Deadline Extended for Madonna Della Strada Registration

The Ignatian Volunteer Corps New England 13th annual Madonna Della Strada Ceremony will take place at Boston College High School on Sunday afternoon, April 27, from 3:30 to 6:30 pm. Invitations and registration for this celebration are virtual. For more information and to register, sign up here. For hard copy invitations, contact IVC New England. Our registration deadline has been extended to Easter Monday, April 21.

Our awardees this year are outstanding members of their communities. We celebrate the lives of Kevin Ryan, Kathy and Brian Maher, and Vincent D. Rougeau.

Kevin Ryan

Kathy and Brian Maher

Vincent D. Rougeau

Kevin Ryan

Kevin Ryan is receiving the Della Strada Award on behalf of 'all the unsung IVC volunteer heroes.' A Jamaica Plain native, Kevin attended Boston College High School and the College of the Holy Cross, where he once considered joining the Jesuits. Instead, he became a dentist, a devoted husband to Carol, and a proud father to Ted, Mary, and Kate.

Inspired by two of his children who served in the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Kevin joined the Ignatian Volunteer Corps (IVC) after retiring. For 11 years, he has served as a committed volunteer and member of the IVC New England Regional Council, embodying IVC's mission of service.

Kathy and Brian Maher

Kathy and Brian Maher, Holy Cross alumni, have built a life of service rooted in Ignatian spirituality. Kathy joined the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, earned a Social Work degree, trained as a Spiritual Director, and now serves as Pastoral Advocacy Coordinator for the Jesuit East Province.

Brian, formerly a Boston College High School educator and VP of Operations, is president of Nativity Preparatory School in Jamaica Plain, providing underserved families a Jesuit education. Parents to Jack, Ben, and Bryanna, the Mahers are active St. Ignatius Parish members, embodying their commitment to faith and service throughout their professional and personal lives.

Vincent D. Rougeau

Vincent D. Rougeau is the 33rd president of the College of the Holy Cross, leading efforts to advance its strategic vision by investing in students, faculty, and staff, strengthening shared governance, and deepening partnerships in Worcester.

Previously, he served as dean of Boston College Law School and inaugural director of the Boston College Forum on Racial Justice in America. A graduate of Brown University and Harvard Law School, Rougeau is a noted scholar on law, religion, and Catholic social thought. He and his wife, Dr. Robin Kornegay-Rougeau, are proud parents to Christian, Alexander, and Vincent (V.J.) Rougeau.

To Prospective Nonprofit Partners: Now is the Time to Apply

IVC New England currently assists more than 30 community agencies including these:

Nativity School of Worcester

Irish Pastoral Centre - Boston

Ignatian Spirituaity Project - Boston

IVC New England continues to seek new nonprofit partnerships for the 2025-2026 year. IVC New England works with agencies whose mission is to help those most in need in the Boston/Worcester/Providence area. April is the best time to contact us. Our incoming members begin interviews in May.

Ignatian Volunteers are women and men, 50 years of age or better, with lifetimes of experience. Our service corps members commit to ten months of service, working one or two full days per week from September through June. Nonprofit partners commit to a modest partnership fee, an engaging job description, and a healthy, respectful welcome of our volunteers as members of your team.

For a flyer that more fully explains how an Ignatian Volunteer can expand and deepen your mission, click here. For a listing of current volunteers and their assignments, click here. Check out our website to learn more about us, or send us an email: newengland@ivcusa.org.

IVC National Information Session Draws Record Attendance

On March 24, IVC hosted a national information session with Jesuit Father Greg Boyle of Homeboy Industries. Close to 1000 people attended, nearly 100 from the New England area. Indications right now are that interest in IVC is very high. IVC New England is beginning to receive requests for applications.

This information session is now available on You Tube for those who may have missed it. It is accessible here.

If you are interested in applying to IVC New England for our 2025-2026 year, please contact us at newengland@ivcusa.org. IVC will be reading and reflecting on Greg Boyle's most recent book, Cherished Belonging, in the upcoming program year.

Return to Me with All Your Heart - A Lenten Reflection

Pax Christi USA published a thoughtful Lenten reflection series this year - Return to Me with All Your Heart - written by Ralph McCloud, former director of the Catholic Campaign for Human Development. As we journey through Holy Week, IVC New England shares his very moving reflection for Tuesday of Holy Week. May we keep in mind the "Glorias" in our midst--as well as our community partners who support people like Gloria--as we reflect on the passion and death of Jesus:

"Gloria immigrated to the United States as a 7-year-old with her parents. She attended neighborhood schools but quit in the 11th grade to help her parents who worked factory jobs.

"She was proud to do what she could do to help her family, who meant everything to her. She worked around the house and at the housekeeping department at a hospital. Fluent in both Spanish and English, she hoped one day to become a US citizen, but it was not an easy path nor a priority - contributing to the famiiy was most important.

"One day as she was leaving the hospital, she was detained by local law inforcement for 'failing to come to a complete stop at a stop sign.' She was detained in a holding facility for 45 days and then deported to Mexico, a place where she had few memories or relationships. Her family members, hard-working yet fearful due to their own status, were of little assistance.

"There she was, a 22-year-old young woman, with no resources, no friends or family. Fortunately, a local Catholic aid agency was able to assist her with her daily needs and could help her look for ways that she might be able to return to her family, which ended up being a long and arduous process. As of now, Gloria has been reunited with a portion of her family, but she has lost valuable years of interaction with them, and even missed the funerals of both parents.

"Every day in the United States, because of unjust and inhumane immigration laws, this story is told again and again. The human family continues to be divided by human-made borders. Catholic social teaching preaches that we are all sons and daughters of God irrespective of borders. We can do better."

May this Holy Week be a time of thoughtful, prayerful, reflection for us individually, as faith communities, and as a nation. May Easter be a time of geat joy for all!