David Bardon lives in Elkhart Lake and has been serving as an Ignatian Volunteer Corps member at Dismas
Ministries in Milwaukee and Carmelite Sisters in Waukesha since 2023.
David joined Ignatian Volunteer Corp of Milwaukee, after attending a Jesuit retreat which made him want to do more outside of his church. David volunteers with the service site Dismas Ministry, which provides prisoners with free Catholic scripture and other faith prayer resources they need to restore their relationship with God. He explained that he genuinely believes it was through the Holy Spirit that he ended up with IVC and Dismas Ministry.
Every Wednesday from 11:00 am – 3:30 pm, David assembles materials requested by prisoners and prison chaplains, such as bibles, prayers books, rosaries and correspondence courses and sends them to prisoners across the country. He stated that this is a fantastic opportunity to give back and that he gets the chance to read some of the letters from the prisoners which he described as “Heartbreaking.” David explained that even though the 4-5 hours a week he spends on packaging up books and bibles is simple work, he knows he is having an impact on these people’s lives. He said that if he could potentially impact just one person, he believes he is doing what God wants him to do.
David attends a reflection meeting once a month where all IVC members get together and reflect on what they are doing as well as to get closer to one another. Between this and the people David works with, he described the community of IVC as wonderful people giving themselves to try to make this world a better place. David explained that on top of making a difference in the world with like-minded people, he has been enjoying learning more about Saint Ignatius. He described his IVC experience as “Totally expanding my view and what I have and where I want to take my life.”