MESSAGETONRVCMEMBERS
The grant period for the National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations (NFCRV) runs from January through April each year (see Guidelines for exact dates).
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Please be reminded NRVC members are eligible if:
1. Your current NRVC dues are paid.
2. You have not received a grant in the prior year.
3. You have a current candidate with college debt who has not yet entered your order/institute.
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Click here for guidelines and online application.
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Also, please note that per the guidelines for the Misericordia Fund: “Religious institutes receiving a grant from the National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations (NFCRV) are ineligible to apply to the Misericordia Fund for additional financial assistance.”
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If you have any questions, about NRVC membership, please contact Marge Argyelan at margyelan@nrvc.net, or call
773-363-5454.
As a member of the National Religious Vocation Conference, your community is eligible to apply for an NFCRV grant.
History of the establishment of the Fund
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The National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations (NRCRV) started in 2014 with an initiative of the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) in collaboration with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation as a response to alleviate the problem of deferred vocations due to educational debt. (See original announcement below.)
The Board of Directors of the National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations is grateful to the assistance of all NRVC members who shared their stories with us so that we were able to accurately assess the extent of the obstacle of educational debt to vocations to religious life.
Below is the original message sent by then-NRVC Executive Director, Br. Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C.
to NRVC members regarding the establishment of the fund.
2015 YEAR OF CONSECRATED LIFE
Dear NRVC member,
With the enclosed materials, I am pleased to introduce you to the National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations (NFCRV), an initiative of the National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) in collaboration with the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
The 2013 NRVC/CARA Study on Educational Debt and Religious Vocations, clearly documented that student loans held by young people were a serious barrier, complicating, delaying and even thwarting many vocations to religious life. The newly established NFCRV is NRVC’s response to ameliorate this problem and to increase the number of women and men entering religious institutes. Although the NFCRV will currently only accept applications from women’s religious institutes, with concentrated fundraising, we look forward to issuing similar grants to NRVC men’s religious institutes as well. This understanding is to be faithful to the stipulations of the original grant issued to NRVC by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.
The establishment of this Fund has been an extraordinary journey of collaboration with many people committed to ensuring the future of religious life. I am honored and delighted that His Eminence, Cardinal Sean O’Malley, O.F.M. Cap. has accepted my invitation to serve as Honorary Chair of the NFCRV. In addition, I am equally grateful to Brother Ronald Hingle, S.C., who has agreed to be the first Chair of the NFCRV Board, and to Mr. Mark Teresi, who will begin his role as full-time Director of the NFCRV in May. With over 30 years of experience in fundraising and development, I am confident that Mark will create a firm financial base for the Fund and for its future.
During this Year of Consecrated Life, Pope Francis has invited all consecrated women and men to look to the future with hope. I invite you to pray with me for the successful partnership of the National Religious Vocations Conference and the National Fund for Catholic Religious Vocations. May it be a sign of hope to the debt-burdened women and men who aspire to religious life and to those religious institutes who wait to receive them.
With prayerful assurance that God will continue to bless and strengthen you in your vocation ministry, I remain
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Brother Paul Bednarczyk, C.S.C.
NRVC Executive Director
