In July 2015 I was preparing to exit the business world but not fully retire. I learned of the Ignatian Volunteer Corp (IVC) from my daughter in New York who has a volunteer at her school. A community of volunteers in Ignatian Spirituality, a commitment of two days a week between September and June and a monthly meeting for reflection seemed to fit what I was seeking. Now in my fourth year in the program I have been rewarded in ways I did not anticipate back then.
During my career I traveled extensively through out the United States and four continents. My family and I have been blessed with opportunity and rewarded with a wonderful life secure in the freedom of the United States. While my travels made me aware of the benefits I enjoy I had little interaction with people outside my community. I thought the opportunity to volunteer and lend my experience and talents would provide a chance to give back. I learned early in my service that my experiences would bring more to me than I would give.
Through my experiences with the Catholic Charities Immigration Center and the Saint Francis House day shelter I came to understand “humble service”. My role is to provide support to staff and guests whether it be collecting and sorting donations, distributing toiletries or directing guests to the proper support person. While this does not make use of the skill or experience, I developed in my career it has brought me in contact with people with many needs and few opportunities who previously had been invisible to me. I have learned the simple gesture of acknowledging their presence with kindness can have profound effect. Coming into the volunteer experience I heard some say we bring Christ to people, my experience is these people have brought Christ to me.
My career in business was focused on setting goals, measuring progress and reporting results. Dealing with people on the margins of society, be they recent immigrants arriving in the country or homeless people living in poverty, affliction or addiction, I am not engaged in any specific goals other than meet their simple needs with compassion and without judgment. It is a humbling experience to realize what I do on one day cannot be measured by tangible results but as Father Greg Boyle states “ We deal with people on the margins not to change them but to change us.” My experiences have given meaning to this observation.
The monthly meetings of the IVC community center around reflection on books we have read and shared experiences of our service. The IVC community is a source of encouragement and the reflections provided by other members provide support and insight to our service mission. In particular we have had candid and often painful discussions on the scandals in the Church. These discussions have been helpful for me as I try to separate the sins of the clergy from my faith; seeing my service as tangible expression of my faith has helped me in this trying time. The community of likeminded people living the message of the Gospels in service to those most in need has been a blessing and provides me hope for a future church focused on service.
In todays Gospel Jesus said to his disciples “Be merciful as your father is merciful”. My participation in the IVC program has provided me with the opportunity to meet people who otherwise would be invisible to me. It is gratifying and humbling to be in community with people who take their time and talents to provide their own humble service and bring the message of the gospel to people in need in our community. The volunteer experience within the IVC community has provided me an opportunity to help people in need in my community while allowing me to grow personally and spiritually with an appreciation of the value of all people who formed with the love of God.
For more information on the Ignatian Volunteer Corps, visit: ivcusa.org
Photo Credit: Ignatian Volunteer Corps