Fundraising Update: Malibu Half-Marathon Fundraiser!

"Fundraising is proclaiming what we believe in such a way that we offer other people an opportunity to participate with us in our vision and mission." - Henri Nouwen

Pulling out the running shoes again to raise funds for my service with the Jesuit Volunteer Corps! I am so thankful for the donations made thus far (formal thank yous coming soon!). We have almost reached the minimum goal of $3000, yet I still hope to partner with ~50 more donors at donations of any amount! I believe in the program's goal to "[enhance] the capacity of local organizations to serve their communities by providing Jesuit Volunteers to directly serve the poor and marginalized in the U.S. and developing countries." Without the generosity of donors, this work and opportunity would not be possible.

To advance this mission, I will be running the Malibu Half-Marathon on Nov. 16 to raise funds for the Jesuit Volunteer Corps! I have begun training and hope to share fundraising/training updates through Facebook, Instagram (alexinteriano), and here! Anyone who will be in the area on Nov. 16, please join me in the race or meet me near the beach afterward! This conveniently falls on my 22nd birthday and I look forward to celebrating in this way! In lieu of regular gifts this year, I am inviting friends and family to make a donation of any size to this cause!

How your donation supports local organizations, their communities, those on the margins, JVC, and Jesuit Volunteers like me:http://www.jesuitvolunteers.org/about-jvc/donate/why-give

Where to donate (please click 'Sponsor Me'):https://jesuitvolunteers.myetap.org/fundraiser/sendmetoserve/individual.do?participationRef=37.0.1172275683

Malibu Course Map: http://www.malibuintmarathon.com/course2014.htm

Thank you!

Alex

JVC Orientation, Silent Retreat (July 15-17)

Now for the silent retreat! As mentioned in my previous post about Week 1 of Orientation, we transitioned into Week 2 by way of a silent retreat. "A silent retreat?" you may ask, as I did. I had heard about them, but had only been on a short retreat last fall with some time for individual reflection: not nearly 48 hours of silence!

Before the retreat, we had short discussions on introduction to prayer and silence. First off, prayer. What is prayer? A great presenter and new friend, Jimmy, described prayer as an encounter, not a performance. While rote prayer (such as the Our Father, Hail Mary, etc. for Christian examples) are important forms of prayer, he urged us to see prayer as an encounter, a relationship with God. Like any relationship in life, we were told prayer requires three things: time, effort, and trust. Easier said than done sometimes, right? But I appreciated this simplification, yet expansion of prayer, which helped relieve some of the pressure in trying to figure it all out as quickly as possible; it gave me a framework to explore how prayer might enhance a personal relationship with God.

This discussion on prayer segued into an introduction to silence and the "rules" of the retreat. For the introduction, we were given two analogies for silence: a wringing of a sponge and the dusting of a fossil. In the former, if our theoretical sponges are full, we might not be able to take in more information or be filled in new ways; hence, the time to pause and unpack what we have been going through in the time leading up to the silence. In the latter, within silence, we can take time to wipe away dust and debris to discover something within ourselves that we might not have seen had we not taken the time to do so. As I believe Jimmy expressed it, "If we remove the dirt and debris from our daily life, we may discover something there that we didn't realize." And as for the "rules" of the retreat, or I should say "rule," we were free to do whatever we liked during our roughly two days at the retreat house, except acknowledge one another's presence. When I first heard this (about half hour before the retreat began), I thought it was blasphemy! A fellow volunteer even asked, seemingly half-jokingly,"Is that what Jesus would do?" The reasoning behind this rule was that, while one might feel the need to acknowledge someone else even with a simple smile, you might not be helping the other, if they are in a deeply reflective moment; in this way, despite good intentions, one might do more harm than good. This made sense, but seemed very counterintuitive for me! I remember entering the silence with much apprehension, but must add that I was looking forward to some solitude and down-time after a full week's schedule.

Our silence began as we left the session on an introduction to silence, and we were off to a nearby lake. Some options for spending our time included reading, journaling, writing letters, walking, running, meditating, eating, slack-lining, the possibilities were endless! There were also optional opportunities to break the one rule: one-on-one spiritual direction; morning and evening prayer; and Mass in the center's chapel, which had a lovely view of the lake. The sign of peace at Mass was probably the longest I've ever been a part of! The priest did emphasize what a powerful sign it is to wish one another peace.

