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Sisters' program helps young adults live simply, help others
archived from: 2002-09-06
by: Patricia Bartos

When they met several years ago to review their
ministries, the Franciscan Sisters at Mount Alvernia in
Millvale noticed that they no longer interacted with many
young people.

They responded by launching the Millvale Franciscan
Volunteer Program, which engages single young adults
who are willing to commit to a year of living a simple
lifestyle in community with other volunteers while
serving the poor.

“We were looking at ways to connect with young adults,”
said Sister Donna Stephenson, coordinator of the
program.

“We were no longer in places where they were. We
wanted to empower them to extend themselves in
sharing the Gospel with the gift of their lives.”

Ten youthful lay volunteers from many parts of the
country have completed the year-long ministry since its
beginning in August 1999.

They have served in non-profit agencies locally and with
the sisters at their St. Francis Center for Respite Care
and Rehabilitation in Cayey, Puerto Rico.

Two men — Jon Buerger of Jefferson, Wis., and Stefan
Wagner of Buckenhof, Germany — are in the midst of
their year. Both work in Cayey.

Just weeks ago, the sisters welcomed and
commissioned their fourth group of volunteers, who
took on their assignments following a week of
orientation.

That week focuses on the four values of the program:
simple lifestyle, service, spirituality and living in
community.

“We want to fill their spirits with these values and have
them live them out all year,” Sister Donna said.

The newest volunteers are Bruce Brinker of Hawthorne,
Pa., who was placed with the Salvation Army on
Pittsburgh’s North Side; Kate Diaz of Edina, Minn.,
assigned to Three Rivers Youth; Rebecca Marquette of
Stow, Ohio, at Bethlehem Haven in Pittsburgh’s Uptown
neighborhood; and Vanessa Baute of Atlanta, Ga.,
serving in Cayey.

“Each aspect of the program had an attraction for me,”
said newcomer Kate Diaz, who graduated in May from
the University of Notre Dame. “I also wanted to share
with a community of other people in social justice
work.”

She had earlier spent time in Latin America. “It’s given
me an international perspective of social justice,” she
said.

She hopes to continue her education. “I’d like to study
faith-based reconciliation, where you use religion as a
means of bringing people together.”

Brinker had a friend involved in a similar volunteer
program, which spurred his own interest. “This was the
right decision,” he said. “You definitely have the
opportunity to help people in need.”

“It’s not taking a year out of my life,” he said. “It’s part of
who I am. I wanted to learn, but outside the classroom.
I definitely see it as a year of education.”

The art major hopes to continue to work with people in
need and in some way to integrate art into their lives.

“Living in community was something I definitely looked
forward to,” he said. “You come home from work and
you’re with people who have a common bond, and the
center of this community is Christ.”

The sisters’ program — the first of its kind in Pittsburgh
— is among more than 200 making up the national
Catholic Network of Volunteer Service.

Most volunteers are recent college graduates who want
to contribute a year of service to the poor before moving
on to careers or advanced degrees, Sister Donna said.

“We were seeking people who want to give back to
society and be part of a faith community aiding the
poor.”

The stress is on living simply, building community with
other volunteers, on spirituality and “the importance of
bringing to prayer their lived experiences of faith,” Sister
Donna said. “This is not vocation work, it’s to empower
young adults to leadership in the church and society.”

The program also benefits area non-profit groups. The
agencies pay each participant a stipend, which goes
into a common pot to cover expenses. The sisters give
them each $85 a month.

They live in a house in Lawrenceville and commit
themselves to share each week in a house meeting,
community night and a night of prayer.

They join for four retreats a year and each has his or
her own spiritual director. They are welcome to join in
services with the sisters. “They’re an extension of us,”
Sister Donna said.

“It’s just so energizing for me to see them bond,” she
said. “They are really intent about serving the poor. It
touches my heart.”

The sisters last year also offered an Alternative Spring
Break experience that drew 12 college students who
served in Greene County, helping out on a farm, aiding
Habitat for Humanity and a parish soup kitchen.

“This whets their appetite for service and often they
want a longer experience,” Sister Donna said of the
venture.

As for the program’s alumni, many have gone back to
school. “They’ve continued their education and are also
continuing to live out the values of the program,” Sister
Donna said.

“They keep in touch with me,” she said. “I can see this
will have a far-reaching effect.”

Call 412-821-0861 or visit the Web site at
www.millvalefranciscans.org for information on the
program.

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