the early Christian community that was of one heart, one mind, and one spirit (Acts 4:32). And yet this unity in our lives together is a phenomenon that seems out of reach, and maybe that is the point. Community life continues to call to the deepest part of our humanity, always inviting us deeper into the very heart of God, in the Trinity. The challenge for religious today is to inspire our members to rediscover the true meaning of authentic community. The journey toward authentic community will require: • Willingness to learn new ways of thinking and being necessary for a spirituality of communion • Practice of effective communication skills • View of conflict as an opportunity for growth • Commitment that holds members mutually accountable for the sake of mission • Engagement in ongoing deeper conversations to rediscover the treasure of community
Scripture and theological foundations Religious life means living in authentic community; this life is both counter-cultural and gospel-centered, thus closely resembling the early Christian community that was of one heart, one mind, and one spirit. While Vatican II contributed to a renewed vision of religious life, the current small number of new members challenge religious as never before to re-evaluate the meaning of Harkins | Authentic Community
living authentic community. Grounded in scripture and tradition, the documents of Vatican II remind and challenge congregations to faithfully witness their call to live authentic community, not only within their respective institutes, but also for the larger church and world. Despite helpful church documents, books, and articles, religious have struggled in their efforts to renew communal life. Documents such as Perfectae Caritatis (Perfect Charity), Lumen Gentium (Light of the Nations), Fraternal Life in Community, Vita Consecrata (Consecrated Life), and Starting Afresh specifically focused on strengthening the vitality and viability of community in the following areas: relationship dynamics, the unique characteristics of communal life, and the essential role of community for the church. Contemporary writers and theologians, too, have sought to empower religious men and women with the tools to discover the deeper commitment required for living authentic community. Sister Doris Gottemoeller, R.S.M. has been writing about the changing face of community for years. In a 2005 article for Review for Religious, “Living in Community: Continuing the Conversation,” she highlights a contemporary definition for community living that reflects significant changes since Vatican II: What are we talking about when we talk about community living? I suggest that, put as simply as possible, community living is what happens when two or more people relate to one another in a significant, mutually beneficial, and ongoing way. The presence of adults living together in simplicity and harmony, sharing prayer, hospitality, and the duties and struggles of daily living, is an uncommon and striking witness to the power of the gospel and the dynamism of a congregation’s charism, so much so that it deserves to be called a prophetic stance.
Theologian Sister Sandra Schneiders, I.H.M. has written extensively on the evolution of religious life over the years. She consistently builds a strong theological and scriptural foundation for community in religious life as grounded in the Christian life: “the entire Christian tradition, grounded in scripture and lived throughout history, testifies to the fact that as humans and as believers we are called to community.” In her book, New Wineskins: Re-imagining Religious Life Today, she introduces new terminology to describe the changing reality of community. Schneiders seeks to describe a new model for community living in which members are empowered to relate as adult-to-adult. Fall 2017 | HORIZON | 9
Thus the primary model becomes one of a community of friends who are co-disciples in ministry. Schneiders defines the distinctive type of community relationships among religious as “evangelical friendship.” In her book, Finding the Treasure: Locating Catholic Religious Life in Three essential a New Ecclesial and Culcomponents necessary tural Context, Schneiders for authentic says, “The community coordinate of religious community are empathy, life involves the permapersonal disclosure, and nent acceptance of the confrontation within community itself as the the context of genuine primary and determindialogue. ing relational context of one’s life.” In this way religious life gives witness to the character of Christianity as an “eschatological community”—a community of friends, bonded by their shared love of Christ, whose lives explicitly bear witness to the Trinitarian life of God, and who work together to bring forth the reign of God.
Practical skills and traits Many members of religious communities will agree that a sound theology of community is critical, but at a practical level, sometimes simple, pragmatic abilities make the difference between harmony and discord. Each person has a need to be loved, to be affirmed, to be understood, and to belong. Community is the sacred space where the individual is nurtured, supported, and challenged to live the fullness of his or her Christian vocation. In order to create authentic community, authors Scott Peck and Evelyn Whitehead emphasize the importance of effective communication skills and conflict management skills. Three essential components necessary for authentic community are empathy, personal disclosure, and confrontation within the context of genuine dialogue. Such a dialogue demands that individuals embrace a state of emptiness. This state of empathetic emptiness has the capacity to increase a person’s understanding of the other by suspending the human tendency to want to fix, heal, convert, or change. Scott Peck, American psychiatrist and best-selling author, combined his experiences from his private psychiatry practice with a distinctly religious point of view. In his book, The Different Drum, Community Making and Peace, he contends that: “the principles of good 10 | HORIZON | Fall 2017
communication are the basic principles of communitybuilding.” Peck describes community as “a group of individuals who have learned to communicate honestly with each other, whose relationships go deeper than their masks of composure, and who have developed some significant commitments to rejoice together, mourn together, delight in each other, make each other’s conditions their own.” Peck believes that effective communication skills are the building blocks for authentic community. Genuine communication always invites individuals into a state of emptiness to make room for the other. “Most important, for community, the Other is the Stranger, the other person.... The purpose of emptying ourselves is therefore to make room for the new. The only reason to give up something is to gain something better,” says Peck. Evelyn Eaton Whitehead, developmental psychologist, and James D. Whitehead, pastoral theologian, both world renowned authors and consultants in education and ministry, affirm in their writings the human hunger for community, and they uncover the fundamental structures of God’s loving call by providing a blueprint for forming community. “Community,” they write, “is a gathering that enlarges and challenges and completes our personal vision, a place where both our strengths and hungers are welcomed.” The Whiteheads’ greatest contribution to Christian communities is their ability to identify the necessary tools for forming, shaping and living authentic community. In their book, Community of Faith: Crafting Christian Communities Today, they delineate five characteristics that identify a community: • Orientation toward some significant aspect of life—focus • Agreement about core values • Commitment to common goals • Opportunities for personal exchange such as faith sharing • Agreed-upon definitions of what membership entails Evelyn Whitehead firmly contends that “we need communication skills: the ability to disclose information about ourselves, our needs and expectations, our images and definitions of community.” In reality most religious congregations of men and women are rich in empathy but lacking in personal disclosure and conflict resolution. How can communities address these concerns in Harkins | Authentic Community
a meaningful way? Members might begin with a self inventory of questions like these. Do I take the time to discuss the personal meaning of the vows, core values, or mission with those in my local community? How often do I take the time to openly and honestly disclose information about myself, my needs and expectations, my hopes and dreams? Do I actively engage in open, honest and direct conversation, or do I engage in nondirective or passive aggressive communication that makes issues and feelings go underground? How often do I use notes, emails, or texts to avoid open and honest dialogue? Being human is messy because feelings are complex and complicated. A practical step religious communities can take toward better communication is to work at eliminating behaviors that get in the way, that block conversation, increase emotional distance, and prevent problem solving. Borrowing from the ideas of communication expert Thomas Gordan, religious might reflect on their own communication styles.
