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We have many insightful articles, resources, and interactive features online to assist you as you discern your life's calling and explore religious life.

Sections

Prayer and Discernment
- The three keys to successful vocation decisions Read »
  - To discern your vocation means to sort through the movements of your heart and unfold the truth of who you most deeply are.
- Five steps to better prayer Read »
  - Prayer helps us to know and love God more. Through prayer we become more and more the kind of person we really want to be: a person of love, integrity, compassion, forgiveness, and joy.
- Pray all ways—three ways to begin Read »
  - Prayer traditions observed in a small “monastery town” can lead to new prayer horizons and practices as well as a newly energized prayer attitude.
- How to survive a "quarterlife crisis" Read »
  - People don't necessarily settle into their lives in their 20s anymore. Sometimes it seems that life itself is filled with experimentation, change, and uncertainty.
- How do I know God's will for me? Read »
  - Are you trying to figure out God’s will for your life? You need look no further than scripture, the church, and your own personal history.
- The brothers will be my prayer Read »
  - Thirty-three Ecuadorian nuns and a monk of Mepkin Abbey taught Cistercian Brother Dismas Warner that finding a God he cannot see involves trusting the visible, all-too-human community.
- In God we trust Read »
  - A veteran vocation director reflects on the process of finding the life choice that will allow you to be most at home with yourself.
- Dear Discerner: Notes on love and promises Read »
  - For you who are considering religious life, trust in God and in your experience of falling in love with the good future that God holds before you.
- How to know where God is leading you Read »
  - In exploring a call to religious life, certain attitudes are crucial for success: openness, trust, expectation, and inner freedom.
- Four steps to hearing your call Read »
  - Throughout the ages, people have struggled to understand God’s call to them. Four basic steps of discernment—becoming aware, gathering information, making a decision, and looking for confirmation of your choice—can help.
- Let God’s Word open the door to your heart Read »
  - Praying with scripture can help you hear the voice of the Spirit stirring inside your heart and inviting you to break open the Bible and come to know God more personally.
- Point and click to pray Read »
  - A guide to websites that bring prayer and spiritual development
    right to your computer.
- It all begins with a call Read »
  - From Abraham to Peter, Andrew, James, and John to the disciples on the road to Emmaus and extending to you, scripture reveals that nothing is so life-changing as the call we hear that originates in God.
- Nine ways to open up God's will for you Read »
  - During my 35 years as a vocation counselor, I've discovered nine steps to help people find what they want--and what God wants for them.
- What does it mean to say that God is calling me? Read »
  - Jesuit Ignatian tradition sees God as actively and personally involved in each of our lives....God is engaged in a lifelong dialog with us. Our role in the dialog is to pay attention, listen, and try to respond.
- Prayer sustains my vocation Read »
  - Each day as I grow in my awareness of the community in which I live, I see health problems, relationship problems, and addictions. These problems, by the grace of God, I bring to the eucharistic table.
- My four months at a house of discernment Read »
  - For four months during 2001 I lived at Emmaus House--a Toledo, Ohio "house of discernment" run by the Sisters of Notre Dame.
- Finding the right fit Read »
  - No two religious communities are alike. An insider gives tips on what to look for and the questions to ask when exploring religious communities.
- Likes God Read »
  - Likes God:
    The place for curious Catholics
    
    Sponsored by the VISION Vocation Network
- Be a saint in your own way Read »
  - Everyone is a unique creation of God, and the way to sanctity is to be your unique self.
- Ten things to know about discerning a vocation Read »
  - Out of a long and sometimes challenging journey to religious life come these ten suggestions for others still in discernment.
- A user’s guide on the ways to pray Read »
  - From formal to informal to spoken to silent, the Catholic faith offers a wealth of prayers and ways to pray.
The Art of Discernment
- Make no little plans Read »
  - Preeminent 20th-century architect Daniel Burnham advised his associates: “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably will not themselves be realized...”
- No place like home Read »
- Just take it Read »
  - on Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”
- How the Samaritan found his vocation Read »
  - WHO WAS the Good Samaritan? We don’t know for sure, but it is clear that he was a layperson, not a religious professional. In fact, it is probable that he was some sort of businessperson...
