Vocations Research—can You Help?

[Gabriela]

[color=#282828][font='Segoe UI', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Hi everyone,[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font='Segoe UI', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif](I really hope it's ok to post topics like this in the Phorum...)[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font='Segoe UI', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]I do vocations research, and I am looking for religious sisters or brothers who would be willing to be interviewed for about an hour about their experience of God's call to their religious vocation. I'm having quite a difficult time finding volunteers, and frankly, I'm starting to freak out, because this is my thesis project. I'm pretty sure Phatmarseers include some religious, so if any of you religious out there know of a community in the Eastern U.S. that might have some willing interviewees, I would REALLY appreciate a referral. There are a few criteria that interviewees must meet:[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font='Segoe UI', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]1) Must be in an order that is faithful to the Magisterium of the Church.[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font='Segoe UI', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]2) Must be American. (No offense to anyone. It's just that cultural diversity seriously complicates scientific comparability and so makes analysis a major headache.)[/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font='Segoe UI', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]3) Must have taken final vows. (Another comparability issue.)[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font='Segoe UI', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]I live in Virginia and am willing to travel up to 10 hours away for interviews. I need 7 more contemplative/cloistered interviewees and 15 more active-order interviewees. If I get each of these all in one house, that would be totally amesome (and way cheaper in gas!).[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font='Segoe UI', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]I prefer religious sisters, but will be very happy to receive referrals to communities of brothers and even to priests or seminary students.[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font='Segoe UI', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]Thank you very much![/font][/color]
[color=#282828][font='Segoe UI', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]curiousing[/font][/color]

[color=#282828][font='Segoe UI', 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif]P.S. After receiving a few responses in the Open Mic forum, I feel I ought to add: I'm looking for referrals to specific communities you think might be open to being interviewed. I've already contacted well over 50 communities in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Arkansas. My trouble isn't finding the communities, it's finding WILLING communities. (In fact, if you're looking for a women's community in those states, I have very, VERY long lists of community names and locations and contact info and websites, etc., that I've compiled, so if you want them, just ask. I also have a mind-bogglingly long list of vocations websites saved to my favorites. I could post that, too. Though they aren't well-labeled... I just know what they are...)[/font][/color]

[Because I love Him]

The Sisters of Life might be willing, I know they do quite a but of interviews and such ( in fact their Vocation Director Sr Antonia Marie just did an interview with Salt and Life tv, but sadly the audio in the video is screwed up) so they might be willing to help you out

Website is www.sistersoflife.org

[beatitude]

Did you make another topic on this a few weeks ago? I'm sure I remember seeing something. People wrote advice in there, in case you missed it.

[EmilyAnn]

[quote name='beatitude' timestamp='1340814144' post='2449445']
Did you make another topic on this a few weeks ago? I'm sure I remember seeing something. People wrote advice in there, in case you missed it.
[/quote]

I think a lot of people suggested the OP post it here as well, incase anyone who posts here wouldn't have seen it in whichever board it was in originally.

[mantellata]

Oddly enough - this kind of request is received [i][u]often[/u][/i] by religious communities. I know the community I was a part of refused this sort of thing for several reasons 1) time - it takes a lot of time out of a busy apostolate that is God's will (as mandated by obedience) for something that may or may not prove useful to general society 2) how does one chose one request over the 30 others that just came in? 3) the feeling that we were already "studied" enough and didn't want to be another science experiment 4) you never know how this research is going to be used. Sad thing is that there are many disingenuous people out there. An interviewer may say they are using the research for one thing and it ends up for another. If your study is sponsored by the Church for a positive Church related goal you have more hope. Otherwise - as hard as it may be to hear - I would suggest changing your thesis.

Edited June 27, 2012 by mantellata

[emmaberry]

As heartbreaking as it might be for you to change your thesis, I think Mantellata is right. If you are absolutely not willing to change it, I am sure you could pull it off, but it might end up being a real headache because of the resistance to this sort of stuff religious communities often have-for good reasons, of course.

