tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52996358381278857472024-03-18T23:49:53.420-04:00Catholic Volunteer Network BlogStories of service from Catholic Volunteer Network volunteers. Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04433082008304633764noreply@blogger.comBlogger401125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-16910303440445840592018-08-01T15:15:00.000-04:002018-08-01T15:19:23.503-04:00Share Your Wisdom: Melissa Feito - Loretto Volunteers, Washington DC <iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/479798424&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe>
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<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Melissa's reflective, fun, and expertly produced podcasts
come full circle in this final piece, as she celebrates a year of service with
three other Loretto Volunteers. Many thanks, Melissa, for bringing so much life
and energy to CVN's #servingwithsisters Ambassador series. Blessings as you
continue your journey as a second year Loretto Volunteer!</span></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ6IYbRj6sUi57CXPGKQLC2bNsDxuEVLC98snmaRyz9D_uF18EELv-JHWZx_VZpHX6Ufb92Y4Xk5_XHPyuHUGciaIpTgkIhQulyTk5GJJRoSq2ntkUHbfIZbY6Z7ZmNWuXlk_Y6hIJBmMe/s1600/Melissa+BLog+4+ClosingRetreat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZ6IYbRj6sUi57CXPGKQLC2bNsDxuEVLC98snmaRyz9D_uF18EELv-JHWZx_VZpHX6Ufb92Y4Xk5_XHPyuHUGciaIpTgkIhQulyTk5GJJRoSq2ntkUHbfIZbY6Z7ZmNWuXlk_Y6hIJBmMe/s640/Melissa+BLog+4+ClosingRetreat.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The 2017-2018 Loretto
Volunteers and our program director Mallory Daily, on our last day of closing
retreat, at the Loretto Motherhouse.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSz4GT8GyWN8M2hCKjyTaa9rWSPK-3qr2MzigRnsUDSeVKwD8tbPFx9Kv4OKCH5ff4N5OcRkRIaW83qo6haipS8vpjiIx0YE6neOPdGMPaSW8pk8SwyiLMX5sdWDz4lzro-i8YPTJSsZJe/s1600/Melissa+Blog+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSz4GT8GyWN8M2hCKjyTaa9rWSPK-3qr2MzigRnsUDSeVKwD8tbPFx9Kv4OKCH5ff4N5OcRkRIaW83qo6haipS8vpjiIx0YE6neOPdGMPaSW8pk8SwyiLMX5sdWDz4lzro-i8YPTJSsZJe/s640/Melissa+Blog+4.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From left to right,
Mallory (Loretto program director), myself, and Mary Louise at the UN in New
York, where she worked this year. </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVRNw0GxBmQMAmJbsG9SAn5tB_UGpWxFb1pQldLVrBzIR8F4wwgQYhk-EkFNGP9Tl87b50mELAeCsflj1jYGY0W8c1FISRTY55hDwiBfsO3AFL8YuC7AhrAj013_sacCvKTxEy-boR2l0/s1600/Melissa+Blog+4+Wendys.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFVRNw0GxBmQMAmJbsG9SAn5tB_UGpWxFb1pQldLVrBzIR8F4wwgQYhk-EkFNGP9Tl87b50mELAeCsflj1jYGY0W8c1FISRTY55hDwiBfsO3AFL8YuC7AhrAj013_sacCvKTxEy-boR2l0/s640/Melissa+Blog+4+Wendys.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From left to right,
Jackie, Hannah, and myself, at a demonstration protesting Wendy's in New York
City. You can read why <a href="http://www.boycott-wendys.org/">here.</a></span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjFgQVATYAQyvi5mIjSYqaSPOj6m93sXZPfEtZfmfsWNO3W4EVZ7vyBH4FZNvrgmfuXLfnuulnks705ggafX4QKWFwe8wwyZlcsReuYGWBvUaPC1STLZoDxBycV6GCDGNM7RIiuV2pous/s1600/ServicetoSisterhood_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman"; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="525" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjFgQVATYAQyvi5mIjSYqaSPOj6m93sXZPfEtZfmfsWNO3W4EVZ7vyBH4FZNvrgmfuXLfnuulnks705ggafX4QKWFwe8wwyZlcsReuYGWBvUaPC1STLZoDxBycV6GCDGNM7RIiuV2pous/s200/ServicetoSisterhood_logo.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Melissa, a current <a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/loretto-volunteer-program" target="_blank">Loretto Volunteer</a>, will be blogging about her service experience as part of our ongoing <a href="http://catholicvolunteernetwork.blogspot.com/p/serving-with-sisters-ambassadors.html" target="_blank">Serving with Sisters Ambassadors series</a>. T</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>his<span style="text-align: right;"> series is sponsored by CVN's </span><a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/from-service-to-sisterhood" style="text-align: right;">From Service to Sisterhood Initiative</a><span style="text-align: right;">, a project made possible thanks to the support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation</span></i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">.</span></span></div>
Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-71339065809301648192018-07-19T10:00:00.001-04:002018-07-19T10:00:32.427-04:00Share Your Wisdom: Jessica Vozella - St. Joseph Worker Program - Los Angeles, CA<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">Jessica is one of five CVN </span>Serving with Sisters Ambassadors<span style="text-align: left;"> – volunteers sharing the joy, energy, and fulfillment of serving alongside Catholic Sisters in CVN member programs, through creative reflection, conversation, and experience. </span></span></i><i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">This is her last post as her volunteer year comes to a close - thank you for following Jessica and her fellow Ambassadors over the course of their service year!<br /></span></span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So here we were, driving through the entirety of the state
of Kansas, having started our journey that day at 7 AM in Denver, CO. It’s the
end of our program, and my community member Anh and I are on a road trip from
Los Angeles to my home city of Boston, Massachusetts. One of the perks of
driving so long is that you have plenty of time for reflection, which Anh and I
did as we barreled down the highway. I told Anh about this blog and together we traveled back through our year, ruminating on wisdom we’d share with someone
else interested in this opportunity.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Z7TEfh4Bey0aL_cmqxT9kP9ccctKWPQCb4CcaXcBEOVB0umEGSrRJBSn_ZtFplDbORj7WL3XwS4zINY9P0pL8kxdGkBnCsA2tq6y1VugCaa0b-3hvWPgnohQpy9wyQBmMVdM2KjiMWRg/s1600/Jess+Blog+4+PHOTO+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="718" data-original-width="960" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9Z7TEfh4Bey0aL_cmqxT9kP9ccctKWPQCb4CcaXcBEOVB0umEGSrRJBSn_ZtFplDbORj7WL3XwS4zINY9P0pL8kxdGkBnCsA2tq6y1VugCaa0b-3hvWPgnohQpy9wyQBmMVdM2KjiMWRg/s640/Jess+Blog+4+PHOTO+1.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My community. This picture was taken on our opening retreat in Lake
Gregory, CA and remains one of our favorite group shots.</span><div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b>Community</b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><b> is truly a “you get what you give”
situation. </b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">In our discussion, Anh and I remarked that there really isn’t a
proper way to prepare for community living, but some take aways are as follows:</span></div>
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<ul>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Try to let go of expectations. There is no standard against
which you need to compare, but know what you want in community and know that to
ask for it is the only way you will achieve it</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Build in structure for your community; time together is
really important!</span></li>
<li style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">The reality is that community is really hard. No one really
told us that going in, but it is a hard part of this year, rewarding as it may
be. It is okay to admit that it’s not always amazing, but it can become one of
the best things about the program if everyone works on it.</span></li>
</ul>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnTgBICDGHc8a058_9CIPoPcbhLdIW-pIvvJeRItFW90BVtt0chE3dR0NdObWiHgsDmQ3bn8tEU0BL9Mo1aLMDmmpg4gFHTfdld7DEgD-Wtx7pRfoa2e0NlxHAzf8_DD8zPUIpJNrAf35v/s1600/Jess+Blog+4+PHOTO+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="540" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnTgBICDGHc8a058_9CIPoPcbhLdIW-pIvvJeRItFW90BVtt0chE3dR0NdObWiHgsDmQ3bn8tEU0BL9Mo1aLMDmmpg4gFHTfdld7DEgD-Wtx7pRfoa2e0NlxHAzf8_DD8zPUIpJNrAf35v/s640/Jess+Blog+4+PHOTO+2.jpg" width="360" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My community member Molly and I after we ran the
Homeboy Industries 5k. We originally were going to walk it, but we saw an
opportunity to get outside of our comfort zones and ended up running part of
our first 5k!</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“Make this a year of ‘yes’” - Anh</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first thing that came up when we were brainstorming wisdom
was the notion of being open to new opportunities. This year presented a lot:
different work opportunities, new places to explore, chances to get outside ourselves
and our community. Be reflective and kind to yourself; don’t take on more than
you can handle! But try pushing yourself a little; you might be amazing at what
happens!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7JN-mRvU6vGQr-OKsLCjysKgvIerChqxK0DoDh5xGhyeCaAd1YvWTVkha3N9KXQOMDFLNRCnFC_qZNtE2seCCJmia755EdRF7gnoDlXdshL8RACx4TquyDdqJOIZo_Y6K-bag_oFWodn/s1600/Jess+Blog+4+PHOTO+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="721" data-original-width="962" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP7JN-mRvU6vGQr-OKsLCjysKgvIerChqxK0DoDh5xGhyeCaAd1YvWTVkha3N9KXQOMDFLNRCnFC_qZNtE2seCCJmia755EdRF7gnoDlXdshL8RACx4TquyDdqJOIZo_Y6K-bag_oFWodn/s640/Jess+Blog+4+PHOTO+3.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">An LA sunset photo taken on a solo stroll on the beach.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Take time to be
reflective and process your experience</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For me, talking with community members and mentors, journaling,
and going to the beach were methods of reflection and processing my
experiences. Taking time out of the week to think about your work is really
important. Similarly, I would encourage taking some time to think about what
you need out of your year, especially things outside of work and community. And
then go get those things!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTt5N74PunzUTNszjk89WzIeLTZ6WYJqtYoGhAjMt7uxL7lwzTiKr5tpyaeDDQ1QcIcA6H6ez7Y9XbW8rNThOfkif3ka06nHloiCq1sp2-0PybUd_6BFQRnbSFOh26Wj1f9DKj4ZItKbu/s1600/Jess+Blog+4+PHOTO+4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="995" data-original-width="742" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOTt5N74PunzUTNszjk89WzIeLTZ6WYJqtYoGhAjMt7uxL7lwzTiKr5tpyaeDDQ1QcIcA6H6ez7Y9XbW8rNThOfkif3ka06nHloiCq1sp2-0PybUd_6BFQRnbSFOh26Wj1f9DKj4ZItKbu/s640/Jess+Blog+4+PHOTO+4.jpg" width="476" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Me signing clients up for services at my work site, St Joseph Center,
Homeless Service Center<i>.</i></span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Keep your purpose at
the heart of your year</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It can be easy to get caught up in the difficulties of the
year, of work, and of community, but keeping in mind the justice that your year
is made for helps focus you and keeps your eyes on what matters. Keeping in
this line of thinking, it’s important to try to remain in solidarity with the
population you are serving by living simply and keeping up with the justice
issues in the world. This year is a great chance to try out simple living
challenges and more sustainable ways of life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKFm4-jfo6XHzUobTYTbjSYvcCbXVhdyMqW62A-WJetrqRv6FpQD1OxtdfWRZ6DAxiwMwP1XF5Crupu_CuFM4UUSjxsp2hYdyaCcLUtrAlTe8Yaf-u8QxTud-O1jTFvQaqmlzH6cp-vYq/s1600/Jess+Blog+4+PHOTO+5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="949" data-original-width="713" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsKFm4-jfo6XHzUobTYTbjSYvcCbXVhdyMqW62A-WJetrqRv6FpQD1OxtdfWRZ6DAxiwMwP1XF5Crupu_CuFM4UUSjxsp2hYdyaCcLUtrAlTe8Yaf-u8QxTud-O1jTFvQaqmlzH6cp-vYq/s640/Jess+Blog+4+PHOTO+5.jpg" width="480" /></span></i></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Me hiding in a cave on a beach trip I took with my community member
Michaella in Malibu!</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Be true to yourself</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I feel like I grew up a lot in this year. I was confronted
with confusing questions about who I was and what I believed, what social
justice looked like, and what growing into an adult is like. In the midst of
all that, I encourage any person to stay true to who they know they are. For
me, reaching out to mentors in the program as well as a spiritual director was
really important in my journey. There is not a perfect volunteer, a perfect job
placement, or a perfect experience in this year. Instead, it is a perfect
jumble of life that God helps us navigate and grow in. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Fj-OCklK3-V_mzR8qVb4LRcWuHMUnEoWrIfZ3K0y1qTIP6jJjzy71h4G3b4whyphenhypheniL6GVeqpDAGGwKJ4DFZYkmaeHzSdS-DMFcFuLTiJgOh-vJQqV19-md3N8WI-scHp9lXZXxemolpfZk/s1600/Jess+Blog+4+PHOTO+6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7Fj-OCklK3-V_mzR8qVb4LRcWuHMUnEoWrIfZ3K0y1qTIP6jJjzy71h4G3b4whyphenhypheniL6GVeqpDAGGwKJ4DFZYkmaeHzSdS-DMFcFuLTiJgOh-vJQqV19-md3N8WI-scHp9lXZXxemolpfZk/s640/Jess+Blog+4+PHOTO+6.jpg" width="640" /></span></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">My community with Fr.
Greg Boyle, founder of Homeboy Industries, and our program coordinator, Sr.
Judy Molosky CSJ. Pope Francis made a special appearance, too!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am so grateful for the opportunities that came my way this
year and for all that I learned. This year has given me amazing tools to use in
the world after my volunteer year and I look forward to where the world takes
me. I am especially grateful for the opportunity to write this blog and thank
you all in a special way for accompanying me on my journey in service.</span><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7irWLrLvupg53sb4gHr7bSVZQvQLVkhfqY6PQVoygrmsJdM4LFTnd9QpoO3KUn7X3nUBTxb2gv726QhdSfxCmFCuJMAAjqkqGAVgLkbhLGR6mVBuCZBAu_PggVi_5qDyUAjb8VILMQWi/s1600/Jess+Blog+4+PHOTO+7.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="843" data-original-width="632" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP7irWLrLvupg53sb4gHr7bSVZQvQLVkhfqY6PQVoygrmsJdM4LFTnd9QpoO3KUn7X3nUBTxb2gv726QhdSfxCmFCuJMAAjqkqGAVgLkbhLGR6mVBuCZBAu_PggVi_5qDyUAjb8VILMQWi/s640/Jess+Blog+4+PHOTO+7.jpg" width="478" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">A picture of the Los Angeles skyline I took on a reflective walk after
spiritual direction.</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjFgQVATYAQyvi5mIjSYqaSPOj6m93sXZPfEtZfmfsWNO3W4EVZ7vyBH4FZNvrgmfuXLfnuulnks705ggafX4QKWFwe8wwyZlcsReuYGWBvUaPC1STLZoDxBycV6GCDGNM7RIiuV2pous/s1600/ServicetoSisterhood_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="525" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjFgQVATYAQyvi5mIjSYqaSPOj6m93sXZPfEtZfmfsWNO3W4EVZ7vyBH4FZNvrgmfuXLfnuulnks705ggafX4QKWFwe8wwyZlcsReuYGWBvUaPC1STLZoDxBycV6GCDGNM7RIiuV2pous/s200/ServicetoSisterhood_logo.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal;"><i>Jessica, a current <a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/st-joseph-worker-program" target="_blank">St. Joseph Worker</a>, will be blogging about her service experience as part of our ongoing <a href="http://catholicvolunteernetwork.blogspot.com/p/serving-with-sisters-ambassadors.html" target="_blank">Serving with Sisters Ambassadors series</a>. T</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: normal;"><i>his<span style="text-align: right;"> series is sponsored by CVN's </span><a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/from-service-to-sisterhood" style="text-align: right;">From Service to Sisterhood Initiative</a><span style="text-align: right;">, a project made possible thanks to the support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation</span></i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; text-align: right;">.</span></span></span></i></div>
Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-15398972330129343252018-07-13T11:07:00.000-04:002018-07-13T11:07:08.953-04:00Share Your Wisdom: Allison Reynolds - Good Shepherd Volunteers <i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">Allie is one of five CVN </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Serving with Sisters Ambassadors</span><span style="text-align: left;"> – volunteers sharing the joy, energy, and fulfillment of serving alongside Catholic Sisters in CVN member programs, through creative reflection, conversation, and experience. </span></span></i><i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">This is her last post as her volunteer year comes to a close - thank you for following Allie and her fellow Ambassadors over the course of their service year! </span></span></i><br />
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></i>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><b>What advice would I give to
future full time volunteers?</b> <b>Simply: to keep an open mind, and to just
love. </b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">First, keep an open
mind. There are so many things that can happen to you within your year of
service, so many new opportunities, so many new people you will meet, and
different professional responsibilities will be expected of you during different times of
your year. My advice during all these times is: do not be afraid, and be open
to the new experiences being presented to you. You felt called to this position
as a volunteer, and you were chosen to be part of your program for a reason.
You must have faith in yourself that you can do anything that will be put in
your path. All the challenges you will face is the best way you will grow
throughout your entire year. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseCufi4zPazDDQZ-PYcYpzLi5KCsZxT5lGLi7H5u539iARcY1oqyowT5QoFJvBqMA9rnRUs534B1XrSJGqGIW2IOpdX-CmowJX6r3CprD66eOXb9zgUoSs8fqOGs3QOW7ByBJAcfOCugd/s1600/Turkeys+class+project.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjseCufi4zPazDDQZ-PYcYpzLi5KCsZxT5lGLi7H5u539iARcY1oqyowT5QoFJvBqMA9rnRUs534B1XrSJGqGIW2IOpdX-CmowJX6r3CprD66eOXb9zgUoSs8fqOGs3QOW7ByBJAcfOCugd/s640/Turkeys+class+project.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This is an art project I did with my students at the Shelter</span>!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">During my first year of volunteering
I worked at the Good Shepherd Shelter for domestic violence as a teacher’s
assistant. Then around two or three months into my year, our population of children
had increased where they needed another teacher. They asked me if I would be
willing to teach Language Arts for 4</span><sup style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">th</sup><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> and 5</span><sup style="color: #222222; font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">th</sup><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> grade. In
my mind I was thinking how unprepared I felt - I was not trained for teaching! I
was nervous, however, I felt it was a growing opportunity and I knew the Good
Shepherd Shelter staff would be supporting me the whole time. It was
well worth the risk, and now I know new skills such as lesson planning and
grading. During these difficult and new times, always be willing to try new
things with an open mind, and if you do not feel comfortable or do not like it,
then at least you tried it!</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXYHii-A0ZbHWaGT8z-qBwYoGIiZfcRhdCv-4T7xZ29w5xn-G5jsgDO-3UyWA34EuycSWVB9_NBcc02VtnO1IuRX8ee-ROAB_y34U0DP6K0NRGI39uTA-eP9CtRemPyII1iVOE5zNwy7C/s1600/Quecha+pics.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLXYHii-A0ZbHWaGT8z-qBwYoGIiZfcRhdCv-4T7xZ29w5xn-G5jsgDO-3UyWA34EuycSWVB9_NBcc02VtnO1IuRX8ee-ROAB_y34U0DP6K0NRGI39uTA-eP9CtRemPyII1iVOE5zNwy7C/s640/Quecha+pics.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This was a class we hosted for 100 women, and the main language spoken was Quechua. We had interpreters to help us with the language barrier. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">Secondly, Just Love.
