S.E.R.V.E. (Summer Endeavour in a Redemptorist Volunteer Experience) is an opportunity for 8 young men and women (age 18-30) to deepen their Christian Faith through fostering a sense of mission, service, prayer and spirituality in a Christian Community rooted in the Spirituality of St. Alphonsus Liguori and the Redemptorist Charism. Through common prayer, community living, spiritual formation, opportunities for service in social agencies in Toronto, Eucharist, discussion and social activities, participants will discover Christ in themselves and learn how to bring Christ to others.
Today’s young people love a challenge. We feel that many young people are searching in their spiritual life for a connection between faith and the needs of people around them. We see S.E.R.V.E. as providing an opportunity where young men and women can explore their faith and their call to service in the context of Christian community.
SERVE 2011 finished on June 4, 2011. Read below the blog contributed by our participants over the course of the 5 weeks.
Take a look at what has been happening!
SERVE 2011 is off to a fantastic start! We have completed our Orientation, and Tuesday May 3rd is the first day of our apostolates – St. Felix Centre, Good Shepherd Centre, Our Place -Community of Hope, and Lakeside Long Term Care!
Will write more shortly!
by Fr. Santo about 752 days ago
Serve is a great experience that i would recomend to every one who is interesed in a faith filled life of community that helps others. It is a great time and an amazing experience!!!
by Marc Moreau about 747 days ago
SERVE 2011 is one week old! For me, it has been an amazing experience so far, and I know it will continue to be! The community life we ten share here is filled with laughter, understanding, caring and faith; it is so neat! I am so happy to be with so many kind and joyful people every moment of every day :)
Until later,
Michael !
by Michael Crate about 747 days ago
The last couple of days, we had with us Fr. Juvy Andrade C.Ss.R. and Br. Jeffrey Rolle C.Ss.R. visiting from Rome on an official visitation with the Redemptorists across the country. Song, celebration, food, and laughter was an the menu for these few days! Today, off to Niagara before the start of another busy week at our apostolates!
by Fr. Santo about 747 days ago
Today, I’m appreciating the work that goes into planning a liturgy of the word in a completely different way than I usually do. It was my turn to plan this morning’s mass, and it was a lot harder than I thought it would be to pick songs that went with the readings. Really cool experience though, I’d like to help more with it when I get back to school in the fall.
by Meredith Gillis about 744 days ago
My partner and I are volunteering at Lakeside Long Term Care. We’ve only been going there for a week and a half so far, but I’m already completely at home in my placement. Firstly, and most importantly, it’s a place of love and compassion. As soon as you enter the building, you notice the warm and caring atmosphere. Both the staff and the residents are what makes Lakeside a truly incredible facility. And yet, it’s so much more than just a long term care facility- it’s a community, and a community in which I’m honoured to be a part of for the next month. The residents never cease to put a smile on my face. In the morning I can sometimes walk into Lakeside feeling tired and a bit groggy, but within minutes of being there, I am smiling and feeling rejuvinated. It’s funny, the residents are kind and polite and will thank me for helping them, or spending time with them, but they have no idea how much the time that I get to spend with them truly means to me. I try to express it to them, but they insist that I am the one ‘serving’. If only they could understand just how much I’m getting back from this experience! They are serving me without even realizing it! I see God in every little smile and gentle hand squeeze, in every shared life story and laugh. Being a volunteer, I am in a position where I can spend time with residents and not worry too much about organizing activites or recording things down. I’m fortunate to have the time to interact one on one with them and I’m starting to make deep connections with a lot of them. These people already mean so much to me and it’s only week two of my placement! :)
Oh, and I can’t forget the staff! The staff- the PSW’s, the nurses, the activity workers etc.- they have already taught me so much just by watching their interactions with the residents. They are loving and extremely patient. It’s clear that they enjoy their jobs and selflessly work through all the highs and lows that come along with a job that entails devoting yourself to meeting the needs of others. All I can say is that Lakeside is a special place and I’m truly blessed to be there for my placement with the SERVE program. Thank you Holy Spirit for leading me there! ;)
by Brittany Garrard about 743 days ago
Some days, the awesome thing is convincing the kids to play foursquare with you. Other days, it’s having a mad dance party in the kitchen with someone who speaks hardly any English, seeing someone eat a peanut butter and jam sandwich, and watching homeless people share the parts of their meal that they don’t want with others. On all days, it’s a blessing to be able to see what so much of humanity lives like.
by Meredith Gillis about 742 days ago
Why hello there!