Approaches that aid communication Gordon has identified three problem areas: judging, sending solutions, and avoiding the other’s concerns. The behaviors associated with these categories include things like: criticizing, name calling, diagnosing, diverting, ordering, advising, and moralizing. These types of responses can trigger feelings of inadequacy, dependency, and anger. Helpful questions each member of the community might ask of him or herself are: • Do I tend to criticize or judge without really listening to the whole story? • Do I always try to solve a problem or offer a solution instead of empower others to discover their own wisdom? • Do I have a tendency to simply give orders instead of inviting collaboration? • Do I moralize without a sense of mercy for human weakness? • Do I consider my sisters or brothers as equals, or am I the expert? • Do I convey an openness to new ideas, or do I always have the answer? Here are some effective communication skills that Toni Rosenbaum, author of Effective Communication Skills Workshop, urges groups to use. Ideally, the sender Harkins | Authentic Community
of a message should take these steps. • Understand what he or she needs to say. • Anticipate the other person’s reaction to the message. • Choose words and body language that allow the other person to really hear what the message-sender is saying. The receiver of the message should follow what Rosenbaum calls VALUE tips. • Verify what is being said, repeating, paraphrasing, reflecting. • Acknowledge the feelings of the other. • Listen “actively.” • Use simple language. • Eliminate negative words. Here’s an example of what might happen in a religious community and what might work better. Let’s imagine one of the younger members of a local community would like to propose the topic of weekly faith sharing at the next house meeting. As the A practical step religious sender of the message, communities can it is the responsibility of take toward better the younger member to communication is to understand what he/she work at eliminating truly needs and wants to behaviors that get in say (why is this important the way, that block for her/him), to anticipate conversation, increase possible positive and negative responses from the emotional distance, other community memand prevent problem bers (will the members be solving. open or resistant?), and to intentionally create the safe environment by choosing non-defensive words and body language that will allow the other community members to really hear what is being said. How often do we take time to prayerfully reflect on the best way to communicate an idea or issue so that another person will be able to really hear our need or message? As the receivers of the message, the other community members must assume the responsibility of listening “actively” by really hearing what is being said in a Fall 2017 | HORIZON | 11
Photo courtesy of Sisters of Providence of St. Mary of the Woods, Indiana.
Sisters of Providence of St. Mary of the Woods, Indiana celebrate a reunion of their juniorate aspirancy class.
spirit of hospitality and emptiness; verifying the sender’s message through paraphrasing or reflecting the request; and finally, the receiver must acknowledge the sender’s feelings and use simple positive words to express their own responses to the proposed idea. The focus for every conversation is clarity, understanding, empathy, and compassion.
Manage conflict gracefully Conflict creates anxiety for most individuals; yet conflict is inevitable in any human interaction and is a normal aspect of genuine relationships. Conflicts will happen when individuals experience the gift and challenge of diversity. We are a diverse group of religious men/women who have different ways of thinking, acting, and feeling. We grew up in different families in which we engaged in the unique traditions and rituals from our nationality or geographic areas. We learned how to respond to conflict in different ways through our family dynamics with parents and siblings: to actively engage or avoid (“fight or flight”), accommodate, compromise, or collaborate with our parents or siblings. As men and women religious we were also formed in the unique spirit, charism, and culture of our congregations where we also learned how to manage the differences among us. Genuine and honest dialogue invites us to freely and generously offer our gifts, talents, creative ideas, and opinions and then to let go of them. There are also a few questions that individual sisters or brothers must con12 | HORIZON | Fall 2017
sider before engaging in a conflictual conversation. Do I really care about the other person and our relationship in community? Am I willing to simply be changed by the process and to accept gracefully the outcome, especially when it is very different from my original expectations or hopes? If you answered “yes” to both questions, then you are ready to engage in conflict management. Begin with the right environment for a sacred conversation. Take time to tell your story. Be sure to focus on both individual and shared needs. And look toward the future while learning from the past. Create a peaceful environment for sacred conversation Pope Francis implores us to create a “culture of encounter” that creates the sacred space for others to share their deeper story; this is the first step for effectively managing our differences. Set aside time and space for an intentional conversation in which you are both feeling somewhat rested and peaceful. Community members might, for instance, explore what they believe about living simply. To live in a simple way means something different for each of us at various moments in our lives and will carry various levels of emotion depending on our family and life experiences. Take time to tell your story Yes, it takes a lot of courage to share from the heart. Allowing time for people to tell their stories encourages each person to share his or her whole story. What was Harkins | Authentic Community
really going on inside the person during the time of the conflict? How willing am I to share my vulnerability with sisters or brothers in community? At the point of telling our story we share those experiences that have shaped our thoughts, feelings, and actions at this moment. Focus on both individual and shared needs Experience teaches us that conflict happens because we are different. We have different needs, values, desires, goals, opinions, and perceptions. A focus on both individual and shared needs encourages those involved to recognize their shared needs and create a mutual understanding. Deeper conversations around these needs have the potential to open us to new ideas and possibilities and further challenge us to think differently. Often it is these deeper conversations that bring us closer to one another because we have discovered a new level of unity and common ground. Am I able to embrace the blessing of our diversity to discover our deeper unity? Grow in self awareness Our self-awareness can deepen and grow through personal reflection. What have I learned about myself over time? Am I aware of what is happening within myself—excitement, resistance, fear, confusion, anger, hope? Can I name it and listen for its source and meaning? Am I getting stuck in unfinished family issues? Do I sometimes act defensively? What are my judgments or assumptions that block my ability to welcome a sister or brother in a true spirit of hospitality? Both parties in a conflict can decide together how they might both peacefully move into the future. They will have to share their needs, their differences, and their desire for deeper unity and understanding. Take responsibility Becoming responsible is the last and most challenging step in managing conflict because it demands that each person have the grace to let go of his or her own opinions or ideas. Taking responsibility invites both individuals to be changed by the process and implores them to gracefully accept the outcome, especially when it is very different than their original expectations or hopes. How will both individuals move forward? What will each individual promise to do differently the next time they experience a conflict between them? For example, will I continue to engage in surfacelevel conversation, or will I make a conscious effort to pay attention to the deeper conversations and delve into matters of the heart? Will I consciously make a choice Harkins | Authentic Community
Five traits of healthy communities
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eadership expert Patrick Lencioni has created a common sense framework for understanding the dynamics that can help or hurt communal groups. He gives a roadmap for moving from dysfunction to healthy functioning. Five common strengths (and their counterpoints) encourage healthy function. When the counterpoint to a strength is present, it sets the stage for dysfunction within the group. These interrelated characteristics build off of one another and can either lay a strong foundation or hamper a team’s ability to achieve its goals. The five characteristics are: 1. Absence of trust vs. presence of trust 2. Fear of conflict versus ability to engage differences 3. Lack of commitment versus commitment 4. Avoidance of accountability versus ability to hold one another accountable 5. Inattention to results versus focus on collective results for the common good
Adapted from The Five Dysfunctions of a Team: A Leadership Fable by Patrick Lencioni.
not to engage in the “meeting after the meeting” or behind-the-scenes gossiping so I do not create a destructive undercurrent in the group? How will I reverence the possibility for sacred conversations in the future?
Mutuality and accountability Every Christian is baptized into a four-pronged call: to holiness, community, mission, and Christian maturity. Thus, by virtue of baptism every person is called to become an active and contributing member of the body of Christ, and community is the milieu where the Christian is nurtured, supported, and challenged to live the fullness of his or her vocation. Accountability and mutuality are two important components necessary for community that, in general, both religious congregations and church groups have struggled to embrace with some regularity. Therefore, it is vital that every community hold members accountable for mutually agreed upon minimal standards and expectations. In the book Community of Faith, by the Whiteheads, psychologist and theologian Michael A. Cowan wrote a chapter on “Recognizing Different Levels of Mutuality” Fall 2017 | HORIZON | 13
in which he defines mutuality as “the ability of persons to engage in direct and non-manipulative dialogue, each understanding and respecting the other’s frame of reference.” The level of mutuality in a community is shaped by the goals and values of the group, personal sharing, and the rules that guide members’ behavior toward one another. Cowan identifies three levels of mutuality. The first level embraces two communication basics: self-disclosure and empathy, which are concrete ways people offer one another support. The possibility for direct and responsible challenge is the hallmark for the second level; it requires an individual’s capacity for selfexamination. The third level of mutuality focuses on the relationship itself. “Immediacy is the ability of individuals to share directly with one another information about ways their behavior injures the relationship or gets in the way of collaboration,” Cowan writes. Some practical ways individuals may engage in mutuality are honest dialogue, communal examen, theological reflection, goal-setting, retreat days and faith-sharing. These practices provide the opportunity necessary to build a spirit of mutuality among the community members when individuals are willing to engage in open and honest dialogue about their core values, hopes, dreams, and struggles. Thus, self-disclosure and empathy are fostered. These intentional actions foster trust among the members in the community so they are empowered to engage in responsible challenge with one another. Furthermore such open and honest dialogue nurtures a spirit of interdependence among the members. In order to fully incarnate the spirit of mutuality, community members must be willing to embrace the struggle necessary to develop the tenderness, discipline, and resilience of spirit required for giving and receiving in interpersonal relationships. “To care for one another and to accept one another’s care in this spirit of deep mutuality is to place our ordinary acts of face-to-face interaction within the ultimate context of love,” says Cowan. Often accountability and commitment evolve as individuals within a community embrace the powerful questions that both engage and empower members to co-create the world. Peter Block, author and consultant, in his book, Community: The Structure of Belonging, defines accountability as the willingness to care for the well-being of the whole. Religious life in the past had several built-in structures that regulated schedules: prayer, meals, recreation. Today, community members must be willing to be vulnerable with one another as they express their desire for communal living. 14 | HORIZON | Fall 2017
It has become imperative for religious to take time to talk about key concerns. How do we choose to be together? What price am I willing to pay, or what am I willing to sacrifice of my time or talent for the community? How willing am I to lay down my life for brothers or sisters in community to support them? How might I support their ministry? How might I support them in times of illness or death? How can we help one another grow in holiness and thus balance the tension between what I need and the needs of others?
