What have you been doing at your placement?

Booking guests, researching stories, editing interviews, adding production value, and doing other odd tasks to make an awesome weekly public radio show about religion.

What is one thing you love about community living?

Learning about my community members. They have great stories, intriguing interests, and valuable insights to share.

What have you been doing at your placement?

As an immigration paralegal, I help clients to apply for a wide range of immigration benefits, from temporary status to citizenship.  I am involved in the process from beginning to end – from intake screenings, to collecting information for immigration forms and translating documents, to finally sending applications to the relevant government agencies.  I love that I get to interact with clients every day and use my Spanish skills to help the community.

What have you been doing at your placement?

As a campus minister at Nerinx Hall High School, I’ve been keeping busy doing a number of things. Most recently I was preparing for the sophomore retreat. I met with students who had a role in the retreat, made sure we had supplies, and took care of logistical matters such as making booklets for all the students, making name tags, and creating a schedule for the faculty chaperones. Aside from this, I’ve also helped with the planning of liturgies. So far we’ve had the welcome liturgy, a liturgy that was held for grandparents, and a liturgy celebrating our Loretto heritage. Next on the to do list is preparing for the Junior retreat which is in a couple of weeks as well as working on the All Saint’s Day retreat which is coming soon. I also act as a moderator for a new faith-sharing group that was just formed this year and I am a site moderator for Outreach – a service club at Nerinx. Each week, with students in the club, I volunteer at Marian Middle School and ensure that things run smoothly at the site. So, exciting stuff!

What have you been doing at your placement?

I work at Family Care Health Center, which is a health clinic that provides family medicine, women's health, dentistry, optometry, health education and counseling services to uninsured and under-insured members of the St. Louis community.While my official title is "wellness coordinator," a more descriptive title might be "literacy, nutrition, and preventative medicine promoter." I am responsible for a variety of ongoing projects at the clinic. The literacy promotion aspect of the job involves encouraging parents to actively seek out opportunities to read with their children and assist them in developing literacy skills. I do this by giving books to pediatric patients when they come in for a checkup, explaining to parents how early exposure to books benefits their children, and sometimes demonstrating how to read in a way that allows the child to be an active participant. Another task for which I am responsible is reviewing patient files for one of the primary physicians and making note of what vaccines, cancer screening tests, and health education programs are indicated for each individual. I have also been assisting in a nutrition and healthy lifestyle class the clinic offers to patients and will soon begin teaching some health education sessions on my own. I have also become a personal health coach for one patient with whom I meet privately to discuss eating habits and develop strategies for improving them. Finally, I have been planning and promoting a diabetes fair, an event at which the clinic's diabetic patients and their families will learn about managing and living well with the disease, enjoy healthy snacks, and get a chance to win prizes. Having so many projects has been keeping me on my toes, but that is what has made the work fun and interesting thus far!

What have you been doing at your placement?

I’m working as the assistant representative to the Loretto Community’s NGO at the UN and have been busy learning the intricacies of the UN system and Loretto’s important advocacy role within these processes.  I’ve had the opportunity to participate on several NGO committees focusing on issues such as peace and disarmament, sustainable development, financing for development, mining, and the rights of girls.  Through Loretto’s participation in The Working Group on Girls, a coalition of over 80 NGOs, I had the opportunity to help execute an event for the International Day of the Girl in which global girl activists came to the UN to share their stories. I’ve been attending a wide-range of meetings and events that relate closely to the core values of the Loretto, and about which I report back to the community so they have a sense of the global work happening at the UN.  I’m loving the collaboration that happens among other faith-based groups, NGOs and agencies and can’t wait to see what the rest of the year holds!

What have you been doing at your placement?

I am the Legal Clinic Coordinator at Bread for the City’s northwest center. My main responsibilities include maintaining a caseload of Social Security cases that will be presented before an Administrative Law Judge and refer clients to internal as well as external legal services. Overall, I try to help clients navigate through a complex network of nonprofits and government agencies that can be particularly overwhelming when they are in a moment of crisis (truth be told, the system can be overwhelming for anyone at any point). 

What is one thing you love about community living?

Community living adds a different dimension to the Loretto Volunteer Program. It helps the program go beyond the work we all do with our respective organizations and encourages an environment that keeps all of us challenged, motivated and growing. My community members are incredibly supportive, hilarious, and all around great people. We currently have a quote board that discusses everything from String Theory to parodies of Taylor Swift.

What have you been doing at your placement?

After a twist of fate, I have begun working at Sister Thea Bowman Catholic School in East Saint Louis. I've recently completed my first few weeks of work there and have found myself taking on many roles as I'm settling into the job. Although each classroom is equipped with terrific teachers, and although every staff position is filled, there always seems to be something for me to do. Whether it's learning the names of the students as they come through the lunch line, watching the Kindergartners as they navigate the playground, or helping the first graders sound out their spelling words, there never seems to be a dull moment at this K-8 school. 

What is one thing you love about community living?

This year I have learned to truly value the experience of living in community. Each time I walk into our kitchen, a small sign hangs over the doorway that reads, "We are so lucky to have one another." I've taken that saying to heart, and am reminded of how blessed I am to be living where I do. Each day when I come home, whether it's been a good day or a more trying one, I know that my housemates are happy to lend an ear and hear about my day. I also enjoy the fact that there is always someone around if you need a little company on the walk to the library or the drive to the store. Companionship is such an important piece of this whole experience. 

