Newsletter November 2015

MERCY VOLUNTEER CORPS Transforming Lives, Perspectives, The World

Recruitment

MVC’s priority application deadline is January 15th

Feature

Mercy Volunteer reflects on service in San Francisco

Support MVC

MVC to participate in Giving Tuesday on social media

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Mercy Volunteers

Roots and Branches

Mercy Volunteer Lauren Mifsud Serves at St. Peter’s School in San Francisco Hello! My name is Lauren Mifsud, I am from Baltimore, Maryland and I am currently serving at St. Peter’s School in the Mission District.

I recently completed a 5-year Master’s program in Mathematics Education at Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I first entered the Mercy world when I began my student teaching experience, one of the requirements for this program, at Mercy Vocational High School this past winter.

It was at MVHS that I was introduced to the Sisters of Mercy and their remarkable foundress, Catherine McAuley. Ever since my very first day in the school, I

knew that it was different from any type of learning environment that I had experienced in the past. My cooperating teacher, Elizabeth Dowling, not only taught me how to be a math teacher, but also showed me what it really meant to be a Mercy educator. She is the perfect example of what a Mercy teacher should be: strong, intelligent, caring and perfectly imperfect. I am blessed to have her as my mentor. It was because of her and the wonderful Mercy Vocational High School family that I was inspired to pursue a year of service with Mercy Volunteer Corps. I had been looking into other year-of-service programs,

but after just four short months at MVHS, I caught the Mercy bug. Not long after submitting my application, and interviewing with Vice Principal, Karen Hammen, I received word from Marie that I would be heading to San Francisco in the fall to serve at St. Peter’s School. I jumped up and down like a kid on Christmas morning and couldn’t wait for my next Mercy adventure to begin. I will never forget the strange mix of excitement and anxiety that I felt right before I left. My family and friends kept asking, “Where are you going to live? Who are you going to live with?” to most of which I responded with, “I have no

Photo: Lauren Mifsud instructs her students

idea.” It sounds weird, but I didn’t mind not having a clue. I jumped on the plane to orientation, said a Hail Mary, and hoped for the best.

Only two months have passed, but I can already pinpoint two parts of my experience that I love.

One of these has been the work I have been doing at my service site. If there is one thing that I have learned since being in the Mercy world, it is that walking into a Mercy school is like walking into a home – a place of learning, unfailing support, and love. I felt all of these things and more when I walked through the threshold of St. Peter’s School. From meeting the faculty and staff, to learning my schedule, to working on all sorts of tasks with Sr. Marian Rose, I knew that I had been welcomed into a family. When she hugged me for the first time it was almost like she was saying, “You are here, so you are one of us. You are a part of us now.”

And what greater feeling is there than that? On a typical day, I hop on the 33 bus and ride it all the way to 24th and Potrero. If I am lucky, Arnold is driving, because he will high-five me on my way out. I walk through the St. Peter’s School doors and I am greeted

by Karen who often says, “You’re early again!!” I laugh because I know she’s right, but I can’t help it…I just can’t stay away. I head off to teach 5th grade math, help out with the middle school math classes, and stand guard during recess duty. I catch a glimpse

of God in the laughter on the Kindergartner’s faces as they play on the schoolyard and listen to all of the adorable stories that they have to share. In the afternoon, you can find me working on campus ministry prep, organizing sports uniforms and teams, or working alongside Sr. Marian Rose. I am doing a little bit of everything that I love.

The second thing that I have come to value is community living.

I am not sure what lucky penny I picked up to have been blessed with my unstoppable community member, Bianca, but I thank God every day for placing her in my life. I have come to find that living in community is so much different from having a roommate. Not only do we share our daily highs and lows at the dinner table, but we love to dish out our moments throughout the day where we saw God – we call them “God moments” or “God winks.” These are ever-so-tiny, often overlooked moments where God is probably screaming, “Hey, I’m here!! Can’t you see me!?” I love my college roommates to death, but we never sat around talking about God. One of my favorite God moments, happened just this past week.

This year at St. Peter’s School, our school theme is “Roots and Branches.” As a school, we are focusing on our core values (our roots) and how we can better exemplify them (our branches).

Since the first day of school, trees have sprung up outside

of classroom doors, on bulletin boards, and on classroom walls.