Living in holy communion Such questions have the potential to transform us because they have the capacity to nurture interdependence. Members in community must ask those same questions in their efforts to become renewed and grow deeper. As adult religious men and women we will be required to call one another to accountability for our behavior if we are to become “true experts of communion.” Then, the Lord answered me and said: Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets, so that one can read it readily. For the vision still has its time, presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint. If it delays, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not be late. Habakkuk 2:2-3
The church and the world look to religious life to provide a prophetic example for living authentic Christian community. In “The Next Frontier: Religious Life at the Edge of Tomorrow,” Sister Marilyn Marie Ellerbrock, S.N.D., articulates this sentiment well: A treasured gift of our call to consecrated life has been and continues to be our relationships in community. We are the beneficiaries of a rich spiritual patrimony of the sisters who have gone before us, and we chart the way for those who will follow.... We are not called to travel this journey alone, and our future as women religious is rooted in our common life and mission.
Impelled by the love of God, we religious are challenged to become rooted and grounded in a “spirituality of communion.” The value of crafting authentic community lies in the journey, in the exploration, in the discovery, or as expressed so profoundly by Walter Brueggemann, “What God does first and best and most is to trust [God’s] people with this moment in history. [God] trusts them to do what must be done for the sake of the whole community.” n Harkins | Authentic Community
Photo by Ewa Corbut
Signs of readiness for religious community
Given the many new realities in today’s church and world, what are the signs that an individual may be prepared for life in a religious community?
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INCE THE 1980s I HAVE BEEN TRACKING the signs of readiness for life in a religious community—that is, I’ve studied the signs that vocation directors and formation advisors follow to see that those preparing for religious life are making progress. These signs of readiness reflect the emerging social, cultural, and ecclesial challenges of the times in which we live. It helps for vocation and formation directors to understand the ways that Millennials (25-34 years of age) and Mosaics (18-25 years of age) make sense of their world. These ways will be different, sometimes significantly so, from how other generations understand and experience their worlds. Those involved in ushering young people into consecrated life will want to use signs or markers of vocational progress that are enduring because they derive from the deepest anthropological aspects of the vocational journey, the consonance (or dissonance) between a person’s most salient vocational values and the person’s most troubling and contradictory emotional needs. There are three frameworks for looking at the traits our new members need : 1) social, cultural, and ecclesial; 2) generational and 3) anthropological. Let us consider each set briefly.
Communion as the context for religious life In her presidential address at the 2017 assembly of the Leadership ConferCouturier | Signs of Readiness
By Father David B. Couturier, O.F.M. Cap. Father David B. Couturier, O.F.M. Cap. is dean of the School of Franciscan Studies at St. Bonaventure University in St. Bonaventure, New York.
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ence of Women Religious, Sister Mary Pellegrino, C.S.J., indicated that religious communities are shaped by the narratives they use to understand and engage the world in which they live and work. She argues that religious congregations have stalled recently on a “narrative of diminishment,” seeing themselves largely within the constructs and constraints of loss, reduced capacities, and shrinking potentials that come from the reality of fewer new members and significant aging of current members. This sense of diminishment is the culture that has shaped our discourse and altered the perceptions we have of ourselves and that we allow others to have of us. Diminishment frames how we think of new members and the formation process and, perforce, the way we understand progress in vocational life. For example, can individuals “survive” in a world shrinking or even “collapsing” all around? Can they live proactively within an organizational system marked by death and dying, motherhouses shuttered, ministries closing and a congregational life having a difficult time “holding on” and holding back the forces of grief and loss? Can an individual find meaning within a community that has significant age differences and distinct orientations toward consecrated life? Pellegrino argues that this narrative of diminishment has missed a deeper way of understanding what has been going on socially, culturally, and ecclesially. She says we are witnessing the emergence of a critically new and potentially evocative discourse, a “narrative of deepening communion.” She sees in our time a cry and a possibility for a deeper intimacy, a more solid mutuality, and a more critical empathy than the radical autonomy, isolation, and individualism that have marked our religious communities since the Enlightenment. In the midst of diminishment, she sees religious women and men developing new ways to break through the separating and secluding boundaries that have kept our communities from understanding and identifying “the others” in our world. It is as if the deaths, the ending of ministries, and other diminishments we have been experiencing have invited us into new coalitions of loving and serving, ministering, and praying. These experiences have allowed us to engage more globally and understand more critically and sympathetically the needs and concerns of those who have lived outside our previously established circles of concern. The new narrative of deepening communion calls us across charisms, customs, cultures, and individual concerns. Whereas previous narratives called us “within,” into our particular identities and distinct differences in 16 | HORIZON | Fall 2017
order to appreciate what we have inherited from tradition, this new narrative, the new paradigm, moves us beyond and challenges us to go across what divides and individualizes us. Here is how Pellegrino describes the dynamic of “crossing over and into”: We need to collaborate with each other to be reconciled to those with whom there have been rifts, eager to go beyond the polarization of our regions, harshness and anger. . . . we need to leave aside our certainties and learn to intuit with a heart in love and with an eye that sees clearly God’s plans as they unfold in novelty.... Above all, we need to ask ourselves what are God and humanity asking for today?
What are the signs that a candidate might be right for religious life in a time when religious need to cross rifts, when we must overcome polarization, harshness, anger, and ideological certainties? How does one encourage vocational progress so as to embrace what the Magnificat and the Canticle of Zechariah proclaim—a church where the poor are raised up and the mighty are cast down? This vision of the faith must be met by a vocational stance that allows God’s new world order to break through, the world of radical hospitality, a world where all are accepted and included, a world without domination or deprivation, as equal sisters and brothers.
Qualities new members need in an era of deepening communion How is vocational progress measured in a new narrative of deepening communion? What individual qualities should new members have and cultivate? The individuals we hope will enter our communities would need qualities such as these. • The individual is able and willing to cross over and into the work and worlds of others without defensiveness and without losing his or her own unique identity. The candidate doesn’t lose interior confidence in engagement with others. Instead the person’s well-being is strengthened, not threatened, when crossing over and into other cultures. • The individual demonstrates empathy, sensitivity, and respect in the presence of other people’s personal meaning and distinct cultures. The candidate is humble, not superior. Couturier | Signs of Readiness
• The individual works constructively with the anxiety that develops within while crossing boundaries in the service and care of others. • The individual remains engaged and enlivened in the process of collaborating and cooperating with others in the pursuit of God’s justice in the world today. • The individual has a history of neighborliness and a demonstrated desire to become an engaged global citizen in the kingdom of God, eager for unity and willing to learn how to move beyond and even to mediate “the polarization of our regions, harshness and hatred.”
