For U.S. and international placements, submit the short form on MVC’s apply page to start your application. For short-term placements, submit the short form on MVC’s short-term page to start your application.

This form is used to give MVC staff your basic information so we can assist you if needed. Following your submission, you will be directed to our online application.

Review the materials and complete the online application. The application includes an application form, written responses, resume, reference forms and transcripts (year long only). The online application does not need to be completed in one sitting and can be saved and continued at a later time. Medical forms are to be submitted after acceptance.

Submit your completed application. The priority deadline is January 24 for U.S., international, and short-term placements. The final deadline is March 24 for international and short-term placements. The preferred deadline is March 24 for U.S. placement. The final deadline is June 24 for U.S. placement. MVC accepts applications on a rolling basis until all positions are filled.

When your application materials are received by MVC, you will receive an email confirmation. MVC will begin to process your application. Once we have received your full application, it takes 4-6 weeks to move through the entire process.

Once the initial screening phase is completed, an MVC representative will contact you for a personal interview. The interview lasts 60-90 minutes and is conducted via video call.

For those seeking international placement: After your personal interview, if it is recommended that you move forward, you attend a virtual Discernment Day which provides a prayerful retreat setting where applicants can share together in discerning their call to international service. Discernment Days will be held February 15, March 1 and April 12, 2025.

You will receive a formal email communication notifying you of the final decision, no later than 2 weeks following your personal interview (for U.S. and short-term placements) or Virtual Discernment Day (for international placements).

Upon acceptance, a MVC staff member will contact you to discuss service site placement. Your formal commitment to MVC occurs following your placement confirmation.

For those seeking U.S. placement: Your application will be sent to an agreed upon service site. A site representative will contact you for a phone or video call interview. Following the interview, you and the site representative will contact MVC to notify whether it is a good fit. Calls to MVC need to be made no more than 48 hours following the interview. If it is a fit, you are placed. If the site is not a good fit for either party, further conversation will ensue and another site will be chosen. 

Mercy Volunteer Corps promotes social change by placing and supporting volunteers for one year of service with people who are experiencing injustices, in any form, in the United States and Guyana, South America. Mercy Volunteers work in education, healthcare, and social services while growing spiritually and living simply in community.

MVC also offers short-term summer experiences focused on Mercy’s Critical Concerns of earth and immigration.

Mercy Volunteers serve for one year in one of seven different service cities in the United States and in Guyana, South America. Volunteers also serve during the summer in Benson, Vermont and Alamo, Texas.

U.S. cities include Baltimore, MD; Cincinnati, OH; Detroit, MI; Philadelphia, PA; Sacramento, CA; and Savannah, GA.

International placements are in Georgetown, the capital city of Guyana, South America. Guyana is an English-speaking country.

Short-term placements include Mercy Ecospirituality Center in Benson, Vermont and ARISE Adelante in Alamo, Texas.

Education: Classroom Aide, Tutoring (literacy, GED, life skills), After School Program, and Teaching (special education, elementary, secondary)

Healthcare: Patient Advocate, Medical Assistant, Community Health Educator, Pastoral Care, Nurse, Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, and Speech Therapist

Social Services: Homelessness, Immigration, Community Outreach, Food Insecurity, Peace & Justice Advocacy, Environmental Justice, Senior Supportive Services, Women

Mercy Volunteer Corps placements require a one-year commitment beginning in early August. The ending date of the year-long commitment falls between July 15 and 31. International placements require additional cross-cultural training prior to departure for their site in late August. Short-term summer placements begin in late May/early June.

Mercy Volunteers receive housing, transportation, food and personal stipends, medical insurance, and school loan deferment (if approved by lender).

We encourage that applications be submitted close to the priority deadline where possible. As we accept U.S. applications on a rolling basis, more placement options are available early on and positions may fill before the final deadlines. Priority is given to applications received by January 24. The preferred application deadline for U.S. placement and final application deadline for international and short-term placements is March 24. The final deadline for U.S. placement is June 24. Interviews will take place via video call.

A member of Mercy Volunteer Corps must be 21 years of age or older, a high school graduate, able to work 40 hours per week at the assigned service site, able to live in an intentional community where there are persons of faith, and able to commit to living on a small stipend provided for personal and communal expenses. MVC accepts persons who are single or married with no dependents. An individual should have some college or work experience, and some service experience before applying. Motivation to serve, flexibility, and a sense of humor are essential characteristics of an appropriate applicant. Mercy Volunteer Corps invites applicants from all faith traditions who can live and serve within the spirit of the Catholic tradition and welcomes applicants of all races, gender identities, sexual orientations, ages, or ethnicities. [Note: Short-term volunteers may be 18 years of age and older.]

Based on our recent experiences as well as similar experiences of other volunteer programs, we have found it increasingly difficult and costly for applicants from outside the United States to secure a visa to allow them to enter the country. Since we are not in a position to sponsor volunteers, we find it necessary to suspend application submissions from applicants outside the United States. We will continue to evaluate this situation and it is our sincere hope that circumstances will change at some point in the future. We have, however, been able to accommodate international students for their Optional Practical Training (OPT) term.

The volunteer and Mercy Volunteer Corps work together to find the site that is the best fit. Geographic preference, job skills, experience, and the needs of the site are all taken into consideration. Applicants submitting their materials in response to the priority deadline have a broader site selection since placements are made on a rolling basis. If you are interested in a specific service site, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.

MVC is small enough to offer personalized, individualized attention and a family feel, yet large enough to offer a variety of placements in locations around the country. Whether you want a big city life or prefer to experience a slower pace, we have a location and service site for you. Our placement process is personalized and a staff member will walk with you during the discernment process to ensure finding the best possible fit for a service site. We are one of the few programs that have placement sites for nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and non-clinical healthcare opportunities.

Additionally, MVC offers the chance to be a part of the legacy of Catherine McAuley, a lay woman who started ministering to those who were poor, uneducated and sick in nineteenth century Dublin at the height of the cholera epidemic and went on to found the Sisters of Mercy. Since its founding in Ireland, the Mercy community has expanded globally and consists of sisters, lay persons, volunteers and ministry partners. As a Mercy Volunteer, you have the opportunity to join with the larger Mercy Community in their advocacy and justice efforts.

Verify that you meet the qualifications below and then complete the request for application for a year long placement or request for short-term summer placement.

Qualifications: at least 21 years of age for U.S. or International placement and at least 18 years of age for Short-Term placement; high school graduate; single or married with no dependents; and currently residing in the USA.