My name is Michelle McDonnell. I’m 19 years old and am currently enrolled at King’s University College in London, Ontario. I’ve been here at SERVE for 12 WHOLE days now!! And I’ve loved every minute of it! ;) My partner and I have been placed at ‘Our Place Community of Hope’. Our Place is a drop in centre for adults who have mental illnesses. The centre is deticated to providing its members with a safe atmosphere where they can interact and enjoy eachother’s company. The organization has been running since 1976. Many years of friendship have developed through the centre and it is quite evident that the foundation of the community is rooted in love. Our Place has recently moved from Elm St to Oakwood Ave. This transition has been the focus of our service lately. My partner and I have been helping the community with un-packing and gettiing organized at the new location.
Another aspect of our volunteer outreach starts tomorrow! My partner, Mike and I will be responsible for helping with the high school retreats that the centre runs. Many high schools in the greater Toronto area come to the centre to learn more about mental health and homelessness.
Overall my time at ‘Our Place’ has been great! I look forward to spending three more weeks there :)
Thanks for reading and God Bless,
<3 Michelle
by Michelle McDonnell about 742 days ago
It has been 2 weeks and the energy and enthusiasm in our group continues to grow. The sharing in community, faith, the joys and struggles keeps us moving not to mention the daily dose of laughter, which seems to be a trademark of this group. It is truly amazing to watch and listen to these young adults as they continue to discover and embrace the call to service that God places before them each and everyday. It is indeed, a blessing and a privilege for me to be on this journey. I am looking forward to the next few weeks as we continue to deepen our bonds and grow in our understanding of God at work in our lives and the lives of those whom we serve.
by Sr. Maureeen Baldwin, CND about 739 days ago
well well well well…. It’s been a little while since I’ve blogged, and I’ve found myself growing in different, and new ways; well really, a new sense of understanding life has come. At Our Place, where Michelle and I are at, I’ve come not only to appreciate what they do there to help people, but I’ve come to love the people who they serve as people, not clients. Just being there has given me a new perspective into people, and into myself. I have come to trust, not only my abilities, but God’s ability. This is not to say that I still don’t doubt my own self, but when I do, everything is still okay ~ I can trust.
What I probably most appreciate about SERVE so far, is not what the program brings, but what this community holds. It holds laughter (endless puns), it holds caring, it holds ten people – all held by God.
Today, some of us had the honour and privilege to witness and feel the power of commitment. Nine novices were given their habits; what this means is that these men now openly display Jesus by what they wear. They made a commitment to this moment, and the future. In our community, we have made a similar commitment – to serve one another for the remainder of this journey, and to hopefully, carry this commitment of Love after we go our separate ways home.
The next twenty days feel so promising! But until then, I am enjoying a relaxing evening with two of my pals, Adhi and Marc :)
by Michael Crate about 739 days ago
Part of living in community is learning to share both the ups and the downs with the people around you. Liking each other for who you are right now, accepting who you used to be, and trying to help each other be the people you aspire to be.
It’s really special, going to the apostolates in pairs. Every morning and every afternoon, I have the opportunity to talk about the challenges and the blessings of the day/program/life with Adhi for 15 minutes. When we get to the St. Felix Centre, sometimes we’re working together to prepare the soup or the dessert, and sometimes we’re doing something by ourselves. But at the end of the day, he and I come back together to walk home to Redeemer House, where we come back together with the larger community and share the happenings of the day, celebrate with prayer or mass, and share dinner.
Last night we had a free night, and some of us played Apples to Apples. A couple of people went to the bookstore, a couple of people spent time on their own. But eventually, we all ended up sitting on the chapel floor hanging out and talking about vocations – marriage and family as a vocation just as important as a vocation to religious life. That kind of conversation isn’t something most of us had experienced outside of SERVE.
by Meredith Gillis about 736 days ago
The past week has been a whirlwind for all of us here at SERVE! We are well into our third week together now, and we have been keeping busy with all kinds of fun outings on top of our daily volunteer commitments. A bunch of have also had the opportunity to visit with family and friends (and boyfriends!) and their visits were much appreciated! I also celebrated my 21st birthday this past weekend and the SERVE group had a nice little celebration for me. It was wonderful to share in that milestone with them and they made it very special for me. Thanks again guys!!!