Qualities new members need based on generational differences Turning now from the social, cultural, and ecclesial framework for looking at new members, let us consider how generational differences matter. The generational markers of vocational progress for Millennials and Mosaics are decidedly different from those that measured the vocational growth of people in the Boomer and Generation X eras. Millennials and Mosaics have experienced change across every sector of their lives (social, cultural, technological, psychological, spiritual and emotional) more rapidly, more intensely, and more globally than any previous generation. They expect change; they require change; they are impatient for change because change is in their psychological DNA. They are not as accommodating to custom and convention as previous generations. Their experiences have been shaped by the secularizing forces of our society, and young people are more seriously and substantively peer-oriented than any generation we have seen previously. What are some qualities young, new members need, keeping in mind their generational differences? The following come to mind. A contemplative spirit—Vocational readiness will be apparent in the construction of a true contemplative spirit that allows God the space now almost exclusively occupied by friends. Sensitive spiritual direction and formation advising will help individuals widen the circle of concern that God occupies in their consciousness. Questions emerge. Can individuals allow God longer and stronger moments of conversation? Do individuals over Couturier | Signs of Readiness
time reach for time alone with God more often and with more enthusiasm than they reach for their cell phones? Do they reference what they have learned in prayer (both individual and common prayer) more than what they have gleaned from social media about life, the world and themselves? Is God becoming the One Thing Necessary, more than their friends and peers? Can they love their peers but realize and cherish that they love Christ “more than these?” Millennials and Mosaics who are attracted to religious life tend to be socially-oriented. They have grown up being introduced to “causes” and the benefits of becoming socially involved in changing the situation of injustice in our world. In many ways, this is a generation that is impatient and intolerant of injustices, especially racism, sexism and homophobia. They expect and even demand progress and are disappointed in communities that are still insensitive in these areas. For reasons far beyond the scope of this article, this generation of young people struggles mightily with the evils of economic classism and with evils that derive from a severely polarized economy. One concern that looms large over the consciousness of Millennials and Mosaics is the power and force of the economy and its concerns. And this is true in ways that previous generations often cannot understand and largely do not acknowledge. Millennials and Mosaics are shaped by the economic trauma of our times. They are the children of the Great Recession of 2007-2008 and everything that ran up to it and all that derives from it. Harvey Cox, in his latest book, The Market as God, argues that our world has become enthralled by a business theology of supply and demand that excludes, sidelines, diminishes, and excommunicates all other divinities, including the Christian God, from almost every sphere of modern influence Increasingly Millennials and Mosaics have unwittingly become the Market’s acolytes and they have been taught that the Market is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. Because the Market knows the value of everything, determines the outcome of every transaction and can build nations and ruin households, this generation of young adults has become complicit in the commodification of their own deepest desires and has watched how everything and everyone in their lives has been given a price tag and a value that is limited and quantifiable. Ability to perceive intrinsic value beyond the value of the marketplace—Vocational readiness or progress requires helping these young adults in the sensiFall 2017 | HORIZON | 17
tive work of “valuation.” What I mean here is that, unlike other generations, these adults must re-learn the value of life itself. Because their world has been quantified, commodified and defined exclusively on the economic scales of verifiable profit and loss, our communities need to help these young adults see the hidden and nonquantifiable value of things. The earth, for instance, that used to have infinite worth and exclusive rights as “God’s creation,” has been demoted since the Enlightenment to the devolving status of “nature,” “matter” and then “stuff,” which can be bought and sold, polluted, destroyed and eliminated at will and whim. Vocational progress, once again in the “narrative of a deepening communion” must be measured by a new love and a deeper commitment to God’s good creation. Vocational progress will evidence a growing refusal to be complicit with a strategy that seeks dominating profit and power over and against creation. Identification with the poor—Vocational progress in a previous age of an evolving and muscular economics in religious congregations could easily lead one to take comfort in the increasing number of ministries and convents, schools, houses and properties that the community owned or held. Religious life once had its own form of the “prosperity gospel.” Not so today! Vocational progress today must account for a new identification with the poor and marginalized, those left out and individuals and groups left behind in our new gilded age of greed. Vocational progress will be measured by a deeper identification with and service to those who are being swept away by the rising tides of economic isolation and discrimination. Flexible, efficient, dedicated to immediate pastoral care—In the past, religious congregations built durable structures of ministry and service. We built formidable edifices of charity and justice: schools, hospitals, and social service agencies. These were buildings that were meant to last. They signaled staying power. They required vocational skills of endurance, patience, survival, stamina, and resilience over the long haul. Accordingly, formators overlooking these fortified ministry sites looked for candidates who could endure and sustain “muscular” ministries, services meant to establish a people in a locale with an education that would secure a career and a character for a lifetime. We are in a different time that requires different skills and distinct signs of vocational progress. We are in a time where ministries must be flexible and services must be immediately responsive. If Pope 18 | HORIZON | Fall 2017
Francis’ image of the church as a “field hospital” rather than a fortress is an apt descriptor of our ecclesial situation, then the progress of our candidates should look more like the maturity of an emergency room nurse than that of that financial officer in a paneled office, with all due respect to the creativity and imagination that the latter requires. If the times in which we live require a “field hospital” mentality, then the qualities candidates need perhaps must shift to become more dynamic and immediately responsive. The qualities needed in an ER nurse teach us what to expect of our candidates in the fast-paced, complex, and increasingly complicated moral world in which we live. Nurse educator Beth Hawkes has described the qualities and characteristics required of an emergency department nurse. She notes that they must be flexible (able to go rapidly from one patient situation to the next), tough (able to project calm in the midst of drama and tragedy), efficient time managers (managing multiple needs at once without wasted effort), and able to avoid bogging down in detail. Hawkes’ adapted description of the emergency department nurse may indicate some new traits that women and men religious need in the field hospital of today’s church environment. Obviously, no hospital would survive with only professionals who race and are non-detail oriented, and who triage only at high speed and without tears. This is true of religious life as well. We cannot all be shifting gears constantly. Some of us have to create stability and the controlled and structured environments that make contemplation possible. At the same time, it would do us well to consider the specific traits and distinct characteristics required of prophetic ministry in the 21st century. Our more complicated and globalized world may demand of us flexibility more than staid endurance, agility more than simple perseverance “in the life,” and ability more to triage pastoral situations than to simply transmit the formulas of faith. Under these conditions, the measures of vocational progress would include: faithful flexibility, Gospel toughness, Kairos time management skill, and a dedication to immediate pastoral care.
