Each year in April, IVC New England shines a light on 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 23 from 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm.

Our 2023 honorees are exceptional. From Worcester and the Holy Cross Jesuit Community, IVC will spotlight the work of Tom McMurray, SJ, chaplain and director of Jesuit Mission and Identity at Nativity School Worcester. Our Boston area nominees are Terry and Jim Orcutt, founders of the My Brother's Keeper program, serving people throughout Southeastern Massachusetts, with deliveries of food and furniture. Our Providence awardees are the Priests for Justice, notable for decades of dedication to the work of peace and immigrant outreach in the Providence Diocese.

Save the date and join us for liturgy, a meal, camaraderie, and awards: Sunday, April 23 at Boston College High School. Invitations and reservations will appear in this newsletter in March. This event is sponsored by the Ignatian Volunteer Corps New England. It is not a BCHigh event.

Eric Clayton, Deputy Director of the Jesuit Conference of the United States and Canada, stirred the imaginations of and motivated to action the IVC New England Service Corps members attending a mid-year Day of Reflection at St. Ignatius parish in Chestnut Hill, on January 5.

Clayton is a storyteller and a writer. His weekly email postings, Now Discern This, take everyday and special experiences from his own life, weave them into stories, and move readers to reflect on parallel experiences in their lives. He has also published a book, Cannonball Moments, that integrates the spirituality and principles of St. Ignatus of Loyola with personal storytelling. IVC New England volunteers received this book this year, and thus were familiar with Clayton's approach.

In his presentation at the Day of Reflection, Clayton reflected and asked participants to reflect on "How My Story Reveals God's Glory," "Storytelling as Service," and "Accompanying Others in Storytelling." He guided us in seeing and articulating God's presence in the nitty-gritty details of life, in remembering the "Cannonball Moments" that explode in our lives and move us in new directions, and in recognizing the importance of knowing well our own stories and sharing them with others, as well as listening to the life stories of others. and encouraging them to share.

St. Ignatius parish also sponsored a presentation, virtual and live, by Eric Clayton, the previous evening, cementing the already strong bonds between the parish and IVC. We thank the parish members and staff for their help in hosting this speaker and look forward to future joint ventures.

On January 3, Father Ray Tetrault passed away at the age of 87. Ray was a long-time spiritual reflector for IVC in New England and a leading member of the Priests for Justice whom IVC will honor in our April Madonna Della Strada ceremony. His legacy is much more.

He was an advocate for those suffering poverty in Rhode Island and a friend especially of Latinos and new immigrants to the Providence Diocese. He ministered to them directly in parishes such as St. Michael the Archangel where he served as pastor, but also in the broader community. He helped develop new leadership, lobbied for good jobs and affordable housing, and spoke out against war and military spending.

Ray was an active member of Pax Christi and a strong supporter of non-violence. Those wishing to make donations in his memory can direct them to Pax Christi USA, 415 Michigan Avenue NE, Washington, DC 20017.

To those who knew him, he was "a prophetic voice," "a man of God and a friend to many", "a man of simple needs, but great and profound ideas." We will miss him.

The Providence Journal highlighted the his life in this obituary.

IVC New England Planning Team member and former Regional Council member Nondas Hurst Voll shares her memories of Father Ray here.

IVC New England has begun its planning for the upcoming (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 thirty 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 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. Contact IVC New England for more information. Check out our website to learn more about us.

And there still are openings for prospective volunteers this year. Contact IVC New England now for more information. Click here to find current IVC New England openings.

IVC Milwaukee is hosting an online event with a focus on how a community of neighbors can change the world. This webinar features Opus Prize winner Mack McCarter and Ignatian author Tim Muldoon. McCarter is the author of How to Remake the World Neighborhood by Neighborhood. Register for the webinar here. It takes place on January 24 at 3:00 pm (ET). All are welcome.

The Initiative on Catholic Social Thought and Public Life at Georgetown University presents an online public dialogue on "The Consistent Ethic of Life in 2023: Solidarity with Those Who are Poor and Vulnerable." Thursday, January 19 from 12:30 pm to 1:30 pm. Panelists include Elizabeth Bruenig (Atlantic magazine), Bishop Daniel Flores (Brownsville,Texas, and Gloria Purvis and Father Sam Sawyer, SJ (America Media). Click here for more information and to register.