I love your original idea though, and wish communities hadn't been, how do I say this, 'screwed over' so often by media/interviewers, otherwise they might be more open to this sort of stuff. I know many community superiors take their job very seriously and so are very careful about what may not the best for their 'children' and the overall community family.
Maybe there is something else you could do on religious? Ooh, you could do a study on how the media portrays them! Just a thought, although I am sure you are laughing at my little 'ideas.'

Good luck with your thesis!

[EmilyAnn]

Would your thesis be messed up if you used already existing interviews? Or could you amend it to use existing interviews? Because just looking on YouTube there are loads of videos of interviews with religious on their vocations.

[Gabriela]

[quote name='Because I love Him' timestamp='1340812521' post='2449439']
The Sisters of Life might be willing, I know they do quite a but of interviews and such ( in fact their Vocation Director Sr Antonia Marie just did an interview with Salt and Life tv, but sadly the audio in the video is screwed up) so they might be willing to help you out

Website is www.sistersoflife.org
[/quote]

Contacted them already. Am awaiting a reply. Thanks!

[quote name='beatitude' timestamp='1340814144' post='2449445']
Did you make another topic on this a few weeks ago? I'm sure I remember seeing something. People wrote advice in there, in case you missed it.
[/quote]

Not a few weeks ago. Just the other day. They told me to put it in here, too. I'm keeping up with the posts there also, just in case.

[Gabriela]

[quote name='mantellata' timestamp='1340825824' post='2449544']
Oddly enough - this kind of request is received [i][u]often[/u][/i] by religious communities. I know the community I was a part of refused this sort of thing for several reasons 1) time - it takes a lot of time out of a busy apostolate that is God's will (as mandated by obedience) for something that may or may not prove useful to general society 2) how does one chose one request over the 30 others that just came in? 3) the feeling that we were already "studied" enough and didn't want to be another science experiment 4) you never know how this research is going to be used. Sad thing is that there are many disingenuous people out there. An interviewer may say they are using the research for one thing and it ends up for another. If your study is sponsored by the Church for a positive Church related goal you have more hope. Otherwise - as hard as it may be to hear - I would suggest changing your thesis.
[/quote]

Definitely not changing my thesis. Though all these reasons are totally understandable. I've been certified by my university's IRB ("Institutional Review Board", basically, the research ethics supervisory committee), though, so if I ever used the research for any purpose other than the one I stated to potential interviewees, it'd be the end of my career. Not to mention TOTALLY WRONG. (Of course, I see your point: The nuns don't know me from Eve...)

It would be better if I could do this at a Catholic university, but unfortunately, there is not a single Catholic university anywhere in America or Europe where I could do the project I want to do, and also get the degree I want to get. So I just offer recommendations from my priest.

Edited June 28, 2012 by curiousing

[Gabriela]

[quote name='emmaberry' timestamp='1340836243' post='2449659']
...although I am sure you are laughing at my little 'ideas.'

Good luck with your thesis!
[/quote]

Not laughing at all! All these are good ideas, and I agree. But I don't do media studies, because I can't stand watching tv! :-)

Thanks!

[Gabriela]

[quote name='EmilyAnn' timestamp='1340836786' post='2449661']
Would your thesis be messed up if you used already existing interviews? Or could you amend it to use existing interviews? Because just looking on YouTube there are loads of videos of interviews with religious on their vocations.
[/quote]

Right now, I'm working on a Master's thesis. For this project, I'm confident I can get the interviews I need (because I pray for it every day, and because it's starting to look up, and because I'm already halfway there...). At the PhD level, I want to do more complex things that might not be possible. If, suddenly, I were unable to get interviews, I might look at conversion/vocations stories in literature. But that is really not what I want to do. My interviews go much, much deeper into the MOMENT of call (when there was one—some people just always knew they wanted to be nuns...), the context of it, what was going on in the person's life, how they interpreted the event as they did, why they interpreted it that way, if they understood/accepted the call immediately, how it made them feel, if they've had confirmatory experiences that their interpretation was correct, etc. etc. etc. I've seen a lot of the youtube videos, and typically, right at the interesting point in the conversation, the interviewer flies right past all that stuff without batting an eyelid. That's what got me interested in this thesis topic in the first place. There is SO MUCH hidden beneath the response, "Well, I felt called by God..."