- Mysterious encounters Read »
- Truth in stenciling Read »
Religious Life
- Enter the real world of community life Read »
  - Three skills are absolutely essential to community life:
    Look to the future. Persevere in the present. Tell the truth.
- Uncovering the mystery of celibate love Read »
  - I don't know why but I'm fulfilled in this life, and that alone is Mystery to me.
- Eight myths about religious life Read »
  - Contrary to popular misconceptions, religious orders aren't filled with crooning priests, flying nuns, and crotchety church ladies ready to rap your knuckles.
- Does chastity matter? Read »
  - Our values assist us in making responsible choices, including how to use and not misuse the sexual energy that makes us the vital people we are.
- Family matters Read »
  - It’s good to get the support of your family when you choose a church vocation, but it doesn’t always happen—at least not at first.
- Thriving among the generations Read »
  - Younger members of religious communities talk about living out their call in multigenerational settings.
- Religious Life Timeline Read »
  - RELIGIOUS LIFE THROUGH THE CENTURIES
    From the days of the ancient desert monks to new forms of community today, religious life has always responded to the challenges of the times. Here’s a sampling of the major moments in the history of religious life.
    
    Download VISION's Religious Life Timeline.
- Celibate chastity: One way to be a sexual person Read »
  - Why did I choose a life and continue to choose a life that includes celibate chastity? Because of the deep sense of happiness I’ve found in this way of living.
- Five reasons we need religious communities Read »
  - Knowing and working with a number of men and women in religious communities, I have found that they enrich our world with five qualities that clearly demonstrate why we need them.
- Follow your passion Read »
  - At the time I wrote this poem, I had been a social worker in Newark, New Jersey for many years, working with families whose stories could keep you up at night. Then in the 1980s, in addition to poverty and addiction, these same families confronted a new struggle: HIV and AIDS.
- Chastity is for everyone Read »
  - Chastity is more than a list of don'ts. It's a way of harnessing our sexual energy for good, whatever our state of life: single, married, ordained, or vowed.
- Community: We're on your side and at your side Read »
  - Saying your solemn "Yes!" in monastic vows means being welcomed into a community of believers who commit themselves to rooting for you and encouraging you all along your way.
- Trust God and hit the road Read »
  - A 300-mile journey in the spirit of Saint Francis became a pilgrimage of trust—in God, one another, and the people encountered along the way.
- Why I encourage my kids to consider religious life Read »
  - I've met and worked with hundreds of generous, Spirit-filled priests, brothers, and sisters. Many of them have a happiness that comes from the inside, from dedicating their lives to something with lasting meaning.
Sisters
- For Sister Jamie Phelps, life’s joys outweigh struggles Read »
  - Whatever Sister Jamie Phelps, O.P. “gave up" to become a religious sister, has “come back a hundredfold," says the educator, psychiatric social worker, community organizer, liturgist, choir director, spiritual director, and theologian.
- A wild ride with the Holy Spirit Read »
  - When you're on a life adventure, you never know what's awaiting you around the next bend. "My life has gotten larger, yet more intimate."
- A free spirit finds her niche Read »
  - The past 30 years have been a wild ride—one I would not have missed for the world.
- Sister Dorothy Stang: Her dying shows us how to live Read »
  - Sister Dorothy Stang, an advocate for the peasant farmers in the rainforests of Brazil, made powerful enemies who eventually gunned her down as she read from scripture.
- How a 16th-century nun guides me in religious life Read »
  - As a child Sister Julie Vieira chose Saint Teresa of Avila as a confirmation name and pretty much forgot about her. But over the years Teresa remained with this I.H.M. sister, waiting for Sister Julie to come by her convent cell and chat awhile.
- Serving as the finger of God Read »
  - The Oblate Sisters of Providence want the world to feel the touch of God’s love, and they’re working on it one child at a time.
- Teacher first, sister always Read »
  - For Sister Lee Ann McNally, R.S.M., ministering to prisoners started as a new adventure, but it was also an extension of the work she is sure God had in mind for her right from the start.
- Stopping long enough, I heard God’s call Read »
  - I had succeeded in athletics and my career, and I had never lacked materially. But all of that paled to insignificance after being at the Queen of Angels Monastery.
