VSC WEST NEWSLETTER WINTER 2017

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1 VSC WEST NEWSLETTER WINTER 2017 Sr. Frances Vista, DC Deportation, building the wall, taking away the funds from sanctuary cities, refugee bans, etc., etc., etc. Need I say more? Since inauguration day to the present, we hear executive order after executive order being issued. What are they, how many can a president issue? Are they constitutional and can they be binding? The real question is; Do we, individual citizens, have the time to study, understand, and analyze the implications of all these executive orders? The dreamers (DACA) are worried and anxious, the permanent residents living and serving our country are worried and anxious, men and women fighting for our freedom in troubled countries, are worried, anxious and fearful for their lives. My message this time is not about bringing you up to date on what is happening in the political arena and certainly not a drill about partisan and political gridlock between Congress and the president. My intent is to echo the subject of discussions in the media, different households, office lunch rooms, social justice advocacy group meetings, and more. That said, whether you are an apolitical person or not, these subjects and issues linger in the minds of the mainstream. I believe we all know at least one person who is worried and anxious about these executive orders. What can one do with this pandemonium? How do we deal with this? When will it end? Yes, the Christmas season seems to have been overshadowed by the election results and a short time thereafter,. here we are celebrating Lent. How can we celebrate Lent without taking our minds off the issues that make our brothers and sisters worried and anxious? We usually connect Lent with sacrifices, fasting and giving alms to help transform our relationship with God. As Christians, we cannot think of a better time to observe this season. It is a good time to be spiritually renewed as we listen to the fears and worries of our brothers and sisters. Truth be said, as I watch, listen, and read about what is happening regarding all these executive orders, I do realize that these orders can be very serious and yet they can also be empty hallow orders. It takes money, personnel, time, and scrutiny to make these orders become truly binding. But then again, it is so important for each one of us to be extra vigilant, cautious, alert and attentive to what is going on so that we can truly be in solidarity with and be compassionate to those who are worried and anxious. This Lent, we can try to walk with Jesus into the desert or into the wilderness, or into the chaos that our country is experiencing. It is not so much about making sacrifices but rather more about espousing a practice that can be liberating, like fasting to be in harmony with those who are anxious and worried. Keeping in mind that we all came from the same mantel cloth created by God, rooted in love. We must not fast out of duty but do it for the sake of the injustices that are happening not only in our country but also for those who are suffering due to various catastrophes because of global warming. Let us be forgiving of those who mock and ridicule the disabled and marginalized. Let us maintain a spirit of respect for all including those who exhibit bigotry and discrimination. Executive orders cannot limit our compassion, understanding, and mercy any more than they can bar us from the love of Jesus, who is the source of courage, empathy and exclusivity. The challenge we face today is how can we heal the division and instill the democracy, integrity and civil rights of each one of us in our country that is in the midst of uncertainty and fear?

2 PAGE 2 VSC WEST WINTER 2017 IN THIS ISSUE: Welcome Message 1 Office Space 2 Prayer 2 Events 2 My Education 3 A Typical Day 3 Grow Through the Storm 4 Sunday Family Gathering 4 Pictures/Office Space Cont... 5 Alumni News 6 Lord, Merciful Father, who instilled in Saint Vincent de Paul a great concern for the evangelization of the poor, infuse your Spirit in my heart and in the hearts of His followers. That as we hear the cry of your abandoned children, we may run to their assistance, like someone who runs to put out a fire. Revive within us the flame of the Charism, that flame which has animated our missionary life for 400 years. We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, the Evangelizer of the Poor. Amen. About 13,000 people, almost exclusively young adults, attended the biennial SEEK conference in San Antonio, TX Jan.3-7, sponsored by the Fellowship of Catholic University Students, known as FOCUS. The five-day event theme was "What Moves You." As a first time SEEK participant, I found this experience inspiring. The Focus Missionaries on college campuses ought to be proud of the evangelization effort thus far. To see so much excitement and enthusiasm of so many seeking to learn how to live out their faith with the support of other young adults, who are in attendance to worship and pray, is so refreshing. OFFICE SPACE continued on page 5 OFFICE SPACE The theme of the Jubilee Year, which will accompany us throughout the next 12 months is: I was a stranger and you welcomed me. Mt. 25:35 The opening of the Jubilee Year started January 25, 2017, which also marks the beginning of the spiritual conversion of St. Vincent de Paul (400 years ago, in Follevile, France in 1617). We suggest that you search for a celebration in your area. Most likely, one of the members of the Vincentian Family will be celebrating something to commemorate this jubilee year. VSC WEST CALENDAR MARCH 1 Lent Begins 19 Spring Sunday Family Night 25 Feast of Annunciation APRIL 9 Palm Sunday 16 Easter Sunday Silent Retreat Los Altos Hills, California MAY 9 Feast of St. Louise de Marillac 14 Mother s Day 29 Memorial Day Office Closed

