Jesuit Volunteer Corps

Jesuit Volunteer Corps
Formation 1956 (1956)
Type Non-profit corporation
Purpose Social justice
Headquarters 801 Saint Paul St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
Region served
 United States and international
President
 Timothy Shriver
Volunteers
 300
Website jesuitvolunteers.org

The Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC) is an organization of lay volunteers who volunteer one year or more to community service within poor communities. JVC can be found in inner city neighborhoods and rural communities in about forty different cities throughout the U.S.[1] Jesuit Volunteers (JVs) in the international program volunteer in different countries around the world. JVC works with the homeless, abused women and children, immigrants and refugees, the mentally ill, people with HIV/AIDS and other illnesses, the elderly, children, and on behalf of other marginalized groups.

Founding & history

Copper Valley School

In 1956, the Jesuit Volunteer project began when Jesuits from the Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus and the Sisters of Saint Ann formed a partnership to open the Copper Valley school—a boarding school for Native Alaskan children—near Glennallen, Alaska.[2] Bishop Francis Doyle Gleeson saw the need for a good boarding school closer to villagers, which began the building of the Copper Valley School.[3] St. Ann Sister George Edmond went to the East Coast and persuaded five students to cross the continent to teach at Copper Valley.[3] Bishop Gleeson formed a team of lay volunteers, mostly engineering students from Gonzaga University.[3] These lay volunteers, brought into Alaska by Gleeson and Edmond, were the seeds of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.[3] The religious, the students and volunteers faced much adversity in constructing the school, including working in temperatures of seventy-below-zero during the Alaska winter.[3] One student from a local village described the experience of meeting the new volunteers as bringing him "into a whole new world."[3] The volunteers were considered lay missionaries.[4] Copper Valley School closed in 1971.[3]

Founding, expansion & influence

The Jesuit Volunteer Corps was founded and named by Jack Morris, S.J..[5] Morris had participated in the initial Copper Valley School project as a seminarian.[5] While Morris was working at Monroe Catholic High School in Fairbanks, Alaska, he learned about the progress with the Copper Valley School and saw the potential of the volunteers.[3] Morris would recruit volunteers at Catholic colleges all over the United States, telling students that JVC was twice as old as the Peace Corps and ten times more rewarding.[3] Morris' recruitment brochure called for those "young and old - with adult joy and adult stability. Men and women who dig in, work hard, laugh loud and often. Flexible enough to adjust to diverse companions, tasks and environments."[3] During this time, JVs lived off of ten dollars per month.[3] In the 1960s, Jesuit Volunteers branched out of Alaska and into the Pacific Northwest, serving native americans as well as the marginalized in inner cities, with the support of the Society of Jesus.[2] JVs volunteered at St. Mary's Indian School on the Colville Indian Reservation in Northern Washington state.[3] In Alaska, by 1968, JVs outnumbered Jesuits.[3] JVs served in remote areas such as Nulato, Alaska.[3] During the early years, the four values were not formalized, but they were lived by JVs.[4]

During this time, the JVC movement influenced other volunteer groups, including the development of the peace corps.[2] Over two hundred volunteer programs are modeled after JVC.[3]

National & international expansion

The initial Northwest JVC inspired other JVC chapters across the country. JVC chapters were established in the Midwest in 1974; on the East Coast in 1975; in the Southwest in 1977; in the American South in 1980.[3] JVC also took root in other countries: England, Ireland, France, Italy, Bulgaria and the Philippines.[4]

In 1984, Jesuit Volunteer Corps International (JVI) was formed.[3] JVI had programs in Belize, Tanzania, Micronesia, Peru[6] and Nepal.[3]

In 1990, JVC had 350 volunteers in its program, and placement in the program was selective.[7] In 1992, JVC had 425 volunteers.[8]

JVC unification

In 2009, five of the six Jesuit Volunteer Corps organizations merged to form JVC to share resources for one common mission and strengthen the organization as a whole. After completing a month-long Ignatian discernment process and consulting with many current and former Jesuit Volunteers, Jesuit Volunteer Corps Northwest made the decision to remain an independent organization, addressing rural, urban and environmental needs in the Northwestern U.S. Today, there are two Jesuit volunteer corps organizations in the U.S., united by a shared history and foundational values. As many as 500 volunteers in a given year have volunteered with JVC.[4] The drop in number of JVs can be attributed to the new service programs, many of which were modeled after JVC.[4]

In 2015, Timothy Shriver was named the president of JVC.[9] The Washington Post wrote an article about a JV community in Washington DC.[10]

Catholicism

JVC incorporates Catholic teachings and spirituality into their programs, but is open to volunteers of all faiths.[11] Pope Francis, a jesuit, has inspired Jesuit Volunteers.[12]