Although the retreat was fairly short, it helped me to reconsider notions of presence and 'encounter vs. performance' in not only individual prayer, but also with others. As 42+ people navigated the same space, you could sense community, communion. There was comfort in knowing others were there with me... making an effort, taking time, trying to trust. And there were many moments of introspection when I considered if and how I truly encounter others, beyond mere performance in engaging with them. And the same of my relationship with God. I tried to slowly begin living the questions just a bit more, knowing two days was a gift, yet a finite period of time. I had many reflective moments, some felt deeper than others. There was a point in the retreat when I felt noticeably more restless (about 2/3 through) but came to find that the remaining time would allow for another especially reflective moment.

We finally broke the silence with a shared group prayer and reflection, before swimming in the lake, playing volleyball, having dinner, packing/cleaning up, and heading back to the University of Scranton. The "revival" of conversation was refreshing and seemed to reflect an even deeper sense of community.

Below the photo at retreat's end, I've included a wonderful reflection on silence from a retreat handout. It expresses some of what I felt, reflected upon, and continue to unpack. (Forthcoming post on Week 2 of Orientation!)

EXCERPT FROM: With Open Hands by Henri J.M. Nouwen (New York: Ballantine Press, 1972)
     Silence is full of sounds. The wind murmuring, the leaves rustling, the birds flapping their wings, the waves washing ashore. And even if these sounds cannot be heard, we still hear our own quiet breathing, the motion of our hands over our skin, the swallowing of our throats, and the soft patter of our footsteps. But we have become deaf to these sounds of silence.
     When we are invited to move from our noisy world into this sound-filled silence, we often become frightened. We feel like children who see the walls of a house collapse and suddenly find themselves in an open field, or as though we have been violently stripped of our clothing, or like birds torn away from their nests. Our ears begin to ache because the familiar noise is missing and our bodies have become used to that noise as if it were a downy blanket to keep us warm. Thus, we are like addicts who must go through the painful withdrawal process.
     But still more difficult than getting rid of these exterior noises is the achievement of inner silence, a silence of the heart. It seems that a person who is caught up in all that noise had lost touch with the inner self. The questions which are asked from within remain unanswered. Unsure feelings are not cleared up, tangled desires are not straightened out, and confusing emotions are not understood. All that remains is a chaotic tumble of feelings which have never had a chance to be sorted out.
     It is hardly surprising, therefore, that when we shut off all the daily racket, a new inner noise can often be heard, rising from all those chaotic feelings, screaming for attention. Entering into a quiet room doesn't automatically bring us inner silence. When there is no one to talk to or listen to, an interior discussion may start up which is often noisier than the noise we just escaped. Many unsolved problems demand attention, one care forces itself upon the other, one complaint rivals the next, all pleading for a hearing. Sometimes we are left powerless in the face of our many twisted sentiments which we cannot untangle.
     It makes you wonder whether the diversion we look for in the many things outside us might not really be an attempt to avoid a confrontation with what is inside. "What should I begin when I'm through with all my work?" This question leads many people to flee from themselves and hold fast to any number of things which make them feel very busy! They say to themselves: "Where do I turn when I have no more friends to talk with, no music to listen to, no paper to read, and no films to see?" The question is not whether we can live without friends or without feeding our eyes and ears with new impressions --- we obviously cannot --- but whether we can stand to be alone from time to time, shut our eyes, gently push aside all the assorted noises, and sit calmly and quietly.
     To be calm and quiet all by yourself is hardly the same as sleeping, but means being fully awake and following with close attention every move going on inside you. Silence requires the discipline to recognize the urge to get up and go again as a temptation to look elsewhere for what is close at hand. It offers the freedom to stroll in your own inner yard, and to rake up the leaves there and clear the paths so you can easily find the way to your heart. Perhaps there will be much fear and uncertainty when you first come upon this "unfamiliar terrain," but slowly and surely you will discover an order and a familiarity which deepens your longing to stay home.

JVC Orientation, Week 1 (July 9-15)

It's been nearly two weeks since I attended JVC's Orientation for international volunteers at the University of Scranton. It was an amazing time.

After spending about a month and a half at home after graduation, I flew back out to the East Coast for Orientation at the University of Scranton. As I'd guess is the case for most people, I had only heard of Scranton as the location for the TV show, The Office, but it also happens to be home to the University of Scranton, a Jesuit University. Many of the volunteers that flew to Orientation arrived at Newark Airport, from where we took a bus ride into Pennsylvania. It was so great to see familiar faces from the application process. [During JVC's application process, they host four Discernment Weekends across the U.S. in which they bring together applicants who have also been invited for a second interview. This allows the applicant to meet staff and other applicants, as well as gather more information and reflect more on the two-year commitment of serving internationally. There were many applicants, and eventual matriculants, from Boston College!]

