National leaders in vocation, formation, marriage and family life, ethnic ministry, and youth ministry met at the Embassy Suites Hotel O’Hare-Rosemont in Rosemont, Illinois, a Chicago suburb, August 29–31, 2011, for the 24th annual vocation seminar sponsored by the J.S. Paluch Company, Inc.
Most Rev. Ronald P. Herzog, Bishop of Alexandria and member of the USCCB Committee on Communications, delivered the keynote address entitled Emerging Tools for Ministry. Ms. Kim Cavallero, Board Chair of the National Communicators Network for Women Religious (NCNWR) and Director of Communications for the American Province of the Society of the Holy Child Jesus, gave the opening presentation entitled Update Your Status & Reach the Masses: You’ll “Like” This.
The seminar also featured a panel on social media with Rev. James Gallagher, CSC, Director of the Office for Vocations of the US Province of the Holy Cross Priests and Brothers, Ms. Julie Gilberto-Brady, Communications Director for the School Sisters of Notre Dame, Ms. Tanya Mullin, Communications Associate and IT Specialist for the Sisters of St. Martha of Antigonish, Nova Scotia, and Sr. Julie Vieira, IHM, A Nun’s Life Ministry. Seminar participants then experienced breakout sessions featuring hands-on application and demonstrations of teleconferencing, live podcasting, using FaceBook, YouTube, blogs, and Twitter, and prioritizing and selecting social media best suited to various vocation ministries. Br. Paul Michalenko, ST, served as seminar facilitator.
The NVAD Leadership in Vocation Ministry Award was presented to A Nun’s Life Ministry, founded by Sr. Julie Vieira, IHM, and Sr. Maxine Kollasch, IHM, for pioneering efforts in the creative use of social media for vocation awareness.