Just Love everyone you come across during your service year. Everyone you serve
will have a story. All they will want from you is love and acceptance,
which are two things they might not have had before coming to you. For example,
during my second year of volunteer work I have lived in Sucre, Bolivia where
the two main languages are Quechua and Spanish. Quechua, I do not understand at
all. Spanish, I understand now, but at the beginning was quite difficult to find
the words to express myself. During these times of communication difficulties I
chose to smile, give hugs, handshakes, head nods, and say what I could to show
them I valued them and was willing to help them. These little gestures of
effort can make someone else feel loved and noticed, which is something I had
to learn by not being able to talk. This part of my second year has proven to
be a beautiful experience, my Bolivian clients and I come from very different
cultures, however, we have been able to communicate through love.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBGffhk6fhPq_ZsKg2YoJ9C7Zk9_LRh2moLuQKBJ9bYLeegi05hwR4wQlvcGBzcKVbV-ENXSiAPA5M4oRGSQQxXNMypOYtw1MU6uyP9PZwbH3wyG9-j_MgkggMGSp8xutWW4ENVuHY481m/s1600/class+supervisor.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBGffhk6fhPq_ZsKg2YoJ9C7Zk9_LRh2moLuQKBJ9bYLeegi05hwR4wQlvcGBzcKVbV-ENXSiAPA5M4oRGSQQxXNMypOYtw1MU6uyP9PZwbH3wyG9-j_MgkggMGSp8xutWW4ENVuHY481m/s640/class+supervisor.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Mr. Erik (my supervisor) and I in front of our newly made bulletin board for our shared classroom.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;">In conclusion, Love
where you work and Love your coworkers. Their constant support towards you will
amaze you and make you very thankful. Love the work you do, put forward
all your efforts, thoughts, and ideas with confidence and take out as much
positivity as you put in. Love everything you do and do your best not to have
any regrets, as</span><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"> this experience working as
a volunteer comes only once in a lifetime and you will miss it when it is over.</span></div>
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></i>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjFgQVATYAQyvi5mIjSYqaSPOj6m93sXZPfEtZfmfsWNO3W4EVZ7vyBH4FZNvrgmfuXLfnuulnks705ggafX4QKWFwe8wwyZlcsReuYGWBvUaPC1STLZoDxBycV6GCDGNM7RIiuV2pous/s1600/ServicetoSisterhood_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="525" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjFgQVATYAQyvi5mIjSYqaSPOj6m93sXZPfEtZfmfsWNO3W4EVZ7vyBH4FZNvrgmfuXLfnuulnks705ggafX4QKWFwe8wwyZlcsReuYGWBvUaPC1STLZoDxBycV6GCDGNM7RIiuV2pous/s200/ServicetoSisterhood_logo.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><br />
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>Allie, a current <a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/good-shepherd-volunteers" target="_blank">Good Shepherd Volunteer</a></i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>, will be blogging about her service experience as part of our ongoing <a href="http://catholicvolunteernetwork.blogspot.com/p/serving-with-sisters-ambassadors.html" target="_blank">Serving with Sisters Ambassadors series</a>. T</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>his<span style="text-align: right;"> series is sponsored by CVN's </span><a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/from-service-to-sisterhood" style="text-align: right;">From Service to Sisterhood Initiative</a><span style="text-align: right;">, a project made possible thanks to the support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation</span></i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: italic; text-align: right; text-indent: 0.5in;">.</span>Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-5422454513905181582018-07-06T09:10:00.000-04:002018-07-06T09:10:02.508-04:00Share Your Wisdom: Catherine Nguyen - St. Joseph Worker Program, Orange, CA<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">Catherine is one of five CVN </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Serving with Sisters Ambassadors</span><span style="text-align: left;"> – volunteers sharing the joy, energy, and fulfillment of serving alongside Catholic Sisters in CVN member programs, through creative reflection, conversation, and experience. </span></span></i><i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">This is her last post as her volunteer year comes to a close - thank you for following Catherine and her fellow Ambassadors over the course of their service year! </span></span></i><br />
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></i>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;">All is Grace – The Gift of Presence</span></b><br />
<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span></b>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DU0vPYdD2uZi3REoKixt2c0QCJsAreh7WfGY2egAx3Bat_7D9QVIerTUkTJbZQkKmEykfolANtaxMrRn8x0vP_Xga4jhSqqNwxOyxZXzQfuAXnmtqdXERmKRBZCHFnGSLO4RNdajw4Pk/s1600/Catherine+Blog+4+pic.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1DU0vPYdD2uZi3REoKixt2c0QCJsAreh7WfGY2egAx3Bat_7D9QVIerTUkTJbZQkKmEykfolANtaxMrRn8x0vP_Xga4jhSqqNwxOyxZXzQfuAXnmtqdXERmKRBZCHFnGSLO4RNdajw4Pk/s640/Catherine+Blog+4+pic.JPG" width="640" /></span></i></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The photo is of the
current St. Joseph Workers (in the back, from left to right - Katie, myself,
Yadira, and Sarah), with (in the front) Sr. Joanna (program director), Fernanda
(a 2016-2017 SJW), and Gena (a 2015-2016 SJW and current program
manager). We took this photo in October when we went to Northern California
to visit the places where the CSJ sisters serve. <br /></span></i></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As my
service year comes to an end, I slowly realize how it will actually never
end. The spirit of the St. Joseph Worker
Program, and all that I have received through it, has become a part of me that
I will carry throughout my life. Upon college graduation, our formal education
in a school-setting ends, but the learning and growth in our area of expertise
(and beyond) is a lifelong experience. All of these moments
are opportunities to explore the unknown and challenge ourselves to grow. Thus, I am grateful for the experiences I
have had in my year of service. Whether
it was a pleasant undertaking, or one that proved to be difficult and challenging,
all is a grace from God and has helped transform me into the person I am
today. Through it all, this year has
taught me to simply be present, and to embrace the present moment rather than
dwelling in the past or worrying about the future. It is
in being present to my journey
and
those I have been blessed to encounter, that I am able to soak in all the
graces God pours upon me. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.25in;">During my year of service, I am
blessed to have the opportunity to begin my days with Jesus in the Holy
Celebration of the Mass. It is in this
celebration, particularly the Celebration of the Eucharist, that resonates with
my own journey in the St. Joseph Worker Program. In my day-to-day ministry, I work with small
groups of students who need more one-on-one instruction because of their
different learning styles. I also watch
over all of the students during lunch and recess times, coach Decathlon, and
remind track runners of how powerful the human will is. Now it can seem </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.25in;">almost</span><span class="MsoCommentReference" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.25in;"><span style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.25in;">
mundane, if only looked at only from the surface.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">So too, before consecration, the host is
merely a wafer - so simple and insignificant.
Yet it is in the consecration, that we pray the words that implore the
Holy Spirit to come down to transform the “wafer” and “wine” into the Real
Presence of Jesus - The Body and Blood of Christ. And so I’ve learned</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;">...Though
the works I do at St. Anne and in other program activities are not too
difficult nor have a major impact on the world as a whole, I strive to offer
all my students and the works entrusted to me to God, so that He may sanctify
them and fill in where I am lacking.
This has taught me to be free to serve without being so concerned about
the results of my works. After all, it is not my work, but God’s work. So trusting Him, I have learned to love and
care more about my students’ growth in character and as beloved Children of
God, rather than results such as passing and temporal grades (though education
and knowledge are important).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.25in;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">In a year of
service, it can get to a point when I feel so burned out that I wish to reserve
my energy and focus solely on my own needs.
It is in these sometimes too often moments when I feel out-of-touch with
my dear neighbors - be it my students, those experiencing homelessness in our
neighborhoods, or even my SJWP community.
However, looking at Jesus, I see that He, in the most loving and
compassionate way possible, always made Himself available to those in need - from
the lepers to the tax collectors, from the crowds of 5,000 to the one woman at
the well. And He still does make Himself available, especially in the Most
Blessed Sacrament of the Eucharist. He
says, “</span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.25in;"><i>This is my Body…</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">” so to
remind me of His sacrificial love for His Universal Body - the Church - the
dear neighbors that are my own brothers and sisters. Jesus as well says, “This is my Body, </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.25in;"><i>which
will be given up for you</i></b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">.”
Following His example and invitation, I too experience “giving up”
myself. </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.25in;">From the external comforts of being home
with my family, having a salary, and focusing solely on my own needs and
ambitions, to the internal comforts of following my own will...this year of
service has allowed and nurtured within myself a more compassionate presence -
a presence to the needs of others, a presence that is simply open and available.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">It is in being
broken, that I am able to be given out to others. Therefore, perfection is not my goal, but rather
to love as Jesus loves. Despite my
weaknesses and faults, God can still somehow use me as an instrument of His
love, peace, and joy. Being with
the students at St. Anne’s has proven the fact that I am no savior. I cannot magically make their struggles
disappear, be it academics or familial.
However, I can journey with them by simply listening and being available
when they need me. </span><span class="MsoCommentReference" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><span style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">Despite
being an instructional aide, the irony is, I have learned and received much
more from the teachers and students at St. Anne’s than I have given. In and
through their sharings, and even from their smiles, everyone brings to life
Christ’s unconditional love to me</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0.5in;">.
The students are the image of what Scripture refers to when calling us to be
like children - so pure and totally trusting and dependent on God the Father.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 31.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 31.5pt;"><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">The
word Eucharist literally means “thanksgiving,” and to live a Eucharistic life
means to live with gratitude</span><span style="font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%;">. This year of service has taught me to always
be present, being aware and responsive to God’s invitations through my dear
neighbors. In knowing that God is in all
persons and situations, I am grateful for all the experiences and the graces
received this year. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 31.5pt;">I
pray that imitating Jesus in the Eucharist, I may continue to give myself to
the Church and to my dear neighbors, even in the most simple form of
presence. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjFgQVATYAQyvi5mIjSYqaSPOj6m93sXZPfEtZfmfsWNO3W4EVZ7vyBH4FZNvrgmfuXLfnuulnks705ggafX4QKWFwe8wwyZlcsReuYGWBvUaPC1STLZoDxBycV6GCDGNM7RIiuV2pous/s1600/ServicetoSisterhood_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.8px; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="525" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjFgQVATYAQyvi5mIjSYqaSPOj6m93sXZPfEtZfmfsWNO3W4EVZ7vyBH4FZNvrgmfuXLfnuulnks705ggafX4QKWFwe8wwyZlcsReuYGWBvUaPC1STLZoDxBycV6GCDGNM7RIiuV2pous/s200/ServicetoSisterhood_logo.jpg" width="200" /></a>
<span style="font-size: x-small;"><i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></span></i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Catherine, a current <a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/st-joseph-worker-program" target="_blank">St. Joseph Worker</a>, will be blogging about her service experience as part of our ongoing <a href="http://catholicvolunteernetwork.blogspot.com/p/serving-with-sisters-ambassadors.html" target="_blank">Serving with Sisters Ambassadors series</a>. T</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>his<span style="text-align: right;"> series is sponsored by CVN's </span><a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/from-service-to-sisterhood" style="text-align: right;">From Service to Sisterhood Initiative</a><span style="text-align: right;">, a project made possible thanks to the support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation</span></i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">.</span></span>Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-3513886513187031832018-06-27T10:23:00.000-04:002018-06-27T10:23:07.742-04:00Share Your Wisdom: Ada Lee - Vincentian Service Corps West - San Francisco, CA<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">Ada is one of five CVN </span>Serving with Sisters Ambassadors<span style="text-align: left;"> – volunteers sharing the joy, energy, and fulfillment of serving alongside Catholic Sisters in CVN member programs, through creative reflection, conversation, and experience. This is her last post as her volunteer year comes to a close - thank you for following Ada and her fellow Ambassadors over the course of their service year! </span></span></i></span></span></i><br />
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></i></span></span></i>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbuxWkO9VvJvHkP9CkNzcAwSh1nGYhIw6tPncLss2MV8tEdmc3lMuoz-l8xC9oIXhoSxOpr0Gw59_chieBx3AAxfU-yYXjQEISpwjZr1QWWjtnbBptDFahoX602JxHfznlSgyazl1xr_9t/s1600/Ada+Blog+4+photo.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbuxWkO9VvJvHkP9CkNzcAwSh1nGYhIw6tPncLss2MV8tEdmc3lMuoz-l8xC9oIXhoSxOpr0Gw59_chieBx3AAxfU-yYXjQEISpwjZr1QWWjtnbBptDFahoX602JxHfznlSgyazl1xr_9t/s640/Ada+Blog+4+photo.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My community members and I took a trip to Alcatraz and
Angel Island last weekend. With the year winding down, we want to spend as much
time together as possible! Trips like these are always special ways for us to
bond and connect with each other...as well as be a tourist in San Francisco!</span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Dear
future volunteer,<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I
know you’re probably having excitement and joy, but also doubts and worries as
you contemplate the opportunity to serve. A little more than a year ago, I was
in your position. In 2017, I would never have thought that I would be moving
across the country, serving alongside incredible people, forming compassionate
relationships with the marginalized of society, and living in intentional
community. I had no idea how much I would change and grow as a person. I had no
idea how much a year of service would change my life in all aspects.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Of
course, there were times I struggled- and not just financially. There were
moments I felt discouraged and had doubt in my faith or in the reason why I was
placed here. There were instances of strife and trouble. But in the end, it has
all been part of a greater journey of finding myself and being happy with who
I’ve become.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white;">
<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And
so, wide eyed and eager friend, here are three pieces of advice to take with
you as you discern this amazing and life changing opportunity:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">1) Dare
yourself to use your faith in any and every way possible. <o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before I embarked
on my adventure with Vincentian Service Corps West, I struggled with my faith.
I was unsure about where I was in my relationship with God. Going to church was
the least priority in my mind, and I did not have a faith community with whom I
felt comfortable. This year, I wanted a change and so I dared myself to try to
see God in all aspects of my life. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The moment I let
God become the main factor of my life, my eyes were opened and I started to
sense His presence everywhere. I no longer see God only at church service. Now,
I see God in the everyday, in every moment, and in every person. I see God in
the people I’m serving- a God of mercy and truth. I see God in my community
members and the support system I have developed here- a God of service. I see
God in the moments of being happy and in the beautiful nature of San Francisco-
a God of love. By opening myself to seeing God everywhere, I truly do see Him
everywhere. </span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN"><br /></span><span lang="EN">
But I also see God in those not- so- nice moments. I see God with me as I
struggled to connect with a person I was serving. I see God as I made the hard
decision to switch service sites mid-year. I see God in the times my community
members and I did not get along. Despite those moments being ones of
difficulty, knowing I had God with me in each one gave me utmost inner peace
and clarity. I have been able to find
God working in me- transforming my heart and molding me into the person I’m
meant to be.</span><br /><span lang="EN">
Future volunteer, I dare you to use your faith in every way possible. I dare
you to see God in every moment, in every person, and in every day, too.</span><span lang="EN"><br /></span><span lang="EN"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN"></span><span lang="EN">
One of the biggest things I have learned through my time at The Epiphany Center
is the power of compassion- for others and most importantly for myself. We all
make mistakes and we all have struggles- we are only human and no one is
perfect. To admit you are vulnerable and need help is one of the most
empowering and bravest things you can do. We live in a time where we are often
told that we must stay strong, we can’t express our feelings, and we need to
hold in our emotions. The clients of The Epiphany Center have shown me that to
admit you’re in need of help and to not be afraid to seek it, is one of the
first steps in healing. The clients all have various backgrounds- many from
trauma, self-doubt, and fear. But holding in these worries prohibit you from becoming
your full, beautiful self. I have been touched by the determination of these
clients. They express tenacity in becoming the best women they can be. They
have forgiven themselves and learned from their mistakes to move on to become
better people. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN"></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span lang="EN"></span><span lang="EN">
Future volunteer, I ask you this: to above, all trust in the work of God
(whether or not it is the pace we desire). Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, SJ, has
said, “Give Our Lord the benefit of belief that His hand is leading you, and
accept the anxiety of feeling yourself in suspense and incomplete.” Believe that
He is leading you in the right direction and see this as an opportunity to
trust in your faith more. </span></span><br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
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<b><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">2) The
power of (self) compassion<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before I embarked
on the adventure that is a year of service, I was facing a lot of personal
issues. I felt lost and confused and unsure of the direction my life was going.
This left me very frustrated. When it came time to move across the country and
start over in a new city, I was hard on myself when I couldn’t automatically
make new friends or get adjusted to the directions and finding my way around. I
was living with new people I’ve never met before and readjusting the way I
lived.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Forgiving
yourself for the missteps in your life journey is the way to achieve your whole
self. Taking it easy on yourself through the struggles that this year brings
will allow you to see God in even the most difficult of moments. Future
volunteer, I implore you to know that good things take time to come to
fruition. The best is yet to come. Take it easy on yourself. That’s the best we
can do in this one life we are given. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">3) The
courage of ‘letting go’- let go, let God<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Before I went on
the adventure that is living on the other side of the country, I found it hard
to let things go. I used to keep every single paper I’ve ever received since
1st grade (really!). When my program informed me that I was only allowed to bring
two suitcases and a bookbag to stay in solidarity with the act of living simply
and with the people we were serving, I made the sporadic life-changing decision
to live a life of minimalism. I thought to myself, “If I’m going to be living
simply this year with the intent on it influencing my whole life, I might as
well take the steps to make this happen.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I donated 90% of
my stuff to charity the summer before I left for California. This was the
hardest, but first, step for me on this journey. I struggled, cried, complained
about letting go of my possessions- to the point where my friends had to
forcibly take things away from me. But once I let them go, a huge wave of
relief settled over me. How much of those things that I owned affected a huge
part of my life? By letting go of the material possessions that I once thought
owned me, I was stripped down to my basic and simple core. Now, I can focus on
myself and the work God has planned for me. Let go of the things weighing you
down, of worldly items, and let God provide and work through you.</span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">And so future
volunteer, I end this letter with a choice at the crossroads of your destiny.
