For former volunteer, David Lemay, the readings for the Second Sunday of Advent bring to mind themes of justice, harmony, equality and community. David served with Augustinian Volunteers. His poignant reflection can be found on their blog.

“Highway” 12 winds through southeast West Virginia linking larger highways to rural communities tucked into the hills that make the oldest mountain range in the world. It’s out there, just off Highway 12, that Bethlehem Farm can be found. The Farm consists of a home/retreat center, a scattering of out-buildings, gardens and a cemetery. A second story deck wraps around the retreat center with garlic, sacks of onions and hammocks hanging from the outdoor rafters. Inside, Tibetan Prayer Flags hang among clothes drying from the rails of the second floor loft. The group-sing songbook, Rise Up Singing, rests on the piano near the doorway as visitors are welcomed home to Bethlehem Farm Community.

Although the physical beauty and order of Bethlehem Farm is striking, the heart of the program rests in its intentionality. One foundational concept of many volunteer programs with which the Pallotti Center partners is their emphasis on intentional community.

To understand community we can turn to the webpage of another program, Good Shepherd Volunteers.

They explain:

“Volunteers live in an intentional community where they provide support to one another, share their experiences of service, and commit to building open and honest relationships.”

Intentional communities recognize a group is greater than the sum of its parts. Goals are set, commitments encouraged, accountability is enforced, compassion is embodied and patience is learned within community.

Emphases differ based on the spirit of any given community. Gateway Vincentian Volunteers follow the framework laid out in the charism of St. Vincent DePaul and his call to serve the poor. Maggie’s Place – “a community that provides houses of hospitality for expectant mothers who are alone or are living on the streets” – is committed to life and the dignity of the human person, trust in God, and hospitality.

Bethlehem Farm Community discerns priorities through four gospel based values: prayer, community, simplicity and service. These values influence each decision, from choosing not to have cell phones and no till gardening, to outdoor showers and air drying clothes, garlic and onions. Community members come together in prayer each morning and eating meals throughout the day. Caretakers (full-year volunteers) tend The Farm in addition to working in rural ministry, retreat planning and providing hospitality for high school and college volunteers serving the Appalachian region for a week.

The Bethlehem Farm Community is in need of a few more caretakers for this coming year. You can learn more by visiting Bethlehem Farm’s Website.

* Picture credited to Bethlehem Farm.

Read our latest contribution on motivation for Catholic volunteering on iibloom.com

We hope you are having a blessed summer!

Pallotti Center Seeks New Marketing and Recruitment Coordinator

The St. Vincent Pallotti Center is looking to hire a resourceful and innovative candidate for the position of Marketing and Recruitment Coordinator. The Pallotti Center is a national Catholic organization known for promoting a culture of faith-based service and equipping full-time volunteers and their programs with pertinent resources. This position is responsible for marketing the full-time volunteer opportunities offered by the network of nearly 100 programs listed in the Pallotti Center’s Connections directory, and increasing the organization’s visibility and outreach through the use of new media technology.

Primary Responsibilities:
• Promotes full-time volunteer service and volunteer programs locally and nationally to a wide range of audiences.
• Develops and executes projects that strengthen the Pallotti Center and increase the scope of the Center’s services.
• Creates and implements all marketing plans and branding campaigns.
• Seeks opportunities to increase the Pallotti Center’s nationwide presence by utilizing online tools such as computer-based recruiting, social networking sites and e-mail campaigns.
• Builds relationships with key staff at volunteer and Catholic organizations as well as colleges and universities.
• Recruits prospective volunteers at university-sponsored fairs throughout the country.
• Presents workshops and volunteer informational sessions at conferences and universities as well as parishes and Catholic high schools.

Other Responsibilities:
• Assists prospective volunteers in the discernment process by responding to inquiries regarding full-time volunteer opportunities.
• Helps write and edit all in-house publications: Shared Visions, Staying Connected, Connections Directory, “What’s Next?” Notebook.
• Participates in the Pallotti Center’s mission education and outreach efforts by giving presentations at churches nationally during the summer.
• Travels frequently to national conferences and recruiting events.
• Contributes reports to board meetings and other tasks as assigned.

Qualifications:
Preference is for a candidate who has previous experience as a full-time volunteer and is an active Catholic. Experience with volunteer recruitment is a plus, as is a Communications degree with an emphasis on marketing. Computer skills with the Microsoft Office Suite are required. Familiarity with e-recruiting and social networking sites is also desired, or a willingness to learn these skills. The person in this position will be expected to maintain the Pallotti Center’s presence on Facebook, Twitter and blogspot.

