LEAVE MERCY VOLUNTEERS A MESSAGE!
On June 11th, Mercy Volunteer Corps will begin Transition Retreat for current Mercy Volunteers. While we had planned to be together in Savannah this year, we know that even virtually the Mercy community is full of life! MVC’s Board of Directors, staff, and Mercy Volunteers will gather for our virtual retreat to ritualize goodbyes from this year of service and begin the transition into a lifetime of living Mercy and seeking justice. We are so grateful to the many of you who have walked with this year’s Mercy Volunteers and would like to provide an opportunity for you to say farewell. To leave a message for this year’s Mercy Volunteers, please type in the box provided below and click the button “Post Comment”.
Thanks to each of you for the generous gifts of self, time and talent you gave this difficult and challenging year to those in need! I was so happy to meet not only those of you in SF, CA but also those of you in the Savanna area! I know you were blessings to those you served (as well as to those of us who got to meet you in Mercy)!. May you continue to be both blessed and a blessing as each your lives unfold!. Peace and joy to you.
Congratulations and thank you for giving of yourselves this past year. I have held you all in prayer this past year and especially so these past few months.
As the mother of a Mercy Volunteer, I have enjoyed hearing about my daughter’s year and it has opened my eyes to some of the injustices in our world.
No one anticipated the events that have unfolded and the extra challenges they brought, and yet you all managed to roll right along with it, so you have all shown resilience. I hope all the good you have done in your various placements will have lasting effects and also that goodness will be returned to you in wonderful and unexpected ways.
Congrats on finishing your volunteer year!!! There were lots of challenges with everything going on, but you still made an impact on your community and service sites :)! You still have the circle of Mercy as a support system! I wish the best of luck in the future!
Amelia- Philadelphia 2016-2017
Thank you for choosing to put your love and faith into action through service. It is a critical piece of the puzzle in creating more just, loving, and compassionate communities. Thank you for being part of the beauty of Mercy and allowing the power of presence and the importance of giving voice and visibility to guide you. Best of luck in all that comes next. Always remember the value of a comfortable cup of tea!
Hello from Savannah Ga!! Congrats to the Mercy Vols 2029-20!!! What a crazy year!!! We are sad that your transition retreat could not be held in Savannah this year but we hold you all in our hearts and prayers. Especially to our group in Savannah I wish you all God speed in your next journey. To my volunteer. — Katie.Flood —. You are a rock star—you have been such a joy. I’m so sorry Covid-19 cut your year at Georgia Infirmary short. But your love for the ADH members. Pappa and Alan. Kyle. And the rest will be forever remembered. Your quiet joy and soul have definitely left an impact. God bless as you continue on your path!!! We love you and will miss you. Once we get back to the new normal we’ll be sure to send you a goodbye card!! Love you and God bless!!!! Jenny Brown —. Savannah.
Thank you, and God Bless on the road ahead.
God bless you! As you enter another step on your faith journey, may you find joy and strength to live fully as followers of Jesus Christ and shining a light on the world. Congratulations! Darlene ( Mercy Associate, Rhode Island)
May God bless each of you abundantly for your year of service and making a difference in our world. Thank you for your Mercy and compassion to our hurting world. Through your generous spirit may you continue to bless all those you encounter with loving kindness. Thank you for sharing your lives and love with us.
Sister Veronica
Dear MVCs, it has been an unusual year for you and for all of us, turning our lives upside down. It inspired the tagline on my email:
All of Life is connected and we belong to each other.
We cannot separate ourselves from one another.
I hope you experienced that connection in your MVC year. Thank you for sharing your gifts. Blessings on the year ahead. Mary Ellen
I have been praying for Victoria Rodriguez this year. I hope that she is refreshed to continue her life of service. Mercy is grateful to her. Sr. Donna Ryan
Sending love to all of you on the occasion of your Transition Retreat! As you reflect on this past year and prepare for your time of transition into whatever lies ahead, I hope you continue to be reminded that you are part of a large and lovely community. You have all been a part of creating ripples of hope for others in so many ways, and I know you will all continue to do so as part of this MVC alumni community. You are all amazing examples of Mercy in the world.
