As members of the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) and compelled by our directional statements, we are called to uphold the Gospel values of justice, dignity, and belonging in all aspects of our ministry. In a time when our sister and brother immigrants and refugees face unjust treatment, exclusion, and fear, we reaffirm our unwavering commitment to cultural transformation and to the inherent dignity of every person, particularly those on the margins. 

Religious life has long been shaped by the faith and witness of immigrants. From the earliest missionaries to today’s international congregations, our Church has been enriched by people who have journeyed across borders in search of safety, opportunity, and the freedom to respond to God's call. As consecrated religious, we are called not only to welcome but also to accompany those in need, walking alongside them with compassion and solidarity. 

As vocation ministers, we recognize that fostering religious vocations today requires a conscious and ongoing practice of intercultural transformation – the ability to approach others with openness, self-awareness, and a willingness to learn from those whose experiences differ from our own. Accompaniment challenges us to journey with immigrant communities, to share in their struggles and hopes, and to work together for hospitality and mercy. Intercultural transformation and accompaniment compel us to confront systemic inequalities, to listen deeply to the stories of immigrants and refugees, and to create spaces where all are welcomed, respected, and empowered to discern God's call. 

In light of the current treatment of our sister and brother immigrants, we:

• Decry the dehumanizing policies and practices that criminalize migration and separate families, contrary to Catholic teaching and the values of religious life; 
• Affirm the right of every person to migrate in pursuit of safety, stability, and dignity, as articulated in Catholic social teaching and in the joint pastoral letter Strangers No Longer: Together on the Journey of Hope (2003) 
• Stand in solidarity and accompaniment with immigrant communities, many of whom form the heart of our parishes, schools, and religious congregations; 
• Commit to cultivating an interculturally transformative vocation ministry, recognizing that diversity is not a challenge to overcome but a gift to embrace; 
•  Encourage our members and communities to actively listen to, accompany, and advocate for immigrant and refugee populations with compassion and justice. 

We acknowledge that intercultural transformation is not a destination but a lifelong journey. In vocation ministry, this means continually examining our attitudes, structures, and practices to ensure that they reflect the inclusive love of Christ and the global nature of the Body of Christ. 

As we accompany individuals discerning a call to religious life, we do so with a renewed awareness that God's call transcends borders, languages, and cultures. Let us be faithful stewards of that call by building a culture of vocation rooted in Gospel values and deep respect for every person’s sacred story. 

Published by the National Board, September 2025

Current NRVC National Board

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The National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) affirms its commitment to fostering a vocation culture rooted in the Gospel, where all people are valued and accompanied with reverence and respect. In our ministry of vocation promotion and discernment, we recognize the urgent call to practice intercultural transformation – a lifelong posture of self-awareness, learning, and openness to transformation through encounter.

Intercultural transformation invites us to:

• Reflect on our own cultural identities, assumptions, and biases;
• Listen deeply to the experiences of others, especially those from communities historically underrepresented in religious life;
• Acknowledge the impact of systemic injustice, racism, and exclusion within the Church and society;
• Promote intercultural dialogue and relationships marked by mutual respect and understanding;
• Create inclusive spaces where discerners from all cultures feel seen, heard, and empowered to respond to God's call.

As religious vocation ministers, we recognize that intercultural transformation is essential to authentic accompaniment. It compels us to move beyond intercultural competence toward a spirituality of encounter, upholding the image of God in each person and embracing the richness diversity brings to consecrated life.

In alignment with Catholic Social Teaching and inspired by the words of Pope Francis, we strive to build “a culture of encounter” that values unity in diversity (Fratelli Tutti, 216). We commit ourselves to ongoing formation, dialogue, and collaboration, trusting that the Holy Spirit continues to call the People of God from every culture, language, and background into the beauty and mission of religious life.

May our efforts reflect professional integrity and the prophetic witness of Christ, and may we be humble servants of the Spirit’s work in every generation.

Published by the National Board, September 2025

Current NRVC National Board

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As a professional organization comprised of nearly 1,000 members representing more than 300 religious institutes and organizations in 20 countries, the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) feels compelled to speak at this moment to strongly and publicly condemn racism in all its forms and manifestations. We stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers who have suffered injustice and discrimination. We are heartily sorry for the pain they have suffered and continue to endure and for our own complicity, actions, and omissions that played a role in furthering the legacy and reality of systemic racism.

We are resolved to once more review and address our policies and practices for a clear, bold stance of inclusiveness of all races, cultures, and mixed cultures. We commit to identify and root out any policies and practices that conflict with an anti-racist position because we firmly believe that all people are created in the image and likeness of God.

NRVC aims to serve as a catalyst for vocation discernment and the full flourishing of religious life as sisters, brothers, and priests for the ongoing transformation of the world. The NRVC has long been committed to respecting the dignity and diversity of our membership as well as to equipping vocation ministers to invite and accompany an increasingly diverse community of women and men to life as Catholic sisters, brothers, and priests with both confidence and competence. However, we recognize that our work in anti-racism is not complete because not all of God’s people feel safe and respected for who they are given the color of their skin.

NRVC therefore recommits to the following action steps as a way of furthering the personal and professional growth of our members and contributing to the ongoing transformation of society:

• Incorporating the values and principles of anti-racism and intercultural competency in our planning and programming as well as in decisions undertaken by the National Board.
• Providing additional tools and resources to our members on anti-racism and inclusion in our professional journal HORIZON, on the NRVC website, and in our current and future programming of workshops and institutes.
• Committing to featuring program speakers and presenters as well as HORIZON and VISION Vocation Guide authors who represent a diversity of races and cultural backgrounds.
• Working together with the leadership of the African American Religious Vocation Committee in identifying and/or creating additional tools and resources, as the Board, Member Area Coordinators, and National Office Staff commit to further educate ourselves and our members about the history and legacy of racism, our unconscious bias, as well as what steps can be taken to combat this grave social sin.  

May God who has begun this work in us bring it to completion!

Published by the National Board in 2020.

Current NRVC National Board

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Statement on Sexual Abuse 

In light of the recent findings of widespread sexual abuse at some of the highest echelons of the church, we feel compelled to speak at this moment of suffering and despair.

First, we stand in solidarity with the victims and are heartily sorry for the pain they have suffered and continue to endure.

Second, we recognize the hurt, anger, and impatience that those who truly love the church are feeling regarding this prevailing evil.

Third, we also recognize the challenge each new accusation brings to our mission and ministries as a church and as promoters of vocations.

No words of apology will ever be adequate. But there are measures and actions that we can take, should take, and in some cases, have taken.

• We must hold perpetrators and those complicit in the crimes accountable.
• We must tend to the victims, offering them hope and healing and our prayers.
• We must strengthen, adopt, and adhere consistently to safeguards and protocols outlined by our institutes and the wider church to protect the vulnerable and provide supervision and transparency.
• We must adequately assess and screen candidates to religious life and holy orders.
• We must train and offer ongoing formation to vocation directors and other leaders in religious life to ensure that religious communities admit only healthy and integrated adults and address those already in the community who may not be.

As an organization of women and men religious, we commit to advocating on behalf of the victims and for the sake of the future of religious life and the church by standing against a culture of indifference and silence. We commit to a renewed effort to shape a culture of accountability and transparency starting with ourselves and our own religious institutes. We promise our sincerest prayers for healing and wholeness for those who have been victimized. And above all, we embrace the hope of our faith that “we possess the prophetic message that is altogether reliable” … that through all our efforts, together as one church – lay, religious and clergy – we can serve as “a lamp shining in a dark place, until day dawns and the morning star rises” (2 Peter 1:19).

Published by the National Board, August 2018