The decision is yours now. The power to decide is at your fingertips. But
whatever happens, I got your back. May God bless you on your decision. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br />
<span style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span></span><br /></div>
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<span style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Love,</span></span></div>
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<span style="text-align: right;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ada</span></span><span style="font-family: "calibri" , sans-serif; text-align: right;"><br /></span></div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjFgQVATYAQyvi5mIjSYqaSPOj6m93sXZPfEtZfmfsWNO3W4EVZ7vyBH4FZNvrgmfuXLfnuulnks705ggafX4QKWFwe8wwyZlcsReuYGWBvUaPC1STLZoDxBycV6GCDGNM7RIiuV2pous/s1600/ServicetoSisterhood_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman"; font-style: normal; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="525" height="77" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjFgQVATYAQyvi5mIjSYqaSPOj6m93sXZPfEtZfmfsWNO3W4EVZ7vyBH4FZNvrgmfuXLfnuulnks705ggafX4QKWFwe8wwyZlcsReuYGWBvUaPC1STLZoDxBycV6GCDGNM7RIiuV2pous/s200/ServicetoSisterhood_logo.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>Ada, a current volunteer with</i> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/vincentian-service-corps" target="_blank">Vincentian Service Corps West</a>, blogged about her service experience as part of our ongoing <a href="http://catholicvolunteernetwork.blogspot.com/p/serving-with-sisters-ambassadors.html" target="_blank">Serving with Sisters Ambassadors series</a>. T</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>his<span style="text-align: right;"> series is sponsored by CVN's </span><a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/from-service-to-sisterhood" style="text-align: right;">From Service to Sisterhood Initiative</a><span style="text-align: right;">, a project made possible thanks to the support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation</span></i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; font-style: italic; text-align: right; text-indent: 0.5in;">.</span><br />
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Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-58656752440970078672018-05-30T10:41:00.000-04:002018-05-30T10:41:06.543-04:00Supper with Sisters: Melissa Feito - Loretto Volunteers, Washington DC <iframe allow="autoplay" frameborder="no" height="166" scrolling="no" src="https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/451244067&color=%23ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_comments=true&show_user=true&show_reposts=false&show_teaser=true" width="100%"></iframe><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">With her signature humor, style, and spunk, Loretto
Volunteer and Serving with Sisters Ambassador Melissa Fieto interviews Sr. Maureen Fiedler: “Sister of Loretto, tireless advocate for peace and equality,
radio pioneer, author, political junkie, cat lover, gardener, diet cherry pepsi
drinker, and founder of Interfaith Voices.” Enjoy this podcast, and stay tuned to hear more from Melissa and her fellow Ambassadors over the course of their service year! </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkndzKRrhv9X9t7IGO4KYevDchmWpUYQEOzbAQtmtT7BYX-F-dNXcccHoHb6B4lv-RPaRKRQ57L-wEYwfqcMYeerr83FGkQriw175jHJXxrlvMklkMFlJmW6jDn43N6pv2Lhd7_cY5ALDk/s1600/Sr.+Maureen+Picture+-+Melissa+Blog+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="900" data-original-width="1600" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkndzKRrhv9X9t7IGO4KYevDchmWpUYQEOzbAQtmtT7BYX-F-dNXcccHoHb6B4lv-RPaRKRQ57L-wEYwfqcMYeerr83FGkQriw175jHJXxrlvMklkMFlJmW6jDn43N6pv2Lhd7_cY5ALDk/s640/Sr.+Maureen+Picture+-+Melissa+Blog+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">A poster of Sr. Maureen, the founder of Interfaith Voices who recently retired after 15 years on the air, watches over the staff and volunteers in the Interfaith Voices office.</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0r1_hX0C28RFH1YEGCADlW7kayq5QiXw4ldT__I0A6TEFV7LUOVTO2OlqgaaSczJqJG0srapLLhzrexhzt3vDiT6gUHgGKSMwP5ubRGZbzWVieFf8EbGfzfDwCAMZL3Sy0ovx4ERrsRH/s1600/Interfaith+Voices+-+Melissa+Blog+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="640" height="384" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhC0r1_hX0C28RFH1YEGCADlW7kayq5QiXw4ldT__I0A6TEFV7LUOVTO2OlqgaaSczJqJG0srapLLhzrexhzt3vDiT6gUHgGKSMwP5ubRGZbzWVieFf8EbGfzfDwCAMZL3Sy0ovx4ERrsRH/s640/Interfaith+Voices+-+Melissa+Blog+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Melissa (middle in tweed dress) and Sr. Maureen (right of Melissa in white shirt) at a recent event hosted by the Quixote Center, where Sr. Maureen used to work and where Interfaith Voices was born. </span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjFgQVATYAQyvi5mIjSYqaSPOj6m93sXZPfEtZfmfsWNO3W4EVZ7vyBH4FZNvrgmfuXLfnuulnks705ggafX4QKWFwe8wwyZlcsReuYGWBvUaPC1STLZoDxBycV6GCDGNM7RIiuV2pous/s1600/ServicetoSisterhood_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman"; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="525" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjFgQVATYAQyvi5mIjSYqaSPOj6m93sXZPfEtZfmfsWNO3W4EVZ7vyBH4FZNvrgmfuXLfnuulnks705ggafX4QKWFwe8wwyZlcsReuYGWBvUaPC1STLZoDxBycV6GCDGNM7RIiuV2pous/s200/ServicetoSisterhood_logo.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-size: x-small;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Melissa, a current <a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/loretto-volunteer-program" target="_blank">Loretto Volunteer</a>, will be blogging about her service experience as part of our ongoing <a href="http://catholicvolunteernetwork.blogspot.com/p/serving-with-sisters-ambassadors.html" target="_blank">Serving with Sisters Ambassadors series</a>. T</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>his<span style="text-align: right;"> series is sponsored by CVN's </span><a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/from-service-to-sisterhood" style="text-align: right;">From Service to Sisterhood Initiative</a><span style="text-align: right;">, a project made possible thanks to the support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation</span></i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">.</span></span></div>
Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-38592240467405424082018-05-21T06:00:00.000-04:002018-05-21T06:00:04.632-04:00“Compartir”: The Mission of the Church <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Magdalene Van Roekel, Franciscan Mission Service</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsA_-k46AXXojIQOn8VGFrB2tfFOLZz8hvpooVVeb9JDdoKCZl9w4VnnUx97WCfHucRVbx5R5YOyXL-6HB54ooY0MWVWpEHzNhoZuTQA52W2Tj5Y3yflmKwIgWIuViJ3eVPRIdR20HzAc/s1600/Convivencia+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsA_-k46AXXojIQOn8VGFrB2tfFOLZz8hvpooVVeb9JDdoKCZl9w4VnnUx97WCfHucRVbx5R5YOyXL-6HB54ooY0MWVWpEHzNhoZuTQA52W2Tj5Y3yflmKwIgWIuViJ3eVPRIdR20HzAc/s320/Convivencia+3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">“For even as the body is one and yet
has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are
one body, so also is Christ.” (1 Corinthians 12:12)</span></i><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Frequently in the bible, we read that
we are all members of one body, making up the church in our world. We must work
as one body, sharing as one large group, the church. Although I’ve heard and
read this teaching several times, for most of my life I still saw the church as
a building. Sadly, this imagery left me with gaps in my understanding which
impacted my spiritual life.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">In Spanish, the word “compartir”
means “to share.” One of the biggest impacts that mission and life in Bolivia
has had on my spiritual life is the “compartir” culture. Not only do people
share with their friends and the people they know well, but they share with
everyone. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I am currently serving as an overseas
lay missioner at the Universidad Academica Campesina-Carmen Pampa (UAC). So far
in my time here in Carmen Pampa, Bolivia, I have witnessed everyday acts of
sharing. People don’t always have much, but they are always happy to share what
they do have. On campus, students have shared their snacks with me. A student
invited me to his home to share about Bolivian culture with me. Whenever
students attend events and are asked why they chose to come, the resounding
answer is simple: “compartir.” Their desire is to share.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlAjh3NtqnjXVfNax-z2wwEx-foBnjuikvkv6BXveEfbKLN2Dq_dPR_iNKnXXuDVNzClFZ9l3Rwdqfim-DYuarz5JS15eOEkfzHdGE2KCamFgb0A9_R7qqUmLD3sfWoeYXCB3ciOudQxwp/s1600/Convivencia+1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="720" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlAjh3NtqnjXVfNax-z2wwEx-foBnjuikvkv6BXveEfbKLN2Dq_dPR_iNKnXXuDVNzClFZ9l3Rwdqfim-DYuarz5JS15eOEkfzHdGE2KCamFgb0A9_R7qqUmLD3sfWoeYXCB3ciOudQxwp/s320/Convivencia+1.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I learned a great lesson on what it
means to share while on a recent trip to a local town with a group of students
in Pastoral, the campus ministry group at the UAC. It was a day full of
activities to get to know one another: we played games, shared in music,
celebrated mass, and ate wonderful food. I had a great time and really got to
know some of the students better. I was amazed by the way that everyone shared
their time and energy, even when it would have been easier to let someone else
take charge. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Because I was so amazed by all of the
sharing, I was caught off-guard by a conversation that occurred a few days
later at our Pastoral group meeting. The group leader asked each person to
share a reflection about the trip.The first student to speak shared that she
thought the trip had been “<i>mas o menos</i>”, “more or less.” I was a bit
confused. As we continued around the circle, many people voiced similar
thoughts. I was shocked that the trip I thought was so beautiful had left
others feeling disappointed. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Then someone started to go deeper:
the reason many people had felt a little discouraged was because during most of
the trip, people had been in separate groups—one group working on the cooking,
one group singing, one group playing soccer. We hadn’t truly been sharing as
one.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3HXZcXLciygsHcfOoijES21Ic5aW6FTYYHz2Fvl2K4F0yDXOtuOqtT6KtDzoOKbIFz4_e_sSPwJ3H0VAqCaKFcdFyJGWZwmZ7VstB7c1auSecnDlUDtVfOKniibqC8ww5a-vEyyORmNZ/s1600/Convivencia+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="720" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd3HXZcXLciygsHcfOoijES21Ic5aW6FTYYHz2Fvl2K4F0yDXOtuOqtT6KtDzoOKbIFz4_e_sSPwJ3H0VAqCaKFcdFyJGWZwmZ7VstB7c1auSecnDlUDtVfOKniibqC8ww5a-vEyyORmNZ/s320/Convivencia+2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I thought back to what was the most
powerful part of the trip to me, and I realized that it had been in mass. The
church was small and made of cement. It had plain, cracked windows, and we sat
in red plastic chairs. But during mass, we had all come together as one group
to share in praise to God, to share in the word of God, and to share in the
Eucharist. It had been so powerful because we were all there as one.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">I want you to close your eyes now and
come up with an image of church. I’ll admit that every once in awhile, I’m
still going to picture a building. This building may have the most pristine
stained glass windows, with beautiful mahogany pews, and a perfectly polished
tabernacle. But no matter how beautiful the building may be, this image still
leaves gaps. Because no matter how many people are packed in that church, there
are still hollow spaces when it is just a building.</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">Like Jesus taught us, we are the
church. As the church, it is our mission to act as the body of Christ here on
earth. The truth is that we aren’t truly acting as the hands and feet of Christ
until we use those limbs to reach out and share. And reaching out isn’t a task
we were made to do on our own. Christ’s body was made to work as one unit. When
we spread the gift of sharing as one people, we begin to fill voids. </span><span style="font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;">The desire of my students to share and to work together as one
community and one body has been such a powerful experience. I am still learning
what it means to truly “compartir” each and every day. I’m learning how to see
myself as a part of a larger, complete body. In embracing this life of sharing,
I have found myself more deeply appreciating my time with others, as a part of
God’s church, and so becoming closer to Him and to His people.</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Calibri; mso-bidi-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Calibri;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><i style="font-size: 15.4px; text-indent: -24px;"><span style="color: #212121;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">To learn more about service opportunities through</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></i></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Franciscan Mission Service, <i><a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/franciscan-mission-service" style="color: #cc9900; text-decoration-line: none;">please click here</a></i>.</span></span></div>
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<br />Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-68964644497255776242018-05-09T11:34:00.002-04:002018-05-09T11:34:56.915-04:00Supper with Sisters: Allison Reynolds - Good Shepherd Volunteers <i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">Allie is one of five CVN </span>Serving with Sisters Ambassadors<span style="text-align: left;"> – volunteers sharing the joy, energy, and fulfillment of serving alongside Catholic Sisters in CVN member programs, through creative reflection, conversation, and experience. Enjoy this post, and stay tuned to hear more from Allie and her fellow Ambassadors over the course of their service year!</span></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222;"><br /></span></span></span>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white;"><span style="color: #222222;">While
living in Sucre, Bolivia I have adapted to a more closed-minded atmosphere than
what I am used to, showing me how different parts of the world may think and
act. However, </span></span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Hermana Verónica (Sister Verónica)</span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> is a beautiful open-minded Bolivian soul who has
allowed me to have someone to go to for guidance, advice, and faith, while
working with oppressed communities in this culture. </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">I appreciate her focus on life, and for that
reason I chose to interview her about her ¨yes¨ to religious life and other
aspects of becoming a Sister. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #222222;">Q: How was your childhood? Was it religious? How
was your family?</span></b><span style="color: #222222;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #222222;">A: </span></b><span style="color: #222222;">Hermana Verónica took her vows at the young age of 26; however,
she explained to me that she felt spiritual, religious and the presence of God
from the young age of 6. She knew she had this feeling, but could not
completely understand it. When she received communion, there was no preparation
and no schooling. Her church did offer preparations, but they felt the children
did not want to understand or would not understand. So, she simply learned how
to receive the Eucharist without any knowledge of why. As a little girl,
however, Sr. Verónica felt God was speaking to her and could feel Him explaining
to her why this sacrament was important. The story continues to her
Confirmation, when she also did not feel prepared, but knew it was the right
thing for her because God was telling her. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">She explained her purpose in life was to work
for the love and strength of God - she felt she was put on this earth to
fulfill His work. This became difficult for her because she grew up in a family
which did not value religion, and they were not the ones influencing this value
she had discovered on her own.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Then, when Sr. Verónica was in high school,
one of her cousins entered a convent. This particular convent would not let the
women leave the building in which they stayed, only to pray all day. This
knowledge of the convent life actually turned Sr. Verónica away from thinking
that would be the life she wanted to live forever. However, because she had
this idea of vocation in her mind and the lifestyle of prayer interested her,
she was determined to discover more about religious life.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0CAZp1PSJ1dJDAY19x1W6NQZMKlBEjUrgftQpedoFAmm7Z6cF-_dtjW5d1velIMKYOTqPh_cEJ4b6ldnnNoDnBcioig-uavX_UxU-dgDT5yc3WbU-7eZW1F-1M_n9Nqj9KxkGYF2Uws8/s1600/Allie+Blog+3+Sister+Reunion.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="726" data-original-width="968" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC0CAZp1PSJ1dJDAY19x1W6NQZMKlBEjUrgftQpedoFAmm7Z6cF-_dtjW5d1velIMKYOTqPh_cEJ4b6ldnnNoDnBcioig-uavX_UxU-dgDT5yc3WbU-7eZW1F-1M_n9Nqj9KxkGYF2Uws8/s640/Allie+Blog+3+Sister+Reunion.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hermana <span style="text-align: start;">Verónica</span> pointing herself out in a photo of an old Good Shepherd Sisters reunion. </span></span></div>
</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #222222;">Q: Did you ever date or have thoughts of marriage and children?</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #222222;">A: </span></b><span style="color: #222222;">After high school, Sr. Verónica became a first grade teacher.
