St. Vincent de Paul Center Newsletter Back to School Edition Welcome to our Back to School Edition of the St Vincent de Paul Young Adult Center Newsletter! In this issue you ll meet another one of our Community partners and learn more about the programs we implement here. In the picture below you see students at one of our service sites, Awbury Arboretum. Because of Pope Francis call to care for the environment we have worked to incorporate environmental service into each groups experience. A Christian who doesn t safeguard creation, who doesn t make it flourish, is a Christian who isn t concerned with God s work, that work born of God s love for us. - Meditation Vatican City, 2/2015 It is part of our responsibility to help young adults to see that serving God looks many different ways and when we do the hard gritty work of pulling out invasive vines, planting native plants or spreading wheel barrels of mulch or dirt we are doing something meaningful for God. It can be hard to make the connection that environmental service does impact people, especially those who are the poorest in our world, but when we can step back and see that all life is connected it is possible to see the impact of this work. Pulling invasive species allows more native plants to grow, which in turn allows native wildlife and soil to strengthen. Healthy soil leads less erosion that allows us to have cleaner water It s not something we can see immediately but it does make a big impact! Thank you to the many groups that have heard the Pope s call to care for God s creation. In this Issue: A Weekend of History and Pride at the Center Community Partner Spotlight Sharing Dinner Sharing Story Pictures of us in action! What Students are Saying We must consult God to learn his language and ask that he himself speak in us and through us. -St. Vincent de Paul Students from Elizabeth Seton High School in Bladensburg MD, along with Sister Patty Huffman,DC pull invasive species at Awbury Arboretum.
13 girls from the Maskito Choir stayed at The Center while performing in Philadelphia. The children were from India, Liberia, and Peru. The children who are a part of the choir spend a year in the U.S. touring and helping to raise funds and sponsorships for at-risk and orphan children in their home countries. The International Children s Network s mission is to seek funding to educate children through their nation s highest college or vocational training so that they will be on equal footing with the nation s most privileged children. Maskito is based in Washington state and this was their first tour of the East Coast. To see if Maskito will be performing in a city near you see: http://www.matsikochoir.com/ This February, the Center was thrilled to host the Harambee group, from the Archdiocese of Baltimore Office of Black Catholics. HARAMBEE is Swahili for lets work together Since 1984 the 16 predominately African American Parishes and schools of the Archdiocese have been coming together for planning and programs for Youth and Young Adults. For the last 2 years the Midnight Freedom Ride has been a successful part of their collaboration. 50 youth and young adults participated in Harambee s Freedom Ride, which gives young people the chance to feel history, rather than to just hear it; and gives them the chance to discern the difference between half-told truths, and what is the rich Biblical, Cultural, and Historical legacy and Heritage of People of Color. The ambitious bus journey took the group from Baltimore to New York (NY) to Philadelphia to Washington (DC) and back to Baltimore in the whirlwind span of 60 hours. After spending the first night on the bus, stopping in Philadelphia at the St. Vincent DePaul Young Adult Center allowed participants a good rest before visiting the Liberty Bell and completing the last leg of their freedom journey. While on the Freedom Ride participants took part in workshops on the bus featured the broadcast of the film documentaries, Hidden Colors, that explore the role(s) of African and aboriginal people in history. Chaperone Keisha Washington, of St. Peter Claver says, I learned things about our history that I didn t even know, quickly adding that, I m the one who s been truly blessed, to be among the group of young people that we had on this trip. Kevin Taylor, 16 years-old sophomore at Cristo Rey High offered that, it taught us a lot about our ancestors that you wouldn t necessarily find in a history book; things they wouldn t teach you in a school. This activity was Harambee s Fall Retreat and what an experience for all involved yet another powerful witness to what collaborative ministry can do for and with our youth and young adults! 2
Community Partner Spotlight! St John s Preparatory School is an all boys middle school and high school located in Danvers, Massachusetts. Their school is dedicated to educating the whole person. As stated in their mission, they challenge their young men to grow in faith and wisdom, to promote human dignity, to act with compassion and integrity, to pursue justice and peace and to live lives of service to society. The Prep s Campus Ministry runs several week long service experiences throughout the year, one of which being the St. Vincent de Paul Young Adult Center. Below is an interview with their current Campus Minister Vijay DaCosta, originally from the Bronx in New York City, is entering his fourth year as the Campus Minister and Religious Studies teacher at St. John s Preparatory School in Danvers Massachusetts. This past May, he brought a group of freshman and sophomores to the center for the third year in a row, and is already booked on the Centers 2017 calendar! Over the years, Vijay has participated and lead a number of different international and domestic service trip, from places like West Virginia, New Jersey, and Kentucky, to Ecuador, Jamaica and Domenica. He speaks about the importance of immersion trips for High School aged students. It is so important for them to see the world, beyond them and their