Spiritual and psychological traits new members need This final set of “measures of vocational progress” come from the intrinsic dynamics of the very vocation we have chosen, from the tension between our high transcendent call (our Gospel values and congregational charism) and Couturier | Signs of Readiness
our own developed or under-developed emotional traits (our attitudes and needs). A large body of psychological literature and vocational evidence is now available on how religious life actually progresses and how it is significantly impeded by the emotional traits we establish early in our development and in the tension and challenges of our family life. This literature reminds us that readiness or progress in our lives as religious is more than a process of surmounting the social, cultural, ecclesial and generational issues of an age. Religious life is primarily a deep encounter with the Lord. It is a conversation and, one might even say, a “confrontation” with the Lord, the One who meets us on every road to Emmaus with a challenge to return to Jerusalem and face the cross with all its love and humility. The psychological literature on religious life indicates that its progress is not assured by high ideals alone. The motivation for entering, staying, and thriving in religious life is more complicated than holding and proclaiming the virtues of religion. That motivation is always complicated by emotional needs inside of us for such things as aggression, domination, autonomy, change, dependency, etc. Sometimes these emotional needs are recognized and worked with. At other times, they remain largely unknown, unrecognized, and unregulated. As such, they impede our progress and stifle our ability to fully develop ourselves. The late Luigi M. Rulla, S.J., was a psychiatrist and clinical psychologist who specialized in the field of religious vocational development. He enumerated several signs of vocational progress, based on years of studying the psychological and spiritual dynamics of those who entered, stayed, or left religious life. His signs of vocational readiness—or vocational progress for those already in formation or beyond—remain a powerful guide today. I have adapted his ideas for this article. They remain his powerful insights and the result of his profound psychological work to which I am indebted. Ten signs that a person has the qualities needed for religious life are the following. 1. The individual has the capacity to face reality. A person who is confident and assured in a religious vocation doesn’t have to downplay difficulties, avoid problems, cut doubts, run away from issues, or escape into activity to deal with his or her world. A vocationally prepared individual doesn’t downplay the problems he or she sees in others and doesn’t need to exaggerate them either. The individual will confront issues, rather than escape from them. Couturier | Signs of Readiness
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2. The individual can integrate his or her needs with vocational values and attitudes. Someone making progress toward religious life (or within religious life) knows that he or she has emotional needs. This person has accepted emotional needs as a real part of his or her life and is working to become more mature in the approach to God and others. This person does not have to deny or minimize emotional needs. This individual does not have to make believe that she or he is perfect. The engine of this person’s life is Christian values, and this person works to make sure her or his emotional needs serve those values and not the other way around. 3. The individual can maintain tension when working on her or his spiritual life. The person recognizes that spiritual growth is hard work and that such growth is filled with paradox and develops in fits and starts. This individual uses the tension for his or her zeal and the achievement of vocational ideals. This person does not cut corners or look for quick relief for emotional needs. 4. The individual does not sacrifice principles for pragmatism. These individuals know what they stand for and are strong in conviction but flexible when it comes to the implementation and adaptation to real life circumstances. Those ill-prepared for religious life will be aggressive and angry in the defense of their principles. Mature people don’t have to be. They are secure enough to be firm but charitable, kind and convincing at the same time. They can be pragmatic and principled at the same time, sacrificing neither to expediency. 5. The individual does not need to be propped up or constantly reassured that he or she is doing well. The individual is not frustrated or dislodged when others are not providing a constant flow of affirmation. The person knows who he or she is and what he or she stands for. The individual resists from slacking off when those in authority are not around. 6. The individual knows the difference between essentials and accidentals in the faith. The person is secure in values and willing to put them to work in various settings. The person does not need to hammer home principles at every opportunity; nor does the person fall prey to every new spiritual fad that comes along. 7. The individual trusts others. Because the individual can trust him or herself, he or she has confidence in others. The person is free of inner turmoil between emo20 | HORIZON | Fall 2017
tional needs and values and does not need to project that turbulence onto others or be defensive. The individual is not aggressive with others, openly or passively, because he or she has accepted that the primary competition of life is inside of ourselves. 8. The person is dependable. With a realistic selfassurance, she or he makes decisions consistent with her or his values, respecting the freedom of others in the process. Immature people, on the other hand, are either grossly independent or dependent. They feel threatened by superiors or people of more formidable skills and so avoid cooperation or collaboration as a defense against a fragile autonomy. Undependable individuals require endless assurances and so attach themselves to any alternative and supposedly “superior” power source. 9. The individual bounces back after difficulty. It is not that the individual is perfect and never fails. No one, except God, is perfect in all things. The individual fails and stumbles from time to time but is also resilient. The person comes back and has an inner capacity for renewal, knowing that he or she controls his or her destiny. 10. The person has internal flexibility. The individual is not stuck in place, either emotionally or ministerially. She or he can be flexible and move from one situation to the next without falling apart. The person’s inner values provide strength and an ability to integrate emotional needs. These characteristics help the individual to not be blind sided by the maneuvers involved with new people or unfamiliar situations. §§§§§§ What we need to live religious life well is determined by the times in which we live, the charisms we espouse, and the engagement of our personalities with the transcendent values we hold. We live in a complicated, globalized world that can challenge the stability, endurance, and perseverance that once characterized religious life. Our times require an agile, flexible, attentive and immediate pastoral care, especially with those who are being hurt and excluded by unforgiving economic forces. The personal qualities of our faith and emotional lives also must be healthy to live consecrated life well. May God grant each of us already in religious life and those of us discerning religious life the grace we need to build a stronger narrative of deepening communion with all of God’s creation. n Couturier | Signs of Readiness
Photo by Tim Cody
During the Assumptionist immersion program in France Father Andre Madec, A.A. shares a story with Geofrey LaForce while Andrew Fernandez and Brother Brian Verzella, A.A., left, look on.
The Assumptionists tried taking discerners abroad for a deeper, wider exposure to their charism. The experience was positive for all.
International immersion for discerners
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HE NEWSPAPER EDITOR HORACE GREELEY is often credited with telling 19th century Americans to head west. If we take the phrase figuratively (ignoring its connection to the problematic idea of Manifest Destiny) it’s a great metaphor for a new adventure. “Heading west,” in this sense, means trying new things, testing the waters. Religious orders should also be heading west. The 21st-century is a time of transformation and change in the church. It’s a time for everyone, as Pope Francis has put it, to be disruptive. This disruption should also be happening in vocation ministry. So here’s a disruptive suggestion: head west. For the religious order that I work for “heading west” has meant shedding our fears of sending potential candidates abroad. We recently made a conscious decision to make our internationality a key part of what we show discerners. I work in the vocations office for the Augustinians of the Assumption—Assumptionists, for short—and though the congregation is worldBishop | Immersion
By Jonathan Bishop Since January of 2016, Jonathan Bishop has served as the vocation coordinator for the Augustinians of the Assumption, a French-founded religious congregation whose American branch is located in Massachusetts.
Fall 2017 | HORIZON | 21
Photo courtesy of the Augustinians of the Assumption
Spending time together to better understand the Assumptionist charism was an important feature of the immersion trip. Pictured here, left to right, are Geoffrey LaForce, Father Andre Madec, A.A., Andrew Fernandez, Tim Cody, and Brother Brian Verzella, A.A.
wide, with some 900 religious to its name, its American branch is, to put it bluntly, old. And that’s OK. The Assumptionists, in that respect, aren’t much different than other religious orders and congregations in the United States. But we figured if discerners were exposed only to what we have in the United States, then they might assume the congregation is dying—it isn’t—and so decide not to enter. Introducing them to our brothers and ministries abroad, we reasoned, might We figured if help them realize there are discerners were many, many different opporexposed only to tunities in the congregation. If what we have they enter, they won’t get stuck in the United as if in a dead-end job. So after speaking internally States, then they about an international immermight assume sion and volunteer program the congregation and presenting it to the rest is dying—it isn’t— of the congregation, we began and so decide asking young people and the not to enter. students at the college we sponsor if they were interested. We had some bites and so pulled together a group of four—three discerners and one religious brother. The group arrived in France June 14, 2017 and returned home August 17. The experience ended up being significant for their vocational discernment in several ways. The discerners got to experience a unique ministry the French Assumptionists operate. In Conflans-SainteHonorine, a town of about 34,000 not far from Paris, one of our communities runs a parish that literally floats on the water because it takes place on a former barge. Our community members there work with Tibetan refugees. The group of four also had the chance to serve in Paris with the Missionaries of Charity, the congregation 22 | HORIZON | Fall 2017
founded by Saint Teresa of Calcutta. In addition those who took part in this new Assumptionist summer immersion program participated in two pilgrimages, one tracing the footsteps of Emmanuel d’Alzon, founder of the Assumptionists, and another to Lourdes.