Candidate must have excellent organizational and time-management skills and be able to work both independently and as part of a small office team. Strong writing and public speaking skills are highly desirable, as is the ability to speak a modern foreign language such as Spanish. A bachelor’s degree is required. Experience has proven that attending graduate school while working is not compatible with the requirements of this full-time position, which will require occasional evening work and frequent (seasonal) travel.

Salary is in the low to mid-30s depending on experience. The position also offers a competitive benefits package. The Pallotti Center is located in the Brookland neighborhood of NE Washington, DC, across the street from the Basilica of the National Shrine and The Catholic University of America (on Metro’s Red Line). For more information about the mission of the St. Vincent Pallotti Center, please visit our website at www.pallotticenter.org.

How to Apply:
Please send resume, cover letter and a list of three professional or academic references to National Director Mike Goggin at mikegoggin@pallotticenter.org no later than Friday, August 13. Position available immediately. Open until filled. EOE.

This summer has been very busy so far with lots of travel for the Pallotti Center staff!

Summer often holds many trips for us called 'Mission Co-ops'. Earlier on in the year, we apply for the ability to be received into Dioceses to give 'Mission Co-op' talks at parishes all over the country.

When we are accepted into a Diocese, we prepare to give talks about our own mission experiences, the respective missions of our member programs, and the services we provide at the Pallotti Center. We are fortunate enough to see the Church alive all over the country, meet many generous people, and promote lay volunteer service.

If we have come to speak at a parish near you- thank you for your generosity and hospitality! So far we have been to Illinois, Missouri, West Virgina, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, and Louisiana. We hope to post some of our experiences of Mission Co-ops soon, including our encounters with the people of the Church- like you- who support mission. Thank you!

The Pallotti Center has recently started a collaboration with new Catholic site for young adults- iibloom.com. We are excited to contribute articles and spread the good word about long-term Catholic volunteering!

Our first submission just went live- "A Call to Volunteer Service".

We look forward to contributing more and working with iibloom to minister to young adults!

This time of year often brings about transition for volunteer communities. New volunteers for the summer months may be coming in, volunteers who have served for a year or more may be ending their time of service.

The Pallotti Center addresses transition for volunteers in many ways. Each year in our publication of Shared Visions we publish activities and articles to help volunteers with any transitions in their communities. Be on the look out for our latest edition on our website!

In the meantime, here are some activities you may want to use in community if you are undergoing some changes at this time. Also be sure to check out our page on Discernment

The Pallotti Center is also co-sponsoring an event with CNVS on May 23 in Washington, DC for any transitioning or former volunteers. Here are the details!

What: "All That You Can't Leave Behind" An evening of reflection for transitioning and former volunteers

Where: The Festival Center, 1640 Columbia Road Northwest DC (Adams Morgan area)

Who: Any current volunteers in transitioning communities or former volunteers in the DC area

When: 6:30-8:30pm, May 23

Pizza and dessert will be provided!

The night will include a prayer service, small group time, speakers, and a presentation on transitions from The Pallotti Center

RSVP by May 19 to: pallotti@pallotticenter.org or formervolunteer@pallotticenter.org

God bless you all!

This week is a very big week for Service!

It is National Volunteer Week. For a little background on the week, check out this link from USA Today

It is also the first anniversary for the Serve America Act. Contact your member of Congress and tell them to co-sponsor resolution recognizing first Anniversary of the Serve America Act (via MyImpact.org)! Deadline April 20. For more information on the Serve America initiative look here.

You can also see what we had to say about it in our issue of Staying Connected Vol. 11 No. 2 here.

National Volunteer Week and the anniversary of the Serve America Act coincide with the 40th anniversary of Earth Day! Earth Day is April 22. We should remember to preserve the earth everyday, but you can find some Earth Day ideas from the Maryknoll Sisters here

Lastly, but certainly not least- it is St. Vincent Pallotti's birthday this week (April 21)! And as we do each year to honor our patron, we invite former volunteers to serve with our staff in service to one of our member programs. This year we will be helping Christ House this Saturday, April 24th. RSVP to reserve your spot! pallotti@pallotticenter.org

Every year, in honor of St. Vincent Pallotti's birthday (April 21), the Pallotti Center runs a "Day of Service" event for former volunteers and other adults in the area. Last year, three former volunteers plus the Pallotti Center staff did some Spring cleaning for one of the DC L'Arche communities.

This year, the event will be assisting local DC program-Christ House-from 10am-2pm on Saturday, April 24.

Check out our event page, Facebook, and Twitter feed in the coming weeks for details. Limit space is available to volunteer. If you have interest in participating, you can email: pallotti@pallotticenter.org

This month is quickly filling up fast for us at the Pallotti Center!

Our Program Director, Molly Linehan, will be visiting some of our Chicago programs March 8-12. If you would like to schedule a visit for your program, please feel free to contact us! Our goal is to visit more of our member programs this year.

