Building Vocations Awareness Through a Creative Lens

In vocation ministry, collaboration is the name of the game, with associates, professed and other community members working together to further discernment in our communities.

Take Cristo Rey St. Martin in Waukegan. Director of Campus Ministry Jim Dippold regularly invites Viatorians to be a part of retreats. Most recently, Br. Peter Lamick, CSV and Br. Jhobany Orduz, CSV joined Br. John Eustice, CSV, our Director of Vocation Ministry, at a student retreat. They shared vocation stories and helped students break open God’s invitations, including considerations of religious life or priesthood.

In Arlington Heights, Associate Ann Perez assists Fr. Daniel Lydon, CSV, President, with animating mission. Mrs. Perez and the Theology Department have been working with Br. Eustice year over year to incorporate more vocational discernment in the four-year curriculum. Br. Lamick, Associate Brian Hansen, and their colleagues have helped build perennial activities, including the vocations fair and special classroom visits by Viatorians.

Additionally, Br. Lamick, Br. Orduz, and Br. Rob Robertson, CSV, who live in Arlington Heights, are bringing vocational discernment to Viatorian communities in Nevada. The three brothers teamed with Associate Rosy Hartz and Br. Eustice to compile a video for Cristo Rey St. Viator. Administrators Fr. Thomas von Behren, CSV, and Br. Carlos Flórez, CSV, used the video to help students explore vocations during Catholic Schools Week. These brothers also adapted

Saint Viator High School plans to take them on the road to theology students at Viatorian-founded Bishop Gorman High School.

In Bourbonnais, Fr. Dan Belanger, CSV, enlisted Vocation Ministry to collaborate on an Advent reflection series for St. George Parish. Vocation Ministry helped create handouts and a display banner while parish Associates Paula Wasser and Curt Saindon contributed reflections to the series. Across town, Fr. Jason Nesbit, CSV, and Fr. Moses Mesh, CSV, hosted a “Come and Be” weekend on behalf of Vocation Ministry. Br. Eustice invited several religious sisters, brothers and priests to join the parish for Masses and engage with parishioners afterwards. Additionally, Associates Michelle and Ken Barrie and colleagues at Bishop McNamara Catholic School invited Br. Eustice to talk about vocations on one of their retreats.

In the wider community, vocation colleagues often invite Viatorian collaboration. Br. Eustice has visited the Sheil Catholic Center at Northwestern University for several vocation-related events. Viatorians also participated in St. Hubert Parish’s (Hoffman Estates, IL) major annual event with vocations outreach to their youth, and at a vocations event at St. Mary School (Buffalo Grove, IL), which is led by a former SVHS teacher.

Our provincial strategic plan aims to capture and build on this momentum with its first goal: increasing vocations to Viatorian religious life and association. Together, Fr. Patrick Render, CSV, our Coordinator of Association, Br. Eustice, and Pre-Associate Dan Masterton are leading a team of Viatorians focused on vocation ministry. The goal is to inculcate a culture of vocations awareness across the province. The group is identifying methods and formation to help Viatorians be the voice of God’s invitation to religious life and association. We believe our faithful prayer and action will continue to build vocations culture and attract people to Viatorian association and religious life.