In terms of volunteering, my time at Lakeside Long Term Care has continued to get even better and better. The residents are truly like sunshine in my life. I love asking them how they are doing when I first arrive and greet them in the morning. I love listening to their stories about the war and the ways things used to be back in the day. I love assisting the residents who need some help eating their lunch. I love listening to them reminisce and relay how they met their soul mates. I love looking through black and white photos of their families and hearing funny stories about raising kids. Each resident has a story and I feel so blessed that I have the opportunity to hear them. I am already dreading the moment when the SERVE program ends and my time at Lakeside comes to an end. I know that I will be back to visit though, that’s for sure! Okay, I have to go now, it’s dinner time! God bless :)
by Brittany Garrard about 735 days ago
Greetings from the cottage up in Peterborough! The SERVE group has had the privilege of spending the last couple of days here at the Redemptorist’s cottage. Despite the weatherman’s terrible forecasted weather reports, we have managed to have a sunny and dry stay for the most part! It has been awesome just hanging out by the lake and enjoying some free time with one another. We have been taking part in activities such as taize prayer by candlelight, roasting hot dogs and marshmallows on an open fire (can you say smores?! mmmm), go karting and playing mini golf, boat rides and watching movies! Oh and the food has been just delicious as always…. The Redemportists really know how to eat ;)
We have also spent some time reflecting, journaling and praying. In my opinion, one of the highlights from this weekend has got to have been the spontaneous group prayer session out on the dock at midnight. Lots of stars were visible and you could faintly hear a loon across the lake. We all just sat out on the dock and said our prayers of thanksgiving and petition to God. It was informal and so incredibly personal. It was like Jesus was sitting right there with us with His legs dangling over the dock. I was overwhelmed with how beautiful of a moment it was. I felt so connected to the SERVE group and team members, and I felt so loved by God. I will always remember that night.
The past couple of weeks have been super busy, so this weekend away has been much appreciated by all!!! Hope everyone is having a wonderful long weekend.
Till next time,
Brittany
by Brittany Garrard about 732 days ago
We spent the long weekend up at the cottage, which was wonderful. We had spontaneous evening prayer on the dock, campfire taizé (followed by smores and hotdogs), and stargazing. We got to spend time out on the water in the boat, and a few of us even decided to spend some time in the water (it was cold). One of the highlights of the weekend for me was getting to sleep in a tent. It was really cool, because the first night all the girls slept in a tent, which led to some great conversation and bonding between us.
Now we’re back in the city and at our apostolates. For me, that meant making sandwiches and washing dishes for most of the morning. One of the wonderful things about volunteering someplace that gets all their food from donations is that you get to see a lot of good from the community. We got a delivery of fresh bread from one of the bakeries in the area. Like only a couple hours old fresh. It’s not the first time we’ve gotten bread like that from them, and we’re not the only place that they give bread to. It made good sandwiches. I wonder sometimes if the bakery makes extra bread just to give to people some days.
Having fresh bread for sandwiches is so nice, because our clients are either homeless or very low income, so a lot of them have dental problems and can’t chew bread once it’s gotten old and a bit stale, which is what a lot of our other bread is like. It’s sad, because the things that get donated to food banks and community centres is what people don’t want. It’s always appreciated, and it gets used because we need it, and the food we make with it always turns out really well, but it makes it extra special when we get stuff that’s really fresh.
by Meredith Gillis about 730 days ago
integration…choice…people….learning to not love superficially, but to actually love with the heart. Grammatically, my last sentence does not make much sense other than just scrambled words. I’m writing this to kind of unscramble some thoughts that have crossed my mind today by sharing with you this reflection before I go to sleep.
I mentioned integration because in a letter we received from a past SERVE participant, they challenged us to think about how we will integrate our experience here to how we will integrate this new understanding of life, of love, when we go our separate ways. Will we continue in this new found depth of love? Or will we let it slowly slide, only remembering it as an experience, as opposed to remembering SERVE as a life changing experience. For me, this is perhaps one of my biggest challenges I will have to face when I return home to New Brunswick . I want to continue early morning prayer time, mass everyday, creating community within the greater community that I live in, allowing myself to be the Hands and Feet of Christ not just in my apostolate, but with in my hometown, my friends and family, with everyone I meet…..