She met a friend there who she connected with, and her friend also felt the
same strong religious experience she felt. One day she met a boy named Alberto,
and she felt a strong connection to him. Her friend, however, warned her and
told her if she went to parties with him until late at night, she would not be
respecting her religious call. Sr. Verónica explained how she loved dancing
(but never drinking), and felt a curiosity towards Alberto. She needed to
discover for herself if a relationship with him was the right thing for the
rest of her life. She and Alberto were together for three years before they had
to move away from each other due to family reasons. They continued to write to
each other, until their distance had grown strong and he started seeing another
woman. At this moment Sr. Verónica said she needed to discover herself and
continue discovering her religious journey.</span></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmECZR55NxiiocZlR5xMiBhejeST8PGEOekTRh3PzKYfWb9lTDlWl14gjk-FRjNnp7bt0PzrLb4x4qy41mTDBCGmSlVw08dKLn1UUV7pMUsoek0MXYi6ZAoQBJ3ED63K5qxQQB4ph6eHbj/s1600/Allie+blog+3+Vows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="726" data-original-width="968" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmECZR55NxiiocZlR5xMiBhejeST8PGEOekTRh3PzKYfWb9lTDlWl14gjk-FRjNnp7bt0PzrLb4x4qy41mTDBCGmSlVw08dKLn1UUV7pMUsoek0MXYi6ZAoQBJ3ED63K5qxQQB4ph6eHbj/s640/Allie+blog+3+Vows.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hermana </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Verónica<span style="color: #222222; text-align: start;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">with her community of Good Shepherd Sisters renewing her vows. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #222222;">Q:</span></b><span style="color: #222222;"> <b>What did your parents and friends say when you decided to
enter religious life? Were they proud? Worried?</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #222222;">A: </span></b><span style="color: #222222;">Since Sr. Verónica’s family was not as religious as she was, it
came as a shock to them. When she explained to them that she would be leaving
Alberto, they did not understand why. In their minds, he had been the perfect
gentleman, provider, and was strong, loving, and caring towards her. Her mom,
dad, and siblings could not understand how she would be leaving to discover
religious life when she had, what they perceived as, a perfect future as a wife
with Alberto. Sr. </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Verónica</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">quickly became stern with them and explained how
she felt this was right for her, even though it pained her to see how little
support they offered her at the beginning and how sad they were to see her go.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fkHFO2G3BJUglSOcJQ9oayGxRnbUQYQ_lS9IQGUEj6Revez7V6C8HkV72glqQ96KLn6Smqh4yZh5kHnz5czQpZ-QD6MkxSk1oonp3hRAnXcBTsANp10XgNXCqjQLk-Nv-PzypH4Inzfh/s1600/Allie+Blog+3+lunch+sister.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="960" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5fkHFO2G3BJUglSOcJQ9oayGxRnbUQYQ_lS9IQGUEj6Revez7V6C8HkV72glqQ96KLn6Smqh4yZh5kHnz5czQpZ-QD6MkxSk1oonp3hRAnXcBTsANp10XgNXCqjQLk-Nv-PzypH4Inzfh/s640/Allie+Blog+3+lunch+sister.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Hermana </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">Verónica</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;"> (right) with her community member Hermana Victoria, enjoying a United States Thanksgiving meal!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #222222;">Q: </span></b><span style="color: #222222;"><b>How were you first years in community life? What types of jobs
did you have?</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b><span style="color: #222222;">A: </span></b><span style="color: #222222;">Sr. </span></span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Verónica</span><span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> described that, just like any community, there
would always be differences in opinion while living with other people. I could
resonate with this statement because living in community life as a volunteer, I
understand what it feels like to have differences in opinion and having to
compromise on how something should be done. She explained how their strong love
towards God has always kept her and her community members close, and how
beautiful it is to see each individual person create their own relationship
with God. I believe this statement also relates to volunteer life because each
individual volunteer is finding and creating their own journey through their
volunteer experience. Watching your community member(s) grow spiritually,
mentally, and physically, is one of the benefits of this experience.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One of Sr. Verónica’s first jobs as a sister
was working in a group home for adolescent girls who had recently been
incarcerated. She was a supervisor of the Project, and helped the girls learn
responsibility and life skills before they were immersed back into society. She
continued this path by working with others in need throughout her life as a sister.</span></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /><b>Closing</b></span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Hermana Verónica is a shining example of how to love all of God´s children. Her
love for God is so strong, and she shows it in many different ways. She is
always making me and my community member, Andrea Gaitan, laugh, smile, learn,
and appreciate the little things in life worth having. She loves to dance and
have fun, and whenever she gets the chance, she insists on giving us Bible
Study lessons. </span><span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Living and working with Sr. Verónica and the Sisters of The Good Shepherd has given me life long lessons
and skills I will never forget. </span></div>
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</span>
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></span></span></i><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjFgQVATYAQyvi5mIjSYqaSPOj6m93sXZPfEtZfmfsWNO3W4EVZ7vyBH4FZNvrgmfuXLfnuulnks705ggafX4QKWFwe8wwyZlcsReuYGWBvUaPC1STLZoDxBycV6GCDGNM7RIiuV2pous/s1600/ServicetoSisterhood_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="525" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjFgQVATYAQyvi5mIjSYqaSPOj6m93sXZPfEtZfmfsWNO3W4EVZ7vyBH4FZNvrgmfuXLfnuulnks705ggafX4QKWFwe8wwyZlcsReuYGWBvUaPC1STLZoDxBycV6GCDGNM7RIiuV2pous/s200/ServicetoSisterhood_logo.jpg" width="200" /></span></a><br />
<span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>Allie, a current <a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/good-shepherd-volunteers" target="_blank">Good Shepherd Volunteer</a></i></span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>, will be blogging about her service experience as part of our ongoing <a href="http://catholicvolunteernetwork.blogspot.com/p/serving-with-sisters-ambassadors.html" target="_blank">Serving with Sisters Ambassadors series</a>. T</i></span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>his<span style="text-align: right;"> series is sponsored by CVN's </span><a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/from-service-to-sisterhood" style="text-align: right;">From Service to Sisterhood Initiative</a><span style="text-align: right;">, a project made possible thanks to the support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation</span></i></span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: italic; text-align: right; text-indent: 0.5in;">.</span>Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-66624863653782474592018-05-02T06:00:00.000-04:002018-05-02T06:00:06.320-04:00The Ascension and Stepping into Service<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">By Janice Smullen, Franciscan Mission Service</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><br /></span></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsJzNwS7TzWNYS3O8wKck6Zo16sSjAm0VVoEZiGLPy5ZmxDF6jNQ6oDkPYeDxk82BSeQuZIavUt2RcSTrSv2t5xizSfvOhauONszY7fxRIWo9PoScJB0M5kYIbj2LrDoiDwEsefNpf5Vj/s1600/SAM_0801.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="384" data-original-width="512" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPsJzNwS7TzWNYS3O8wKck6Zo16sSjAm0VVoEZiGLPy5ZmxDF6jNQ6oDkPYeDxk82BSeQuZIavUt2RcSTrSv2t5xizSfvOhauONszY7fxRIWo9PoScJB0M5kYIbj2LrDoiDwEsefNpf5Vj/s320/SAM_0801.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 11pt;">Dear future volunteer,</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">Each time I revisit the
Ascension stories in the Gospels, I find numerous points that relate to mission
and service. Throughout my own time on mission in Jamaica, I see similarities
between these verses and my challenges and blessings in a daily life of
service. I hope to offer encouragement to you, future volunteer, as you
research and discern the many opportunities for service available to you.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">“He rebuked them for their
unbelief and hardness of heart…” (Mark 16:14) </span></i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">My strongest prompt to
mission came as I reflected on a painting of St. Francis gazing at the cross
and being told to rebuild the church. The question written with the painting
asked, “Am I willing to do God’s will?” For many years, I have read, heard, and
tried to practice in small ways, the example of Jesus doing the “will of my
Father,” and loving others as God loves me. Now I felt that God had put the
nudge toward mission into my heart. Two years of overseas mission service
seemed like a very big step into the unknown but I had the stories of
Francis and many others as examples, and I felt that if I said “Yes,” God would
enable me to shed my worries and, thus, soften my heart and make more room for
his Grace! Future volunteer, God will do the same for you. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mission has taught me to
expect the unexpected and to trust in God’s plan. Though I was open to other
ministries, there was a pretty high expectation at my future mission site that
I would be helping in schools, and that is exactly where I found myself. My
first classroom was noisy, chaotic, cramped, and undersupplied, but I found
that I had the most difficulty countering the common teaching approaches, which
I perceived as overly physical and sometimes belligerent. During the first days
and weeks, it was very easy for me to get caught up in the prevalent
practice of shouting, derision, and physically putting someone into their chair
or the corner. I didn’t like myself doing that. Continually, readings in the
Franciscan prayer book kept telling me that Peace IS the path. One time, a
student told me that he didn’t like me putting him into his seat. The next day,
I got down to his eye level and apologized to him. He listened, we hugged, and
I felt that I was on my way toward a better practice. Future volunteer, are you
ready to be stretched and molded according to God’s will? <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7MRQh3rQCyVjdtgT5ovbeJmhq7YAc3HAYaZEIl-wwyfAj1V3lDvhZYtV7Du57PFlVs4q9EDB1DMsTDctHqzFm-1vDRwk54s7GpNfTzKR2fatgEcgo666WcMVWQsw3blVo1z2l4gB7AwD/s1600/SAM_1018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO7MRQh3rQCyVjdtgT5ovbeJmhq7YAc3HAYaZEIl-wwyfAj1V3lDvhZYtV7Du57PFlVs4q9EDB1DMsTDctHqzFm-1vDRwk54s7GpNfTzKR2fatgEcgo666WcMVWQsw3blVo1z2l4gB7AwD/s320/SAM_1018.JPG" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">“The eleven disciples went
to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them.” (Matthew
28:16)</span></i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I always notice the number
eleven here; it is a particular mention to the fact that someone is missing.
Dear future volunteer, are you worried about leaving your loved ones to do
service? There are times when I am missing someone familiar from my table. It
is different people at different times and my heart misses them. The last
phrase—”to which Jesus had ordered them”—strikes me as being particularly
relevant to mission and service. What are Jesus’ orders? Feed the hungry,
clothe the naked, go and make disciples of all nations. Mission is an
opportunity to do just that. My heart believes that God does and will take
care of me while on mission, and the Almighty and Universal God is also able to
care for my loved ones even when they are on a different continent!<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">“He led them out to
Bethany...They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy and
they were continually in the temple praising God.” (Luke 24:50-53) </span></i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Dear future volunteer, as
you discern your service, there is great help to be found in being “continually
in the temple praising God.” I couldn’t have made my decision for mission
without some serious prayer and reflection. The question of “Is this really
God’s will?” was a focus for my Lenten prayer before I began my time of service.
Contemplative silence and guidance from trusted friends helped me to find peace
in the answer to that prayer. This ending of Luke’s Gospel account shows the
disciples returning to the Temple, and I have reflected on how this seems to be
the strength they needed before departing to their ministries that are
recounted in Acts. <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">“Jesus came and stood in
their midst and said, ‘Peace be with you.’” (John 20:19; 21:22) </span></i><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">Ahhh, my prayers were
voiced and answered; my heart found peace, and my decision for mission was
made. In John’s Gospel, Jesus breathes the Holy Spirit upon the disciples. In
the next chapter, I see another of my tendencies: my desire to get a
quick summation of God’s plan. Peter wants to know about the future for
the Beloved disciple…(nudge, nudge, wink, wink) and he is gently reminded by
Jesus, “What concern is it of yours? You follow me.” </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The disciples encounter the
resurrected Jesus in their everyday lives while fishing, walking, eating, and
interacting with others. As my mission time unfolds, I also see Jesus in
everyday life. <span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">I see him in the faith
voiced in the locals that I meet and in new forms of singing and praise. I feel
discouragement at the discrepancy of incomes and lack of faith just as Jesus
felt while gazing at Jerusalem. I marvel to see God’s hand in creation as I walk
by household gardens or explore the hills. And, like the disciples, I see Jesus
working through me, giving me a stronger dependence on prayer as I realize that
I will not be able to fix systemic problems, and a stronger sense of humility
as I realize that I am an outsider here, but I truly have been sent by God.
</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Jesus ascended and asked
his disciples to go and teach all nations. Mission service makes us a viable
part of that eternal and mystical plan. Jesus may have disappeared into the
clouds, but we are able to make his presence real today.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">I really think that He was
having a good chuckle as He ascended. He knew how much mission would change us!</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><br />
</span><span style="color: black; font-size: 11pt;">Dear future volunteer, are you ready to be changed?</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><i style="font-size: 15.4px; text-indent: -24px;"><span style="color: #212121;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">To learn more about service opportunities through</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></i></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Franciscan Mission Service, <i><a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/franciscan-mission-service" style="color: #cc9900; text-decoration-line: none;">please click here</a></i>.</span></span></div>
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<br />Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-72747165089639218982018-04-25T08:56:00.000-04:002018-04-25T08:56:06.804-04:00Supper with Sisters: Jessica Vozella - St. Joseph Worker Program - Los Angeles, CA<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijEz1GDlkYdk7_apRzQC6Ds5fL3SlfiVkaLex9upojVHAHvWa0-WWXjIOxZ5x9IQDboOkYRcgkVozRbA5CBuFh9tO3Ju6WUKHLAZX0XRhNwDcQt7x_B2N0KuFdGNPzustpTu6X4d4Ne9up/s1600/SWS+Ambassadors+-+Jessica+Vozella+Headshot+Crop.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1058" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijEz1GDlkYdk7_apRzQC6Ds5fL3SlfiVkaLex9upojVHAHvWa0-WWXjIOxZ5x9IQDboOkYRcgkVozRbA5CBuFh9tO3Ju6WUKHLAZX0XRhNwDcQt7x_B2N0KuFdGNPzustpTu6X4d4Ne9up/s200/SWS+Ambassadors+-+Jessica+Vozella+Headshot+Crop.jpg" width="131" /></a></div>
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: left;">Jessica is one of five CVN </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Serving with Sisters Ambassadors</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"> – volunteers sharing the joy, energy, and fulfillment of serving alongside Catholic Sisters in CVN member programs, through creative reflection, conversation, and experience. Enjoy this post, and stay tuned to hear more from Jessica and her fellow Ambassadors over the course of their service year!</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When Sister Claire and I sat down for lunch, her first
comment to me was “I was thinking about this and I don’t know why you asked me
about my story, I don’t really have much of one.” I was a little caught off
guard because I knew that her statement was the furthest thing from the truth.
After working at St. Joseph Center for 8 months, I knew that everyone has a
story that is intricate and interesting, even if they don’t see it that way. I
had asked Sr. Claire to share her story because I was already captivated by the
person she is now and was curious about the journey that brought her here.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I also
came to this lunch and interview with the new understanding that though she
answered yes to a different call than I have, there is much less that separates
me from Sr. Claire than originally perceived because of her vocation as a
sister. This shift in perspective is exciting because it allowed my
conversation with Sr. Claire and her story to have an impact and wisdom for me,
even though religious life has not been part of my discernment journey.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">How
the Call Came<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Like
many of the sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet that I have met this year, Sr.
Claire entered the convent right out of high school, at 18 years old. When she
recalled her discernment and decision to enter religious life, Sr. Claire
described the influence of the sisters who taught in her school. Listening to
her describe her draw to the sisters was incredible, as she was almost in awe
of how they cared for others and exuded a sense of love for God and neighbor.
What was beautiful to hear was her certainty that these were the women that
influenced her life trajectory. She knew she wanted to be like them. This yes
to religious life sounded as if it was a
given as Sr. Claire described her decision and that of some of her friends to enter the Sisters of
St. Joseph of Carondelet, while other friends went off to college, business
school or got married. Career options
for young women at that time were limited, including women religious. Most
religious communities were involved in health care and education. This was fine
for Sr. Claire who always thought she would be a teacher. Education turned out
to be a lifelong career, as she served children, families and the church. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt;">What
struck me about Sr. Claire’s call is that it didn’t present itself as a huge
decision about which she had to fight back and forth with herself, or that she
resented before accepting, or something she saw as particularly profound. I
found comfort in the simplicity of her decision, knowing that not all vocations
are found so easily, but that some are as simple as following the desires of
your heart. Furthermore, the beauty with which she regarded the sisters and
their vocations inspired me; it was beautiful to hear her tell me that she just
wanted to be like these women who were embodying their faith and love for God
by serving the world. </span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_jjA89r1u5qGVw5js67vHzMqDeezSIMDd-5zNKqJc1RBifm0BfDupcRc9JFQzvtMRu9FKFP2szcGiReQ10c8Xc8HKfAbYZSMx7sBn1y7_WJkWSlroAGdFRqHdPlMvzdIv3Pb4kotei4m/s1600/Opening+Retreat+-+Jessica+Blog+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu_jjA89r1u5qGVw5js67vHzMqDeezSIMDd-5zNKqJc1RBifm0BfDupcRc9JFQzvtMRu9FKFP2szcGiReQ10c8Xc8HKfAbYZSMx7sBn1y7_WJkWSlroAGdFRqHdPlMvzdIv3Pb4kotei4m/s640/Opening+Retreat+-+Jessica+Blog+3.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sr. Claire (seated, second from the right) and other members of the Board of the St. Joseph Worker program.</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Challenges
to the Call</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Though the call and yes to
her vocation were easily distinguishable and accepted by her, Sr. Claire’s
family found her vocation a little harder to embrace. Their only daughter and
one of their only two children, Sr. Claire’s parents did not completely eschew
her desire to become a sister, but they were not as thrilled as she seemed to
be. This was challenging for Sr. Claire, especially her father’s hesitation at
her decision. However, with a strength that inspires me, she knew that what she
was doing was the right thing, and pushed past the challenge this reception presented.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;"><br />When I asked Sr. Claire
about other challenges she was faced with, she told me of times where she had
to reaffirm her “yes” to God despite frustrations and uncertainties. One of the
first things that presented itself as a challenge was the change in lifestyle
being a woman religious presented especially during the formation period –“
learning to become a nun.” With relatively little socializing, especially with the outside world, was a
drastic change in the way Sr. Claire lived her life. Being separated from
friends was challenging, and there were some tough days on her journey,
especially at the beginning. Despite these valleys, striking was the sureness Sr.
Claire felt about her decision; “not once did I think about leaving.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />As Sr. Claire journeyed
through life as a Sister of St Joseph, she held fast to her trust in God,
enduring the tests that time and life brought to her. A relatable and very
human challenge she spoke about was watching many of her friends get married
and start families. She spoke of watching those on different life paths with
less of a longing and more of an appreciation, yet openly noted that she
wondered what her life would have been like had she chosen a different path-especially
to be a wife, mom and grandmother. Yet recognizing the woman she is today is
due to all the experiences, opportunities, people she has encountered as a Sister
of St. Joseph. I admired her acknowledgement
of these wonderings and her vulnerability in talking about what might have been,
as I can relate already to deal with the different life directions my friends
and I have taken. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><br />I asked specifically if
there had been any times in Sr. Claire’s journey in religious life when her
“yes” became strained and she graciously opened herself up to me in sharing a
particularly hard time. She had been teaching at a school in a small farming
town with three other sisters – involved with the school families,
participating in parish life and active in the civic community. As she was
happily living in this farming community, she unexpectedly received word that
the sisters had to withdraw from the school. Alternatives they presented were
not an option; the decision had been made. Sr. Claire recalls asking God why
this would happen. That vulnerability and questioning before God struck me as
relatable; if nothing else, I can relate to thinking you’ve got it all worked
out and you are happy only for things to change. I appreciated hearing Sr.
Claire speak of this disappointment and questioning, while holding steadfast to
her certainty of her decision and in God.<o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj03O-6EiaMEtZH5c7ICvhIH0LguapCBtkUTxTA9UW7NQSrltc_byYmoun5LrTyBH4nUQzKjGqSHxTbjbCt7DmIeFulq0oBAw8hl0iiiic2JjxtjDC7JG5gY5Scn-O981z3J3WLPpJUeZWB/s1600/SJW+Board+-+Jessica+Blog+3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj03O-6EiaMEtZH5c7ICvhIH0LguapCBtkUTxTA9UW7NQSrltc_byYmoun5LrTyBH4nUQzKjGqSHxTbjbCt7DmIeFulq0oBAw8hl0iiiic2JjxtjDC7JG5gY5Scn-O981z3J3WLPpJUeZWB/s640/SJW+Board+-+Jessica+Blog+3.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sisters and St. Joseph Worker at the St. Joseph Worker Program opening retreat, <br />featuring Sr. Claire closest to the camera!</span></td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lessons
in Discernment and Vocation</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; text-indent: 0.5in;">Listening to Sr. Claire
was a wonderful opportunity for me to simply ask more and intently listen to
the life story of someone I have had the opportunity of getting to know over
the past few months. What struck me the most about this experience was the lessons
and wisdom she knowingly or unknowingly imparted on me and the impact her words
have on my current journey through my year of service. Sr. Claire’s discernment
and yes to vocation looks differently than the discernment I find myself in,
but her feelings and understanding of how God speaks to her resonates with me.
Hearing the joy and desire for the sisters that Sr. Claire felt as a high
school student reminds me to pay attention to the great joys in my life, where
they are directed, and where they are directing. She teaches me, through her
past and present, to hear God in a way that isn’t only through silent prayer
and reflection, but also in the busyness and explosive aliveness of our everyday. </span></div>
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"><br /></span></i>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjFgQVATYAQyvi5mIjSYqaSPOj6m93sXZPfEtZfmfsWNO3W4EVZ7vyBH4FZNvrgmfuXLfnuulnks705ggafX4QKWFwe8wwyZlcsReuYGWBvUaPC1STLZoDxBycV6GCDGNM7RIiuV2pous/s1600/ServicetoSisterhood_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="525" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjFgQVATYAQyvi5mIjSYqaSPOj6m93sXZPfEtZfmfsWNO3W4EVZ7vyBH4FZNvrgmfuXLfnuulnks705ggafX4QKWFwe8wwyZlcsReuYGWBvUaPC1STLZoDxBycV6GCDGNM7RIiuV2pous/s200/ServicetoSisterhood_logo.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Jessica, a current <a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/st-joseph-worker-program" target="_blank">St. Joseph Worker</a>, will be blogging about her service experience as part of our ongoing <a href="http://catholicvolunteernetwork.blogspot.com/p/serving-with-sisters-ambassadors.html" target="_blank">Serving with Sisters Ambassadors series</a>. T</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>his<span style="text-align: right;"> series is sponsored by CVN's </span><a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/from-service-to-sisterhood" style="text-align: right;">From Service to Sisterhood Initiative</a><span style="text-align: right;">, a project made possible thanks to the support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation</span></i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">.</span>Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-78188537832850993992018-04-24T06:00:00.000-04:002018-04-24T06:00:41.886-04:00The Visitation<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Catherine Hope Sullivan, Franciscan Mission Service</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidd-pLcsajAvK6t0kx3dOhqtH4C6ZmfM2aZHBVrUfZWZ-x6TrkKpcG4QQZpwABZ4qykNh7MH9eWIKeLJ_p0Ve-uS7jiYsoSB5OOgA-Ot_Ixkvn4SEiSVHiILLRbmUU5SwguwCBUBYzlQNX/s1600/Maria+Luz+and+I+making+bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1095" data-original-width="1600" height="219" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidd-pLcsajAvK6t0kx3dOhqtH4C6ZmfM2aZHBVrUfZWZ-x6TrkKpcG4QQZpwABZ4qykNh7MH9eWIKeLJ_p0Ve-uS7jiYsoSB5OOgA-Ot_Ixkvn4SEiSVHiILLRbmUU5SwguwCBUBYzlQNX/s320/Maria+Luz+and+I+making+bread.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My morning began the same way it usually does - I entered
the large green metal doors of the women’s prison, said good morning to the
familiar female guards, went through the various security measures, and walked
into the main entrance. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The prison opens into a large concrete courtyard that is
usually full of drying laundry hanging from various levels of clotheslines. On
the main floor of the courtyard, there are many small stoves plugged into the
walls that serve as cafes—providing teas, coffees, and food for one <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">boliviano</i> (~14 cents)—all run by
inmates. Many of my days in the prison are spent here, just chatting with
friends over tea and bread. On the second and third levels are small concrete
rooms for women who can afford to pay for their own cell, since in Bolivia men
and women in prison have to pay for their own room and board. On the third
floor, there are also a few small classrooms and recreational rooms. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This particular Friday things were different than usual.
