 I heard about Mercy Volunteer Corps through Sr. Thomasina, RSM, my former high school teacher in Lansdale, PA, and found myself attracted to the idea of volunteerism. After completing my degree in accounting and finance and working in the business world for a few years, I joined Mercy Volunteer Corps. My first year of service was in Santa Fe, NM at an Indian school where I was dorm assistant, classroom aide, and accounting and economics teacher. Whatever needed to be done, I did it. What a wonderful experience that was. The majority of students were Navajo and Pueblo. There was also a large percentage of Hispanic kids. So I had a great introduction to a completely different world and loved it. Santa Fe is also rich culturally. They say when you go to the opera house there, you get two shows: First the sunset and then the performance. I loved being at the school so much that I considered staying a second year. But I wanted to return to the east coast to be closer to home. So I accepted a completely different assignment at the Parish of St. Francis Xavier in Manhattan working with the poor and homeless. This is a much tougher place than New Mexico, but it’s also more rewarding. I have come to see holiness in many of the people we consider the dregs of society. Not only that, but the people I work with are so inspiring. They give more than money or food. They give themselves. They express community to people who may never experience it on their own because of substance abuse, mental health issues, or some personal tragedy. Xavier has changed my life. I experience prayer in action here every day. I see how important it is to acknowledge people no matter who they are, where they come from, or where they have been. The other thing I see is people with high-powered jobs coming to volunteer at The Welcome Table, Xavier’s soup kitchen. I hear many of them say, “I’m almost 30. I’m almost 40. What I am doing with my life?” But when they volunteer at The Welcome Table, they feel a sense of purpose. I always say that we’re not feeding people at The Welcome Table. They can get food almost anywhere. What we’re doing is creating community for our guests and volunteers alike. Mercy Volunteer Corps is not for everyone. But it is a wonderful way to experience something bigger than yourself. It has deepened my sense of prayer and personal spirituality through community. It has brought me into contact with God in new ways. |