Abstract / Synopsis
The terms vocation and mission are often considered synonyms; both meaning work to which one feels called and deeply dedicated. But, for working mothers who feel called and deeply dedicated to both family and work, it can be useful to make a distinction between vocation and mission. Inspired by Catholicism and working for Catholic universities, we explore how the terms vocation and mission have been traditionally defined. The Catholic Church recognizes only four vocations (married life, single life, religious life, and ordained life), while there are countless specific missions that individuals and institutions can carry out. Each of these ideas is set not in conflict with the other but rather in service to the other. We then go on to investigate the ways in which our vocational calling to family life serves and informs our mission as educators and mathematicians and the missions of the institutions where we work, and vice-versa. By expanding from the particularly Catholic view of vocation and mission to the more broadly defined notions of family and work, this framework can be relevant to all working mothers, regardless of background.
DOI
10.5642/jhummath.201802.11
Recommended Citation
Sara B. Quinn & Christina Safranski, "Family as Vocation; Work as Mission," Journal of Humanistic Mathematics, Volume 8 Issue 2 (July 2018), pages 106-114. DOI: 10.5642/jhummath.201802.11. Available at: https://scholarship.claremont.edu/jhm/vol8/iss2/11
