What’s New
A Wake-Up Call
Sometimes getting away from home helps us realize what’s going on at home. A trip to the Windy City—Chicago—unexpectedly served this purpose. It was a trip of planes, trains and automobiles and a whole lot of wind and snow. My daughters and I, plus a very young...
Volunteering at Catholic Distance University
Bob Thomsen, IVC volunteer from Northern Virginia, is currently assigned to Catholic Distance University (CDU) in Hamilton, Virginia. Bob has been with IVC for over 4 years and served at CDU since April 2013. CDU was founded in 1983 as the first catechetical...
Spring
Most of us associate the season of spring with fresh growth in plants, and the period of time that follows winter when the days grow apparently longer and brighter. Some do not readily associate this pleasing association of spring with the liturgical season of Lent....
Gladness
In the pathways of sadness, sweetest lilies may grow: Let us sow seeds of gladness- let the joy overflow. - Eliza E. Hewitt An insightful chapter by Fr. Greg Boyle in Tattoos on the Heart is on "gladness." The stories he shares bring the deep meaning of...
A Snowshoe Walk
In February, winter gifted us with an especially powerful snowstorm dropping fourteen inches in one day. At twilight, I put on some snowshoes and walked around the property. It was utterly quiet. At first I only heard the crunching of the snowshoes. Then a chickadee...
The Second Fifty
Fr. Leo Kline, SJ is the visionary behind the Second Fifty Program: Spiritual Dimensions of Later Life Issues. Fr. Leo credits his inspiration, in part, to exposure to the Hindu view of the Journey of Life. Teaching Theology 101 to incoming freshmen at Xavier...
God’s Jurisdiction
This piece, by Ignatian Volunteer Julie Dodd, is a reflection on the spiritual readings and guide being used by IVC volunteers across the country. Her beautiful, joyous smile caught my eye and I knew she had to belong to one of the families partnering with Habitat for...
Marie
Most of my ESL students at Cabrini Immigrant Services are Chinese, but every year I seem to have one from somewhere else in the world: Bangladesh, Mexico, Thailand, Ukraine, Brazil, Guatemala. This fall it was a woman from Haiti, whom I’ll call Marie, to protect her...
Where Are You? Where Am I?
Where are you—Oh, where are you when I stop by? Curled in your bed or slouched in your chair—so tiny and fragile, I'm afraid you might break. Mouth often open and yet you don't speak—or chatter, not stopping, but what does it mean? Your eyes, they gaze widely but...