Experience Making a Difference

Experience Making a Difference

Stories from New Orleans

Meet Joe Lorenzo – IVC New Orleans Service Corps Member

Meet Joe Lorenzo – IVC New Orleans Service Corps Member

The blueprint for a potential Service Corps member to join the Ignatian Volunteer Corps (IVC) usually starts
with a source of information that peeks the candidate’s interest, who then makes a phone call or website inquiry about the program, followed by a period of discernment before the potential member joins and commits to an assignment through IVC. During that discernment period, great effort goes into finding the appropriate assignment where the talents and skills of the candidate can be put to best use. Such was the case with Joe Lorenzo, a new Service Corps member who just finished his first year assignment with the Society of St. Vincent de Paul New Orleans.

On Getting Old: A Reflection by Allene Grognet

On Getting Old: A Reflection by Allene Grognet

Nothing should be more expected than old age, yet nothing is more unforeseen. It is a situation that exists outside of oneself – I am old to others. There is a disconnect between how I feel inside me, and the judgmental 

IVC New Orleans Member Profile: Cathy Storm

IVC New Orleans Member Profile: Cathy Storm

Cathy became interested in IVC after seeing a feature story in the Clarion Herald (New Orleans’ Archdiocesan newspaper – see the article here). She was looking for a next step because she felt, although retired from work, she “did not retire from life.”

IVC New Orleans Member Profile: Jerry Alexander

IVC New Orleans Member Profile: Jerry Alexander

In his “Richness of Many Years of Life” address, Pope Francis declared that “Old age is not a disease; it is a privilege.” Jerry Alexander, IVC New Orleans volunteer, embodies that statement. When he told his regional director in spring of 2022 that he was diagnosed...

Meet our IVC New Orleans Regional Council!

Pictured from left to right, top row to bottom row are: Mary Baudouin, Provincial Assistant for Justice & Ecology, Jesuits of the U.S. Central and Southern Province Mat Grau, retired Director of Alumni Relations, Jesuit High School Leah Grau (Chair), retired...

The Push for Repeal of the Death Penalty in Louisiana 

The Push for Repeal of the Death Penalty in Louisiana 

What a difference a year has made. Last spring, I received information about the Ignatian Volunteer Corps (IVC) in an email from the Loyola Alumni Association and was invited to attend an informational meeting at Loyola’s Ignatius Chapel to learn more.

Bicycles and Rosaries!

Bicycles and Rosaries!

Tom Adler serves as the Life Skills Coordinator at Project Lazarus, the oldest and largest residential facility in the Gulf Coast region providing assisted living to people with HIV/AIDS.  Founded in 1985 by two compassionate priests in cooperation with the...

Experience Saving a Life

Experience Saving a Life

When Cathy Brown joined the Ignatian Volunteer Corps, she did not expect to actually save a person’s life within the first 30 minutes of the first shift at her service site. But that’s exactly what happened!

Loyola University New Orleans Partners with IVC

Loyola University New Orleans Partners with IVC

Within the collaborative and celebratory spirit of the Ignatian Year, the Ignatian Volunteer Corps of New Orleans joined with Loyola University New Orleans in the Currie Alumni Partnership for Service to offer the Jesuit university’s retired staff, faculty and alumni...

Arts & Education Leader Says YES! to Service

Arts & Education Leader Says YES! to Service

New IVC Service Corp Member, Shirley Trusty Corey, has a rich history of serving in the arts and educational arenas. She helped found the New Orleans Center for the Creative Arts Public High School, and led the New Orleans Arts Council for nearly two decades. She read...