3 WINTER 2017 VSC WEST PAGE 3 My Education By Jessica Ramirez I work with students who give me hope for a greater tomorrow. I work with students who inspire me to live a better life. I work with students whose faith inspires mine. I work with students who are at promise and not at risk. I work at De Marillac Academy, a school that builds futures, helps break cycles of poverty, and shows me what community is every single day. If you had told me a year ago, that I was going to be working as a teacher at a Catholic school in San Francisco's Tenderloin district I would have called you a liar and laughed. What did I know about education? What could I do and be to kids who are living in a neighborhood that, according to the SF Gate, has the highest concentration of drug crimes and prostitution. Last spring a myriad of questions flew through my mind at the thought of being in San Francisco. What would I, a girl from a rural small town in Nevada, have to say to kids from the inner city? I am not ashamed to admit that I was scared. I was worried that VSC West had made a mistake with my assignment. I had worked with kids in the past but never in a true academic setting. After my first day of work I came home and cried. I was overwhelmed. Overwhelmed with the knowledge that I was so far out of my comfort zone professionally and physically. Overwhelmed at the despair that I saw in the Tenderloin. Thrown by the ostentatious drug use happening mere steps from the school. Scared that I would end up being more of a hindrance than a help. Now 6 months have passed and while there are days that I am worried about the work I am doing I can t imagine working anywhere else. I know these kids as more than statistics and facts. I know about their dreams, hopes, and fears. We talk about their favorite books and what movies they ve seen. We talk about missing assignments and getting our work in on time. We talk about where they want to go to high school and college. We talk about education. We sometimes just chat and I learn a little more about their home lives. I see these kids every single day. I go to their athletic games and soon will spend a week camping with the 6th graders. I have helped Clean the Bay with them and visited museums. I have gotten the experience of being a teacher, but truly these kids have educated me. They have shown me what it means to look beneath the surface to the families and the community that exists in the Tenderloin. They have shown me the park where they play and the restaurants that I should eat at one day. I have gone to Mass with them and heard them speak and pray in their native languages. A beautiful melody of Filipino, Vietnamese, different dialects of Spanish, with a dash of English. I have figured out what a teacher should be. Teachers that are passionate and invested in the art that is teaching. I have learned what administration can do when it is not a job but rather a vocation. How amazing it is when a faculty and staff believes in the kids we educate. My year of service is getting a chance to support students to live lives of choice, meaning, and purpose. A Typical Day By: Stephanie Williams Working at St. Vincent School has been a whirlwind of successes and failures, happiness, and frustration, epiphanies, and confusion. In the last few months, I have gotten used to the constant changes in schedules and last minute tasks. I cannot count the number of times I have come into work with a schedule and layout for the day that never comes to fruition. The unpredictability of the job always exposes me to new challenges and skills. I might assist in a new classroom because of an absent teacher or teaching assistant or spend the entire day in the office as the receptionist. Just when I think I have a clear understanding of things and a handle on the students, I am fiercely thrown back into reality. The start of the new year was also the start of a new job at school. I started teaching mythology to 3rd-8th graders in preparation for the National Mythology Exam in March. By far, this has been the biggest challenge due to classroom management and planning weekly lessons. I know for sure that teaching is not in my future, but the experience has taught me more about myself. I have definitely been forced out of my comfort zone and have improved my patience, assertiveness, and understanding of the students. However, I am still adapting and changing my repertoire based on the students and the feel of the class. The most consistent part of the day is interacting with the students. I enjoy being in the classroom, doing yard duty and tutoring students during daycare. It is refreshing to hear the honest opinions, concerns, problems, and stories of students. With the different personalities of each student and each grade, there is always someone to correct, someone to praise, and someone to comfort. For me, the most relaxing part of the day is my fifteen-minute walk to the bus stop after work. Walking in the neighborhood, reflecting on my day, and listening to music on the ride are the activities that calm my racing mind after a long day.