- A new sister looks at the vows Read »
  - As my life shifts and takes new turns, I continue to grow in my experience and understanding of the vows that will anchor my life: poverty, chastity, and obedience.
- Taking my vows to heart Read »
  - When I was a novice I was intensely learning our values of communal and private prayer, work, study, leisure, and hospitality. Today, I'm trying to take what I have learned and actually apply it to real life.
- Call me sister Read »
  - “You have to be strong in your identity—who you are and whose you are,” says Sister Patricia Ralph, S.S.J., and “not allow anyone to take your dream away.”
- Sisters form a colorful bouquet Read »
  - The unique call to sisterhood draws a wide array of followers.
Missionaries
- Jesus at the door Read »
  - Whenever people in need come to Father Vic Subb at an “inconvenient” time, he remembers the words of one of his brother priests: “That was Jesus on the phone.”
- Mission to South Africa: Living in joyful hope Read »
  - Despite the many difficult tasks of being a missionary—not to mention the elephants and rhinos—Father Dermot Roache sees hope. “We are a people of the Resurrection! Hope is part of our being.”
- Sister Dorothy Stang: Her dying shows us how to live Read »
  - Sister Dorothy Stang, an advocate for the peasant farmers in the rainforests of Brazil, made powerful enemies who eventually gunned her down as she read from scripture.
- Missionary sister falls in love Read »
  - With intentions of being a do-gooder, I arrived in Mexico; instead I have been enriched and humbled by the goodness I’ve discovered.
- Lessons in love from central Brazil Read »
  - In 1963, the Sisters of St. Francis of Mary Immaculate—the Joliet Franciscans—answered a call to work in Brazil. Today, both U.S. and Brazilian sisters make up the community in Brazil. They work in parishes, run a school, and train health workers.
- Catholic sisters thriving in a Muslim world Read »
  - Catholic sisters have quietly carved out a Christian presence of loving service in the largely Muslim North African country of Tunisia.
- Religious communities offer help in Haiti Read »
  - After the devastating earthquake in Haiti, religious communities have been responding to people’s needs with faith, dedication, and service.
Being Catholic
- Enter into the divine Read »
  - At Mass, people frequently start with themselves. What would happen if they started with God?
- Faith and everyday life Read »
  - Being a Christian means adopting a certain way of life, and spirituality is living the Christian life in the concrete situation where we find ourselves.
- Does chastity matter? Read »
  - Our values assist us in making responsible choices, including how to use and not misuse the sexual energy that makes us the vital people we are.
- Holiness is for everybody Read »
  - If God is content that an individual is trying his or her best (for the moment) to fulfill God’s hopes, that person qualifies as a saint.
- Following Jesus: Be ready for some surprises Read »
  - How do we imitate Jesus? By looking like him or duplicating his actions? How about praying to make us feel the way he did?
- Ten great things about being Catholic Read »
  - Some may settle for a baptism, wedding, and funeral in the church and feel they’ve gotten the best. But if you choose to live all the moments in between from the perspective of the Catholic worldview, you can enhance your life beyond your wildest imaginings.
- Full of grace: Reclaiming the rosary Read »
  - Praying the mysteries of the rosary we weave our intentions, thoughts, imagination, emotions, and desire for union with Christ.
- Catholic social teaching: a guide Read »
  - You shouldn’t have to learn about Catholic social teaching on the streets—but that’s not a bad place to start!
- Back in God's embrace: <br>How to make a good Confession</br> Read »
  - Confessing our sins helps us to recognize our weaknesses and our need for God's forgiveness and embrace.
- What Catholics believe about Jesus Read »
  - Son of God, a human being, a healer, one who gave his life for the world and is present with us today—all these and more answer the question: Who is Jesus?
VISION spotlight
- Give us this day our daily blog Read »
  - The blogosphere is not lacking when it comes to Catholic religious life and discernment.
- Workers in the virtual vineyard Read »
  - Communications and technology are advancing at an incredible rate. Members of Catholic religious orders—as the following stories show—are keeping pace.