Significant impact For each of the young people who took part, the trip was an astounding experience. Tim Cody, an Assumption College rising sophomore, was one of the discerners attending the trip, and called the experience a “joy.” “It [was] truly an honor to serve the Lord in this vibrant and active way, and I am grateful that I was able to sacrifice my summer to do so,” he said. (Because of the length of time involved, the participants had to give up two months of summer employment.) Andrew Fernandez, a recent graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, said the immersion helped him consider candidacy with the Assumptionists. “The mission in France has led to much growth for me and my teammates,” he said, calling it an “adventure.” “Working with the impoverished and meeting people throughout France has brought us incredible joy,” he added. Joy: both of them focused on it and said the trip filled them with it. Besides encouraging men to consider our way of life, that was our hope: that anyone who traveled with us and stayed with us would become immersed in our charism and come to know religious life better. As Father Ron Sibugan, our vocation director, put it, the program gives participants an opportunity to “sense the joy of religious life.” “Through this program, participants immerse themselves in the Assumptionist charism, its mission, its internationality, and its community life,” he said, noting that those who took part could go on pilgrimages, visit our youth hostel, and work with refugees. “It’s clear that Bishop | Immersion
Could other small congregations with an international presence try what we have tried? I like to think of this program in terms of sharing. Not all religious are like this, of course, but in my two years working as a lay vocation minister, I’ve noticed many congregations can be hesitant to talk about themselves. And that’s a good thing, in a way: it shows members are humble. But traveling and volunteering is a way for potential candidates to directly meet the congregation—and every congregation is interesting. Communities might consider what to show people internationally and then go from there. Bishop | Immersion
by Father Ron Sibugan, A.A.
A concept for other congregations?
Photo
all of these experiences are gifts that we can share with both the church and the participants.” It’s this ethic of sharing that will, we think, move people to consider joining us, or at least tell their friends about us. God works on his own time. So a young man who comes on our immersion trip might not have any strong desire to become a priest or brother, but then, five or ten years later, he might reflect on what he experienced while volunteering with us, sense a spark of our charism in himself, and begin a serious discernment with the Assumptionists. Praise God. Of course, we would like this to happen to everyone, but there are different vocations. Our hope, then, is that the spirit of the Assumptionists will illuminate the lives of anyone who takes part in this program. As d’Alzon said of his approach to education—and it certainly applies here—we’re not looking to only create seminarians. Instead we want to help people become more attached to God. So where will we take this program of immersion and volunteering? We’re certainly going to keep it in Europe. Our pilgrimages to Lourdes and in the footsteps of d’Alzon were extremely popular, powerful, and moving—and we think having our discerners experience this will change their lives no matter what their vocational path might be. But as I mentioned above, we’re not only in the United States and Europe. We’re worldwide. In addition to what we offer in France—and in the United States, Canada, and Mexico—we have a language school in the Philippines, one in which we’d like to involve potential candidates. We’ve also just opened a high school in Kenya, and it needs volunteers. We might replicate what we’ve seen happen in France in both of these locations: introduce discerners to a rich, vibrant Assumptionist culture, one that is outside of their own.
Missionaries of Charity sisters and volunteers ministering in France (above) were among those the participants met.
In terms of logistics we’ve found it hasn’t been too burdensome. One thing to recommend: make sure your brothers and sisters abroad are on the same page. Communication is likely going to be the biggest hurdle, but once it’s cleared, everything else should be fine. Accommodations should be inexpensive if discerners stay with the community. If the community also takes care of their meals, discerners won’t have to worry about food. We’ve asked the discerners to pay for their own travel expenses—but we also encouraged them to seek help as needed. Our program is about two months long. Other congregations might want to organize something longer or shorter, but we’ve found this a manageable length. Something else we’ve done is make this part of the formation program for our student brothers. For Brother Brian Verzella, A.A., who accompanied the discerners on this trip, this immersion program will be one of the many steps on his road to final vows. Using an immersion-volunteer program seems like a good way for the Assumptionists to encourage potential candidates. And volunteering in general does seem to be associated with close consideration of church vocations. According to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate, or CARA, 37 percent of full-time volunteers have considered a vocation to religious life or the priesthood. Twenty-seven percent have said they “very seriously” considered church vocations. So head west. Send your potential candidates abroad. Share what your order or congregation has to offer. Along with the Assumptionists, you may find it a worthwhile adventure. n Fall 2017 | HORIZON | 23
The easiest way to deal with legal issues is to know ahead of time about the concerns that could affect you. Pictured here is Sister Pat Dual, O.P. (right) with Yahaira Rose.
What you need to know about civil and canon law
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By Donna Miller Donna Miller, J.D., J.C.L., is the associate director for civil law for the Resource Center for Religious Institutes, located in Silver Spring, Maryland.
24 | HORIZON | Fall 2017
OCATION WORK IN RELIGIOUS INSTITUTES is an important ministry, with many intrinsic rewards from the contact with faith-filled young people. However over the years the need for vigilance regarding legal issues has grown. This includes vigilance in both canonical and civil law. Vocation directors frequently seek guidance on questions such as: How much can we ask about a candidate’s financial assets? What does canon law say about candidates to religious life? How do we deal with salary and tax issues during formation? How should we handle some of the special issues regarding older, widowed, and divorced candidates? What should we do with the records that are generated during the formation process? In-depth answers to these questions could fill volumes of books. But we can look at a few best practices that can help vocation directors stay within legal constraints. Two initial canons from the Code of Canon Law help lay the foundation for any legal analysis, both civil and canonical. Canon 219: All the Christian faithful have the right to be free from any kind of coercion in choosing a state of life. Canon 220: No one is permitted to harm illegitimately the good reputation
Miller | Civil and Canon Law
which a person possesses nor to injure the right of any person to protect his or her own privacy.
In essence, these two canons call for respect for all persons. Inherent in this respect is a recognition that everyone has a right to a good reputation, to privacy, and to confidentiality. But where there is a right, there is a corresponding duty or responsibility. So, in return for having these rights respected, the candidate must act openly and responsibly so as not to call into question any of the candidate’s motives and actions.
Candidate criteria One of the first canonical questions a vocation director faces is who can be a candidate. Canon 641 tells us that the right to admit an individual to formation belongs to the major superior, as provided within the institute’s own proper law. (Proper law refers to the institute’s own canonical governing documents.) We can derive some fundamental characteristics from canon 643, which tells us who cannot be a novice: someone under age 17; a spouse during a marriage; one bound by sacred vows or bonds; someone forced into religious life; someone whom leadership is forced to receive; someone with concealed incorporation in a religious institute or a society of apostolic life; and anyone with other impediments contained in the institute’s own proper law. It is critical to note that these characteristics stated in canon law affect validity. This means that they cannot be ignored or dismissed as irrelevant. If it is discovered that a candidate was admitted to the novitiate while one of these invalidating impediments existed, the novitiate is invalid. Leadership will need to consult a knowledgeable canonist to find out what, if anything, can be done to remedy the situation. If one of these impediments surfaces at the start of a candidate’s affiliation, it may be possible to get an indult, that is, it may be possible to get permission to proceed in spite of the impediment. If it is discovered during or after novitiate, intervention by the Holy See may be necessary in order to proceed with formation. If it is discovered during or after novitiate, a sanation will be necessary to overcome the impediment. Otherwise a candidate will have to repeat novitiate when and if the impediment is cured. In addition to the characteristics in canon 641, we find in canon 642 that candidates for novitiate must have “the health, suitable character, and sufficient qualities of maturity to embrace the proper life of the institute.” The canon allows for the use of experts to help verify that these are present, while cautioning that the good reputaMiller | Civil and Canon Law
tion of the candidate is to be protected. Canon 645 next requires that the candidate provide proof of valid baptism, confirmation, and free status— that is, the absence of a marriage bond or a prior profession in another institute or society. Although citizenship or permanent Candidates for novitiate residency in the United must have “the health, States are not canonically suitable character, and required, these are recomsufficient qualities of mended requirements due maturity to embrace to the dilemma that can arise if a non-citizen or the proper life of the person without the right institute.” The canon to stay permanently in allows for the use of the United States enters experts to help verify formation and then is these are present. required to leave the United States. There are additional requirements in canon 645 for clerics, and the institute’s own proper law can add to the list.
