When I first applied to the AVs, I had somewhat of an idea of how community life would be. I anticipated it was going to be similar to having roommates. Sometimes, what you think is not exactly how it turns out to be. Even with that in mind, I was still open to this “living...
Attending Villanova University, only 3.4 miles away from home, I have always stayed close by to my family. Moving 2,689 miles away from home was the boldest and scariest thing I have ever done in my life. I was terrified the last month of summer; August was quickly approaching and I would be saying goodbye...
Campus ministry work was something that, at the start of this year, I had a small degree of understanding about. I had been involved in the campus ministry department at my college throughout my junior and senior year. I had gone on a few retreats and done some alternative winter and spring breaks to various...
In Augustinian spirituality, there are three official Core Values: Unitas (Unity), Veritas (Truth), and Caritas (Love). However, there is also an unofficial fourth Value that I have found to be central to my spiritual growth during my year with the Augustinian Volunteers: Fooditas. Fooditas: n. \ˈfüdə̇ˌtäs\: the recognition that sharing a meal with others is...
Teaching P.E. at a grade school is far from predictable; in fact the unpredictability is what is predictable. One day everyone wants to participate and the next day everyone wants to talk about their upcoming weekend. Amidst this unpredictability, one thing has rung true, the students at St. Patrick’s have taught me how dependent we...
Working every day at my service site, St. Pat’s Elementary School, has settled me into a routine. I am often the first one to arrive at the school every morning as the sun is rising, and the last one to leave every evening, just as dark has crept over the entire school. Also in my...
I am thoroughly surprised by two things after my first few weeks in San Diego, and I couldn’t be happier. Both of my surprises have come from my service placement in the Campus Ministry Office at Saint Augustine High School. The first surprise came from the fact that I am enjoying my time working in...
“Mr. O! Mr. O! I was ra ra running to tag Sarah, and Billy pushed me!” -Johnny “Why did Billy push you, Johnny?” –Me “I don’t knowwwww” -Billy “Billy, did you push Johnny on purpose?” -Me “Noooo!” -Billy “Are you sure?” -Me “Johnny is always laughing at me in class!” –Billy “Yeah ’cause you laughed...
I look like a fool here, sitting in the middle of this tucked-away coffee shop, counting upon my fingers numbers that are probably better reserved for calculators. But the final count is two-hundred and twenty eight. That is the number of days that it has been since I and my community have moved out here...
2,687.3 miles… That is how far I am from the place that I have called home for the past 25 years. Before last year I never thought about leaving Pennsylvania to live anywhere else and doubted that I would even leave the Philadelphia area after I graduated from college. That is, until I began to...