- Help is at hand: Guidebooks on the way to religious life Read »
  - VISION ASKED VOCATION MINISTERS in the U.S. and Canada to recommend some of the best books on life as a priest, religious sister, or religious brother. What follows is a list of some of the good reading they recommend.
- Lives that lead to God: Biographies and memoirs Read »
  - Find out what's new and interesting in the vocation-related books.
- More sacred places: Where beauty and grace meet Read »
  - VISION 2010 featured a photo story on the spaces religious communities have renovated or built for worship and prayer (click here to view that story in our digital edition). Due to space constraints we could not feature all of the submissions we received. Here are some additional photos of the truly spectacular worship spaces religious communities enjoy.
- Inspired images Read »
  - Members of religious communities connect beauty and the sacred—and their religious vocation with their art.
- More inspired images Read »
  - VISION received many items about the art of members of religious communities. Here is the art and artists who were not featured in print and digital editions of the 2011 Catholic Religious Vocation Discernment Guide, as well as more about the artists whose work appears on page 136 of the magazine.
- More about the artists . . . . Read »
  - More about the artists whose work appears in "Inspired images" and on page 136 of the 2011 edition of the VISION Catholic Religious Vocaton Discerment Guide.
- Created in community Read »
  - From mustard to candles to picture frames, religious communities make products that support their way of life and extend their mission.

Prayer and Discernment
- The three keys to successful vocation decisions Read »
  - To discern your vocation means to sort through the movements of your heart and unfold the truth of who you most deeply are.
- Five steps to better prayer Read »
  - Prayer helps us to know and love God more. Through prayer we become more and more the kind of person we really want to be: a person of love, integrity, compassion, forgiveness, and joy.
- Pray all ways—three ways to begin Read »
  - Prayer traditions observed in a small “monastery town” can lead to new prayer horizons and practices as well as a newly energized prayer attitude.
- How to survive a "quarterlife crisis" Read »
  - People don't necessarily settle into their lives in their 20s anymore. Sometimes it seems that life itself is filled with experimentation, change, and uncertainty.
- How do I know God's will for me? Read »
  - Are you trying to figure out God’s will for your life? You need look no further than scripture, the church, and your own personal history.
- The brothers will be my prayer Read »
  - Thirty-three Ecuadorian nuns and a monk of Mepkin Abbey taught Cistercian Brother Dismas Warner that finding a God he cannot see involves trusting the visible, all-too-human community.
- In God we trust Read »
  - A veteran vocation director reflects on the process of finding the life choice that will allow you to be most at home with yourself.
- Dear Discerner: Notes on love and promises Read »
  - For you who are considering religious life, trust in God and in your experience of falling in love with the good future that God holds before you.
- How to know where God is leading you Read »
  - In exploring a call to religious life, certain attitudes are crucial for success: openness, trust, expectation, and inner freedom.
- Four steps to hearing your call Read »
  - Throughout the ages, people have struggled to understand God’s call to them. Four basic steps of discernment—becoming aware, gathering information, making a decision, and looking for confirmation of your choice—can help.
- Let God’s Word open the door to your heart Read »
  - Praying with scripture can help you hear the voice of the Spirit stirring inside your heart and inviting you to break open the Bible and come to know God more personally.
- Point and click to pray Read »
  - A guide to websites that bring prayer and spiritual development
    right to your computer.
- It all begins with a call Read »
  - From Abraham to Peter, Andrew, James, and John to the disciples on the road to Emmaus and extending to you, scripture reveals that nothing is so life-changing as the call we hear that originates in God.
- Nine ways to open up God's will for you Read »
  - During my 35 years as a vocation counselor, I've discovered nine steps to help people find what they want--and what God wants for them.
- What does it mean to say that God is calling me? Read »
  - Jesuit Ignatian tradition sees God as actively and personally involved in each of our lives....God is engaged in a lifelong dialog with us. Our role in the dialog is to pay attention, listen, and try to respond.
- Prayer sustains my vocation Read »
  - Each day as I grow in my awareness of the community in which I live, I see health problems, relationship problems, and addictions. These problems, by the grace of God, I bring to the eucharistic table.
- My four months at a house of discernment Read »
  - For four months during 2001 I lived at Emmaus House--a Toledo, Ohio "house of discernment" run by the Sisters of Notre Dame.