Choices, choices, choices… why do I mention choices? I chose to write this entry tonight over putting it off. That was a decision I made that has in some small way changed my life in this moment. As we all learned tonight from Father Mark who shared with us, we all face choices, but we seldom think about why we make the choices we make. We can say we want to help People, but we must choose to act on that compassion.
Thirdly – People. Another valuable highlight from tonights session stems from that we can choose to help people, or, we can be with People.
I am often asked what I want to do with my life. I quite readily respond back, “ Oh! I want to help people!” This is where the true value of SERVE comes alive. I have been thinking about this for a little, but tonight, it stuck out like an arrow: learning how to love, not love superficially. I cannot just say I want to help, I actually have to do something to help; I cannot just say I love everyone, if I am not with people from the get go.
This all may seem boring, weird, or aloof away from the everyday events of SERVE, but sharing these thoughts is more important than me just writing you what I’ve enjoyed and what I’ve done. This is what I am thinking.
I want to say how blessed we ten are here to have this time together. Our lives will never be the same again, now that we’ve crossed paths with each other, but this is for the greater Good that is like no other.
Thank you all so very much for your prayers, thoughts and time taken to read this; we are thinking about you too :)
Lots of love filled with sunshine,
Michael
by Michael Crate about 729 days ago
Today was the last day at the apostolates. Tonight we have our last big Thursday evening mass/sharing time. SERVE is coming to a close, and with that there’s a lot that’s jumbled around to think about.
This last week has been a great time. I’ve seen God in so many places and had so many new experiences. But it’s also been a week with a lot of questioning about how these last 5 weeks are going to mesh with the rest of my life when I go back to my parents’ house on Saturday, and back home to Fredericton in the fall. Some things, like prayer will I think be easier to keep as part of my life now that I’m in the habit of it. But it’s going to be different, because I don’t have a group of people my age to sing hymns, read psalms, or pray the rosary with. I’m going to have to learn how to continue the relationship with God within a different community.
Other things that I’ve struggled with throughout the whole program, like really relating to the poor and homeless people that I’m serving with Adhi at St. Felix, will be harder. I think I’m going to try and find a local soup kitchen or community centre to volunteer at for the rest of the summer so I can continue to challenge myself with that.
I’m being told that dinner is ready, so I’ll leave it there for now. Expect more later.
by Meredith Gillis about 721 days ago
I’ve been home for a month and a half now since SERVE finished. It’s been an interesting experience, and at times really frustrating. I went straight from SERVE to working for the summer at a charity for people with special needs. While on the one hand, it was great in the sense that the way I’ve been approaching my work this summer is similar to how I learned to approach work at St. Felix during SERVE, it’s been frustrating because it meant I didn’t have time to myself to really process things when it finished. It’s also been frustrating because I want so much to talk to people about the experience, but a lot of the time I just don’t seem to know how.
I guess it’s important to remember that SERVE doesn’t finish when we leave Redeemer House. The friendships I made certainly didn’t finish, which I’m really glad for. I’ve had the chance to hang out with a few of the Ontario SERVE-ites on weekends the last few weeks, and I’ve really enjoyed it. There’s some that I’ve kept in touch with more than others, but that also reflects the kind of relationship I had with those people during SERVE. One of the things I’ve enjoyed most has been meeting more practicing Catholics/Christians through those friends. Most of my friends at home aren’t Christian, which makes it hard to keep the sense of God at work going at times.
I’ve had a few really amazing moments with friends last week though. The first one was when I discovered that one of my roommates in the fall goes to church with her family during the summer, and might come with me sometimes in the fall.
The second one, which was a lot bigger was with a friend I hadn’t talked to her much since Christmas because of a disagreement we had had, and my feeling as though I wasn’t getting anything out of the friendship. Selfish, I know – another thing that’s changed since SERVE, my understanding of what friendship is supposed to be. Anyways, during SERVE she had been coming to mind, so I prayed for her sometimes.
When we were hanging out last week, she was happier than she’d been in a long time. She informed me that she had gotten involved with a church in the area and been going to bible study since the New Year. She told me about the youth group at this church, and had all these great stories about the community she was a part of there. I was happy to hear about all of that. The best part though, was when she told me that she had accepted Jesus and decided to become a Christian. She’s planning to be baptized in the fall. How awesome is that?! All I asked God was to be with her! I know he’s been with her all along, but she knows it now!
by Meredith Gillis about 676 days ago