Assessment policies Once the initial criteria are met, the vocation director must screen candidates in light of the needs and roles that members fill within the specific institute. The area of sexual abuse of minors is deservedly a key concern of vocation and formation directors. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) developed the Essential Norms for Diocesan/ Eparchial Policies Dealing with Allegations of Sexual Abuse of Minors by Priests or Deacons in the early years of this century, and they provide some guidance. Religious institutes of men often opt to seek accreditation through Praesidium, which has developed its “Standards for Accreditation” over the last dozen or so years. Even though an institute may not be required to adopt or follow these standards, they can provide guidance. Of course many other areas of inquiry should also be pursued with candidates. Note that because members (and those seeking membership) are not employees of the religious institute, the constrictions of employment rules do not apply to interviews conducted with candidates. Following are some areas to explore, although this list is not comprehensive: • Family background • Employment • Education Fall 2017 | HORIZON | 25
• Who owns the solicited information? • Who receives and stores the information? • What is it used for? • How long is it kept? • With whom can it be shared? • Should there be more than one file on a candidate? • What value does the file have over the years? • Are there civil laws that protect the privacy of candidates? • Do health privacy laws (HIPAA) apply to any information from candidates?
Personal finances
Men religious talk to each other at an event of the National Religious Vocation Conference. It’s important to have clear and open communication from the very beginning with those joining a community.
• Physical health • Mental health • Sexuality • Social relationships • Spiritual development • Vocational discernment • Ministry experience • Financial assets and obligations • Use of social media Even though members and candidates are not employees of the religious institute, it usually is still necessary to get a release signed to get information about the candidate from third parties. When it comes to delving into these categories of inquiry, note that there is no one-size-fits-all release that a candidate can sign. The same release used to obtain a candidate’s enrollment and grade records from a school should not be expected to cover the release of medical information or employment records. When working with a legal expert to develop releases, the community should include the reason it needs the information, who has access to it, and how long the community will keep the information on file. Other considerations for vocation directors are: • Who conducts each stage of interviews? • What credentials are required of the interviewer? • Should the community tape the session?
26 | HORIZON | Fall 2017
Vocation directors should know the status of a candidate’s financial situation. Types of financial documentation to request and examine are those dealing with obligations, indebtedness, retirement benefits, real property, and any existing trusts. Each of these categories should be discussed in detail with candidates, and all expectations must be clearly stated from the outset. It is not only awkward but potentially a “deal-breaker” to let these matters go until shortly before the candidate is to take first vows. Honesty and clarity are essential so that candidates do not feel ambushed at the last minute with news that they must sell property or that they will be expected to give their pension or Social Security benefits to the religious institute. A. Obligations Obligations that must be explored include those that a candidate may have—either legally or morally—for parents or siblings. If there are adult children, leadership should not assume that they are self-sufficient and will not have needs or expectations of the candidate. Frank conversations should be had about whether these offspring have the means and the ability to care for themselves. Guardianships that currently exist or which may be future possibilities should also be discussed. On at least one occasion I have seen the problems that resulted from not bringing up these obligations during an application to enter a community. A vowed sister had been appointed through a Last Will and Testament to be guardian for minor children if something were to happen to the parents. No one ever expects a tragedy to happen, but in this case it did, and the religious sister involved then had to decide whether to accept the role of guardian for her three nieces and nephew. Since the
Miller | Civil and Canon Law
Redemptorist Renewal Center
religious sister had no income of her own, a very frank discussion had to occur with leadership. Luckily sufficient funds were available in the deceased parents’ estate for the care of the children. Eventually other arrangements were made with another family member, but there was a great deal of agonizing in the process. The member admitted that she knew the provision was in her brother’s will years earlier, but never thought to mention it to leadership or to ask her brother to change it. B. Indebtedness Contractual agreements are another area that should be explored. Sometimes these can be financial, such as when there is indebtedness. Many religious institutes do distinguish between educational debt and credit card debt, with the former being treated more favorably. If a member has a home mortgage, the community needs to discuss in depth the expectations about the property. If a candidate has experienced bankruptcy, the community must have an honest discussion about that as well. Even if a bankruptcy petition was dismissed before it was adjudicated, the community needs to diligently explore reasons for the debt. C. Retirement plans With many candidates now entering religious life at a mature age, it is not uncommon for a candidate to have earned in whole or in part the right to a pension. The issue of ownership of retirement income must be discussed with the candidate forthrightly. Two possibilities exist regarding ownership: it will be owned by the institute, or it will be owned by the member. Ideally the institute’s proper law will have a provision dealing with this issue. In the event that there is no such provision, the Resource Center for Religious Institutes (RCRI) encourages communities to add a provision to their proper law clarifying that retirement income would belong to the institute. Admittedly, there are varying opinions on the treatment of retirement income earned prior to entry. The RCRI contends that, in fairness, a new member should not give away retirement income (which has the intended purpose of caring for the recipient in later years) and then be forced to rely in later years on the institute’s assets that other members earned through their gifts and service in the community. If there is no guidance in proper law, canon 668, §3 does provide that retirement income belongs to the institute. Nevertheless it is wise to discuss this issue before the candidate completes novitiate and takes vows.
Miller | Civil and Canon Law
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D. Real property Generally, it is recommended that a candidate who owns real property not be asked to give away those assets until final profession or thereafter. This is because the chances that a candidate will leave the community are greater before final vows. During early formation, if a candidate has a place to go, he or she may feel less pressure about the possibility of leaving. In other words, communities do not want a candidate to stay simply because he or she has sold off property and feels trapped. Naturally a number of things need to be taken into account in this decision-making process. Most importantly there needs to be a source of income for the upkeep of the real property so that maintaining it is not a factor for the candidate. If rental income from the property would cover all costs, then the burden on the member (or more specifically, on the administrator) is likely to be minimal. In any case, it is generally a best practice for a candidate to liquidate all real estate in the days prior to final profession, with the income being given away or added to the candidate’s patrimony, in accord with proper law. E. Existing trusts It isn’t possible in this article to fully discuss all the issues surrounding trusts and new members. However, it is important to ask candidates whether they are involved in a trust or expect to be the beneficiary of a trust. If the candidate is involved in a trust, it is important to: • Request a copy of the trust document • Determine who is the grantor; the trustee; the beneficiary • Determine whether the trust is revocable or irrevocable • Determine whether the terms of the trust will affect eligibility for public benefits • Determine whether payouts from the trust constitute patrimony (belongings of an individual sister, brother or priest), or are the payouts income to the religious institute? • Ask if the candidate is willing to forego access to her or his own funds and not use the money for her or himself if the possibility arises. The final point about not using trust funds can be a tough conversation to have, but early full disclosure and understanding can save headaches in the future. In addition, if a candidate indicates that she or he is considering setting up a trust with assets owned prior to entry, the community will want to make sure to engage a knowl28 | HORIZON | Fall 2017
edgeable canon lawyer and a civil lawyer who can help determine the future impact, particularly with respect to the member’s eligibility for public benefits.
Taxation of income When it comes to money that a religious earns, some relatively black-and-white guidelines exist. In the IRS Revenue Ruling 77-290 (www.irs.gov/pub/irs-tege/rr77-290. pdf), the factors to apply regarding income of a member are these: • The employee is a member of an institute or society listed in the Official Catholic Directory (OCD). • She or he is under a vow of poverty (e.g., is a professed member). • The employing organization is listed in the OCD under a diocesan listing. • The employee’s entire compensation is remitted to the institute or society. Thus, when we apply these factors to a candidate for membership (an aspirant, postulant, or someone involved in a live-in experience prior to formal membership) clearly the individual must pay taxes on earned income since he or she is neither a member nor under a vow of poverty. Thus, if the candidate or novice has income, even if he or she gives it to the institute, the income is taxable.