- Finding the right fit Read »
  - No two religious communities are alike. An insider gives tips on what to look for and the questions to ask when exploring religious communities.
- Likes God Read »
  - Likes God:
    The place for curious Catholics
    
    Sponsored by the VISION Vocation Network
- Be a saint in your own way Read »
  - Everyone is a unique creation of God, and the way to sanctity is to be your unique self.
- Ten things to know about discerning a vocation Read »
  - Out of a long and sometimes challenging journey to religious life come these ten suggestions for others still in discernment.
- A user’s guide on the ways to pray Read »
  - From formal to informal to spoken to silent, the Catholic faith offers a wealth of prayers and ways to pray.
The Art of Discernment
- Make no little plans Read »
  - Preeminent 20th-century architect Daniel Burnham advised his associates: “Make no little plans. They have no magic to stir men’s blood and probably will not themselves be realized...”
- No place like home Read »
- Just take it Read »
  - on Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”
- How the Samaritan found his vocation Read »
  - WHO WAS the Good Samaritan? We don’t know for sure, but it is clear that he was a layperson, not a religious professional. In fact, it is probable that he was some sort of businessperson...
- Mysterious encounters Read »
- Truth in stenciling Read »
Religious Life
- Enter the real world of community life Read »
  - Three skills are absolutely essential to community life:
    Look to the future. Persevere in the present. Tell the truth.
- Uncovering the mystery of celibate love Read »
  - I don't know why but I'm fulfilled in this life, and that alone is Mystery to me.
- Eight myths about religious life Read »
  - Contrary to popular misconceptions, religious orders aren't filled with crooning priests, flying nuns, and crotchety church ladies ready to rap your knuckles.
- Does chastity matter? Read »
  - Our values assist us in making responsible choices, including how to use and not misuse the sexual energy that makes us the vital people we are.
- Family matters Read »
  - It’s good to get the support of your family when you choose a church vocation, but it doesn’t always happen—at least not at first.
- Thriving among the generations Read »
  - Younger members of religious communities talk about living out their call in multigenerational settings.
- Religious Life Timeline Read »
  - RELIGIOUS LIFE THROUGH THE CENTURIES
    From the days of the ancient desert monks to new forms of community today, religious life has always responded to the challenges of the times. Here’s a sampling of the major moments in the history of religious life.
    
    Download VISION's Religious Life Timeline.
- Celibate chastity: One way to be a sexual person Read »
  - Why did I choose a life and continue to choose a life that includes celibate chastity? Because of the deep sense of happiness I’ve found in this way of living.
- Five reasons we need religious communities Read »
  - Knowing and working with a number of men and women in religious communities, I have found that they enrich our world with five qualities that clearly demonstrate why we need them.
- Follow your passion Read »
  - At the time I wrote this poem, I had been a social worker in Newark, New Jersey for many years, working with families whose stories could keep you up at night. Then in the 1980s, in addition to poverty and addiction, these same families confronted a new struggle: HIV and AIDS.
- Chastity is for everyone Read »
  - Chastity is more than a list of don'ts. It's a way of harnessing our sexual energy for good, whatever our state of life: single, married, ordained, or vowed.
- Community: We're on your side and at your side Read »
  - Saying your solemn "Yes!" in monastic vows means being welcomed into a community of believers who commit themselves to rooting for you and encouraging you all along your way.
- Trust God and hit the road Read »
  - A 300-mile journey in the spirit of Saint Francis became a pilgrimage of trust—in God, one another, and the people encountered along the way.
- Why I encourage my kids to consider religious life Read »
  - I've met and worked with hundreds of generous, Spirit-filled priests, brothers, and sisters. Many of them have a happiness that comes from the inside, from dedicating their lives to something with lasting meaning.
Brothers
- Why I hate Tuesdays and Thursdays Read »
  - An evening class takes this brother from a highlight of his day. Here’s why waiting for dinner can mean so much.
- Man with a mission Read »
  - Brother John Skrodinsky has always been passionate about serving those in need. When he found a religious community that cared as much as he does, he found his home.
- Being a brother is like surfing Read »
  - A former beach bum explains his vocation in terms of catching the perfect wave.
