By Theresa Carson
The National Religious Vocation Conference (NRVC) has named two SVD Vocation Team members to its 2021-2022 Board of Directors.
Father Adam MacDonald SVD, who was elected to a second term on the NRVC Board last year, serves as co-vice chair. Len Uhal, who is national vocation director and vice president of admissions for Divine Word College, was re-elected this year.
“Each year, the members of the National Religious Vocation Conference Board drive the mission of our organization with their leadership, time, and dedication to incarnate our vision and values according to our strategic plan,” said Sister Deborah M. Borneman, SSCM, NRVC director of Mission Integration.
Father MacDonald has served in elected leadership in the executive committee since 2018, is part of the presenter team for the Orientation Program for New Vocation Directors and has served on the Development Committee. Mr. Uhal, who graduated from Divine Word Seminary in East Troy, Wis., serves on the NRVC Finance Committee and chairs the Development Committee.
Of the two men, she said, their “pastoral gifts, love of vocation, and ministerial leadership as an NRVC Board member are to be commended.”
Last year, the NRVC Board hosted a virtual biennial convocation with 392 participants from Canada, Ghana, Honduras, Ireland, Italy, Peru, Philippines, Spain, United Kingdom and United States. They also worked with a consulting group to develop an lntercultural Development Inventory to assess the group's level of intercultural competency to advance the field of intercultural vocation ministry and engage the culturally diverse young church.
The process was partially funded by a grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to create sustainable solutions to challenges in the organizational structure and financial model needed to build for the future of NRVC.
The SVD Vocation Team is based at Divine Word College in Epworth, Iowa. For more information about the team or to express an interest in becoming a member of the Society of the Divine Word, write to: svdvocations@dwci.edu.