Colleges

JVs come from many different colleges, including from Jesuit colleges. JVC recruits actively on the campuses of the Jesuit colleges in the United States, at catholic colleges, and on the campuses of other universities.[8] In 2014, eighteen graduates from the College of the Holy Cross joined JVC.[13] In 2014, twelve graduates of Loyola University Maryland joined JVC.[14] Many graduates from Boston College also join JVC.[15]

Four values of JVC

Through retreats, local formation teams, and community living, volunteers are immersed in the "four values" of JVC: spirituality, community, simple living, and social justice. Jesuit volunteers make a commitment to the JVC program and to their service placements to strive to live these four values. JVC communities have evenings dedicated to spirituality and communal life.[3] JVC is guided by the principles of Ignatian spirituality—named for St. Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, or the Jesuits.[16] One of the core principles of Ignatian Spirituality is to find god in all things and all people.[16] JVC has offered JVs spiritual advisors, retreats, and community spirituality nights.[16] Many JVs work for justice, Ad maiorem Dei gloriam. JV community houses are often located in low-income neighborhoods, aiming to expose JVs to the daily realities of living on the margins of society.[16] JVs life off of modest monthly stipends.[16] The shift in lifestyle aims to help JVs live in solidarity with the people they are working with.[16] JVs live in an intentional community with other JVs working in their city.[16] JVC aims to give JVs a greater understanding of some of the systemic causes of injustice by connecting JVs with disenfranchised people through work and in their communities.[16]

Former jesuit volunteers

After completing their service with JVC, many former jesuit volunteers (FJVs) create a subculture of faith and service in the church.[3] As of 2006, there were twelve thousand former Jesuit Volunteers worldwide.[3] In Washington, D.C., former JVs, progressive adult Catholics, and others meet for faith-sharing groups and potluck dinners. This community is called "Guerilla Communion."[17] FJVs use the phrase, "ruined for life," to describe their time of service with JVC.[18] "Ruined for life" was coined by Jack Morris, the founder of JVC.[4] Some FJVs have entered religious life.[4]

Notable alumni

References

  1. ↑ "Watch: Putting Faith Into Action Through Service". NationSwell. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 Caldarola, Effie. "Jesuit Volunteers in Anchorage continue tradition of service". Catholic Anchor. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Langlois, Ed. "Jesuit Volunteer Corps - 50 years of nitty-gritty servic". Catholic Sentinel. Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Anderson, George. "Ruined for Life". America. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  5. 1 2 "Founder of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps movement dies". Catholic Sentinel. 2012-10-02. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
  6. ↑ "24 Jul Volunteer Abroad Profile: Jesuit Volunteer Corps". Intentional Travelers. Retrieved 19 August 2015. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  7. ↑ Smith, Ron. "Real Life 101 : College Graduates Serve Society in Jesuit Volunteer Corps". LA Times. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  8. 1 2 "Jesuits Find Many Students Willing to Devote Year of Service to Needy : Volunteers: Recruitment at college campuses has risen steadily in last four years. Workers seize the opportunity to 'give something back.'". LA Times. Retrieved 19 August 2015. |first1= missing |last1= in Authors list (help)
  9. ↑ "Timothy "Timbo" Shriver Named President Of Jesuit Volunteer Corps, Ushering In New Era For One Of Nation's Longest-Running Service Organizations". PR Newswire. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  10. ↑ Zak, Dan. "A church in the streets: Six 20-somethings in D.C. will give up many comforts of modern life for a year to serve the sick and the poor, a nod to the pope’s teachings". Washington Post. Retrieved 24 September 2015.
  11. ↑ Vestal, Shawn (2012-08-31). "A pilgrimage, and a life, pursuing peace". The Spokesman-Review. Retrieved 2012-10-11.
  12. ↑ Deeney, Jeff. "Serving the Poor, Pope Francis-Style". The Atlantic. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  13. ↑ Ethier, Kelly. "Holy Cross Ranks First in the Nation for Jesuit Volunteers". Holy Cross. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  14. ↑ Alexopulos, Nick. "Recent Loyola alumni join Jesuit Volunteer Corps". Loyola University Maryland. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  15. ↑ "BC Alumni Join JVC and JVC Northwest". Boston College. Retrieved 15 August 2015.
  16. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Our Mission and Values". Jesuit Volunteer Corps. Archived from the original on March 25, 2012. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  17. ↑ Manson, Jamie. "Young adult Catholics find a new kind of communion in D.C.". National Catholic Reporter. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  18. ↑ Immel, Eric. "An Inconvenient Faith: Ruined for Life". Jesuit Post. Retrieved 19 August 2015.
  19. ↑ Goodland, Marianne. "Momentous moment for Marquez". Colorado Statesman. Retrieved 19 August 2015.

External links

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