Strengthening our Team for the Second Half of the Year

Bill Kerrigan

Rosemary Balady

Jon Braley

Many different players make up the Ignatian Volunteer Corps community, animated by a belief in the values of faith and service. At the heart of the team are the Ignatian Volunteers who do the direct service. They are supported by advisory councils at the regional level, a national board, regional and national staffs, and a cadre of spiritual reflectors who listen and support individual volunteers and help at monthly meetings and retreats.

A very strong IVC New England program got stronger this month with the addition of two veteran volunteers, a new staff person, and a new spiritual reflector.

We welcome back Rosemary Balady and Jon Braley to our service oorps of volunteers. Jon worked for years coaching unemployed students in interview and job skills at NECAT in the South End of Boston. He returns now to share workforce training skills with recent immigrants through Catholic Charities. Rosemary took a mini-sabbatical from IVC this year but never really left her service site, Springwell, based in Waltham. In addition to board work at Springwell, Rosemary is increasing her volunteer commitment, delivering meals to homebound seniors in towns in the greater Boston area. IVC New England now has 64 active volunteers

A special warm welcome goes out to Bill Kerrigan. Bill, a Needham resident, has accepted a position with IVC New England, as Program Manager. Bill's background includes digital program management in the family care sector for Bright Horizons Family Solutions and Bright Horizons Foundation for Children. Among his many duties as Program Manager for IVC New England Bill will work on strengthening our social media presence, broadening our outreach to potential volunteers, placements, and faith communities.

We are also excited that Dick Clifford, SJ, retiring from years of administration and teaching the Old Testament at Boston College School of Theology and Ministry, has joined our team of spiritual reflectors. Dick now resides at Campion Center in Weston and writes weekly homily reflections for our past partner agency, A Faith That Does Justice. Welcome, Dick Clifford!

Save the Date and Early Registration for the Della Strada

Each year in April, IVC New England highlights members of our community who have shown exceptional concern for those struggling with poverty, injustice, and isolation in our neighborhoods. We do that at our Madonna Della Strada ceremony. This year, as in prior years, the awards night will take place at Boston College High School. The date is Sunday, April 21, from 3:30 pm to 6:30 pm.

We have three extraordinary awardees this year. Father Jonathan Slavinskas, in Worcester, has the reputation of being a "shepherd of many flocks." Sister Christine Kavanagh, in Providence, has devoted her life to people with disabilities. IVC New England Board Chair Mike McGonagle has touched the lives of students for decades, challenging them to be men and women for others, in the Jesuit tradition.

Save the date and join us for liturgy, a meal, camaraderie, and awards: Sunday, April 21 at Boston College High School. Our invitation to register or contribute to this event is virtual this year. So, stay tuned and spread the word. (This event is sponsored by the Ignatian Volunteer Corps New England. It is not a BC High event.)

Early Registration for the Della Strada Ceremony is now available. Click here to register or to donate. A formal invitation will be part of our March newsletter.

IVC New England Seeks Nonprofit Partners for the Coming Year

Catholic Charities - Boston

Amos House - Providence

Ignatian Spirituality Project (ISP)

IVC New England has begun its planning for the coming (September to June) volunteer year. We are actively recruiting nonprofit partners, agencies whose mission is to help those most in need in the Boston/Worcester/Providence area. Pictured above are three of our 35 current partners.

Ignatian Volunteers are women and men, 50 years of age or better, with lifetimes of experience. Among our current service corps members are educators, health care professionals, retired administrators, social workers, musicians, lawyers, pastoral care workers, and others with a wide variety of skills.

IVC New England volunteers commit to ten months of service, working on the average of 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 their teams.

For a flyer that more fully explains how an Ignatian Volunteer can expand and deepen a nonprofit agency's team, click here. For a listing of current volunteers and their assignments, click here. Contact IVC New England for more information. Check out our website to learn more about us. Now is the time to plan for the coming year.

Upcoming Events

Founded in 1982, the Agape Community is a lay Catholic residential community that is interfaith in practice and outreach. Located on 34 acres of wooded land in Central Massachusetts, it is a community of contemplatives in action, committed to embodying sustainability and justice.

Agape, a long-time friend of the Ignatian Volunteer Corps, the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, the Holy Cross and Boston College communities, and other Jesuit ministries, seeks those interested to come visit and experience their commitment to sustainability, and assist with homesteading, planting and other tasks. Click here for more information about Agape and about its upcoming February 25 program, Women Grieving: Israel-Palestine. Agape is located in Hardwick, MA.

IVC is announcing two important events happening nationally. The 2023 IVC Impact Report has been posted on the IVC website and is appearing this month in America Magazine. To access this report, click here.

And a Virtual Information Session about IVC, a chance to learn about what IVC is and how to get involved in the upcoming year, will take place on March 21 at 3:30 pm ET. To learn more about this information session and to register for it, click here. Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, BVM, of Loyola University Chicago basketball fame will join the session.

For those who do not mind a bit of winter travel, a special event is taking place in nearby Albany, New York

IVC Albany is presenting a Lenten Evening of Song and Lenten Retreat with Dan Schutte, an original member of the St. Louis Jesuits.

Dan's compositions include well-known liturgical music such as "Here I am, Lord," "City of God," and "You are Near."

The Evening of Song takes place on the evening of Friday, March 22. The Lenten Retreat follows on the morning of Saturday, March 23. Tickets are $15 for the concert, $15 for the retreat, or $25 for both events. Proceeds benefit IVC Albany. Click here for more information. Click here for more about the IVC Albany program.