What has been one surprise, challenge or learning this year?

The biggest surprise for me so far this year has been not working at the job I was originally hired to do! Although initially I was a little worried about what the year would entail after switching out of the job, I've found myself pleasantly surprised with the unexpected situation I am now in. The only challenge that came with this switching of jobs was the four days it took to find a new position and then make the move. It was surprisingly easy to slide into a new work environment.

What do you value about your relationship with the Loretto Community?

I'm not sure there is something about the Loretto Community that I don't value. Having started this volunteer year at the Loretto motherhouse, and then living next to a center full of sisters in St. Louis, I've heard such a variety of stories about recent Loretto history and learned so much from each sister I come into contact with. When applying for the program, each applicant is asked to be open to inter-generational friendships. I could have only imagined what this phrase actually meant. My favorite piece of being part of the Loretto family so far has been being granted the opportunity to form wonderful, meaningful friendships with members of different generations. This whole experience constantly has me reevaluating different aspects of my life and learning more about myself through my relationship with the sisters. 

What advice do you have for someone considering doing a year of service?

The only advice I have for someone looking to do a year of service is to have an open mind. If you dive into this experience fully prepared for whatever a year can throw at you, then you won't be disappointed. And you will, of course, being given the invaluable opportunity to grow. 

The Loretto Volunteer Program pairs young adults with social justice organizations for a formative year of service.  Through meaningful work and communal living, volunteers live out the Loretto Community's mission to work for justice and act for peace - guided by the core values of social justice, community, simplicity and spirituality.  Winner of the 2013 Call To Action Leadership Award, the Loretto Volunteer Program proudly prepares young adults to begin lives of public service.

The 2013-2014 Loretto Volunteers have had a busy two months acclimating to life at work, in community, and in their cities.  Please enjoy these brief updates on what they’ve been up to!

St. Louis / Lockwood House
The St. Louis volunteers had so many similar experiences. All three attended a day long workshop entitled “Unpacking Biases Training”, had dinner and a community night with the L’Arche community in neighboring Maplewood, attended a Simone Campbell event and a peace vigil at St. Louis University. Entertainment events were also similar to their friends in D.C.: a Cardinal’s baseball game, visits to the Botanical Gardens and Shakespeare in the Street, the St. Louis Symphony at Art Hill, $3.00 movies, Insight Theatre productions, and a BBQ with Vincentian, Mennonite, Lutheran and Episcopal Volunteers.

New York
Molly, our United Nations volunteer in New York has quickly jumped into life in New York.  She has taken cooking classes at the community garden near where she lives, attended free Friday and Saturday night concerts in Brooklyn, and attended an art festival on Governor's island.  She also had a retreat day with Loretto members at a Loretto co-member's house.  She and her housemates, a former Loretto Volunteer and a former Jesuit Volunteer, have chosen to have community breakfasts together.

Upcoming Events

October 11: Take Your Housemates To Work Day
Volunteers in DC and St. Louis will take a day to visit each other's workplaces and learn more about the work each other's organizations do.

November 1-3: Call To Action Conference
All our volunteers will travel to Milwaukee to attend this conference, where they will be receiving the Call To Action Leadership Award!  Some program alumni, Loretto sisters and co-members will be there. 

November 10 [DC] and October 19 [STL]:  Fall Reflection Day
For the first time this year, the volunteer program is offering our volunteers a day-long fall retreat for community reflection and personal quiet – to step back in the middle of a busy first season of service.

November 22-24: School of the Americas Vigil
Five volunteers will travel to Ft. Benning, GA to join the annual vigil that seeks to close the School of the Americas, a military training facility.  

What have you been doing at your placement?

My placement is an adult education and workforce development nonprofit called Academy of Hope. I lead adult education classes for adults who are planning to take the GED or who are working toward getting their high school diploma. I teach math, reading, science, and computers. I also spend some time doing one-on-one tutoring and planning events with student leaders at AoH.

What is one thing you love about community living?

I enjoy the support that I feel from each of my community members and their challenge to keep working hard at whatever I am doing. My community is there for me when I have difficult days and they laugh with me on easier days. I love that community living makes space for this support along with creating a space in which community members can respectfully challenge themselves and others. 

What has been one surprise, challenge or learning this year?

One thing that I am still learning is how to adjust to a new year. As a second year volunteer, it has been a challenge (but a fun one) to let go of old customs and habits to create a new space with a new community. I have really enjoyed the ways in which I have connected with my community by being open to that transition.

What do you value about your relationship with the Loretto Community?

Since I was introduced to the Loretto community almost five years ago, I have always had a strong connection to its members’ commitment to peace and justice. Each person involved in Loretto has a unique story and perspective on how to live out peace and justice, and I love that I am part of a community that is willing to share those stories and support me as I work to live out Loretto values.

What advice do you have for someone considering doing a year of service?

Be flexible! It’s great to have expectations, and it’s impossible to not have expectations. My advice would be to keep an open mind and try to find a balance between compromise and sticking to the things that are really important to who you are. That balance is certainly something I will be working toward my whole life, but the more I work at it, the more I have been able to form deep and meaningful relationships.