experiences. The beauty of people as well as the struggle and turmoil of poverty, addiction and the lack of dignity given to the marginalized. Though a teenager may not be able to comprehend it completely, it is like planting a seed that over time blossoms into something beautiful. This idea that exposing teenagers at a young age to the world of service, community and social justice, is very much played out in the life of Vijay. He attributes his passion for justice to his own experiences with immersion trips and service during his high school years, at Fordham Preparatory School in NYC. Much like St. John s Prep, Fordham Prep stressed being a man for others, and the deep connection between social justice and direct charity. These early experiences shaped the path Vijay drew out for himself over the next few years. He spent a year after college volunteering with the Capuchin Franciscan Volunteer Corps, and eventually moved on to be the Assistant director for retreats and service at Gonzaga High School in DC. Eventually, seeking to do something more pastoral, he accepted a job as Campus Minister at St. John s Prep, Danvers. Though Vijay has enjoyed each community he has been a part of, he especially appreciates St. John s dedication to forming servant leaders. He says a big part of the schools goal is helping the students to understand that serving is a two way relationship. It s about understanding the humility needed to accept the grace of others, and ho we are also being served while serving. The people give back to you with their own time, patience, and joy. It is this recognition of the mutuality of service which has made the staff at the center look forward to hosting St. John s Prep for a week each year, and perhaps, why St John s keeps returning. [The Center] is a wonderful place for a service trip, Vijay says, because it puts this idea of charity in context of the catholic social teaching. Not only are students serving, but they are encouraged to recognize the need for the change of hearts and minds. In the spirit of working together, and community partnership, we are always glad to find a school who values and believes in our mission as much as we do. The Center would like to thank Vijay DaCosta for taking the time out of his busy schedule to give this interview. It s about understanding the humility needed to accept the grace of others, and how we are also being served while serving.
Sharing Dinner Sharing Story Once a week, the center has started inviting a resident from Depaul House USA, a transitional and job readiness program for men, to share a meal and their story of homelessness and hope with our volunteers. These meals give students a chance to connect with someone who they might not have normally crossed paths, and begins to break down harmful stereotypes that push certain populations to the margins of our society. These evenings proved to be some of the highlight experiences of the week for students. They reflected and shared about the things they learned, and were surprised to learn from each of our guests. What we didn t expect, was how positive of an experience it would be for our friends from DePaul House USA. Below are some of their reflections on sharing their story and themselves with the students. What I realized is that I wish I could talk with more kids about homelessness. And that I wish I had someone who shared there story with me while I was growing up. - Will I learned that I can share my life s experience and feel free afterwards. - Edgar As I spoke I realized how lucky I was to have this group of young men to share my experience with. - Carlos FAVORITE MOMENTS! (above) Students from the University of North Carolina, Greensboro take the centers first official selfie. (right) Father Skidmore and Erica from the University of Pittsburg Catholic Campus Ministry enjoy a visit with one another
What Students Are Saying... Fall Groups September October Malvern Preparatory School Mount St Mary s University St John s University Neumann University Mission to Mission Villa Joseph Marie Niagara Canada November Our Lady of the Cape Malvern Prep On being challenged... Getting involved with the service to the degree that it had an effect on myself and not just the people we served. - Loyola Blakefield Student The most challenging thing about this week would be sharing things; I mean opening up and talking to people especially because I am a very shy person; when it comes to meeting new people. Something else that was challenging was the realization of how entirely real the issues we view as statistics are. - St Edmund s Preparatory Student On their relationship with God... This trip helped me get closer to God through the people we served for and with. It was a form of healing for me to dig up old scars and overcome them. - St. John s University Student Yes, I am taking away so much personally and as a group. Seeing our team make these huge connection between service, justice and their faith was powerful. I was reminded this week of how it is a privilege to get a glimpse of what God is doing through all different ministries. - St. Lawrence Martyr Youth Group Member On their perception of people living in poverty Yes, very much so. I learned that everyone has a story. And you can learn so much from the story of an impoverished person. - Loyola Blakefield Student This week showed me, contrary to what I thought, that there are a lot of stereotypes about the marginalized. This was a line of thinking I think I grew out of. - St. Lawrence Martyr Youth Group Member St. Vincent DePaul Young Adult Center 49 West Logan St. Philadelphia, PA 19144 For more information about booking a trip to the center, please contact us at: Sister Sharon-Director depaulyoungadultcenter@gmail.com Darcy O Hara-Outreach Coordinator darcy.o hara@doc.org 215-842-3668 Visit us at: www.svdpcenter.org St. Vincent de Paul Young Adult Center The girls from Elizabeth Seton High School pose out front of our center, right before they head back to Maryland!