The Vocation of Individuals, The Vocation of Creighton

I guess with Founders Week, it is only fitting that this has been a huge vocational week for Creighton. I don’t believe that institutions have a vocation like individuals, but I definitely believe that institutions are impacted by the vocations of the individuals within them.

At the keynote address of Cardoner’s vConference yesterday, Emeritus Professor Mike Lawler emphasized that vocation is BOTH a call from God and a person’s response to that call. You cannot talk about vocation as God’s call without also immediately adding that the person must hear the call and then we have the free will to choose what we will do regarding that call. And, as Fr. Gillick is fond of saying, God has no expectations. We freely respond to the calls we hear from God. (Of course, the difficulty for us, especially in our post-modern world, is to know what IS God’s call among all the voices we hear. But, that is the topic for another blog!)

Monday, the Creighton community learned that Professor Christine Wiseman will leave us July 1 to become the Provost of Loyola Chicago. Thursday, we learned that Creighton is negotiating the hire of Christopher Duncan as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Thursday, we also celebrated the service of Sr. Annette Schmeling, Associate Vice-President of Student Learning, who will be joining the University of Dayton July 1. Finally, Tuesday, President Schlegel challenged each faculty and staff member at Creighton to respond to students escalating spiritual needs, to their desire and demand for service opportunities, and to their tendency to have been raised in an over-scheduled environment. Fr. Schlegel suggested that as we live our vocations to work with students, we must adapt and remain committed to meeting their needs as best we can.

There is no doubt that the institution of Creighton will be impacted by the vocational journeys of Professor Wiseman, Sr. Schmeling, and Christopher Duncan. As senior administrators, the work of their hands affects each of us. And, there are many of us, myself included, who are just beginning to ask what God might be saying in our own vocational journeys as tied to these events. I report directly to Professor Wiseman; does God have a specific call to me relative to the changing scene at Creighton? I don’t know; it is too soon to tell. I need to sit with these events. Listen intently. Hmm. It also seems like with the Cardoner program, I personally have a unique opportunity to address students’ spiritual needs – and to empower faculty and staff do this as well. Is God speaking to me through the words of Fr. Schlegel? I don’t know; I need to sit with this too.

God, how are you calling me vocationally in the events of this past week? I don’t know! I am trying to listen to what you are saying to me. I desire to respond to your call.