{"id":1843,"date":"2024-03-15T13:30:58","date_gmt":"2024-03-15T17:30:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vocationministry.com\/about\/about-our-founder\/"},"modified":"2025-01-02T15:11:45","modified_gmt":"2025-01-02T21:11:45","slug":"about-our-founder","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.vocationministry.com\/es\/about\/about-our-founder\/","title":{"rendered":"Acerca de nuestro fundador"},"content":{"rendered":"

Rhonda Gruenewald<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Rhonda Gruenewald<\/strong> es la apasionada fundadora de Vocation Ministry, una organizaci\u00f3n sin fines de lucro de alcance nacional dedicada a fomentar una cultura de vocaciones en parroquias, escuelas y familias. Convertida al catolicismo, Rhonda aporta una perspectiva \u00fanica y un entusiasmo sin l\u00edmites a su trabajo, inspirando a los cat\u00f3licos de todo el pa\u00eds a decir S\u00cd al llamado de Dios.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Su camino comenz\u00f3 en 2011, cuando la invitaci\u00f3n personal de un sacerdote la impuls\u00f3 a involucrarse en la promoci\u00f3n de vocaciones. Sin ning\u00fan conocimiento previo sobre el ministerio vocacional, Rhonda abraz\u00f3 la misi\u00f3n con un coraz\u00f3n abierto al Esp\u00edritu Santo, creando recursos e iniciativas que eventualmente transformar\u00edan la manera en que la Iglesia aborda las vocaciones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bajo su liderazgo, Vocation Ministry ha equipado a miles de sacerdotes, educadores y laicos con herramientas pr\u00e1cticas para inspirar a los j\u00f3venes a discernir su llamado al sacerdocio, la vida consagrada o el matrimonio sagrado. Desde su fundaci\u00f3n, el ministerio se ha asociado con m\u00e1s de 75 di\u00f3cesis y ha llegado a m\u00e1s de 14.000 cl\u00e9rigos y laicos a trav\u00e9s de talleres, sesiones de capacitaci\u00f3n y recursos como sus libros. Cien veces: una gu\u00eda para la parroquia Vocation Ministry<\/a><\/em> y La cosecha: una gu\u00eda para Vocation Ministry en educaci\u00f3n<\/a>.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

La misi\u00f3n de Rhonda est\u00e1 impulsada por la urgente necesidad de vocaciones. En los Estados Unidos, el n\u00famero de sacerdotes ha disminuido en 12% en los \u00faltimos 10 a\u00f1os, y el de hermanas religiosas ha disminuido en m\u00e1s de 29%. A trav\u00e9s de su trabajo, espera revertir esta tendencia y garantizar que cada parroquia, escuela y familia desempe\u00f1e un papel activo en el fomento de las vocaciones. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Como oradora y autora din\u00e1mica, Rhonda se ha dirigido al clero y a los laicos de todo el pa\u00eds, compartiendo su recorrido de fe y el profundo impacto de crear una cultura de vocaciones. Su trabajo sigue dando frutos a medida que las parroquias, las escuelas y las di\u00f3cesis implementan sus estrategias y son testigos de c\u00f3mo los j\u00f3venes responden al llamado de Dios. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cuando no est\u00e1 viajando para asistir a talleres o dar charlas, Rhonda disfruta de pasar tiempo con su esposo, David, y sus dos hijos. Ella atribuye su conversi\u00f3n al catolicismo y su trabajo en el ministerio vocacional a la gracia de Dios y al poder de simplemente decir S\u00cd a Su plan. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Obtenga m\u00e1s informaci\u00f3n sobre el trabajo de Rhonda y explore recursos para iniciar o hacer crecer un ministerio vocacional en su comunidad en MinisterioVocacional.com<\/a>\u00a1Juntos, inspiremos un futuro lleno de vocaciones alegres y llenas de fe! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rhonda Gruenewald Rhonda Gruenewald is the passionate founder of Vocation Ministry, a nationwide nonprofit dedicated to fostering a culture of vocations in parishes, schools, and families. A convert to Catholicism, Rhonda brings a unique perspective and boundless enthusiasm to her work, inspiring Catholics across the country to say YES to God\u2019s call.\u00a0 Her journey began […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":471,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n

Rhonda Gruenewald<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Hi, I\u2019m Rhonda Gruenewald, founder of Vocation Ministry. I come from a one-stoplight town about 30 miles north of Houston, Texas, where we have two types of music: Country and Western.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, my family did not emphasize faith. Okay, that is putting a positive spin on things. My father did not want the Bible read in the house, and my mother was Methodist. We rarely went to church; God was never mentioned, and my parents divorced when I was 12.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Eventually, I graduated from the University of Texas in Austin before teaching English and coaching speech and debate at a large public high school. During that same time, I was baptized and attended a Methodist church, and the next year I met David my husband. Thankfully, he was Catholic enough to say, \u201cI can\u2019t get married over there.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After we married, we found a parish home, and I went through RCIA while pregnant with Abby our daughter. Instead of coming into the Church at the Easter Vigil, I gave birth that night.
You might be asking yourself how this convert got into the work of vocations. The call that started it all happened in the fall of 2011. Our brand-new, filled-with-the-Holy-Spirit parochial vicar Fr. Victor Perez had seen me around campus, at youth retreats, and praying in front of Planned Parenthood, so he called me about 3 hours before that first meeting to see if my husband and I could attend a meeting about priests and such- very vague. We felt we were called by name, so we said yes. I have a confession to make; I did not know what the word Vocation meant in the Catholic context at that time!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Though I was new to the world of vocations, after hearing Father Victor\u2019s enthusiasm for the success of the committee that he felt was one of the most important at any parish, I was hooked!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I went home and scoured the internet and read anything I could about vocations. I found several web sites with various activities, but nothing comprehensive about how to start or revive a parish-based committee, just bits and pieces. Our ministry had no guide to follow, so we tread our own path and let the Holy Spirit guide us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After hosting different activities every month at our parish for several years, the leadership in the Archdiocese asked me to consult with them about how to bring our model of a vocation ministry to every parish in Houston. So, in December of 2013, I said maybe I could write a pamphlet, a short road map for how to have a successful parish vocation committee or ministry. 17 months later, it was a professionally edited book with its imprimatur. The Holy Spirit has been working overtime!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hundredfold: A Guide to Parish Vocation Ministry<\/a><\/em>\u00a0was published in June 2015 with its companion website VocationMinistry.com. Then Vocation Directors started asking me to speak to their priests and parishioners, so Vocation Ministry, the nonprofit, was born. At our signature Hundredfold workshops in English and Spanish, I have been asked many times, \u201cDo you have any resources specific for schools?\u201d In 2021, I was able to say \u201cYES\u201d!\u00a0The Harvest: A Guide to Vocation Ministry in Education<\/a><\/em>\u00a0was published and ready to inspire those who want to foster vocations within the students in front of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since 2015, Vocation Ministry has trained:<\/p>\n\n\n\n