It was also really great to see new faces! JVC hosts their Orientation with the Rostro de Cristo (RdC) program, which shares nearly identical values with JVC and sends volunteers to live in two communities in Guayaquil, Ecuador for a year. I also finally got to meet both of my future community mates, Katie and Colleen, in person - they're fun! I was fortunate enough to first meet Katie at our Discernment Weekend back in DC, and had only met Colleen through Facebook. Finally, I also got to meet former volunteers from both programs, who were so insightful, supportive, and fun over the course of the Orientation. So here we were, 42 volunteers who said "yes" to one or two years of international service, with our individual and shared hopes, anxieties, and excitement... in Scranton, the Electric City!

It was so great to finally meet and be with all of the volunteers who were in the same boat as me, especially the late departures: volunteers headed to their countries in late November and early December, usually due to the different academic years abroad. ("Early departures" and the RdC volunteers were off to their countries immediately following Orientation.) 

For a brief overview of the Orientation community:

6 JVs off to Micronesia (early departure)

5 JVs off to Belize (early)

6 JVs off to Nicaragua (late)

4 JVs off to Tanzania (late)

2 JVs off to Chile (late)

4 JVs off to Peru (late)

15 RdC volunteers off to Ecuador (early)

I had been reunited with people who played such a large part in drawing me to the program in the first place. After a day of introductions, welcomes, and goodbyes to family who came in with volunteers, we were off to bed to get ready for what would be two of the most fun, challenging, and transformative weeks of my life. 

We were a diverse group from across the U.S. (including a disproportionate amount of kindhearted people from Boston College and the state of Wisconsin!) The general outline of a typical Orientation day included: breakfast and morning prayer; morning sessions; lunch and/or Mass; afternoon sessions; some free time; dinner; evening sessions and prayer; and nights in the Community Room. Most of the two weeks' days looked like this, with a silent retreat sandwiched between Week 1 and 2. Although JVC and RdC had shared and internal sessions over the course of the weeks, the sessions and days' events built upon each other regarding the intersectionality of program values (simple living, spirituality, community, social justice) and both the theoretical and practical ways of living them out; they were facilitated by guest presenters as well as JVC/RdC staff and volunteers. 

I could probably write an entire blog post for each session, but below I'll share some of the Week 1 session topics, highlights, themes, and questions I remember for further reflection (the quotes were gathered by staff over the course of the Orientation; a recurring theme was the idea of "living the questions" in our lives, from the final paragraph of this reflection):

Week 1

The Essential Call (our call to serve the poor and marginalized)

"Don't wait until you are on your deathbed to give your heart to God. When you give your heart to God, God will give [God's] heart back to you."

JV/JVC Identity (the obvious and hidden identities we carry in a cross-cultural context)

"We must be intentional about calling to mind our mission and our motivations, why we’re here. It will nourish & sustain us for the journey."

JVC Tree of Life (explored our personal/spiritual journeys that root our experience today)

Pastoral Circle (learned about this tool for individual and communal reflection upon experiences in service; include four steps: an Experience, Social Analysis of contributing factors, Theological Reflection in light of faith, and Action or response)

Empathetic Listening, Conflict Resolution, and Emotional/Mental Health (how these contribute to good communication, self-care, and solidarity with the poor and community mates)

"We all carry bags of rocks.  Some are heavier or lighter than others.  We shouldn’t ask others to put more rocks in their bag."

"I hope you get a lot of practice being dorky, awkward and stupid."

JVC Covenant & Handbook Lived (reflected on our commitment to the program and how dialogue and discernment works with in-country situation, including travel and relationships)

World Cup Final

Mission Spirituality in an Epoch of Change (what does the word "mission" mean to us today; how the Church and world are changing in a post-Vatican II era, including topics of gender, sexuality, religion; the need for new criteria to answer new questions)

"Does church have a mission, or does mission have a church?"

"We’re all from the same source, and all creation is from the same source.  We’re all stardust."

"When you squash cultures, you limit experiences of God."

"Spirituality is the right to a profound life."

"We may forget that God was here even before we arrived."

"My purpose is to support and help other people grow within their own culture."

Tech, Communication, and Simple Living (what does simple living with regard to solidarity mean today, in a world where there is more global access to mobile phones than toilets)

"In giving up gadgets and tech devices, I’m saying in a symbolic way that I’m here to serve in whatever way you need."

Prayer as an Authentic Encounter (prayer as an encounter not performance; a relationship that requires time, effort, and trust)

"Prayer isn't magic; it's an encounter."

"Be gentle with yourself."

Introduction to Silence (the role of silence in our lives; preparation for our 2-day silent retreat at the mid-point of Orientation)

"If we remove the dirt and debris from our daily life, we may discover something there that we didn’t realize."