They are everywhere! This past week, I received an unexpected package from a friend back home, Michelle. I snuck it back to my desk and ripped it open to find a fresh, new copy of “The Giving Tree,” by Shel Silverstein. For those of you that haven’t read it, “The Giving Tree,” is a short children’s book based on the ideals of generosity and unconditional love. “A tree!” I thought to myself. “How did she know?” I opened the front binding to find a note that she had written explaining how she had thought about sending me the classic, “Oh, the Places You’ll Go” by Dr. Seuss, but there was something about, “The Giving Tree,” that just felt right. I went home that night, ripped out the book to show Bianca and she responded just the way I knew she would, by saying, “Our lives are not our own.” And she is right. They’re God’s. They have been God’s the whole time. God is with us every step of the way.

We may not always notice, but he is always there pushing us right where we are supposed to be.

My MVC journey has only just begun and I already feel that I have been changed for good.

It is because of your love and support that I am able to have this amazing experience. I want to thank you all for that, and I want to especially thank Karen and Sr. Marian Rose for welcoming me, whole-heartedly into the St. Peter’s School family. Thank you!

Recruitment Visits: R eque st MVC

Mercy Volunteers from New York City, Philadelphia, and Baltimore attended their fall retreat in Ventnor, NJ. A special thank you to the Sisters of Mercy for hosting them!

Priority Application Deadline MVC’s Priority Application Deadline is January 15, 2016

The priority application deadline for both national and international applicants for Mercy Volunteer Corps is less than two months away!

Priority applications are due January 15th. Those who submit their application by this date receive priority in choosing their service site and city.

If you or someone you know is interested in serving with Mercy Volunteer Corps please visit our website www.mercyvolunteers.org/ apply for more information on our application process. Applicants can also email contactus@mercyvolunteers.org to get in touch with a Community Coordinator for questions about MVC!

Giving Tuesday Mercy Volunteer Corps will be participating in Giving Tuesday again this year! Giving Tuesday is an annual day of giving that follows Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This day of giving promotes responsible spending during the holiday season by emphasizing the impact donations can have on those in our own communities.

Mercy Volunteer Corps will be posting and sharing photos and stories on our social media accounts on Tuesday, December 1st to celebrate.

Please consider making an online donation during the holiday season to help us continue to support the formation of our volunteers. Your donations directly impact our volunteer’s ability to transform the world!

Follow us on social media for more information: Facebook: Mercy Volunteer Corps Twitter and Instagram: @mercyvolunteers

Mercy Volunteer Corps is wrapping up our fall recruitment visits to colleges and universities. As we plan for our spring recruitment we welcome suggestions on where to visit! If you would like an MVC representative to visit your college, high school, church or community event please submit a request online at: www.mercyvolunteers.org/college.

Christmas Photos

Social M e dia R eque st The Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Communications Team have requested Christmas photos! The team is looking for photos of your favorite Christmas memories. Sisters of Mercy, Mercy Associates, Companions of Mercy, Mercy Volunteers, Mercy Volunteer Corps Alumni, and all those in the greater Mercy community are invited to participate. The photos will be used to make a collage depicting another image to use on the Sisters of Mercy’s social media accounts during December to kick off The Year of Mercy. If you are interested in participating please email your holiday photos to Jeremy Dickey at socialmedia@sistersofmercy.org.

ABOUT MERCY VOLUNTEER CORPS

Mercy Volunteer Corps promotes social change by placing and supporting volunteers for one year of service with people who are poor and marginalized in the U.S. and South America. Mercy Volunteers work in education, healthcare, and social services while living together in a community and growing spiritually.

Mercy Volunteer Corps 1325 Sumneytown Pike Gwynedd Valley, PA 19437 Phone: 215.641.5535 ContactUs@mercyvolunteers.org www.mercyvolunteers.org

December Events December 8th

Year of Mercy begins

December 10th

Governance Committee Meeting

December 11th

Board of Directors Meeting

December 16th

Finance Committee Meeting

December 25th

Christmas holiday: offices closed

Recruitment Planning Please visit our website at www. mercyvolunteers.org/college for more information on our latest recruitment events or to request an event near you!

February 23, 2016 7pm Mark your calendars! Mercy Volunteer Corps next webinar will be on February 23rd. For more information on this webinar or to view previously recorded webinars please visit our website at: www.mercyvolunteers.org/webinar

Extending the Circle

Extending the Circle is a unique program offered

by MVC that allows you to support a specific volunteer.

Check out the volunteers’ individual pages to sponsor them in their year of service!

Donate Now #mercyvolunteers