[mantellata]

[quote name='curiousing' timestamp='1340866409' post='2449881']
My interviews go much, much deeper into the MOMENT of call (when there was one—some people just always knew they wanted to be nuns...), the context of it, what was going on in the person's life, how they interpreted the event as they did, why they interpreted it that way, if they understood/accepted the call immediately, how it made them feel, if they've had confirmatory experiences that their interpretation was correct, etc. etc. etc.[...]There is SO MUCH hidden beneath the response, "Well, I felt called by God..."
[/quote]

Exactly.... studying the person like they were in a petri dish. Part of "the call" will always remain mysterious. It happens in the deepest recesses of ones heart. It is a very, [u]very[/u] private thing between the soul and God. While I always enjoyed telling "my vocation story", if it meant I could help a fellow discerner discover God's will, I know I definitely would not want to engage in such a probing interview - merely for the sake of one person's thesis.

I am glad that you are halfway through your project and have your priest's recommendation. I wish you success in your studies.

On a different note:
What university are you attending? You mentioned that your project couldn't be done anywhere else - or that you could receive this degree anywhere else -- what degree exactly (if you don't mind my asking)?.... also... what exactly [u][i]is[/i][/u] the project? I just realized I don't even know these basic things! Also - a belated welcome to Phatmass!!!

[Gabriela]

[quote name='mantellata' timestamp='1340885488' post='2449923']
Exactly.... studying the person like they were in a petri dish. Part of "the call" will always remain mysterious. It happens in the deepest recesses of ones heart. It is a very, [u]very[/u] private thing between the soul and God. While I always enjoyed telling "my vocation story", if it meant I could help a fellow discerner discover God's will, I know I definitely would not want to engage in such a probing interview - merely for the sake of one person's thesis.

I am glad that you are halfway through your project and have your priest's recommendation. I wish you success in your studies.

On a different note:
What university are you attending? You mentioned that your project couldn't be done anywhere else - or that you could receive this degree anywhere else -- what degree exactly (if you don't mind my asking)?.... also... what exactly [u][i]is[/i][/u] the project? I just realized I don't even know these basic things! Also - a belated welcome to Phatmass!!!
[/quote]

Well, I have to say I feel the petri dish comment is pretty harsh. It seems to me to imply that I devalue the individual's experience, their humanity, and their privacy. I do no such thing. On the contrary, I chose this research topic precisely because I feel it can help other Catholics, and because I have a long history of struggling with discernment myself. I of course fully acknowledge that much of the calling process will always remain mysterious, and that it is intensely personal. I am not trying to "pin down" or "scientize" God—I do not think that that is possible. And I never ask anyone to share anything with me that they are not willing, voluntarily, to share. At the same time, I feel I ought to remind you that the only reason we know anything at all about the calling process is because some people have chosen to share their very personal experiences. All I ask of people is that they share their stories with me so that I can use them to help other people. If they choose not to, I totally respect and honor that.

From my perspective in academia, it's actually pretty funny that your comment implies scientization of the calling process. Most academics sneer at my research as thoroughly unscientific, first, because it's qualitative, not quantitative, which means it is deeply grounded in unquantifiable, deeply personal human experience, and second, because it arseumes there is a God, which most scientists feel is an unwarranted arseumption. I, obviously, do not. And to me, it is important to preserve that human, deeply personal component of the experience.

