Volunteer Service Year

[missionseeker]

Has anyone done this? I'm kind of thinking about it. But I'm not really sure what groups to apply to and stuff like that...

[CatherineM]

I seriously considered the Peace Corps and the Maryknolls. Timing just didn't work out in the end.

[BG45]

I've heard of folks doing the Peace Corps before, or AmericorpsVISTA. There's FOCUS too.

[TeresaBenedicta]

I definitely thought about it. I thought about the missioners of Christ, and FOCUS. If I hadn't discerned my vocation to the religious life, I probably would've done one of those.

[Lilllabettt]

Yes! I did City Year, which is the West Point of Ameri-Corps!!! (they really say that lol)
This was one of the most wonderful experiences of my life, although it was emotionally and physically taxing.
Plus, I paid off a school loan from the grant you get at the end ... and it looked great on my resume ...
Two things: it was a very politically liberal environment and very diverse in terms of ... beliefs. I as a white, conservative, religious person was definitely in the minority. With a Catholic program you might have religion in common ... but sometimes that just makes conflict even more intense.
Over the course of the year I became much more understanding and tolerant of other points of view. (Not that I changed my mind about whether they were right)
It really changed my life. So yes, I recommend.

Edited February 2, 2011 by Lilllabettt

[rachael]

I did Americorps as well. I would have done the Peace Corps if it weren't for my seizures. My program focused on recruiting and retaining firefighters and EMTs to the volunteer fire service. We taught CPR, first aid, among many, many other things. There were two other programs that I almost went to - one in Maine and one in New Orleans. The one in Maine would have been pretty isolated until the summer, as I would have been working on a camp. The one in New Orleans would have been me working with Tulane University in conjunction with the community. I would have stayed at the university. Each program is extremely different and worth looking into.
As for the 'liberal political environment' - everyone was entitled to their own opinions. No one really cared.

It does teach you to be frugal with your money though.

There's also Teach for America...who just got MASSIVE funding.

Edited February 2, 2011 by rachael

[tinytherese]

I did AmericorpsVista for the majority of one summer. I got paid at the poverty level (less than minimum wage but since I lived with my parents that didn't affect me much) and got a stipend so I could pay off a little bit for school. I really enjoyed it and learned from the experience about organization issues that can come up.

If I'm not mistaken, you can also do NET which is a Catholic organization.

Edited February 3, 2011 by tinytherese

[Theresita Nerita]

I did Mercy Volunteers. It was a really good year. I worked at a shelter, got paid a poverty-level stipend (but lived quite well because gas, food etc. was paid for separately by the sisters of Mercy) and best of all I got to know people (homeless men) whom I would never have gotten to know otherwise. It was very enlightening and a lot of fun, as a 21 year old.

the RESPONSE directory has all the catholic programs : [url="https://www.catholicvolunteernetwork.org/volunteers/search.php"]https://www.catholic...eers/search.php[/url] so you can search.

As for my spiritual life - it felt REALLY GOOD to be able to read the parts in the gospel about giving away your cloak without that feeling of upper class guilt for a year. Also, hanging out with drug addicts all day was stressful enough that it got me to really go to daily mass and adoration regularly because I NEEDED that time in the day to sort out all the crazy things i was seeing/experiencing.

However, as other people said, many of thse programs (JVC and MVC definitely) are VERY theologically liberal. Which is fine if that's what you're into, but I'm just saying, there are going to be mandalas. And "centering prayer." And tai chi. And little catch phrases like "open your Johari window" and "write in your gratitude journal". And strum-strum music at mass, possibly accompanied by rhythmic gymnastics.

But it's worth it.

Edited February 3, 2011 by Theresita Nerita

[MithLuin]

I did!

Cap Corps (Capuchin Franciscan Volunteer Corps). It was an opportunity for me to be an inner city teacher...which is now my career. I got to live in community with four people I'd never met - amesome and trying at times, of course! I went to the weddings of the two girls I lived with years later in other states. We had prayer and meals together 5 days a week, and we had stipends for groceries and gas for the car we shared. We lived in an old rectory and all had different placements in the city. And...I was less than an hour drive from home. The program is similar to JVC (the Jesuit Volunteer Corps) and Mercy Corps and other domestic Catholic volunteer groups (use the Response directory!)

My sister also did a volunteer year. She was placed by the Catholic Medical Mission Board, and that was similar to a Doctors without Borders kinda group - they put health care professionals in places that need health care. So, she was her first year out of nursing school working in a clinic in a town in Honduras. She was seeing her own patients, though she was placed with a doctor too. Part of her interest in going was to help her discernment process, and she is now a novice. So, while not everything about that year went the way she had hoped or planned, she did learn some life lessons that will go with her.

The JVC motto is 'Get ruined for life!' and there is some truth to that. It's emotionally/psychologically difficult to put yourself somewhere far outside your comfort zone (maybe far away from family and friends), and you have to deal with poverty head on - the people you're working with have to live with it full time. So...it's not necessarily for everyone, and if you're fragile for some reason, I wouldn't recommend it strongly. But it is a great opportunity, so certainly, look into it!