4 PAGE 4 VSC WEST WINTER 2017 Grow Through the Storm By: Emily L. Smith I wish that I could tell you that my VSC experience, halfway lived, has been one of the most magical, happy, and fun years of my life. That simply is not true. Fortunately, however, I can tell you that this year has been the test of my mettle, and that under that pressure, I have found my strength and power, which I understand to be an ever abundant gift from God. Endeavors that I've been dreaming of for years, I finally am ready to embark upon: because I now know that I have the power, and the guts, and the heart, and the endurance to begin living my dreams. I am ready to begin living those dreams of which I previously did not think myself worthy or capable. My VSC experience has tested me in fire, and I have come out unharmed. Moreover, I have found myself, to my amazement and delight, capable of the next step in my journey, whatever it might be. There are moments (usually while I am stuck in traffic) when I marvel at how sane and orderly Mother of Sorrows (MOS) is, when I consider the maddening daily traffic through which I and many others commute, and the often challenging and at times dangerous environment of the larger community of which MOS is a part. I am in awe of the beauty, resilience, and strength of each student, faculty, and staff member at MOS, and of each community member in VSC, including myself, and of the many Angelenos I've had the honor to encounter. I've noticed that brilliant human resilience and strength more during my VSC experience than ever before. After a half year of VSC, I know myself vastly more than I knew myself before VSC. I know the pain of learning well my faults and weaknesses. How humbling it is. I know the relief and joy of discovering unexpected depth and strength in myself. How empowering it is! I am grateful to the supervisors, co-workers, and community members who, whether intentionally or not, have helped me to know myself. I am most grateful to my God, who has enlightened my path with the gift of self-knowledge through this experience. For the next five months, the last half of my VSC experience, I look forward to basking and relaxing more in the peace, comfort, and affection that we have cultivated in the friendships and mentorships within my house and school communities. I look forward to continuing to work together to foster the gifts of God's love and mercy within each of us. I hope to never lose the openness of heart and mind the greatest gift during this year which has allowed me to grow in self knowledge, confidence, and humility. My VSC year has not at all been the stuff of fairytales, all roses and butterflies, warm-fuzzies and poetry. However, I have had sufficient moments of painful but beautiful grace before the Blessed Sacrament, and moments of warm affection for and delight in students learning, or being kind, or simply being themselves. I have had moments of joy filled laughter, and open and affable sharing with friends. Those moments are like little epiphanies. The brilliance and abundance of the truth, hope, joy, and love that God pours into me in those moments carries me through the rest. SPRING SUNDAY FAMILY NIGHT March 19 5:00-7:30 PM (invitation and locations to follow) Members of the Los Angeles and Bay Area Vincentian Families: Please join us for Mass Food Games

5 WINTER 2017 VSC WEST PAGE 5 Taking advantage of the holiday. Checking out the Sierra National Park Building Community Sr Alicia Martin Reflection Time January Reflection Weekend Three Rivers, CA OFFICE SPACE continued from page 2... January of 2017, Vincentian Service Corps West have partnered with Notre Dame Mission Volunteers AmeriCorps for a half-year national service term. This partnership certainly allows for an increase in the number of volunteers who are able to offer their services in the financially-limited sites which is and has been the goal of NDMV. AmeriCorps. We are grateful for this partnership with Notre Dame Mission Volunteer Program, founded by the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in They have been placing volunteers at sites nationwide to work alongside God's people, especially the economically disadvantaged. Their volunteers accomplish this mission by promoting literacy and education. VSC West is confident that this partnership will continue to many more service years to come.

6 PAGE 6 VSC WEST WINTER 2017 Hannah Petcovic (pictured left) will graduate from Kent State University's accelerated nursing program in December 2017 with a bachelors of science degree in nursing. This program allows you to receive a second bachelors degree in 4 semesters (but it kicks your butt along the way!). She s hoping to work at the Cleveland Clinic, She s also considering work in psychiatry because of the experiences she had at Cardinal Manning Center. Molly Huth (pictured right) is working both as a Graduate Assistantship and at a shelter. She s studying Pastoral Ministry; It's theology but focused on "how to" do ministry work. The program is a two-year year-round program so come May she will still have one more semester to go and graduate in December 2017 from ALUMNI UPDATES! University of Dayton!! Molly welcomes a new member to her family...meet the loveable Arthur! #prouddogmom Hope Cornelis Will be graduating this May with a masters degree in prevention science from Colorado State University. She does plan to move back to the Bay Area pending a job in the area of sexual violence prevention. Congrats Hope!! Beatriz Granados moved back to Sothern California and is now working full time at her former service site Cardinal Manning Center! Jordan Bouchard (pictured right) also welcomes a new member to her family Meet the adorable Beau! #prouddogmom Neenah Ferguson recently was hired full time at her former placement site Mother of Sorrows School in Los Angeles! Do you have any cool news you would like to share with the rest of the formers or greater VSC family? Interested in getting involved? Know a good joke? Please let us know. We love hearing from you! Board of Directors Sr. Margaret McDonnell, DC Board President Mary Lee Secretary/Treasurer Vincentian Service Corps West 25 San Fernando Way Suite B Daly City, CA A D D R E S S S E R V I C E R E Q U E S T E D Catherine Kitty Mullooly Vice Chairperson Sr. Betty Marie Dunkel, DC Province of the West John Scudder President Emeritus SHCP Sr. Kathleen Powers, DC De Marillac Academy Sr. Trang Truong Maryvale, Campus Ministry Sponsored by Member of MISEVI International : : : vsc@vscwest.org