Session 11
vocation
How can we discern our callings?
"The kind of work God usually calls you to is the kind of work (a) that you need most to do and (b) that the world most needs to have done... The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet."- The Rev. Frederick Buechner, "Wishful Thinking" (1973)
readings
Vincent Harding, “I Hear Them…Calling” (1972)
Thomas Merton, "No Man Is an Island" (1955)
Denise Levertov, “Annunciation” (1989)
refractor
Fr. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C. is a professor of philosophy and the President Emeritus of the University of Notre Dame. Elected in 2005 as Notre Dame’s 17th president, Father Jenkins served four terms in his position before stepping down in May 2024. He has been committed to combining teaching and research excellence with a cultivation of the deeper purposes of Catholic higher education. In his inaugural address in 2005, Father Jenkins articulated the vision that Notre Dame would be “one of the preeminent research institutions in the world, a center for learning whose intellectual and religious traditions converge to make it a healing, unifying, enlightening force for a world deeply in need.” Father Jenkins earned undergraduate and advanced degrees from Notre Dame, a doctorate of philosophy from Oxford University, and a master of divinity and licentiate in sacred theology from the Jesuit School of Theology at Berkeley.
co-curricular events
Navigating Academic Noise w/ Prof. Kate Mahon
Nov 15
Cut through the noise. Listen for a call. Guided by Professor Kate Mahon of the Academic Discernment & Exploration Office, this workshop invites you to step away from the panic of spring schedule planning and enter into a community space of collective discernment. We will map the real pressures dictating your schedule, engage with grounding texts to challenge the transactional mindset of college, and work through the noise to find your authentic curiosity.
Vocations Student Panel w/ Fr. Pete McCormick, C.S.C.
Nov 16
What is Your Deepest Longing? Fr. Pete McCormick, C.S.C., will serve as moderator of a panel discussion consisting of a diverse group of Notre Dame students. The discussion will invite you to think deeply and imaginatively about your own vocation by hearing student panelists share about their own vocational discernment during their time at Notre Dame. Learn more
Discernment Workshop w/ Campus Ministry
Nov 17, 19
How do I know it's God's voice? This evening workshop is an opportunity to practice a particular discernment process in the Ignatian tradition. Bring a current or upcoming choice or decision related to your vocation or a major life decision to this workshop. You and your peers will experience an Ignatian four-step process for making this decision.
Additional Resources
Listen to an interview of the Rev. Vincent Harding about his life’s vocation to cultivate the “beloved community” envisioned by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Watch the documentary Soul Searching, which depicts the spiritual journey of Thomas Merton as he seeks to respond faithfully to his calling.
Listen to Denise Levertov, author of “Annunciation,” reciting several of her poems.
Watch a conversation between Father Jenkins and Lou Nanni '84, '88 M.A., Vice President for University Relations about Fr. Jenkins' vocation as a Holy Cross priest informs his professional life and leadership.