By John Nagy
Special to the Herald
(From the issue of 3/3/05)

Long before Christ’s birth, Socrates made his enduring observation that "an unexamined life is not worth living." Such examinations have profound spiritual and practical implications for Christians; still, it’s easy to take the most basic question for granted: "What does it mean to be called by God?"

This question—posed within the heart of every human being—is important enough to the Lilly Foundation that it recently gave $2 million apiece to projects at 88 U.S. colleges and universities in the hopes of finding good answers. It will animate one such project —the first "Callings" Conference at Mount St. Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, Md., beginning April 7.

At first glance, notes conference organizer Michael Miller, the question runs the risk of seeming too broad for useful group discussion. Christians talk about "hearing the call" and "discerning their vocation" all the time. Petitions for "an increase in religious and priestly vocations" are commonplace during the Catholic Mass in parishes all over the world.

But Miller says "broad" is precisely where Christians need to begin if we wish to hear our respective calls and respond properly. "It’s important because even though we talk about ‘vocation’ a lot, we really don’t know what it means. If we’re going to spend $2 million talking about vocation, we should at least have a common goal, which is to arrive at an understanding of its meaning."

Theologians, he said, tend to speak of vocation as "discipleship" or the realization of one’s baptismal call. Philosophers and sociologists often take a more practical approach, focusing on matters such as work and human responsibility.

Miller, an assistant professor of philosophy at the Mount and a Full Member in Youth Apostles, said his first crack at an answer takes an approach rooted in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola: "Vocation," he writes, "appears to be a broad term used to describe God’s precise and directed invitation to accept our created purpose in life—to love and serve God and our neighbor, and in doing so to fulfill our heavenly destiny."

While many of the 19 speakers come from the disciplines already mentioned, others include a clinical psychologist, a graphic artist, a teacher, and a couple of college students.

Miller expects the audience to come from similar backgrounds. But he hopes it will attract others, too: counselors, youth ministers, parents, and others who help young people find their vocation. Most of all, he said, he’d like to see the students themselves, who are tackling these questions as they make their way through high school and college.

Those inclined to flee at the words "academic conference" should expect plenty of intellectual challenge, but much that is familiar as well. Technical expositions of the work of complicated thinkers will mix with personal experiences and highly accessible reflections on various aspects of popular culture—from trends in campus life to movies and TV shows like The Lord of the Rings and Joan of Arcadia.

Beyond the ambition of finding a useful definition of "vocation," the meeting’s other goals are to learn more about how young people think about their call, the university’s role in helping them overcome their obstacles, and the ways in which people might better incorporate their sense of vocation into a complete life.

Miller says the Diocese of Arlington is offering to certify credits for teachers and youth ministers who attend the three-day conference, which begins Thursday, April 7, and he hopes other dioceses in the region will consider doing the same. He is also seeking to publish the papers once the conference concludes.

Conference registration is being accepted online at www.msmary.edu/callings and by phone at 301/447-5772. Early registration discounts are in effect through March 14.