There was a buzz of excitement in the air--a sense of expectation. In the
prison courtyard, the laundry lines had been moved to make room for a table
draped with a golden cloth, adorned with red flowers. I was curious, but
quickly fell into conversation with a friend as we walked to the classroom
together.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbRQNUJJkZsohwnjLgJX9F28oeCsSexwAmhYoaxnuSOj73ydeWCh6qdsT4moY5dvAqQWKuHWx1Xqh_6mpI5k7Vw1LtbHyTwkEmbAXbxCV2KM6VdJ4HvDdPnEZMQBn9nbQFyb1jNlIqnSG/s1600/San+Sebastian+Mujeres+group+chat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="706" data-original-width="1255" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQbRQNUJJkZsohwnjLgJX9F28oeCsSexwAmhYoaxnuSOj73ydeWCh6qdsT4moY5dvAqQWKuHWx1Xqh_6mpI5k7Vw1LtbHyTwkEmbAXbxCV2KM6VdJ4HvDdPnEZMQBn9nbQFyb1jNlIqnSG/s320/San+Sebastian+Mujeres+group+chat.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Waiting was a group of friends ready for our Friday
reflection. Many of these women have been incarcerated for reasons of sheer
poverty due to an unjust system: they are imprisoned for unpaid debts despite
constantly working and raising young children. Even in the prisons, they have
to pay for their room and board. We had a fruitful discussion about injustices
pertaining to women’s rights—most of these women are dealing with sexual
violence trauma, not to mention separation from their families, unfair labor
laws, and much more. We had a lively and passionate conversation; clearly, the
buzz that I had felt upon arriving had followed us into this room. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the group discussion had finished, one of my friends,
Marta, and I began to talk one-on-one. She had been having a very difficult
time, not having seen her sons in months. She told me that the only good thing
that came out of her time in the prison was that she had found God. She
explained that people accused her of only turning to God in desperation, of
needing to believe in something when surrounded by such difficulty. Rather, she
had explained, it was because she had hit rock-bottom, and when nothing else
was there to distract her from the foundational truth and life’s profundities, she
saw very clearly that God was there—in the simplest, loneliest levels of human
need, human dignity, and life. She began to laugh about how perfect it was that
such a hard day fell on the same day the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Virgen</i>
was coming. Suddenly, the pieces came together—the set-up downstairs, the
excitement in the air—a statue of the Virgin Mary was on its way.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This was no ordinary statue - it was the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Virgen <span style="color: #252525;">María de
Urkupiña</span></i><span style="color: #252525;">- the apparition of Mary that
appeared to a poor shepherd girl upon a hillside just outside of the city of
Cochabamba. Every year a large festival is held in her honor. Because of Pope
Francis’ very intentional visit to the prison when he was in Bolivia, it was
decided that the statue of the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Virgen</i>
would be carried to each of the prisons of Cochabamba, before being placed on
display for the festival. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We walked back to the courtyard
just as women were beginning to gather, rosaries clenched in their hands. White
handkerchiefs and candles were distributed, as well as sheets of song lyrics.
The women, Catholic and non-Catholic alike, stood waiting and craning their
necks to catch the first glimpse of Our Lady. Finally, she entered, carried on
the shoulders of military men, followed by priests and government officials.
The women only had eyes for her. She was beautiful, wearing bright white
garments, a sash of the Bolivian flag, and a lace veil over her sleek black
hair. She was holding the Christ child in her left hand and a crown of gold in
her right. A large halo encircled her body, and luminescent sun rays reflected
off of its surface. Many of the women broke into tears, waving the white cloths
above their heads and singing with passion in their voices. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #252525;">One by one, the women went to
touch the <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Virgen</i>, reverence and
understanding in each caress, leaving their prayers at the feet Our Lady. Among
them was Marta, holding her rosary tightly to her heart and<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>looking into the face of Mary. </span>Here
with these women and their rock-bottom faith, in this prison—this is
consistently where I find Christ the Redeemer and the accompanist.<span style="color: #252525;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #252525;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">These are women who fight to
wake up in the morning, women who are dealing with separation from family,
sexual assault, PTSD, poverty, depression, debt, loss, and much more. And here,
before them, was a statue of a woman who had lived in such systems of
injustice, such poverty, had seen such loss, had wept for her child, had borne
the weight of true suffering. Here she was, holy and glorified, entering their
rock-bottom, their hell, and standing with them in love and solidarity. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><i style="font-size: 15.4px; text-indent: -24px;"><span style="color: #212121;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">To learn more about service opportunities through</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></i></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">Franciscan Mission Service, <i><a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/franciscan-mission-service" style="color: #cc9900; text-decoration-line: none;">please click here</a></i>.</span></span></div>
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<br />Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-89263718576212221052018-04-18T17:17:00.000-04:002018-04-18T17:19:44.021-04:00I Chose Service: Josh Maxey serving with Franciscan Mission Service<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD4HVExsEmD4yNHhhztT3_9Yo9my3advyzdu0PrmXZq_-Q2trOvZUeYwDf6DBxVfQCGM8k7R-xNz7ULy32RkcyTI6eZAl8gOkheSmfl6qauqNTh1wknmy74vzlda4ATbQCGrIDfgCGfck/s1600/JMaxey.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="432" data-original-width="432" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhD4HVExsEmD4yNHhhztT3_9Yo9my3advyzdu0PrmXZq_-Q2trOvZUeYwDf6DBxVfQCGM8k7R-xNz7ULy32RkcyTI6eZAl8gOkheSmfl6qauqNTh1wknmy74vzlda4ATbQCGrIDfgCGfck/s320/JMaxey.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Name:</b> Josh Maxey<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Volunteer Program:</b> <a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/franciscan-mission-service" target="_blank">Franciscan Mission Service</a>,
DC Service Corps 15’-16’<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Service Site:</b> Street Sense Media,
Washington, DC<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Hometown:</b> Rochester, NY<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>College:</b> Saint Bonaventure University,
Political Science major</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>1. How did you first learn about
post-graduate service? </b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I first
learned about post-graduate service through Saint Bonaventure’s Center for
Social Concern. My junior year of college, the Director of the Center for
Social Concern asked me if I had ever considered doing a year of service. While
I attended St. Bonaventure, I was very active in Campus Ministries and
volunteering with the local community.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>2. What other options were available to you,
and why did you decide on your service program? </b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I always
knew I wanted to end up in Washington, DC after graduation, but I didn’t
exactly know where I wanted to work. I thought about getting an internship on
Capitol Hill, and looking for work at different non-profits. I eventually came
to the conclusion that taking a year to really give of myself and learn more
about life outside of my comfort zone was the best approach. Prior to my
service year, the one thing that always surprised me about Washington, DC, is
the amount of people living without adequate housing, and living on the
streets. I knew I wanted to help, and learn more about this epidemic that seems
to be plaguing America, especially youth.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0IuxN5c0FCnlO-6iLOVZtsDQvvA-CHKm40_RQVSC80CDQEkHmjC7EBzdH4K_1WpiTl_2J9PgsoU1IeRb8C7T2FT3cuWdiHq9PDZIHiRfyEzWTR3VhGuTWpzbV0ILe8_9GcwVKX8wWzug/s1600/Rally+for+Equal+Housing.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0IuxN5c0FCnlO-6iLOVZtsDQvvA-CHKm40_RQVSC80CDQEkHmjC7EBzdH4K_1WpiTl_2J9PgsoU1IeRb8C7T2FT3cuWdiHq9PDZIHiRfyEzWTR3VhGuTWpzbV0ILe8_9GcwVKX8wWzug/s320/Rally+for+Equal+Housing.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>3. Tell us about your service experience. </b></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My service
site was a program called Street Sense Media. Street Sense is a nonprofit
organization that</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“creates content in
print, film, theater, photography, audio, illustration and more, all for the
purpose of providing economic opportunity for and elevating the voices of
people experiencing homelessness.” During my year, I served as the Vendor
Manger. As the Vendor Manager, I was the primary contact for the homeless
individuals in the program, helping to set up both programs, as well as working
with our staff social worker.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>4. What benefits have you gained from this
experience that you might not have received otherwise?</b> From my time
volunteering, I have learned so much about myself, and the type of person that
I would like to become. I learned skills about event planning, nonprofit management,
and the systemic issues affecting those in homelessness. Living in an
intentional community also taught me the value of relationships. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>5. What advice would
you share with someone who was considering faith-based service? </b>For anyone that
is considering a faith-based organization, I would suggest that you take your
time and really find the program that will be the best fit for you. Look at
their website; reach out to former program volunteers if you are able. This way, your year of service will not only
be about you helping other people, but your personal growth as well.</span></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;"><i>To learn more about post-grad service opportunities, check out our <a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/response-order" style="color: #cc9900; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">RESPONSE directory</a>, listing thousands of opportunities across the United States and abroad.</i></b></div>
Katiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04433082008304633764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-80623946332430974042018-04-11T12:29:00.003-04:002018-04-14T13:38:09.743-04:00Supper with Sisters: Catherine Nguyen - St. Joseph Worker Program, Orange, CA<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">Catherine is one of five CVN </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Serving with Sisters Ambassadors</span><span style="text-align: left;"> – volunteers sharing the joy, energy, and fulfillment of serving alongside Catholic Sisters in CVN member programs, through creative reflection, conversation, and experience. Enjoy this post, and stay tuned to hear more from Catherine and her fellow Ambassadors over the course of their service year!</span></span></i><br />
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<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;"><b style="font-family: "Times New Roman"; font-style: normal; text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fiat - A Sister's "YES" to God's Call</span></b></span></span></i></div>
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<o:p><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>In this podcast, Catherine interviews Sr. Katherine "Kit" Gray about her calling to the vocation of religious life. </i></span></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> In the months of serving with the St. Joseph Worker Program, I have been graced with the presence of the religious Sisters of St. Joseph of Orange (CSJ). The sisters have exemplified the beauty of religious life in the way they each uniquely live out their congregation’s mission. As advocates of social justice, the sisters are proactively present in the local communities where they reside, to be with and for our dear neighbors. However, their charism is not kept to themselves; they desire, and have succeeded, in extending their mission to other laity who partake in it. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I am always in awe when I learn about the history of the CSJ Sisters and the impact they have had in their local communities. For example, here in Orange County, St. Joseph Hospital is a renowned health-care facility. Founded by the CSJ Sisters in 1920, the original St. Joseph Hospital in Eureka, CA has extended throughout the nation. In order to sustain and continue the legacy of the CSJ Sisters, those who work in such facilities are also called to take on the mission of the sisters and make it their own. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Through the St. Joseph Worker Program, I have encountered many CSJ sisters who have taught me the meaning of humility and compassion. I have found that humility and compassion are indispensable in the ministry of healing and reconciliation, which is the charism of the sisters. Humility has allowed me to be free from controlling situations and the results of my work, thus entrusting all to God and His Providence. In humbling myself, I am more disposed to embrace Christ’s Presence in others, and desire their good, rather than focusing on myself. Compassion towards others is rooted in self-compassion. In knowing myself and my own needs, I have found a balance to meet those needs while also ministering to the needs of those around me. Seeing not merely with my eyes, but with my heart, I have learned the art of loving the human person and the sacredness they embody. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As each sister has their unique ministry, each also models the different ways of saying “yes” to the Lord and His invitations. In this podcast, Sr. Katherine ‘Kit’ Gray shares with us her own “yes” to God and how she lives out her vocation as a Bride of Christ. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjFgQVATYAQyvi5mIjSYqaSPOj6m93sXZPfEtZfmfsWNO3W4EVZ7vyBH4FZNvrgmfuXLfnuulnks705ggafX4QKWFwe8wwyZlcsReuYGWBvUaPC1STLZoDxBycV6GCDGNM7RIiuV2pous/s1600/ServicetoSisterhood_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-family: "times new roman"; font-size: 12.8px; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="525" height="78" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjFgQVATYAQyvi5mIjSYqaSPOj6m93sXZPfEtZfmfsWNO3W4EVZ7vyBH4FZNvrgmfuXLfnuulnks705ggafX4QKWFwe8wwyZlcsReuYGWBvUaPC1STLZoDxBycV6GCDGNM7RIiuV2pous/s200/ServicetoSisterhood_logo.jpg" width="200" /></a><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Catherine, a current <a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/st-joseph-worker-program" target="_blank">St. Joseph Worker</a>, will be blogging about her service experience as part of our ongoing <a href="http://catholicvolunteernetwork.blogspot.com/p/serving-with-sisters-ambassadors.html" target="_blank">Serving with Sisters Ambassadors series</a>. T</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>his<span style="text-align: right;"> series is sponsored by CVN's </span><a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/from-service-to-sisterhood" style="text-align: right;">From Service to Sisterhood Initiative</a><span style="text-align: right;">, a project made possible thanks to the support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation</span></i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">.</span>Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-85879640524067157042018-04-10T06:00:00.000-04:002018-04-10T06:00:26.417-04:00There is no Greater Medicine than Compassion<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Nritya Venkat Ramani, Good Shepherd Volunteers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Compassion. Often I have come across
this word, be it in sermons, in ancient scriptures, in NGOs, or in casual
banter. But what is compassion? What does it truly mean to be a compassionate
individual? The guidelines for compassion are dictated by many factors such as
individual personality, religion, culture, language, literature, music, arts,
and many others.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Compassion has been the driving force
behind my passion for social justice. Though it can be frustrating, demanding
if not downright depressing, the need to do right overpowers all other
emotions. I am inspired by Edmund Burke, an Irish statesman, who actively
criticized the British treatment of the American colonies and supported the
American Revolution. His most famous words are: <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"The only thing necessary for the
triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Doing nothing is the death of
compassion. The pull of despondency and inaction is strong, and yet we must not
give in if our societies are to remain at all compassionate. This is where my
year of service as a Good Shepherd Volunteer (GSV) played a vital role. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My volunteer posting was at Euphrasian
Residence, an in- house facility for girls coming through human trafficking,
gang activity, juvenile prison and the foster care system. On my very first day
on the site, my supervisor assured me that if I could work in Euphrasian, I
could pretty much work anywhere in the world. This was not going to be easy.
Having been denied a foundation of concrete values and a stable childhood, the
young women took a toll on the staff with their emotional outbursts and
disorderly conduct. Sometimes I wondered what I was doing here, and why I was
putting myself through this. While some of my college mates were in graduate
school, an internship or an actual job, here I was waking unruly teenagers up
for school, getting sworn at, and breaking up fights during lunch. This was not
what I imagined my Manhattan 'high life' to be. But isn't that what compassion
is all about? Pushing those boundaries beyond your comfort zone to go where
others don't tread? Yes, it's uncomfortable and challenging, but I became stronger
and resilient because of it. It made me appreciate the true value of compassion
in our lives, especially during infancy and childhood. Compassion builds trust,
something these young women struggled with. For once they trusted me; they
showed a kind of raw love and fierce loyalty which was different and touching.
It was why after my GSV experience, I continued to work with at- risk youth at
The Door, FEGS, and most recently, The Refugee Youth Project. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Being an active advocate for interfaith
dialogue and having committed to similar forums, I am convinced that service compels
us to dive deep into our spirituality and explore what God expects of us. It is
not the mere regurgitation of scripture or ritualistic practices that lift up
our souls. It is only through the deliverance of other living beings, that we
can redeem ourselves. Many have asked why a Hindu girl works so willingly in
Christian- based volunteer missions. The answer is very simple. We will all be
judged not by the earthly labels we impose on one and another, but by the
service we have rendered to this world. That and that alone is where I draw my
faith from. This sentiment was echoed in one of the GSV retreats, where each
volunteer had a private spiritual session with one of the Sisters. When it was
my turn, I was directed to pull out a stone from a bag filled with many colored
stones. The one I picked out had the word 'Faith' inscribed on it. I still
remember the words the Sister said to me:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"Of all the volunteers who came in,
it is unusual that the only non- Christian should receive the Faith stone. You
will draw your courage from your faith. And others will draw their courage from
you."<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8rfz0wlzZ1fhypLxcHRrKCZVe-Mu_osYrAZbWDapJg3K_bn8rOzmFTTU3NrzJctU0MhLpfWtuN8pXLZq9Yjhbj0PHxQbAAC-cvryZ0QEqNu3Y4m2XaAOpvYrx7B4QRqwK8Ktbtjng1uq/s1600/IMG_0209.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1291" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX8rfz0wlzZ1fhypLxcHRrKCZVe-Mu_osYrAZbWDapJg3K_bn8rOzmFTTU3NrzJctU0MhLpfWtuN8pXLZq9Yjhbj0PHxQbAAC-cvryZ0QEqNu3Y4m2XaAOpvYrx7B4QRqwK8Ktbtjng1uq/s320/IMG_0209.JPG" width="258" /></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Those words couldn't have resonated more.
A few years later, I lost my only sister to cancer. It was a period of such
darkness, where sometimes I wondered if there was any light at all. Supporting
my parents and preserving my own inner peace became increasingly turbulent. I
know that if it were not for my strong faith in service and God, my family may
have never bounced back from this tragedy. By enrolling in NGO work in India as
well as practicing mantra meditation and congregational worship, my family was
able to heal themselves. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>While this may
seem miraculous, the medicine is there in plain sight. There is no greater
medicine than compassion, for in healing others you heal yourself. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I believe that there are different forms
of compassion. Some people are compassionate because the recipient is a loved
one or someone they care deeply about. Some are compassionate about certain
issues because of past experiences or community spirit. And yet, some others
are compassionate because they are inspired by faith and spiritual rewards.
