An Update from the 2013-2014 Mission Corps Volunteers!

Greetings from the newest residents of Kensington!

Despite, the sublease on our steps, the 6am wake-up call when we trip our alarm system, the constant barrage of, “Doors are closing,” and the sirens that don’t end when we turn off The Wire, we’re not sure if we fit into Kensington. We have indeed navigated the El, surprised our neighbors (the priests) with brownies at 8:30 at night, and tried every hoagie shop within a one block radius. So you can say we’re becoming accustomed to our new home…

August 25 we moved base camp from Chestnut Hill College to our new digs in Kensington. We have been going on excursions to school, to home, to the college, and on any other adventure we happen upon.  Most of our fabulous adventures involve visiting some of the 900+ SSJs in and around the Philadelphia region. We cannot express how truly welcome and accepted we have been made. Each visit, chat, and quick hello in the hall has inspired us to continue battling it out each day in our prospective work sites. Thanks for your great attitudes, open hearts, much-needed prayers, and energizing perspectives.

Ready for any good work:

In Camden Claire is fighting the good fight: taking her students to infinity and beyond, in her magic trailer. She teaches 8 special ed. students while training to maintain the perspective that the lesson is not lost even if a student offers “jump” as a noun. She is also involved soccer club after school and routinely visits St. Francis Inn to keep up with the Kensington gossip and pick up new recipes. Yum! The food is delicious but lasts for at least 2 weeks. (We think their recipes are made for a greater number of people.)

Closer to home, Maggie is hanging out with preschoolers and kindergartners during the day, working on English language skills, or occasionally Spanish or Vietnamese. She gets the sense that the kids pick up English faster than she is picking up their languages. During aftercare, she works with an energetic group of 5^th graders, playing soccer, working in the computer lab, and doing math homework that she promised she would never ever do again after she completed 5^th grade.

We are finally starting to settle down into our new convent/home and enjoying all the beautiful trees around us changing colors J. We are excited to continue our work and looking forward to more visits to the mother-ship mother-house, and more protest marches around Philly.

We’ve stopped praying for patience because every time we do, we are given a new opportunity to practice it. Instead we pray for laughter, heat, engaged students, and all the support and love we can get! Thank you for words, thoughts and prayers!

Love,

Claire and Maggie

Meet the 2013 - 2014 Mission Corps Volunteers!

On August 18th, two young women committed to a new journey, spending 10 months serving as SSJ Mission Corps volunteers! Our two new volunteers, Maggie and Claire, will be living in intentional community in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood.  During their year as Mission Corps volunteers, Maggie and Claire will live intentionally and simply, with a focus on the spirituality of the Sisters of St. Joseph and a commitment to Social Justice.

Please take a moment to let Maggie and Claire introduce themselves:


Hi! My name is Claire Geruson. I am a recent grad of Boston College with a degree in elementary education and theology. More recently however, I left my community at BC I am one of the newest residents of the SSJ Mission Corps! I grew up in the Philadelphia area and attended Mount Saint Joe's for high school.  One of the most important things to me growing up, has been working and living at St. Francis Inn in Kensington. That opportunity and many more have helped me to return to the neighborhood full time! I am working at St. Anthony of Padua School in Camden, NJ. Other than having to pay the toll at the Ben Franklin Bridge every day, I also have the privilege of teaching 5th and 6th grade special ed. My students are exciting, challenging, always posing new questions for me to think about! (Imagine that!) I am so grateful for the Mission Corps and all that I have gotten to learn so far. We could not have felt more welcomed by every sister we met. I hope to learn a fraction of that hospitality this year!

My name is Maggie Myers. I went to Marple Newtown High School, then graduated from Saint Joseph's University in May 2012 with a degree in International Relations and German. During university I worked at ELS, a school that teaches English to foreign students. I studied abroad for a semester in Cyprus and researched relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. After graduation I taught English in a university in Turkey for one year. While in Turkey, I found the SSJ Mission Corps program and applied. This year I'm working in Visitation, teaching ESOL and working with the aftercare program. Thank you so much for the opportunity to serve and work with this incredible community!

Rejoicing in the New!

Happy Monday Morning!

After only two full months of work, I am writing to officially introduce myself. Last June, the Mission Corps' first official Director, Colleen O'Grady, moved on to a new step in her life, working in Campus Ministry at St. Joseph's University.  In August, I humbly and gratefully stepped into the position that she and the Sisters of St. Joseph built from the ground up.

During these first two months as Director of the Mission Corps, I have been reflecting a great deal on the mission of the Sisters of St. Joseph: "We live and work to bring all people into union with God and one another." The mission permeates every part of the work I do and the welcome I have received as the new director. I am very grateful to be so warmly accepted into this community and proud to work to further this mission through the work of the Mission Corps.

And finally, I will just take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Becca Little, and I recently moved from Chicago, IL to Philadelphia to begin working with the Mission Corps. In Chicago, I lived in intentional community while completing a Master of Arts in Social Justice and Community Development and doing communications for the Ignatian Spirituality Project, a Jesuit non-profit organization which provides spiritual retreats to men and women experiencing homelessness. As an alumna of both the Augustinian Volunteers and the Jesuit Volunteer Corps, I am so excited to be working with the SSJ Mission Corps.

Thank you for your suppport. Stay tuned for a post introducing Claire and Maggie, our two MC volunteers for the year.

Peace,
Becca
SSJ Mission Corps Director