Of course, any time you compare multiple stories, some of the very personal detail gets lost in pointing out the similarities. That is unavoidable. But I feel it is ethically acceptable so long as I say to readers/listeners: "Hey, remember, there's a lot more to this than we can actually capture. These are just some of the details that we can capture." And of course, as you say, much of the call remains always locked in the individual's heart.

I don't feel my research is "merely for the sake of one's person thesis", either. I am not trying to simply make my career off of other people's experiences. I feel duty-bound to share what I discover with lay people, meaning both non-academics and discerning Catholics. I am constantly looking for opportunities to share what I have learned outside the narrow confines of academia. I would also not expect anyone—especially an incredibly busy (in work much more important than mine), incredibly private cloistered sister—to share their story with me if it were going to dead-end in my thesis defense. That would be an enormous waste of time for everybody.

I wish to clarify a few points also:
1) I do not have my priest's blessing for my research. He's the only priest to a great many Catholics, and I try to bother him as little as possible. I think he knows what I research, but I've never asked his opinion of it. When I offer a recommendation from my priest to the sisters I contact, that recommendation is merely to indicate that I am indeed a faithful Catholic, not some journalist in disguise.
2) My original post stated:

[quote name='curiousing' timestamp='1340865764' post='2449877']
It would be better if I could do this at a Catholic university, but unfortunately, there is not a single Catholic university anywhere in America or Europe where I could do the project I want to do, and also get the degree I want to get. So I just offer recommendations from my priest.
[/quote]

So, I could definitely do my project and get my degree at a different university, just not a [i]Catholic[/i] university. I could get my degree at Duquesne, but not do my research there. I could do my research at UND, but not get my degree there. In fact, even among secular universities, disciplinary walls are so arranged that I have very few options for the PhD. I will definitely apply to UT Austin, but I am having problems finding other programs where someone could advise me in both my research and teaching interests. The problem is these two don't line up so simply: I study Communication, but a specific subdiscipline of Communication called rhetorical argumentation. I try to explain how people reason about religious beliefs, and to justify different ways of "knowing". (Many scientists really do not like this, btw.) I am currently getting a Master's at Virginia Tech, and I hope to continue in Communication at the PhD level, but I may have to branch out into Religious Studies or Philosophy departments to do what I want to do.

Thank you for the welcome! :-)

[mantellata]

Dear curiousing -

I'm sorry if you felt I devalued your research. I certainly didn't mean to imply that you are going out of your way to do something of little value. I could only comment in general because other than commenting that you were looking for religious to interview - you didn't detail the nature of your work or the end you were hoping to achieve. Also - though Masters thesis are certainly available and circulated - they are far from mainstream for the most part - including among academia. You have to start somewhere though - and no PhD is obtained without first obtaining a Masters!

As far as the petri dish comment - I speak from personal experience. I've done countless interviews for various reasons for well meaning people - and as much as all try certainly to be respectful - I still find myself feeling "picked at" like a science experiment. I agree there is tremendous value in sharing one's discernment experience - I was just attempting to tell you why it might be very difficult to find a large enough sampling for what you are undertaking.

Have you thought about looking at / interviewing priests trained in spiritual direction as well as manuals of spiritual direction? There are many! St. Ignatius' discernment of spirits is excellent (gah - Dominican me recommending a Jesuit... almost anathema.... oh well ;p ) St. Ignatius' whole point was to achieve what you are attempting - to get at the heart of the call in order to help a person discover within themselves that "still small voice".

Cheers!

Edited June 29, 2012 by mantellata

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='mantellata' timestamp='1340929337' post='2450201']

You have to start somewhere though - and no PhD is obtained without first obtaining a Masters!

[/quote]

Not completely accurate! Although going the Masters route first is the norm, there are pathways directly from the undergraduate Bachelor's degree to the PhD without going through a Masters progam first.

I know this is completely off the main topic, but it sort of jumped out at me when I read it because my own sister-in-law went from BSc to PhD without doing a Masters. I now return your thread back to you.