Finally, there are the ones who are compassionate because of a higher calling
that is to love for love's sake only. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My
year of service as a Good Shepherd Volunteer allowed me to introspect and
define what compassion meant to me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>During this process I met incredible people from all walks of life, most
of who I still remain connected. By exploring their views and experiences, my
compassion has developed profoundly. Compassion in its loftiest form calls for
complete relinquishing of ego. One can only truly serve when one harbors no judgment,
no fears and no desires. I hope to reach that form one day. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #212121; font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14.6667px; text-indent: -24px;">To learn more about service opportunities through </i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good Shepherd Volunteers, <a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/good-shepherd-volunteers" target="_blank">Please click here.</a></span></div>
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<br />Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-63323769392503483932018-04-03T06:00:00.000-04:002018-04-03T06:00:08.440-04:00Final thoughts after one year of service<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Christian Ruehling, VIDES USA</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Tqazvu2ayxrNGbIe6MXywnQdQYCQH418Km6cDYhkcSPupHc5dyEjK7j9wMkIsXZ0-AzlGUsaTG39xOvZ3nWTVgFjLk_245ip7kCe0ftki-KnMFjKpzZnxyatYKpSjnFx8wghOfx570Fe/s1600/IMG_4609.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Tqazvu2ayxrNGbIe6MXywnQdQYCQH418Km6cDYhkcSPupHc5dyEjK7j9wMkIsXZ0-AzlGUsaTG39xOvZ3nWTVgFjLk_245ip7kCe0ftki-KnMFjKpzZnxyatYKpSjnFx8wghOfx570Fe/s320/IMG_4609.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Time flies. At least,
that is what most people would say. But for me, it did not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My year of service was
slow, but I am OK with that. The year never seemed to end, but I appreciated
that I had more time to enjoy the year and to do the work that I set out to
accomplish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The first half of the
year certainly felt slower in Ethiopia, which had more to do with the fact that
I was not living in a society connected to 24-hour news cycles, instant access
to communications, deadline-driven environments, and so forth. I learned to
enjoy time at a slower rate than usual, which allowed me to reflect on the
community I was living in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPdk5BGzfelfm3Kv7P3JsovlOGMEwrAnyRs8D8QqpaGfbcq0jIpAf9ca2vzAUw1DsdOKGXnkKALcBv1vjULNf8lIsYVImYVZVgWbP6Da3fT32h2Ci5xQCGpofZJBxNe4sPFJMHokHs3Vg/s1600/IMG_4160.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFPdk5BGzfelfm3Kv7P3JsovlOGMEwrAnyRs8D8QqpaGfbcq0jIpAf9ca2vzAUw1DsdOKGXnkKALcBv1vjULNf8lIsYVImYVZVgWbP6Da3fT32h2Ci5xQCGpofZJBxNe4sPFJMHokHs3Vg/s320/IMG_4160.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My favorite memory of
Ethiopia was the smiles of the children, adolescents and young adults whom I
taught and worked with in Dilla. Their smiles and infectious laughs reminded me
that we can be happy regardless of how much or how little we have.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I also learned that
being a teacher is no easy job, and I congratulate all the teachers who are able
to go day in and day out to work with many children and help them develop into
our future generation. You cannot imagine how many times I was in front of the
classroom, thinking, "How am I going to get through this class?" But
I managed to get their attention, get through the class and have fun, as well.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Often, I would think
about my old teachers, and I finally understand how they must have felt since I
was now standing in their shoes. So while it was a challenging role, I enjoyed
using my mind in a different, creative way and channeling my energy to doing
something more creative and hopefully rewarding for my students.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwV0b3EqjQtUG_PS_m3EkwzOPLtx5UGyBOHhzlhB_XYE88oa1e5WRY56iUad2timPjE14dH7izIVjqpR5pzyhQJqs34h90WMsGJmMLVPoQ7nFIlg2GD-pli4ZTtVcbP5sddl8txXVWot69/s1600/IMG_2878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwV0b3EqjQtUG_PS_m3EkwzOPLtx5UGyBOHhzlhB_XYE88oa1e5WRY56iUad2timPjE14dH7izIVjqpR5pzyhQJqs34h90WMsGJmMLVPoQ7nFIlg2GD-pli4ZTtVcbP5sddl8txXVWot69/s320/IMG_2878.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My visit to Rome over
the summer to attend the VIDES conference was special because not only was it
my first time in the city, but it also connected me with many other VIDES
volunteers of different cultures, backgrounds and ethnicities. We all had one
thing in common, and that was our desire to help children and adolescents
through the Salesian family spirit.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Going to Rome after my
sojourn in Ethiopia was also a good segue for the second part of my journey in
Geneva. In the "city of peace," I admired how others dedicated their
lives to promoting human rights, but I was also dismayed that in this day and
age, humanity has not yet reached a point of maturity in which we can respect
the rights of others to live peacefully without the feeling of being threatened
or insecure.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I am also grateful
that I was exposed to the theme of unaccompanied migrant children, which
somehow wove itself through my year of service. It started in San Antonio,
where we spent time with adolescents who crossed the border from Mexico and
other Central American countries.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8G0rzfhClVOGgOBEDNJ11oV4wJAIWsRak5Dy8-5PBnEITlz9rCDrzLiWuMHZWyP-Pej9X_cYqGhAp_DNki-Hs8xEgyVYwba72SSYyiLxqzAgQOwygaUaIMLXykTCTQOcG9HroSXZ_NsjT/s1600/IMG_2899.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1068" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8G0rzfhClVOGgOBEDNJ11oV4wJAIWsRak5Dy8-5PBnEITlz9rCDrzLiWuMHZWyP-Pej9X_cYqGhAp_DNki-Hs8xEgyVYwba72SSYyiLxqzAgQOwygaUaIMLXykTCTQOcG9HroSXZ_NsjT/s320/IMG_2899.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">In Rome, my VIDES
colleague and I co-presented on this topic at VIDES' XI international
conference. The presentation focused on children migrating from Central America
and what programs VIDES and the Salesian sisters were doing to ensure that they
receive proper treatment: health, education, and security.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Finally, in Geneva, I
delivered an oral statement on this topic at one of the U.N. Human Rights
Council sessions. I also wrote a report on the global issue of unaccompanied
migrant children for our human rights office because Salesian sisters work with
these children and adolescents on a regular basis in their missions across
Africa, India, Latin America and Southeast Asia.</span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">These children are a
vulnerable segment of our society that need help from our communities to feel
safe and integrated. Our actions toward them make an indelible mark at their
age and could set a positive or negative course for the rest of their lives.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">When I sought out this
journey, I am glad I pushed myself out of my comfort zone to see what life was
like outside of my own Western world. It made me appreciate that life is so
much different in other countries than what I was used to. It was also amazing
to see the good that is being done by others, whether they are missionaries,
teachers, volunteers, or NGO workers for the betterment of the communities that
they work in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6gGsaKsCGr80YcTe7v6krojAIiQoCsckKXUgp7-7PC0qv-nEqHMMtdEp-sK30d0olrAp7m3Xbf_x5XN0WauqbQ7XmVE73movNXIzt5E0t3oNCAW5wIcluiA70COQ_CJkZG8mgwqZGt65J/s1600/IMG_5210.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6gGsaKsCGr80YcTe7v6krojAIiQoCsckKXUgp7-7PC0qv-nEqHMMtdEp-sK30d0olrAp7m3Xbf_x5XN0WauqbQ7XmVE73movNXIzt5E0t3oNCAW5wIcluiA70COQ_CJkZG8mgwqZGt65J/s320/IMG_5210.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">There is much going on
out there, and people need help. And not just the monetary kind, but also
old-fashioned human interaction: a hand to lift, a mind to grow, a body to heal
and a spirit to nourish.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">More importantly, I am
glad I made this experience through VIDES and that I was exposed to the world
of the Salesian sisters. Every community that I passed through received me with
warmth, care, spiritual healing and a good plate of food.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;">But more importantly, I
learned a lot from the sisters who have dedicated their lives to helping
children who are poor, marginalized, lacking in a proper education and do a lot
to break the vicious cycle of poverty they live in. Every sister I met had an
interesting story to tell about the lives they touched and the challenges they
faced, but they all carried the spiritual adversity to continue on their
mission, no matter the odds. I only wish that my heart had been touched by the
Salesian spirit at an earlier age, but at least I am satisfied with the
experience and knowledge that this journey brought me and with which I can
carry forth in the years ahead.</span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="background: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Arial","sans-serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 107%;"><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-indent: -24px;"><span style="color: #212121;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><i>To learn more about service opportunities through VIDES USA, <a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/vides" target="_blank">Please Click here.</a></i></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span>Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-55766122898016732152018-04-02T09:00:00.000-04:002018-04-02T09:00:06.718-04:00The Resurrection of the Lord Reflection by Bekah Fulton<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lenten Reflections to support your spiritual journey over these forty days - brought to you </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">by Catholic Volunteer Network and the <a href="http://www.catholicapostolatecenter.org/" style="color: #cc9900; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Catholic Apostolate Center</a>.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The Resurrection of the Lord Reflection</span></h3>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px;">by Bekah Fulton<b>, </b>former Intern with </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/sojourners-internship-program">The Sojourners Internship Program</a> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>“He has been raised;
He is not here.”</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(Mark 16:1-7)</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For most of my life I have struggled to get up early. I do not have an inherent disposition to mornings, but waking up before 7 a.m. has never sounded good to me. However, I have recently felt like I might be missing out on something by only ever waking up to fulfill a responsibility. Unless my commitments are tied to another person or work, it is hard for me to get out of bed, whether that is for myself, or worse, for God. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">So as I meditate on the passage in Mark 16, which depicts the fervent passion Mary, Mary Magdalene, and Salome had for Jesus, I feel convicted. Rising early, they rushed to serve Jesus with spices and burial rituals, completely forgetting to consider how they would get past the behemoth boulder standing firm between Jesus and the rest of the world. How often do I let the boulders in my own story quarantine my zeal for serving Jesus? How often do I sleep in just because I don’t have a “plan”? </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">One thing I have learned in my 22 years, and will most likely continue to learn, is that confidence in Christ – “the riches of assured understanding” (Colossians 2:2) – is strengthened in situations contradictory to the plans I make for myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Focus on: Community</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In addition, these women are an example for me in my own community. Even in their service and dedication, they were surprised when Jesus was no longer in the tomb. Yet instead of remaining in awe, they were commanded to “go and tell.” We are called to be witnesses and servants of the Good News, not spectators. This passage reminds me not to be shocked by the work of God when we gather in community to serve the Lord and to trust in the promises of God!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Prayer:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lord, I pray for the energy and discipline to rise early and lean in, with anticipation, to the work you have prepared for me. May I not become disheartened by the boulders I cannot see around or the plans that don’t seem to come together. I pray you soften my heart to trust in your promises and to rejoice through word and deed as I heed your command to “go and tell” of your great works. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Service Suggestion:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Similar to a budget, how we spend our days and who we give our time to is a declaration of our faith. As an act of service, give the Spirit space to move. Whether this requires an earlier start to your day or a portion of it to be left unscheduled, join me as I work to center Christ in my life!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>About the Author:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Bekah Fulton is from Cypress, Texas, a graduate of Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, and currently a part of the 2017-2018 Sojourners Internship Program in Washington, D.C. She has developed a recent love for science fiction, likes to collects fridge magnets, and enjoys dabbling with various artistic mediums.</span><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Looking for more reflections like this one? We invite you to download our Lenten Reflection Guide in its entirety, available by <a href="https://www.catholicvolunteernetwork.org/reflection-guides" style="color: #cc9900; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">clicking here</a>. You can find an extensive library of Lenten resources by visiting the Catholic Apostolate Center website - <a href="http://www.catholicapostolatecenter.org/lenten-resources.html" style="color: #cc9900; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">click here</a>.</span></i></div>
Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-38044663892141741772018-03-28T11:55:00.000-04:002018-03-28T11:55:42.402-04:00Supper with Sisters: Ada Lee - Vincentian Service Corps West - San Francisco, CA<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WAZ4244iE7zAFuBF37RXSExXmn44rs0woAAInvOm_ikj3ziXvJIY9B7GZsdh-lZI2P6wVYOQo0GvlEkItqg0O0y6PJ3ihMcw37zTr7iGguUMFkPTLXZSWC7O2KLFsGeh1HKMYoXKwqR_/s1600/SWS+Ambassadors+-+Ada+Lee+Headshot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="168" data-original-width="140" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3WAZ4244iE7zAFuBF37RXSExXmn44rs0woAAInvOm_ikj3ziXvJIY9B7GZsdh-lZI2P6wVYOQo0GvlEkItqg0O0y6PJ3ihMcw37zTr7iGguUMFkPTLXZSWC7O2KLFsGeh1HKMYoXKwqR_/s1600/SWS+Ambassadors+-+Ada+Lee+Headshot.jpg" /></a><i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;"></span></span></i><br />
<i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;"><i style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: left;">Ada is one of five CVN </span>Serving with Sisters Ambassadors<span style="text-align: left;"> – volunteers sharing the joy, energy, and fulfillment of serving alongside Catholic Sisters in CVN member programs, through creative reflection, conversation, and experience. Enjoy this post, and stay tuned to hear more from Ada and her fellow Ambassadors over the course of their service year! </span></span></i></span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">At first glance, an outsider could say that
Sister Barbara and I have nothing in common. We differ in aesthetics,
demographics, interests, and preferences. </span><span lang="EN">So one might
inquire, how can we learn from each other? I met up with Sister Barbara at a
diner on the outskirts of Daly City for an informational conversation as hearty
as the meal. In retrospect, it is our differences that brought us together and
allowed us to share our religious journeys with each other.</span><span class="MsoCommentReference"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sister Barbara was born into a religious home
with Catholic parents and was born and raised into the faith. She knew from the
early age of 7 or 8 that she wanted to dedicate her life to God. She worked
alongside Mexican Americans in poverty in San Antonio. She spent 42 years in
Taiwan serving refugee families who fled communist China. This experience
allowed her to immerse herself into the culture and learn the different
Mandarin dialects.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">I was not born into a religious home. My
parents were not Catholic and going to church was always seen as a secondary
task. I did not know what I wanted to do with my life at 7 or 8 years old,
never even considering dedicating it to the church and to God. I’ve been to San
Antonio once in my life- not to serve those in poverty, but to eat Mexican food
and Texan barbecue. I spent 42 days in Taiwan in an attempt to learn
Mandarin Chinese, only to be thwarted by distractions of friends, social
events, and tourism.</span><span class="MsoCommentReference"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">It
appears that we have nothing in common. Yet,</span><span class="MsoCommentReference"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><span lang="EN">we are alike. We are similar in that we are both
on a never-ending journey of seeing God in every person and in every life
moment. Our faith journeys have followed different paths of<b> living simply with humility, intentional
community living, </b>and <b>serving the
poor of our society</b>. But they both have the same destination: growing
closer in our relationship with God.</span></span></div>
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<b><span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Simplicity and Humility<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">When Sister
Barbara was seven years old, a priest told her that she would “look nice in a
habit.” This inspired her to think about pursuing the religious life. She
didn’t fully do so until after she finished nursing school and she was able to
discern with the help and encouragement of the Sisters and priests. She says,
“I felt that God was speaking to me through other people who could see I had a
vocation.” <br />
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I never thought I looked nice in a habit. At seven years old, I would never
have thought I’d be dedicating my life to service. However, through my
experience this year, I could feel God speaking to me through the people I am
serving. He is saying that my passion is helping others be the best they can
be- and I’m inspired now to live that goal to the fullest, no matter where life
takes me upon completion of this service year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sister Barbara
and I are living with humility and simplicity to God. We are actively choosing
not to focus on the extraneous things of life, rather to dedicate our extra
time to serving others, our community and to Him. We are choosing not to let
money get in the way of forming compassionate relationships with others. Most
importantly, we are choosing to “Let go, let God.” We both never thought we
would be where we are now, but life has humbled us enough to let God guide our
way and to listen to wherever He wants us to be. Living a humble life- for
myself and for others- has simplified my relationship to Him. I feel closer to
God now more than ever before.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b>Community Living<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">Sister Barbara
has lived in community longer than I have been alive.</span><span class="MsoCommentReference"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><span lang="EN">She has truly seen it all- the qualms, highs, and
lows of her community members. She regards her community as “one with its own
characters and personalities.” Likewise, I also live in a community filled with
different interests and passions. I’m more willing to go out and explore on
weeknights, while my community members are more likely to stay in. The
differences we have in what we do with our time does not make one better or
worse than the other. Rather, it meshes together as one large, dysfunctional
functioning family. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I, as Sister
Barbara would say, “would not want to live alone….for I would not be able to
accomplish, for Christ, what I want to accomplish.” Though our communities are
filled with different people of various generations and backgrounds, we all
have the same formation- learning to
imitate Christ by serving Him as St. Vincent and St. Louise envisioned the
service of the poor. Sister Barbara says
that “no matter where we go in the world, we find that Sisters will support
each other in their life of serving the poor and in praying together.” I have
learned that my community has made me stronger- in my faith, in my emotions, in
the belief of myself and my abilities. </span></span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: center;">We have had our ups and downs, but we are bonded by the respect we have for each other and the people we serve, as well as for our love of Christ. This bond keeps us together and holds us up.</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px; text-align: center;"> </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sister Barbara and I and our communities
are united by our common vision.</span></div>
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<b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><i>Left</i>: </b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">My community </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;">attended the Religious Education Conference in Anaheim. It is the largest congregation of Catholics in America! It was a
fantastic weekend of speakers, lectures, and prayers. Here we are outside the
Anaheim Convention Center.</span><o:p style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><b> </b></o:p><i style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"><b>Right</b>:</i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12.8px;"> Of course, when you're in Anaheim, you got to go to Disney!
Here we are posing with Queen Elsa.</span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Serving the Poor</b></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br />Sister Barbara
served the poor in Taiwan for 42 years. She served refugee families fleeing
communist China, people who lived in conditions of imprisonment, mistreatment
and filth. She claims it as “the most powerful impact” on her life as a
Daughter of Charity. “I would return home at night with the thought of those
poor people living in such conditions where they were so helpless. I was so comfortable in my own room and among
companions who were so accepting and solicitous of my needs. The helplessness of removing them from such a
situation when compared to the life I lived, made me ask God how I was granted
the life of such comfort and freedom from fear and abuse.” <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span lang="EN">This year, I am
serving women and children afflicted by drug and alcohol abuse. These women
have had traumatic backgrounds and have either been formerly incarcerated and/
or homeless. For them, returning home to a residence that is comfortable,
accepting, and solicitous of their needs gives them hope. They no longer want
to go back to the streets or the situation their lives were in before. It
prompts me to ask God how I can help them build </span><span lang="EN">a life free from fear and abuse.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Both Sister
Barbara and I are serving the poor. This doesn’t necessarily mean poor in
monetary standards, but poor in spirit and faith. As Mother Teresa once said,
“We think sometimes that poverty is only being naked, hungry, and homeless. The
poverty of being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for is the greatest poverty.”
