At St. Philip the Apostle Catholic School in Camp Springs, Md., IVC Service Corps members Flavia Favali, Maureen McMahon, and Maria Otoo are not only volunteer staff members – they are also considered part of the school family. “We’re very grateful to them,” says Mr. Raven A. Wilkins, Sr.,  the school’s principal. “They go over and beyond, and our students and teachers love having them here.”

Reflecting on the stories that formed Ignatius, I found myself wondering how there could only have been two books in all of Loyola castle. The availability of nothing to read but The Life of Christ and The Lives of the Saints is the core of the conversion story we tell, yet it seems so improbable. Ignatius was recuperating in the wealthy home where he had learned to read; hadn’t he also cultivated his fondness for chivalric tales and courtly romances there?

“Through the desert God leads us to freedom” is the theme of Pope Francis’s 2024 Lenten Message. Beginning in the Book of Exodus, Pope Francis said that when God reveals God’s self, the message is one of freedom: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Ex 20:2). Pope Francis asks us to consider those things that we cling to that perhaps need to be left behind so we can grow in the freedom of God’s love.

Join the Corps Join us in reflecting on the milestones, successes, and heartfelt moments of our journey in 2023. Step into the world of IVC and witness the impact of our service and spirituality in action. Our dedicated community of senior men and women is making a...

IVC service corps member John Gradowski, now in his sixth-year volunteering at partner agency Friendship Place in Washington, D.C., knew from the start that his placement there felt right. The agency works with those experiencing homelessness and unemployment to help them obtain stable housing and jobs and rebuild their lives. John thought he could make a real impact there, and he has.