- How God tricked Duc Pham into becoming a brother Read »
  - Franciscan Brother Duc Pham says he found his call through false advertising. He answered an ad looking for a teacher but the Franciscans had other plans for him. He’s glad he followed their lead.
- Brother Mark Elder makes an art of spirituality Read »
  - Vincentian Brother Mark Elder, creator of some of the most striking murals in the United States and elsewhere, uses art in his quest to help the poor and disenfranchised.
- Why did I become a brother? Read »
  - Why did I choose to join the brothers? The answer is simple but profound: community. The brothers were my first experience of Christian community, an experience that triggered my search for religious life.
- Big Brother is watching you Read »
  - Holy Cross Brother Roy Smith has earned a reputation as someone who is always there for kids, or as his students at Holy Trinity High School in Chicago would say, he's got their backs.
- Brotherhood made simple Read »
  - If you are a brother, serving God by serving others is going to be the center of your life. It’s that simple.
- Why I love being a brother! Read »
  - Religious brotherhood can be way of life that will bring you deep peace, real fulfillment, and great satisfaction in knowing that you are closely following Christ.
Sisters
- Sister Dorothy Stang: Her dying shows us how to live Read »
  - Sister Dorothy Stang, an advocate for the peasant farmers in the rainforests of Brazil, made powerful enemies who eventually gunned her down as she read from scripture.
Priests
- Vocations in the works Read »
  - Why do some people explore the possibility of religious life? As the person in charge of ushering new members into his community, Father Marvin Kitten, S.J. wanted to know. So he put the question to the men he knew who were considering life as a priest or brother.
- The joy in being a priest Read »
  - The church should be a community in which people discover God’s delight in them. This is the ministry of priests. This is my life.
- What being a priest means to me Read »
  - If you are going to do something as radical as following a religious vocation, says Father Laurence Freeman, it would be wise to allow the process of conversion a chance to begin.
- Feeding Jesus’ friends Read »
  - Even in the face of opposition Sacred Heart Father Guy Blair and other homeless advocates did not shy away from their mission: calling people to do what they were supposed to do for the poorest of the poor.
- What does it take to be a good priest? Read »
  - Being a priest is an awesome honor and responsibility. To be of service to others is to be a channel of God’s grace, and that is the heart of this special vocation.
- Just call me Bishop Gustavo Read »
  - "I say to young people, 'God is calling you to something. Let’s find out what it is.' "
- Full circle for Father Manuel Williams, C.R. Read »
  - For Father Manuel Williams, C.R., there was no one blazing moment of insight that called him to the priesthood. Instead, he walked for years among priests and sisters who were always quietly planting seeds, making the world a better place. In time, he dared to follow them--all the way back home.
- Change today? One man's journey into priesthood Read »
  - A homeless person’s call for change hit me not as a request for money, but as a command for altering my life. I had to change, or my destructive and selfish ways would surely consume me.
- My mountaintop journey toward priesthood Read »
  - I believe God moves gently in most people's hearts, but with me he needed a hammer and one faithful dying man.
- A breath of Spirit Read »
  - Over the years I've learned that when a seminarian is good, he is very good and when he is not . . . it's best to do things yourself. I wasn't sure about the new guy yet.
- Ed's story: Lose a dream, find a life Read »
  - "I'd thought about being a priest, but I thought about it like most Catholic kids--idly, poking at the thought here and there, never really facing what it might mean, the joys of it, the hard parts, the reality."
- Three ways my community makes me the priest I am Read »
  - “I am a Franciscan and a priest,” says Father Jim Kent. “God’s call for me would have it no other way.”
- From break dancing to breaking bread Read »
  - As a priest Father Leo Patalinghug often celebrates the sacraments and gives presentations on faith issues. But he’s equally at home on the dance floor, cooking a big meal, or practicing martial arts.
- Blessed are we who comfort the mourners Read »
  - The experience of a friend’s death affirms a young seminarian in his vocation.
Missionaries
- Jesus at the door Read »
  - Whenever people in need come to Father Vic Subb at an “inconvenient” time, he remembers the words of one of his brother priests: “That was Jesus on the phone.”