You can find all of our member programs listed in our online "Connections" directory.

We also are lining up presentations for returning Spring Break missioners and summer missioners/Workcampers. If you are interested in a presentation about the opportunities for long-term service or transitioning from the service experience for your group, please contact us today!

Both our National Director, Mike Goggin and Program Director, Molly Linehan will be in LA March 18-21 for the Religious Education Congress. Look for our table, pick up your copy of Connections, and say hello to Mike and Molly!

And of course, we will finish out this month celebrating Holy Week and looking towards the Resurrection. God bless your Lent!

The Pallotti Center just added a new page on "Discernment" to our Resource Center. You can check it ou by clicking on the link.

As you will find on our website, discernment is not just for major life choices. We can invite God to help us with many decisions in our lives.

We hope this new edition to our Resource Center will help those discerning volunteer service, as well as those transitioning onto other things.

Be sure to also check out notes for a personal "Discernment Retreat" in our Community Activities section under "Personal Development" and "Prayer/Spiritual Development".

God bless!

It is that time of year- Lent! Time to enter into the desert with Christ and His Church. For those of you who are volunteering, it is a great time to unite your work even more with Jesus. For those of you who are former volunteers, Lent is a great opportunity to enter into the spirit of simple living and solidarity that you experienced perhaps while volunteering.

Check out our Lenten reflections based on this year's theme of "Human Connection" in Shared Visions: http://www.pallotticenter.org/newsletters/sharedvision/Vol%2020%20No3.pdf

God bless your Lent! Share your Lenten sacrifices and joys with us! Leave us a comment or follow us on Facebook or Twitter!

Catholics on Call is a program for young adults ages 18-30 who are considering the possibility of a life of service to the Church through lay ministry, religious life, or priesthood. The St. Vincent Pallotti Center is proud to be a partner with Catholics on Call as we also encourage discernment for Catholics of any age to find their vocation to better serve the Church.

Catholics on Call will again have two conferences this year. In a non-pressure environment, attendees will gain a better understanding of vocation, prayer, and discernment. The Conferences will be held:

Thursday, June 3- June 6, 2010 (extended weekend conference)

Sunday August 1- Fri. August 6, 2010 (weeklong program)

Applications and more information can be found on the website:

www.catholicsoncall.org/programs/current_programs

You can also find information on regional and national events from our programs and partnering organizations in the event section of our website

Our prayers go out to all of those volunteers and those who were deeply affected by the recent Earthquake in Haiti. No doubt this is a sobering time for all of us as we unite and reach out in prayer and in humanitarian aid.

We have been following our programs who specifically send volunteers and aid to Haiti. Please join us in praying for and supporting them. The best way for us to support Haiti right now is through prayers and donating money directly to Haiti- as resources and food there are extremely low. Catholic Relief Services and Catholic Medical Mission Board are both Catholic services you can donate through.

We have been updating information on our Twitter feed and have posted some links and resources on our website.

Thank you for joining us in our prayer.

January 10-16 is National Vocation Awareness Week!

In the last issue of our publication- Staying Connected- we discuss this topic of vocation.

We all are called to many different things in our life and 'vocation' isn't a term that just applies to consecrated religious! Be sure to check out this previous edition of Staying Connected

Also, another one of our current projects is adding additional information on "discernment" to our website! We will provide multiple links and resources for various styles of discernment. Here are just a few to get you started!

- Ignatian Spirituality


Books:
-Alphonso, Herbert. Discovering Your Personal Vocation: The Search for Meaning Through the Spiritual Exercises. Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 2001.

-Gallagher, Timothy M. The Discernment of Spirits: The Ignatian Guide for Everyday Life. Crossroad Publishing Company, 2005.

-Palmer, Parker. Let Your Life Speak: Listening for the Voice of Your Vocation. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000.

-Rupnik, Marko Ivan. Discernment: Acquiring the Heart of God. Pauline Books and Media, 2006.


And again, be sure to check out Staying Connected Vol. 11 no. 2

Happy New Year!

The Pallotti Center is making our own resolutions for the new year and coming up with some great new ways to serve and recruit for our Catholic volunteer programs. Please continue to check back with us throughout the year to see our new initiatives!

One initiative that really worked well last year, were our presentations to high schools. This year we have re-launched that campaign to speak to high school juniors and seniors in Archdiocesan and Catholic schools in the DC area. These presentations are usually in conjunction with the students' Social Justice and Service components in their theology curriculum.

We will again be speaking to a number of schools in the Archdiocese of DC and Diocese of Arlington beginning this month. Please pray that these presentations will be effective and beneficial to our programs and that God will begin to open the hearts of those He is calling to long-term service!

Peace in the New Year!