The Daughters of Charity look forward to serving the very poor since their
vocation and community is essentially for that purpose. As a Vincentian volunteer, I call on that
same purpose as well. St. Vincent taught us that if we go to serve the poor ten
times a day, we have served Jesus ten times a day because we should see Him in
the poor. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I concluded my
time with Sister Barbara by asking her what advice she would like to give me
before we parted ways. She said:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i><span lang="EN">As a young volunteer, you already have a
sense of responsibility of helping less fortunate persons. I would advise you to continue that spirit
and deepen this practice no matter where God leads you. See God in your spouse, your children, your
co-workers, those who serve you at McDonalds or Walmart or carry your garbage
away. Every one of those persons is
Christ and how you treat them, you treat Christ. If you act in this way, you have begun to
bring peace to yourself and to others and to the world…..I see God in you as a
young person because you’re working to make this world a better place.</span></i><span class="MsoCommentReference"><span lang="EN" style="font-size: 8.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></span><i><span lang="EN"><o:p></o:p></span></i></span></div>
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<span lang="EN"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I see God in
Sister Barbara as well because she has taught me how to live, laugh, love like
a true Vincentian. We part ways for now, but we remain connected by the same
heart.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjFgQVATYAQyvi5mIjSYqaSPOj6m93sXZPfEtZfmfsWNO3W4EVZ7vyBH4FZNvrgmfuXLfnuulnks705ggafX4QKWFwe8wwyZlcsReuYGWBvUaPC1STLZoDxBycV6GCDGNM7RIiuV2pous/s1600/ServicetoSisterhood_logo.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="206" data-original-width="525" height="77" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHjFgQVATYAQyvi5mIjSYqaSPOj6m93sXZPfEtZfmfsWNO3W4EVZ7vyBH4FZNvrgmfuXLfnuulnks705ggafX4QKWFwe8wwyZlcsReuYGWBvUaPC1STLZoDxBycV6GCDGNM7RIiuV2pous/s200/ServicetoSisterhood_logo.jpg" width="200" /></a><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>Ada, a current volunteer with</i> </span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><i><a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/vincentian-service-corps" target="_blank">Vincentian Service Corps West</a>, will be blogging about her service experience as part of our ongoing <a href="http://catholicvolunteernetwork.blogspot.com/p/serving-with-sisters-ambassadors.html" target="_blank">Serving with Sisters Ambassadors series</a>. T</i></span><span style="text-indent: 0.5in;"><i>his<span style="text-align: right;"> series is sponsored by CVN's </span><a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/from-service-to-sisterhood" style="text-align: right;">From Service to Sisterhood Initiative</a><span style="text-align: right;">, a project made possible thanks to the support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation</span></i></span><span style="font-style: italic; text-align: right; text-indent: 0.5in;">.</span></span></div>
Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-87379955293971914672018-03-23T09:00:00.000-04:002018-03-23T15:13:48.844-04:00Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion Reflection by Colleen Quigley<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lenten Reflections to support your spiritual journey over these forty days - brought to you </span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">by Catholic Volunteer Network and the <a href="http://www.catholicapostolatecenter.org/" style="color: #cc9900; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Catholic Apostolate Center</a>.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">by <b>Colleen Quigley, </b>former volunteer with </span><span style="color: black; font-size: small;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/salesian-lay-missioners" target="_blank">Salesian Lay Missioners</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>“Amen, I say to you,
I shall not drink again the
fruit of the vine until the day
when I drink it new in the
kingdom of God.”</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>(<span style="font-size: 15.4px; text-align: left;">Mark 14:1-15:47)</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In the Palm Sunday liturgy, we see the highs and the lows of Jesus’ ministry. Knowing what is to come next, I’ve always found myself anxious when reading of Christ’s entrance into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. We begin with joyful proclamations of “Hosanna in the highest!” and later in the Gospel reading find ourselves shouting along with the crowd “Crucify him! Crucify him!” It can feel strange to encounter the disparity between these moments in Jesus’ life.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The school that I served at in Cambodia has about a thousand students. Each day we would hear stories from their lives – both the good and the bad. Sitting around the table at meals with the Sisters, we would recount what we had been told by our students, teachers, and staff. They would bring the joyful news of the birth of a new baby, weddings, the building of a new home, and opportunities to study, work, or improve their lives. We would be invited into their homes, their celebrations, and to share in their joys. But they would also often bring news of sickness and death, broken relationships, and challenges and injustices. Then we would be invited to pray for them, to comfort them, and to share in their pain. All of these stories would be told around the table.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Just as the Palm Sunday liturgy and readings require us to confront and be present to the highs and lows of Jesus’ ministry and life, we are called to accompany people on their everyday lives but also through the great moments of celebration and the difficult moments of pain. It is in this accompaniment that we are able to find our place amidst the tension of the joy and suffering in the world.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Focus on: Social Justice</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">On Palm Sunday, we see the power of a crowd – first joyfully greeting Jesus as he triumphantly enters into Jerusalem and then watching as he carries his cross to his crucifixion. In a crowd, it is often easy to go along with what the others are doing or feel powerless and unable to fight injustices alone. We can feel this way in society as well. What social justice issues have you been waiting for someone to speak out about first? What are ways that you can use your voice to serve those who are suffering?</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Ever-present God, help us to remain present as we walk with our brothers and sisters in the crowd in times of joy and celebration and in times of pain and sorrow. Grant us the voice to speak out against injustices but also the voice to praise and to comfort. May we always know that you are accompanying us. Amen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Use your voice to speak out against the crowd! Spend some time in reflection on where you see injustice in your life and in the world. Once you have identified a cause, find ways that you can speak out about it: a post on social media, calling your local government officials, educating those around you, or even volunteering and inviting others to do so with you.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>About the Author:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Colleen is originally from outside of Philadelphia. After graduating from The Catholic University of America in 2015, she spent a year serving as a Salesian Lay Missioner in Phnom Penh, Cambodia teaching at a vocational school for girls. She is currently a graduate student at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry and works with undergraduate students in the international immersion program.</span></div>
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<i style="color: #222222; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Looking for more reflections like this one? We invite you to download our Lenten Reflection Guide in its entirety, available by <a href="https://www.catholicvolunteernetwork.org/reflection-guides" style="color: #cc9900; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">clicking here</a>. You can find an extensive library of Lenten resources by visiting the Catholic Apostolate Center website - <a href="http://www.catholicapostolatecenter.org/lenten-resources.html" style="color: #cc9900; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">click here</a>.</span></i></div>
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Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-65485997071635369252018-03-21T09:00:00.000-04:002018-03-21T13:09:47.721-04:00Palm Sunday of the Lord's Passion Reflection by Lydia Olsen<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lenten Reflections to support your spiritual journey over these forty days - brought to you </span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">by Catholic Volunteer Network and the <a href="http://www.catholicapostolatecenter.org/" style="color: #cc9900; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Catholic Apostolate Center</a>.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">by <b>Lydia Olsen, </b>former volunteer with </span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/jesuit-volunteer-corps-northwest">JVC Northwest</a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>“Amen, I say to you,
I shall not drink again the
fruit of the vine until the day
when I drink it new in the
kingdom of God.”</i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">(<span style="background-color: transparent;">Mark 14:1-15:47)</span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">When I share with others about how I served a year as a Jesuit Volunteer AmeriCorps Member in Seattle, WA; the reactions are almost always the same. I watch the curiosity fade and discomfort quickly take over. You see; I worked in end-of-life care—a topic few people want to discuss. “Oh…” they say, “Wow. That is intense!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I’ve become accustom to this response and it no longer surprises me. I like to think that I’ve become “comfortable with the uncomfortable”, yet when I encounter this week’s gospel I can feel myself having a strikingly similar reaction—“Oh…Wow. That is intense!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It seems that intensity is often a byproduct of the fight for justice and the advocacy on behalf of the vulnerable. Too often we take a side or a stand in our words and our actions only to back down when we realize the effort and resistance that will come alongside it. In today’s reading we are reminded of the disciples that have stood with Jesus throughout his journey. They doubt that they will ever find themselves in a place where denying him is possible—but sure as the cock crows, they each turn away when they are confronted with the daunting task of remaining unshaken in discomfort. Though it isn’t written in the reading, I feel confident that they each must have thought, “Wow. This is intense” and then decided on a higher level of comfort for themselves over a courageous following.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">If we are to be true disciples and servants of social justice, we must be able to take the heat and opt for the courage. We must be willing to enter into these difficult and often unpopular spaces and remain standing. We must be able to say, “Yes…yes this is intense but it is also necessary.” The movers and shakers in our world overlook their comfort for the betterment of the populations that they have aligned themselves beside. It is simply not enough to stand for justice in fair-weather if we aren’t also willing to stand for justice in the storm.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Focus on: Social Justice</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Pushing the boundaries of our comfort will invite us into conversations with others or into service where we might feel the obligation to know exactly what to say should discomfort arise. Often we focus on what we will respond with rather than truly listening to what another is choosing to share. This week, I encourage you to be present when you encounter intense conversations or emotions. It’s okay to not know how to react or what to offer. When you feel the urge to turn away, instead lean in more deeply.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lord, remind me to shout hosanna when I feel your presence in my life and to shout it even louder in when I feel you are difficult to find. Give me the strength I need to not turn away from the discomfort that often accompanies working for justice and the persistence I need to do the work you ask of me. Help me find the courage to say, “yes” to you, even when I’m not sure what all that will entail. Please remind me that the best way to serve you is to serve your people and to do it with an attitude of </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">gratitude and a heart full of boundless love. Supporting me in knowing that I am not asked to know it all. And Lord, will you please double my energy? Often doing your work feels so intense but, if it is your will, I am ready to enter into these spaces. I am here. Guide me. Amen.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Yes, it is intense but being able to share the weight through a listening ear and a compassionate heart makes it more bearable. If each one of us offers enough support to each other through the intensity, then maybe no one will be left to hold more than he or she is able to carry. Talk to the person you keep walking past on the sidewalk. Ask for help because you feel overwhelmed. Check in with someone who is going through a hard time. Offer to visit the elderly, the sick, or the abandoned. Choose the path of courageous fellowship rather than comfort. Focus on sharing the space rather than pleasing your comfort. Yes, it will be intense, but you were made for this and you are not alone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>About the Author:</b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lydia Olsen is from Annapolis, Maryland and is the Director of Volunteers at Christ House, a residential medical facility for men with illness experiencing homelessness in Washington, DC. She served as the Transitions Specialist with Providence Hospice in Seattle, WA with JVC NW and AmeriCorps in 2016-2017. She is always up for another cup of coffee or an extra scoop of ice cream.</span></div>
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<i style="color: #222222; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Looking for more reflections like this one? We invite you to download our Lenten Reflection Guide in its entirety, available by <a href="https://www.catholicvolunteernetwork.org/reflection-guides" style="color: #cc9900; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">clicking here</a>. You can find an extensive library of Lenten resources by visiting the Catholic Apostolate Center website - <a href="http://www.catholicapostolatecenter.org/lenten-resources.html" style="color: #cc9900; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">click here</a>.</span></i></div>
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Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-72739324689840586732018-03-19T06:00:00.000-04:002018-03-19T13:16:08.246-04:00Being in the Moment: God’s lesson<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Sammy Eckrich, Colorado Vincentian Volunteers</span><br />
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<span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="mso-bidi-font-size: 13.0pt;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">It is about
3:00 AM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The gentle creaks of the
Retreat Center sprinkle the solitary space with sound.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the darkness, I can imagine the thirty or
so Arrupe high school students sleeping softly in their rooms not far from my
post.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>At least I <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">hope </i>they are fast asleep—it is one of three nights of my patrol to
ensure the retreatants stay safely in their rooms all through the night.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Hours of solitude give me ample reflection
time to process the events of the week’s retreat but also my role at my work
site in general.<o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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that time of year when the future seems especially close—more like it is being
catapulted toward me at an inescapable rate…<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Many desires to be realized, many decisions to be made… After this year,
should I join a religious community?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Go
home? Join a foreign mission? Stay here where I have formed some roots?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In my </span>midnight musings, I stumble
across a poignant quote from the writings of Etty Hillesum.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They speak to the core of this struggle.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="background: white; color: #181818;">“Sometimes I long for a convent cell, with the sublime wisdom of
centuries set out on bookshelves all along the wall and a view across the
cornfields…and there I would immerse myself in the wisdom of the ages and in
myself. Then I might perhaps find peace and clarity. But that would be no great
feat. It is right here, in this very place, in the here and the now, that I
must find them.”<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><span style="color: #181818;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">As a
self-proclaimed hopeless idealist, I can get caught up in the “grass is
greener” pitfall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I echo Etty’s longing
for a place of solitude where life just makes sense… where I can look at my
future and the world and simply understand that which I’m seeing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It can be hard to remember that God is
providing everything I need here in this moment, and that <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">I’m </i>called to be present too.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Spending time on retreat with my students has been very grounding in
this sense.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is a chance to get to
know them in a new capacity—much of my daily interaction goes as such: “Juan,
where is your tie?” “Sarah, if you’re late one more time, that’s another
detention.”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It’s so refreshing to joke,
play, and hear them pour out the wonder of their short but beautiful lives in a
new context.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>I realize an important part of this
“service year” is that I don’t get too caught up in the service.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Getting to work with the teens doesn’t feel
like service—not because it’s without challenges and not because it’s without
impact.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Rather, it is because being at
Arrupe is fundamentally about companioning my students and letting them
companion me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We carry our individual
stories to this one moment in history and watch as they weave together into one
story.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My solace for this place in time
is found in the relationships and growth I am privileged to witness.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Whatever happens next year, next summer, or
tomorrow, this is enough for the moment.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #181818;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>6:00 AM.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The brave of the group begin to stir and
hobble out into my corridor to see the sunrise.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They greet me in their haze of morning fogginess; not quite the sharp and
prim students I welcome each morning at check-in before they head off to
work.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I smile—the “peace and clarity” I
long for is just feet away… clutching their jackets and squinting as they step
out into the clean, new sunbeams of a new day.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><i style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-indent: -24px;"><span style="color: #212121;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;">To learn more about service opportunities through Colorado Vincentian Volunteers,<a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/colorado-vincentian-volunteers" style="color: #cc9900; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank"> please click here.</a></span></span></i></span></div>
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<br />Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-89026454211904185112018-03-16T09:00:00.000-04:002018-03-16T11:50:13.212-04:00Fifth Sunday of Lent Reflection by Kate Fowler<div style="text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lenten Reflections to support your spiritual journey over these forty days - brought to you </span></i></div>
<div style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-family: "Times New Roman", Times, FreeSerif, serif; font-size: 15.4px; text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">by Catholic Volunteer Network and the <a href="http://www.catholicapostolatecenter.org/" style="color: #cc9900; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">Catholic Apostolate Center</a>.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Fifth Sunday of Lent Reflection</span></h3>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">by <b>Kate Fowler, </b>former volunteer with Catholic Volunteer Network, Blog Editor at </span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Catholic Apostolate Center</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>"Whoever serves me must
follow me, and where I am,
there also will my servant
be.” </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><i>(John 12:20-33)</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In today’s Gospel, Jesus prepares his followers for his impending Passion and reminds them of the type of discipleship they are called to: one of service and sacrifice. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We meet Jesus and his disciples in Jerusalem days before the Passover. Jesus has raised Lazarus from the dead and has been welcomed </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">into the city with palm branches and praise—what we celebrate as Palm Sunday. “Whoever serves me must follow me,” Jesus says solemnly. What does it mean to follow Jesus? In this context, a lot. He is about to fulfill his mission on earth through his Passion, death, and resurrection. He knows what lies before him: torture, mockery, exhaustion, and death itself. If we are to follow Christ, he is asking us to do so in a way that involves carrying our crosses. The path to resurrection is filled with opportunities to grow in love and service of one another. Jesus reminds us, “Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit.” </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">This Lenten season, as we journey towards the celebration of Easter and Christ’s resurrection, let us ponder what it means to follow Jesus and what role the cross plays in our discipleship. Are there certain things in our life that need to die in order to produce much fruit? Is Jesus asking us to give something up or work on something more deeply in order to better follow him?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Focus on: Simplicity</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Simplicity is fundamental to deepening our lives of service. A commitment to detachment, whether physical or spiritual, frees us in order to better hear the promptings of God and be better disposed to the needs of others. Jesus himself lived a life of complete detachment to the will of the Father and one committed to simplicity. How can you practice a spirit of detachment and commit to a life of simplicity this Lenten season?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Prayer:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Lord Jesus, you said that a grain of wheat must die in order to produce much fruit. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Help us as we prepare to celebrate your Passion, death, and resurrection to die to ourselves in order to live more fully for you and for others. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Help us to practice a spirit of detachment and simplicity as we seek to serve and follow you more closely. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">May we carry our crosses each day joyfully with your grace so that we too may experience the beauty of resurrection. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Amen.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>Service Suggestion:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Are there things in your life that God is calling you to give up or be detached to? Go through your material goods this Lenten season and see if there’s anything that can benefit others, be donated, or recycled. Take this spirit of detachment deeper by decluttering your mental and spiritual lives. Are you over-committed or always on the go? Try to slow down this season and focus on bringing the notion of simplicity into your prayer life by doing a daily spiritual practice and doing it well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>About the Author:</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Kate Fowler is the Blog Editor for the Catholic Apostolate Center. She received her M.A. in Leadership for the New Evangelization from the Augustine Institute. Kate did a year of service with the Catholic Volunteer Network as their Communications Intern from 2012-2013 and currently resides outside of Washington, D.C.</span><br />
