IVC Stories
Father and Son
“Part of our call to follow Christ is to look around and see what else we can do. Pope Francis calls us to do more, to serve the materially poor,” says Jim Shea, SJ, a Jesuit in formation of the Chicago-Detroit Province. Jim and his father Dick Shea, an Ignatian...
Discerning Her Role in the Vineyard
Judy Coswell believes the call to join the Ignatian Volunteer Corps was “put in front of her.” In 2014, as she was considering retirement after a long career in horticulture, an announcement in the local church bulletin caught her attention: an invitation to attend an...
Transformed by His Love
“Spiritual retreats ending homelessness” is the tagline of the Ignatian Spirituality Project (ISP), an IVC partner agency. Ignatian Volunteers serve as Retreat Coordinators in three of ISP’s 24 cities: Boston, Chicago, and Cleveland.ISP’s successful retreat model...
Companions on the Journey
This post from Ignatian Volunteer Don Gibel first appeared on IVC Chicago's Footprints Blog. I am going on my 12th year with IVC, which has been very important in my life, and my 10th year at my current placement, Faith and Fellowship. Faith and Fellowship is a one...
IVC and the Danger of Falling in Love
This post by Ignatian Volunteer Camille Devaney first appeared in IVC Chicago's Footprints Blog. I have been at the same volunteer site for four years. Nursing home ministry is not anything I would have chosen. However, at the time when I interviewed, there were very...
“Love is an Action Word”
Mike Grogan’s family celebrated his 80th birthday serving the homeless, following his lead of living faith in action. Mike, an Ignatian Volunteer in Cleveland, says that before he started with IVC ten years ago, “I didn’t know that people lived in the streets; that...
Alleviating Children’s Suffering with Compassion
Mary Beth Manninger and Kathy Bigelow bring full careers as educators to their IVC work at Ted E Bear Hollow, an Omaha grief center for children and families who have lost a loved one. “A five-year-old girl had lost her older sister,” describes Mary Beth. “Ted E Bear...
Opening a Door to Compassion
“I view my finding IVC as a new beginning, opening a new door,” says Greg Howes, 46-year-old president and owner of Howes Insurance Group in Concord, Massachusetts, and Ignatian Volunteer. “I don’t really fit the IVC model,” he continues. “I’m not retired, not over...
A Spirit of Giving
When Christmas arrives, the Turinas won’t wrap store-bought gifts for their adult children. Instead, they give money to charitable groups whose missions are dear to the hearts of their children. And their children do the same for them. Their gratitude inspires their...