- Mission to South Africa: Living in joyful hope Read »
  - Despite the many difficult tasks of being a missionary—not to mention the elephants and rhinos—Father Dermot Roache sees hope. “We are a people of the Resurrection! Hope is part of our being.”
- Sister Dorothy Stang: Her dying shows us how to live Read »
  - Sister Dorothy Stang, an advocate for the peasant farmers in the rainforests of Brazil, made powerful enemies who eventually gunned her down as she read from scripture.
- African dream: my 17 years in Kenya Read »
  - What I experienced those first months in Kenya is still my experience after all these years. The Kenyans are welcoming, hospitable, and extremely generous people.
- Catholic sisters thriving in a Muslim world Read »
  - Catholic sisters have quietly carved out a Christian presence of loving service in the largely Muslim North African country of Tunisia.
- Religious communities offer help in Haiti Read »
  - After the devastating earthquake in Haiti, religious communities have been responding to people’s needs with faith, dedication, and service.
Being Catholic
- Enter into the divine Read »
  - At Mass, people frequently start with themselves. What would happen if they started with God?
- Faith and everyday life Read »
  - Being a Christian means adopting a certain way of life, and spirituality is living the Christian life in the concrete situation where we find ourselves.
- Does chastity matter? Read »
  - Our values assist us in making responsible choices, including how to use and not misuse the sexual energy that makes us the vital people we are.
- Holiness is for everybody Read »
  - If God is content that an individual is trying his or her best (for the moment) to fulfill God’s hopes, that person qualifies as a saint.
- Following Jesus: Be ready for some surprises Read »
  - How do we imitate Jesus? By looking like him or duplicating his actions? How about praying to make us feel the way he did?
- Ten great things about being Catholic Read »
  - Some may settle for a baptism, wedding, and funeral in the church and feel they’ve gotten the best. But if you choose to live all the moments in between from the perspective of the Catholic worldview, you can enhance your life beyond your wildest imaginings.
- Full of grace: Reclaiming the rosary Read »
  - Praying the mysteries of the rosary we weave our intentions, thoughts, imagination, emotions, and desire for union with Christ.
- Catholic social teaching: a guide Read »
  - You shouldn’t have to learn about Catholic social teaching on the streets—but that’s not a bad place to start!
- Back in God's embrace: <br>How to make a good Confession</br> Read »
  - Confessing our sins helps us to recognize our weaknesses and our need for God's forgiveness and embrace.
- What Catholics believe about Jesus Read »
  - Son of God, a human being, a healer, one who gave his life for the world and is present with us today—all these and more answer the question: Who is Jesus?
VISION spotlight
- Give us this day our daily blog Read »
  - The blogosphere is not lacking when it comes to Catholic religious life and discernment.
- Workers in the virtual vineyard Read »
  - Communications and technology are advancing at an incredible rate. Members of Catholic religious orders—as the following stories show—are keeping pace.
- Help is at hand: Guidebooks on the way to religious life Read »
  - VISION ASKED VOCATION MINISTERS in the U.S. and Canada to recommend some of the best books on life as a priest, religious sister, or religious brother. What follows is a list of some of the good reading they recommend.
- Lives that lead to God: Biographies and memoirs Read »
  - Find out what's new and interesting in the vocation-related books.
- More sacred places: Where beauty and grace meet Read »
  - VISION 2010 featured a photo story on the spaces religious communities have renovated or built for worship and prayer (click here to view that story in our digital edition). Due to space constraints we could not feature all of the submissions we received. Here are some additional photos of the truly spectacular worship spaces religious communities enjoy.
- Inspired images Read »
  - Members of religious communities connect beauty and the sacred—and their religious vocation with their art.
- More inspired images Read »
  - VISION received many items about the art of members of religious communities. Here is the art and artists who were not featured in print and digital editions of the 2011 Catholic Religious Vocation Discernment Guide, as well as more about the artists whose work appears on page 136 of the magazine.
- More about the artists . . . . Read »
  - More about the artists whose work appears in "Inspired images" and on page 136 of the 2011 edition of the VISION Catholic Religious Vocaton Discerment Guide.
- Created in community Read »
  - From mustard to candles to picture frames, religious communities make products that support their way of life and extend their mission.

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