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<i style="background-color: white; color: #222222; font-size: 15.4px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Looking for more reflections like this one? We invite you to download our Lenten Reflection Guide in its entirety, available by <a href="https://www.catholicvolunteernetwork.org/reflection-guides" style="color: #cc9900; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">clicking here</a>. You can find an extensive library of Lenten resources by visiting the Catholic Apostolate Center website - <a href="http://www.catholicapostolatecenter.org/lenten-resources.html" style="color: #cc9900; text-decoration-line: none;" target="_blank">click here</a>.</span></i></div>
Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-2531095152243258222018-03-15T14:31:00.003-04:002018-03-15T14:31:58.745-04:00Searching for Charism: Melissa Feito - Loretto Volunteers, Washington DC <div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">“What does the world ‘charism’ even mean?!”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In this podcast, <i>Serving with Sisters Ambassador </i>Melissa Feito takes us
on a moving, surprising, and oftentimes comical journey to define the charism
of Loretto Volunteers. From conversations with former volunteers in DC to interviews
with Sisters of Loretto in Kentucky, what she discovers can inspire us all. Enjoy this podcast, and stay tuned to hear more from Melissa and her fellow Ambassadors over the course of their service year! </span><o:p></o:p></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>Melissa, a current <a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/loretto-volunteer-program" target="_blank">Loretto Volunteer</a>, will be blogging about her service experience as part of our ongoing <a href="http://catholicvolunteernetwork.blogspot.com/p/serving-with-sisters-ambassadors.html" target="_blank">Serving with Sisters Ambassadors series</a>. T</i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small;"><i>his<span style="text-align: right;"> series is sponsored by CVN's </span><a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/from-service-to-sisterhood" style="text-align: right;">From Service to Sisterhood Initiative</a><span style="text-align: right;">, a project made possible thanks to the support of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation</span></i></span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: small; font-style: italic; text-align: right;">.</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; text-align: left;"></span><br />
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Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-85701691054679411972018-03-14T17:26:00.000-04:002018-03-14T17:26:12.921-04:00Sisters in Service: Sr. Connie Bach - PHJC Volunteer Program<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In honor of <a href="http://www.nationalcatholicsistersweek.org/index.php">National Catholic Sisters Week</a>, Catholic Volunteer Network will share the perspective of sisters who started volunteer programs through CVN's From Service to Sisterhood initiative. Sisters will share a little more about how they discerned their vocation, why they felt called to create a volunteer program, and what they've learned from living and working alongside volunteers.</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Today we meet Sr. Connie Bach</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b> </b>of the Poor Handmaids of Jesus Christ and Executive Director of <a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/phjc-volunteer-program">PHJC Volunteer Program</a> </span></i></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">My
name is Sr. Connie Bach, Poor Handmaid of Jesus Christ from Indiana. I direct
the <a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/phjc-volunteer-program">PHJC Volunteer Program</a>, which offers volunteer opportunities anywhere from
a week to a year in northwest Indiana and Chicago, as well as limited
opportunities in Mexico and Kenya.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">I
was taught by PHJC sisters as a child and was impressed by their joy,
simplicity, fun, prayerfulness and down to earth-ness! I also was inspired by
the simplicity with which they live, their community life, the dignity and
respect they show for each person and for their listening and openness to the
Spirit in their lives. Lastly, I was deeply moved by their preferential option
for the poor and marginalized as well as their great respect and care for
Earth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">After
nearly twenty years in education as a teacher and principal, I then ministered
as a music therapist with persons living with special needs ranging in age from
5-95. But I wanted to share my joy and love of the poor with young people. I
currently direct our volunteer program which offers single women 18 and older
(and sometimes men) unique opportunities in a faith-based context to live out
their Baptismal call to share God’s presence in our world.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmbsjmWwaaYLIRCsKjQnwvP1gnbeugu0XbMEO36u83AQU-Oul6p7jvkWG3PKCU3SCj0jy8B6Ix0-jycxaXCq2SwOSGf-KSVX91p65xMoNguZOxr0sQFX2CxeoA9VXXXqH-HIvzZLDR7mRj/s1600/Group+shot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="947" data-original-width="1430" height="422" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmbsjmWwaaYLIRCsKjQnwvP1gnbeugu0XbMEO36u83AQU-Oul6p7jvkWG3PKCU3SCj0jy8B6Ix0-jycxaXCq2SwOSGf-KSVX91p65xMoNguZOxr0sQFX2CxeoA9VXXXqH-HIvzZLDR7mRj/s640/Group+shot.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The PHJC Volunteer Program building community while impacting mission.</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="yiv2195005447msonormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">I
do not have a “typical day!” That is what I love about what I do. Each day
brings new opportunities to answer God’s call and to live the gospel responding
to whatever needs present themselves to me. Often I am on the road meeting
young people at fairs and campuses, participating in vocation events, planning
for future outreach and service, and working for my community in whatever way
is needed. </span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_sx91sPokW-9TkIIjeoeDWVFhG5CuEUKYq9DT2K-j7XbCoWytptwPU7g3xGF64CHWYQMaOojiHy4odUDzgWFandVPDKg9EYQQiXIa7o63Qkf1F7u4NYNNaSo2YMPbbEnEEeKSBTS-G6B/s1600/volunteers+and+baby.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="826" data-original-width="620" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5_sx91sPokW-9TkIIjeoeDWVFhG5CuEUKYq9DT2K-j7XbCoWytptwPU7g3xGF64CHWYQMaOojiHy4odUDzgWFandVPDKg9EYQQiXIa7o63Qkf1F7u4NYNNaSo2YMPbbEnEEeKSBTS-G6B/s640/volunteers+and+baby.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">PHJC volunteers in action - changing lives with personal attention.</span></td></tr>
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<div class="yiv2195005447msonormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">The
volunteers with whom I have worked have drastically changed my view of the
world and how they respond to God’s call to serve. I have witnessed profound
prayer and contemplation, observed meaningful and inspiring service, and
witnessed deep-seated compassion, and tenderness in a broken world. I’ve seen
the eyes of those served glimmer with new hope, heard billowing belly laughs,
celebrated with warm, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>life-giving hugs
and reverenced both joyful and sorrowful tears – all because a volunteer took
the time to offer a hand, listen, comfort or assist another in need. Volunteers
literally become angels for others!</span><br />
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1IoSvha6tqeqhQ1u3lVWqOfiF9n9cISZD4KIvjwhsLB1bWsIQfk_BFNM3IRQwxS7m3z4ysGpAy9NMGM_pm2LqZYJH23gieM39FyIXwC37eRhXaZ7CmRrRqupG8X-S0g7W73Uo2jYJ8RET/s1600/contemplation.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1073" data-original-width="1430" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1IoSvha6tqeqhQ1u3lVWqOfiF9n9cISZD4KIvjwhsLB1bWsIQfk_BFNM3IRQwxS7m3z4ysGpAy9NMGM_pm2LqZYJH23gieM39FyIXwC37eRhXaZ7CmRrRqupG8X-S0g7W73Uo2jYJ8RET/s640/contemplation.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Connecting souls with stillness, silence and listening.</span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<div class="yiv2195005447msonormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;">I
encourage those discerning volunteering or perhaps a vocation in the church to
set aside time each day for SILENCE, to just BE STILL in God’s presence and
LISTEN deeply to the voice within. In this chaotic, fast-moving and
ever-changing world of ours, God gets pushed to the back burner and yet offers
a safe harbor where desires are known, prayers are heard, new paths are shown
and peace is cultivated. I also encourage having an objective, mature mentor or
spiritual guide to assist in contemplating God’s call to a life of service,
whether as single, married, vowed religious clergy or in lay ecclesial
ministry. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="yiv2195005447msonormal">
<span style="color: #222222; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="yiv2195005447msonormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;">Most
of all, I encourage people to follow what it is they are passionate about and
to live with great passion, fully giving themselves in service to something of
significance, something greater than themselves that builds the kingdom here
among us! “For it is in giving that we receive!” (St. Francis of Assisi).</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: #222222; font-size: 11.5pt;"><br /></span></span>
<h4>
<i style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For more discernment resources, we also encourage you to visit the <a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/exploring-your-vocation">"Explore Your Vocation" </a>section on Catholic Volunteer Network'</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">s website. </span></i></div>
</i></h4>
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-10789243454208347192018-03-13T06:00:00.000-04:002018-03-19T13:13:32.433-04:00The Weight of Waiting<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By Allison Dethlefs, Franciscan Mission Service</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsSNmlP0gkn8L-xD9-wL94GxOxLnbJRBc2UqWAFrBW6aRirqQoPk62Zjzy5QUcPTiqDrbWQ4CloWBslXHyIwffLLpAZRh80kjWiPDTLARKJSqSYdlrmLnW2S4SROc2NIqpnfTokyr7f6Rn/s1600/IMG_5824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsSNmlP0gkn8L-xD9-wL94GxOxLnbJRBc2UqWAFrBW6aRirqQoPk62Zjzy5QUcPTiqDrbWQ4CloWBslXHyIwffLLpAZRh80kjWiPDTLARKJSqSYdlrmLnW2S4SROc2NIqpnfTokyr7f6Rn/s400/IMG_5824.jpg" width="298" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">The darkness pressed in on me as I fumbled to shut off my alarm. <i style="color: black;">I
used to be a morning person</i>, I thought groggily, checking my watch to make
sure it was still before 5:00 a.m. But over a year of living in Cochabamba,
Bolivia had softened me, and it is no longer my norm to wake up before the
sunrise. I slipped out of bed, dressed, grabbed an apple, and checked to make
sure I had everything: photocopies of the IDs, money, and the small, yellow
card with a girl’s name and birth date stamped on it.<span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">It wasn’t a far walk—maybe fifteen minutes—but it seemed much
longer strolling down empty streets than in the bustle of daytime. The glow of
the streetlights revealed my only company: a taxi, a wandering dog, and a few
people sleeping huddled in the shadows. I quickened my pace; I should already
have been there. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">When I finally arrived at the pediatric and maternity ward of the
public hospital, the line winding towards the front door was already about
fifty people long. I wondered how many families had arrived the night before
and slept there to reserve their spots. It was barely after five, and the doors
wouldn’t open until at least seven, which meant that the line was only going to
increase in length. I thanked my lucky stars I had gotten there as early as I
had. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">We waited as light slowly ate its way into the sky, nibbling at
the earthbound edges and whisking the moon away. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">“Is this the line to get a <i>ficha</i> (a spot to see a doctor)?”
newcomers would ask. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">“Sí.”</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">“For <i>pediatría</i> (pediatrics)?”</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">“For everything.”</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">The little girl I was waiting in line for was almost five years
old, yet she was unable to move her limbs, sit up, talk, or eat solid foods.
She was terribly malnourished, weighing only about eleven pounds, her bones
clearly visible beneath tautly-stretched skin. We were visiting a pediatric
neurosurgeon today to see if there was anything to be done about her condition.
But the family, like so many I accompanied, lived hours away from the public
hospital. Had I not been able to go early to save a place in line for them,
they would have had to spend the night in line as well. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">The minutes dragged by. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">“I’m in front of you, okay?” said the woman ahead of me. She left
to get some breakfast from the vendors selling hot beverages to the early hospital
crowd. I had come to learn of the unspoken accord between people in hospital
lines in Bolivia: <i>You save my place, I’ll save yours.</i> She returned with
a plastic cup of steaming <i>tojorí</i> (a thick, corn-based beverage), the
baby slung across her back still asleep. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJhNl30mjL0qFOwp9AJcASXu6cq8xTyQuaOB_Jc2Xy1J8AjBVdC9Hx96te5vvZe9bS9Iqbmuehjy8QcbMwovWuoucvpyZ_OUNVOqdTE2_YRdXPej2sCmNgTCRvneSIT-yEGLScQlLpscu/s1600/IMG_5789+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="1206" height="235" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJhNl30mjL0qFOwp9AJcASXu6cq8xTyQuaOB_Jc2Xy1J8AjBVdC9Hx96te5vvZe9bS9Iqbmuehjy8QcbMwovWuoucvpyZ_OUNVOqdTE2_YRdXPej2sCmNgTCRvneSIT-yEGLScQlLpscu/s400/IMG_5789+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">At last it was 7:00 a.m. I shook myself out of my stupor to see a
man emerge from inside and unlock the front doors. Instead of opening them, he
came outside and taped up a sign. Everyone crowded around to hear as he turned
around to speak. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">“<i>Buenos días</i>,” he said. I strained to hear and moved
closer. “I’m sorry, but we won’t be offering attention today. There will be no
doctors seeing patients for the morning or afternoon shifts.” </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">There was an uproar from the waiting crowd. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">“Come back again tomorrow,” the man said simply.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">Several people tried to argue or ask questions, but the man went
back inside, leaving the exhausted families to slowly disperse. Shaking my
head, I trudged away with the rest, knowing this meant I would have to be up
again at 4:30 a.m. tomorrow, knowing that many of these parents and children
would spend another sleepless night, and knowing that there was nothing we
could do about it.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">This was merely one of the many frustrating mornings I’ve spent
waiting at the public hospital here in Cochabamba. Some days there are hours of
waiting in lines just so a mother and child can get a five minute appointment
with a doctor who tells them there is nothing to be done. Sometimes, it means
three days of going from one building to another to get this lab test done,
these forms signed, and those questions answered—all in preparation for a quick
check-up where we’re told to get five more tests and then come back. And all of
this to provide necessary care for a sick child, a pregnant mother, a disabled
young girl. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">I am under no impression that the healthcare system in the U.S. is
perfect. It is equally unjust to vastly overcharge hundreds of thousands of
dollars for a needed surgery, to let the people in the most need slip through
the cracks, to deny people with chronic or severe health problems coverage. In
both of these systems, it is the poor and marginalized that receive the least
comprehensive care. Some days, I am swept up in the hopeless complexities of it
all and the fact that I have no easy fixes for the tangled systems at work.</span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;">So, instead of trying to right the wrongs, I have simply allowed
myself to walk alongside these marginalized patients for solidarity’s sake,
entering into their fatigue, frustration, and confusion. For in bearing witness,
I have seen that in the darkness, no one should have to stand alone. </span><span style="font-size: 10pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="color: black; mso-ascii-font-family: Cambria; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-hansi-font-family: Cambria;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 17.12px;"><i style="font-size: 15.4px; text-indent: -24px;"><span style="color: #212121;"><span style="font-size: 14.6667px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">To learn more about service opportunities through</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span></span></span></i></span><span style="background-color: transparent;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Franciscan Mission Service, <i><a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/program/franciscan-mission-service">please click here</a></i>.</span></span></div>
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<br />Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5299635838127885747.post-67297497817904054602018-03-12T14:59:00.001-04:002018-03-12T14:59:17.486-04:00Sisters in Service: Sr. Janet Gildea, SC - AVE: After Volunteer Experience<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQKn4iVy5REHdJcsO6kCu-B3y-ht-bnIApCimb1fJLVBH5rOjMy4xfYWa6leZBCkBqNfdqtlpZdQ7dgFIZ_kB3UNvmR60DS9o7xFEnkWEOZv1M1lJn4NjEU5EiSSV9uqYmqPjDqTzupRH/s1600/NCSW%252BCVN.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="981" height="97" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVQKn4iVy5REHdJcsO6kCu-B3y-ht-bnIApCimb1fJLVBH5rOjMy4xfYWa6leZBCkBqNfdqtlpZdQ7dgFIZ_kB3UNvmR60DS9o7xFEnkWEOZv1M1lJn4NjEU5EiSSV9uqYmqPjDqTzupRH/s400/NCSW%252BCVN.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">In honor of <a href="http://www.nationalcatholicsistersweek.org/index.php">National Catholic Sisters Week</a>, Catholic Volunteer Network will share the perspective of sisters who started volunteer programs through CVN's From Service to Sisterhood initiative. Sisters will share a little more about how they discerned their vocation, why they felt called to create a volunteer program, and what they've learned from living and working alongside volunteers.</span></i><i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Today we meet </span><b style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Sr. Janet Gildea, </b><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><b>SC </b>of the Sisters of Charity of Cincinnati and the Executive Director of <a href="http://www.srcharitycinti.org/vowed/AVE.htm">AVE: After Volunteer Experience</a> in Anthony, New Mexico. </span></i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-wCGZuIxJDLT4-HjnrcVmpITyB6t0x-9RURW5dIkHveJ_-97pfHhKJ7Amr7RBBsh1o2TcmXxFRGWVBlYbR6wcic7IvZDuUdjTrcy3pW7_nqXRDUbg-vBF0VbNFxBjsDL95JHdMxOkUd5/s1600/janet+ecuador.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="563" data-original-width="1000" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO-wCGZuIxJDLT4-HjnrcVmpITyB6t0x-9RURW5dIkHveJ_-97pfHhKJ7Amr7RBBsh1o2TcmXxFRGWVBlYbR6wcic7IvZDuUdjTrcy3pW7_nqXRDUbg-vBF0VbNFxBjsDL95JHdMxOkUd5/s400/janet+ecuador.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sister/Doctor Janet examines a child on a mission project in Ecuador.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">My first awareness of “a call” came as a desire to serve
as a family physician. I felt that if I was actually accepted to medical school
then that was a sign that the desire came from God and I wanted to serve those
who most lacked access to healthcare. I
didn’t think that you could be a Catholic sister AND a doctor- until I read
about one while I was in college. That was it! I found that dual calling was
the perfect path for me. My congregation’s formation process was flexible and
could accommodate the demands of my medical ministry preparation. We also had
some pioneer Sister-doctors so that made the call to be a Sister of Charity
clear for me.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-m36u0epiUQCK1213DQZ_CloJwmf0JNmNDVMO-lN87Vs3aqLQuqxK2zz0bhq8g9iBvl38KtjAU-xZDGepT3XuQJjn5Cn9fCIFGGA-po3X3LoLeoG8kcQESghxR3fp3Li3c_8_o7_4XXo/s1600/emma+AVE.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="400" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgS-m36u0epiUQCK1213DQZ_CloJwmf0JNmNDVMO-lN87Vs3aqLQuqxK2zz0bhq8g9iBvl38KtjAU-xZDGepT3XuQJjn5Cn9fCIFGGA-po3X3LoLeoG8kcQESghxR3fp3Li3c_8_o7_4XXo/s400/emma+AVE.JPG" width="300" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Emma Littmann, an AVE participant, reading with a child at Proyecto Santo Niño, a Sisters of Charity<br />ministry to children with special needs and their mothers across the border in Mexico. </span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><span style="text-align: center;">Our program, AVE: After Volunteer Experience, was
inspired by the newest members of our congregation who had given years of
post-graduate volunteer service. They shared the challenges they experienced in
the transition after volunteering. They missed the intentional community life,
spiritual support, action for justice and opportunity for meaningful service.
It was also the time that the question of vocational discernment became
significant. We did some exploring and discovered that no one was offering a
post-volunteer service transition experience, and so AVE was born! Women can spend from one to three months
living with us in southern New Mexico.</span><span style="text-align: center;">
</span><span style="text-align: center;">They choose the components of their AVE program with opportunities for
spiritual direction, mental health counseling, a directed retreat, service</span><span style="font-size: 12pt;">,</span><span style="text-align: center;"> vocational
counseling, and a <a href="https://missiontomission.org/re-entry/">From Mission to Mission</a> re-entry workshop.</span></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFkj-JwP_fagc8pl49uO2p981Fh9pxGuP8DN59OzfADBHSa_yNW_DXTj1kybEOCHNXsrpBqW5ezNEAfNnEXEe1n33N7w7u32kkGgQMi8Me5WiW4gFlOTWJqMiAH8lgSetvVej8sYzsIVS/s1600/janet+carol+peggy+diapers.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="533" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAFkj-JwP_fagc8pl49uO2p981Fh9pxGuP8DN59OzfADBHSa_yNW_DXTj1kybEOCHNXsrpBqW5ezNEAfNnEXEe1n33N7w7u32kkGgQMi8Me5WiW4gFlOTWJqMiAH8lgSetvVej8sYzsIVS/s400/janet+carol+peggy+diapers.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Sisters Carol, Peggy and Janet on the way<br /> to Mexico with a big
donation of diapers.</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">We Sisters who form the nucleus of the AVE community have
had somewhat similar experiences to the returning volunteers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It is challenging to convey the transformational encounters of our life on the margins to our families, friends
and community. We understand the experience of transition, of being neither
“here” nor “there” which returning volunteers often encounter. We have a
ministry to children with special needs and their mothers across the border in
Mexico, called </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Proyecto Santo Niño</span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">. </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">AVE participants come with us
several times a week to help them tap into their volunteer ministry experiences
and to discover the meaning of their volunteer time in the larger context of
their lives.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wvzPTh4bHYM1waq6eUDYve1iaPNhkAVdLQhqFPpkknTF3uCpopqEixlRgNybPWd-zGNppDHY4X4kkBKML5JCnnK5Ylvr5Ji10BNqEQxxFcsVRvuPaeOq3rTQJ3Vyjl-qingL-dw2cXJ-/s1600/andrea+annie+tracy+vows.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-wvzPTh4bHYM1waq6eUDYve1iaPNhkAVdLQhqFPpkknTF3uCpopqEixlRgNybPWd-zGNppDHY4X4kkBKML5JCnnK5Ylvr5Ji10BNqEQxxFcsVRvuPaeOq3rTQJ3Vyjl-qingL-dw2cXJ-/s400/andrea+annie+tracy+vows.jpg" width="400" /></span></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">From left to right: Sisters of Charity Andrea Koverman, <br />Annie Klapheke (who served with JVC-NW) and <br />Tracy Kemme (who served with Rostro de Cristo).</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">AVE is not a “recruitment program” but it offers an
opportunity to live in community with active women religious without any
expectation or obligation. For those who think they might be feeling the call
to religious life or those ready to seriously discern, AVE offers a place to
come and wonder. I invite you to <a href="http://www.srcharitycinti.org/vowed/AVE.htm">visit our website</a> and learn more. </span><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">For more discernment resources, we also encourage you to visit the <a href="https://catholicvolunteernetwork.org/exploring-your-vocation">"Explore Your Vocation" </a>section on Catholic Volunteer Network'</span><span style="font-family: arial, helvetica, sans-serif;">s website. </span></i></div>
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Catholic Volunteer Network Teamhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01246816996191966929noreply@blogger.com0