Religious sightings

. Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, Ordinary and Extraordinary Forms

. Loyalty to Magisterium

enter #333 at VocationMatch.com

Pray to Play

At NeumANN uNiversity in Aston, Pennsylvania sisters from the university’s sponsoring congregation have served as sports chaplains for many years. the main job of the sister-chaplains is to help players integrate their faith into their lives as athletes. “sometimes people don’t think of sports as being anything more than recreation or a way to make money,” said sister marie therese Carr, SISter MarIe thereSe Carr, O.S.F. with rachel Sokolovich, a 2009 volleyball player at Neumann University. O.s.F., chaplain to the women’s volleyball team at Neumann. “But it’s playing. it’s recreation. And God is in our play and our recreation. the more people realize that and play with the realization that God is in their midst, the better we’ll all be.”

Chaplains will also send motivational e-mails to athletes and attend practices to get to know players and make themselves available to them. the sisters who are chaplains at Neumann also take part in an evening of reflection for student athletes. inevitably the chaplains become passionate about their teams. “she’s been our biggest fan the past four years,” said a player on Carr’s volleyball team. —From Good News, a publication of the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia

More Catholics mean more religious vocations—we hope!

the number of Catholics in the world is now 1.16 billion, according to the Statistical Yearbook of the Church published by the Vatican in 2010 and comprising information from 2000 through 2008. that represents an 11.54 percent increase. the number of priests worldwide increased slightly over this nine-year period from 405,178 to 409,166. Nonordained religious men decreased from 55,057 in the year 2000 and 54,641 in 2008. Women religious continue to outnumber priests by almost 2 to 1, but their numbers have fallen from 800,000 in 2000 to 740,000 in 2008. “We all have a calling, and to figure out what we are called to has to do with living in such a way that we can hear that message in our lives.” –Jill Kress, I.H.M., VISION Catholic

Religious Vocation Network’s

SpiritCitings Blog

“I have a friend who says, ‘The worst thing that can happen to you in your life is not that your life plan fails. Rather the worst thing that can happen to you is that your life plan works. God’s plan for your life is always bigger and better than what you could have imagined.’ ” –Father Joseph Corpora, C.S.C., VISION Catholic Religious Vocation Network’s SpiritCitings Blog

Share your sightings If you spot a member of a religious community in the news, please e-mail the details to us at mail@vocationguide.org.

SEtting thE StagE for thE goSpEl

When Father Peter John Cameron, O.P. first inquired about becoming a Dominican friar decades ago, he had no idea he would someday combine his passion for theater with his newfound vocation.

For more than a decade, though, that’s exactly what Cameron has done as founder and artistic director of Blackfriars repertory theatre. the new York City-based company has been producing one to five plays a year since 1998, frequently drawing attention to stories from the gospels and the lives of saints. to Cameron it makes perfect sense for a Dominican priest to be immersed in the theater. “Dominicans have always had an attraction to and affinity for the arts,” he said. as for his community’s emphasis on preaching, he explains: “theater is an ideal way of preaching. It gives people a sense of what it is to be human, what is worth living for and dying for.” Furthermore, he adds, many people who do not go to church will go to see a play.

Over the years Cameron has gotten numerous letters from inspired audience members. “they are usually about people experiencing beauty and a new way of looking at things,” he says.

Learn more at www.blackfriarsrep.com.

FaTheR PeTeR John Cameron, O.P. founded Blackfriars Repertory Theatre in New York City in 1998.

Exhibit shines light on sisters’ impact

ThOuSaNdS of people around the united States are learning how american Catholic sisters have contributed to the nation’s development, thanks to the traveling museum exhibit Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America. Sponsored by the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, the exhibition

VISITORS  eNJOY  the Women & Spirit: Catholic Sisters in America museum exhibition. celebrates sisters’ roles in building hospitals, schools, universities, and orphanages, and their courage in arriving in wilderness areas to minister to Catholic families, nurse the wounded on both sides of the Civil War, and fight for civil rights through the 20th century. For more information see www. womenandspirit.org.

WoMEn & Spirit SchEDulE

September 24, 2010 - January 22, 2011 Statue of Liberty National Monument/ellis Island Immigration Museum (Liberty Island, NY) february 2011 - May 2011 Mississippi River Museum (dubuque, Ia) September 2, 2011 - December 31, 2011 Center for history in association with the university of Notre dame (South Bend, IN)

AS yOu lOOk at religious life, look at yourself and the person you are and ask God to help you see where you can best love others.

Six suggestions for anyone discerning religious life

God wants you to find the vocation that brings you a happy and holy life. Here are six ways to help you do it.

by Sally Willitzer

SO yOu tHInK you might be called to a religious vocation? Maybe there is a little nagging voice in your heart telling you there is something more. Perhaps you love learning about your faith, attending

Sally Willitzer is the director of religious education at St. Peters Parish in Huron, Ohio. Prior to that, she frequently served as a companion to young adults discerning religious life in her work as a university campus minister. She holds a master’s of divinity degree from the University of Notre Dame. Mass, helping others, or have been told you would make a great sister or priest. Whatever brought you to the point of opening the door to the idea, discernment is absolutely necessary. But how exactly does discernment work? Here are five suggestions to help anyone considering a religious vocation.

Pray

OK, so spending time in prayer might seem obvious—“I don’t need to read an article to tell me I should pray!” It is very easy, however, to become more focused on trying to make the right deci-