Files and their maintenance The maintenance of files on candidates and members can bring about some troublesome legal situations. The word “confidential” is often used in relation to files, but it is important to note that the very fact that there is a file means that there are limitations to the privacy and confidentiality that can be afforded to the documents contained therein. Suffice it to say, if there is a document, then it is likely that a subpoena can induce its production in a court of law. Thus, if there is some fact that is absolutely not meant to be discoverable in a court of law, it should never be put into writing. Even then, it can still be the subject of questioning, but the reliability and veracity of such disclosure is essentially predicated upon the accuracy and truthfulness of the person recalling the information from memory. In reality, little can be done to completely protect documents and files from disclosure. Luckily the occaMiller | Civil and Canon Law
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sion for subpoenas are rare and, thus, not to be feared. Still, maintaining the integrity of files on members and candidates is important. It is recommended that the institute maintain a policy that is specific as to: • Who has access to a particular file? • Who may use the file’s content? • How is a record of documentation maintained? • What timeline is used for destruction of materials in each file? Lastly, and most importantly, documents should be maintained only for the stated purpose for which they were gathered in the first place. For example, if a psychosexual assessment is to be conducted prior to completing postulancy, and the candidate is told that this will be used for determining entrance into novitiate, then once the candidate is admitted, the assessment should be purged from the file. If the true intention is that the assessment will be used for future comparison and for re-consideration when the novice approaches first vows, Miller | Civil and Canon Law
then this must be conveyed to the candidate prior to the assessment being conducted. It is fundamental to formation that communities maintain respect for the person and for the rights of the community. All involved in vocation work—in both the initial entry and the formation process—will serve each other well if they keep in mind the two canons mentioned at the start of this article: canon 219, which recalls that “all the Christian faithful have the right to be free from any kind of coercion in choosing a state of life,” and the admonition in canon 220 that “no one is permitted to harm illegitimately the good reputation which a person possesses nor to injure the right of any person to protect his or her own privacy.” n
Read more “Canon law on entering a religious community,” by Father Frank Morrisey, O.M.I. 2014 HORIZON, No. 3. Fall 2017 | HORIZON | 29
Let the Spirit breathe
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EING CONTEMPLATIVE allows us to be instruments of the Holy Spirit. So, when we hear people say that they desire to live more contemplatively, this doesn’t mean they want a quiet life or a pain-free life removed from all the tensions and stresses.
Living contemplatively means being more deeply grounded in God. It is standing back from the ways in which we serve the world through all the ministries that we do and taking a look at how we let the Spirit breathe and move through us.... Diminishment in numbers has required us to become conscious of the fact that the essence of religious life is less about what we do than about who we are.
—Father Donald Goergen, O.P. in Transformational Leadership: Conversations with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious
Film notes
Father Sebastiano Rodrigues, S.J. (James Garfield) with one of the Christian martyrs in Silence, Mokichi (Shinya Tsukamoto).
Silence turns a spotlight on vocational questions of how to live with faith and integrity.
Silence provokes core questions
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OT LONG AGO, I witnessed an interview of filmmaker Martin Scorsese about his 2016 film Silence. His observations about the nature of a spiritual journey made me sit up and listen and eventually get my hands on a copy of the movie. The delicate touch that his film, Silence, brings to its multiple spiritual themes is why I recommend it to vocation directors and anyone curious about what happens when our ideas about faith, sacrifice, suffering, and fidelity are disrupted and challenged to the core. Like many movies, Silence is about vocation even though that word is never used. It focuses on core vocational questions of how to live with faith and integrity. Based on the book Silence by Shusaku Endo, the film’s story revolves around two young Jesuits in the 1600s who convince their superior that they should be sent to Japan to find Father Cristóvão Ferreira, a Jesuit priest who has renounced the faith, which is undergoing severe persecution under an anti-Christian regime. Their superior had been reluctant to send them because so many priests had been killed in Japan. Film Notes
By Carol Schuck Scheiber Carol Schuck Scheiber is publications editor for the National Religious Vocation Conference. She edits HORIZON, NRVC’s e-newsletter and social media, and is content editor of VISION Vocation Guide.
Fall 2017 | HORIZON | 31
The book and film are historically accurate; Japan in the early 17th century had hundreds of thousands of Christians, but authorities mercilessly persecuted them. After many thousands of laity and clergy were tortured and killed for refusal to renounce the faith, Japan effectively wiped out Christianity which has only a small following of 1 percent of its population today. At the outset of Silence two young Portuguese priests prevail upon their superior to send them to discover the truth of what has happened to their beloved mentor, Father Ferreira, played superbly by Liam Neeson. These two priests are willing to sacrifice their lives if that is what it takes to build the church in Japan. This conversation in Portugal about risking it all for God happens in the beginning of the film, but viewers already know from the opening scene that Christians in Japan who die for the faith are subjected to gruesome public torture first. The glib willingness to risk martyrdom seems more twisted than admirable to this viewer anyway. It’s hard for me to imagine the reverence for martyrdom that was common during this period, as I’m pretty sure I’d make a very bad Christian if I had to prove it by withstanding even 10 minutes of torture. My repulsion at this embrace of “torture for God” aside, the questions underlying the movie’s central theme are excellent. Without offering any simple answers, Silence forces viewers to ask: What would I risk to live my faith fully? What would I give up—what have I given up—to follow Jesus? When you’ve laid down your life for God, what happens if God is silent? One thinks of Mother Teresa of Calcutta’s long desolation treated in Mother Teresa: Come be my Light. When you thought you were following God and all falls to ashes, does that mean you never really heard God? If not, what does it mean? The central characters—Fathers Sebastiano Rodrigues and Father Francisco Garupe, beautifully played by Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver respectively— have an ominous start when they arrive in Japan, take refuge in a dark, wet cave, lose their hapless guide, and are startled by a Christian who arrives at the cave bearing a torch. At first the two priests can’t tell whether the torchbearer is friend or foe. They are afraid. And the element of fear persists as the complex situation of the small Christian community is revealed. These Christian peasants are barely surviving in a hidden, hand-to-mouth life. But caring for the Christian community turns out to be deeply rewarding for the two young priests. With other priests dead, the people have longed for the sacraments and the Eucharist. Rodrigues and Garupe are useful; they are wanted. At this point, the truths of Mother 32 | HORIZON | Fall 2017
Church are sweet. But later, the priests are each forced to confront the authorities, and Scorsese doesn’t allow viewers to simply bask in the light of Christ. Japanese authorities question, and expose, an underlying arrogance in the zeal of Father Rodrigues to spread the faith. We witness the internal struggle within Rodrigues when he is under intense pressure, prays, and hears nothing. The silence of God seems as much a torture as anything else. For awhile Rodrigues was the man with the answers, the happy priest whose beleaguered flock desperately wanted him. But what is he doing? Where is Jesus when Rodrigues needs him? Silent. Thank goodness for a movie that allows believers and nonbelievers alike to see that the internal struggle to unite with God doesn’t go away with ordination. Lay, cleric, or religious, Silence tells us the path to God is sometimes sweet and consoling. And other times, it can seem hollow, as clouded by swirling mists as the mountains in this movie. An aside about those mountains and their shifting clouds and mists and the steep terrain that is both beautiful and treacherous: this is a gorgeous movie to watch. The cinematography by Rodrigo Prieto is evocative and beautiful and has just the right touch, which is why it was nominated for an Academy Award. Father Rodrigues’ suffering with his flock and for his flock under these extreme conditions struck me as both exotic (unlikely I’d ever have to face that) and familiar (yes, I know what spiritual confusion feels like). This is why the film is so rich. Silence lets viewers wrestle with many important questions and it doesn’t deliver pablum for answers. It’s not all that interested in answers, but what good questions it raises: Is it right to assume God’s absence in a culture because the Catholic Church is absent? Is God present in the suffering of the faithful and how? Is it better to renounce the faith and choose life? To renounce the faith and thereby allow other Christians to live? The film also hints that humiliation can play a role in the spiritual journey. Is Father Rodrigues able to hear Christ precisely because he has been brought low through imprisonment and trauma? The questions of this movie can be hard. If you can tolerate a movie that has violence and is long (two hours and 15 minutes), and if you like a story that digs into internal activities as much as external events, and if you prefer complicated characters and shades of gray—get your hands on Silence. Vocation directors and those considering religious life will have much to think about long after the movie ends. n Film Notes
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