The 2016-17 Dominican Volunteers recently completed their Closing Retreat in New Orleans Louisiana.
We take a look back at some of their reflections on their
year of service with DVUSA.
September: Brigid Mathiesen reflected on the integration of the Dominican pillars and herministry site. Brigid served as a teacher at St. James Elementary School in SanFrancisco California.
“There is more than merely starting as a community through
service. With each morning there is a celebration with prayer as the entirety
of student body and teachers recite a decade of the rosary, before any moment
of study. It is at this moment that one can see that connection in prayer to
the community. From this community and prayer, there is also a sure sign of all
four pillars being demonstrated and exemplified by both students individually
as well.”
October: Kathleen McKenzie wrote about the unexpected blessings when a student gave a surprisingreaction to Kathleen’s poster. Kathleen served as a counselor at ImmaculateConception Cristo Rey Academy in San Francisco.
Kayla Grodzicki described her typical day as a DominicanVolunteer. Kayla served at Sarah’s Inn a shelter for survivors of domestic
violence in Chicago Illinois
9:00am – 5:00pm: “I
am a Crisis Intervention Advocate – which in other words means I am an advocate
for those who have been affected by Domestic Violence. So Far, So Good is an understatement!
I am loving my time here at SI! The environment and vibe is such a welcoming,
warm, and loving feeling that you get every time you set foot through the front
door! A daily day at SI really isn’t ever the same as the day before. You
always have to be prepared and ready for something new. However, when you have
an amazing team of Staff, Volunteers, and Interns supporting you - things are
easy peasy!! So even though the daily schedule at SI is always changing, here’s
a good idea as to what it is that will or could happen as far as myself goes –
I could be on Crisis Line, answering the door and greeting incoming clients! If
not on CL, I could have intakes or advocacy appointments, or be have meetings
with the staff, or maybe even group! Every Thursday night I have a late night
group with children! It is my favorite part of the week because I get to sit
down and color or play games or tell scary stories. Like one time – I ordered a
pepperoni pizza, but then when I got the pizza… there were mushrooms on it!!!!
It’s definitely the highlight of my week and something I look forward too!”
December:
Katherine Maloney wrote about embracing Dominican life in her work with the Dominican Leadership Conference at the United Nations and inher intentional community.“I am challenged to consider the plight of migrants and refugees in the morning, and then asked to consider what role women should have in peace negotiations in the afternoon. It has involved helping to plan a forum, volunteering for the International Day of the Girl Child Summit, drafting a proposal for an event on indigenous women in agriculture, writing statements for a social development commission, taking an active role on six NGO committees, collaborating with great people, and being tasked with professional responsibilities that I never thought would be possible as a recent graduate. It has involved cooking for my community, which I was terrified of doing. It has involved waking up at 5:50AM for prayer, which seemed daunting at first, but has carried many personal rewards as well as strengthened my relationship with my community. It has involved finding a new home in an unexpected place, but still being so close to the home I’ve known since childhood. It’s involved giving a place I was ready to leave a second glance, and definitely not regretting it at all. It has involved traveling around the world without ever leaving New York, and its involved being in a center of global diplomacy every day, but returning to my quiet corner of suburbia every night.”
January: Emili Dubar shared her ministry at Visitation Catholic School in Chicago.
"I was working with a fourth grade boy who struggles with
several subjects due to a learning disability. Lately, we have been working on
his self-esteem before schoolwork because he gets easily discouraged. On this
day however, we were filling out a worksheet. In between questions, he asked if
I would remember him after I left Chicago. I told him I would definitely
remember him because I care about him. He then said, “Good, because I’ll
remember you forever!”
This is why I became a Dominican Volunteer. By serving
others, I find purpose. If I can make a difference in one or two lives, I have
contributed something, however small."
February:
"If you’ve always wanted a girls night out but couldn’t find the perfect
girls to go out with then have no fear! Because the sisters will be willing and
able to. Your GNO will consist of and is not limited to: a night out to the
theater filled with Christmas songs and drinks, Friday night happy hours at the
house, movie nights with homemade popcorn, going out to eat pho for your
birthday, and desserts every night!”
“Your ministry
will push you, sometimes it will push hard. You’ll be handed a retreat with 60
freshmen with just four days’ notice. You’ll help run a choir even though
sometimes you barely feel qualified to be in a choir. You’ll play piano and
flute in front of the whole school. You’ll somehow learn the entire rapid
transit system in a month. But you’ll never feel overwhelmed. Even in the
scariest of situations, you will feel a pervading sense of calm, as if this is
what you are meant to do.”
April: Josie
Umuhoza shared how her work with women from other cultures empowered her as a woman.Josie served at the Opening Word, a literacy center for immigrant women in NewYork.
“I enjoy
talking about all of the different cultures. I am changing their lives but most
importantly they are changing mine. In the Opening Word, I have room to grow
spiritually, emotionally, and professionally. My boss is very understanding and
flexible. I have become good friends with the women. Finally, it has brought me
the greatest joy, knowing that I put a smile on another person’s face
especially a woman. Women supporting women.”
“I live with a family here. We are non-traditional by most
standards as we have 2 Sisters, 2 ladies, and 2 dogs. All of us are equally
valuable. We love and serve independently, but also through the vision of
community.”
June: Holly Sammons expressed
gratitude for her year of Service with the Adrian Dominican Sisters, Holly
previously served at Catholic Charities Atlanta. “Like my time in Atlanta, my time in Michigan has been filledwith many great opportunities and people. I have been welcomed by the Adrian Dominican Sisters and been blessed tolearn about the work of a whole congregation of amazing women religious. I work in the Adrian Dominican Motherhouseand mostly split my time between their Office of Justice, Peace and Integrityof Creation and their Permaculture Office. Through my work with the Office of Justice, Peace and Integrity of
Creation I have been able to travel to different events including the School of
the Americas Watch Convergence at the Border in Arizona, the UN Commission on
the Status of Women, and Ecumenical Advocacy Days in Washington D.C. These events have opened my mind to new
possibilities and ways of thinking. I am
so grateful for these incredible learning experiences."
We are so grateful for 2016-17 Dominican Volunteers and for many unique ways in which they live out the Dominican charism. They are integral and members of our Dominican family and pray that they carry
their Dominican spirit with them in all their future endeavors.
May God creator bless them, may God Redeemer heal them, and
may God the Holy Spirit fill them with light.
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