I am so proud of all of you for doing difficult work in a difficult time. You have made me so excited that I get to follow in your footsteps next year! Thank you for paving the way and making an impact in the world!
Also…
AMANDA I’M SO PROUD OF YOU AND THE IMPACT YOU’VE MADE IN PITTSBURGH!! I LOVE YOU WITH MY WHOLE HEART AND I’M SO EXCITED TO SEE YOU SOON!! Thank you for teaching me what it means to be an empathetic leader, a Christian woman, and a lover of humanity.
You guys are beyond strong and amazing! Although your volunteer year ended early, just know that you guys have all made history! The patches that you sowed in a greater quilt will always be there & you have a piece of that quilt to hold with you for the rest of your life. Many blessings to you all!
-Ronnie T. (MVC Alumni) St. Michaels AZ Navajo Nation “17-18”
Ronnie T., you say it all. I am so impressed with our Mercy Volunteers, even to look at this picture of them causes such a rise of joy and hope in me that I must say, ” I’m so grateful to be part of Mercy with you”.
Dear Mercy Volunteers,
My heart has been with you throughout this year of service as I often find myself continuing to reflect on my service year experience regularly even though it’s been a few years since I served in Philly (you will continue to learn from this year even after) and especially in these days of the pandemic.
A service year is many things. I’m sure you have come to uncover what a year of service has meant to you, whether in the lessons you learned, the gems you have discovered, the hardships endured, and the many other thoughts and emotions that come with the encounters of those you serve. I hope that at some point on this retreat or in a moment, you can pause to reflect and truly hold space for all that it is as an experience as well as how you will continue to carry it with you.
I am encouraged by each of you in taking a step out in faith to serve, to commit, to show up and be present to those most in need, those marginalized, those who you thought you were going to serve, but in the end may have ended up serving you.
I hope this year has brought some beautiful things. Hang onto those. Be grateful. In these last few weeks, soak it up, soak it in, and let it pass over you, but know that the currents of this experience will not wash away. For the impact of the water you jumped into this year matters deeply.
The Circle of Mercy is timeless. You are apart of it. Be well and I wish you all the best in whatever comes next!
Peace,
Shannon MVC ’17
Congratulations to all of you as you complete this year of service. I can only imagine the special challenges that this pandemic time has brought to you as you work lovingly and consciously within your communities. You’ve accomplished remarkable work. Blessings on your days.
Patricia Ryan
former Mercy volunteer
THANKS to ALL the Mercy Volunteers who volunteered their time this year AND to walk with “their folks” during this uncommon time in our life.
Safe travels, to all, on your journey home to your families.
GOOD luck in all your future endeavors.
Ann
Thank you 4 your year of service. May you carry Mercy into your life for the rest of your life. Maybe we all able to integrate this time of the covid-19 so that the world is a better place for everyone.
Volunteer years often have their difficulties. Even if it’s simply that you are doing something counter-culture. This year, you faced the pandemic. You likely witnessed how the marginalized had greater struggles through the stay-at-home phase. Let your sorrow and compassion for the marginalized stir up in you a stronger yearning for social justice. May you find (or create) opportunities to take action towards justice.
Even if you take a break or change directions, you will continue to learn from this experience when you reflect back on this year.
Wishing you the best!
Dear friends,
My thoughts and prayers are with all of you as you transition. May our God of mercy and love protect and guide you today and always. Thank you for your gift of service as a Mercy Volunteer to the many communities throughout the country.
On a more personal level, I know my city here in Savannah, Georgia will miss you and your beautiful acts of Mercy you so lovingly shared throughout our Hostess City.
May Mary, our mother of Mercy, and Catherine McAuley, our foundress, inspire you to continue your life journey as you are all part of out timeless Circle of Mercy.
God Bless you always,
In Mercy,
Lori Williams, Mercy Associate
You are courageous, daring, generous women and men! I thank God for your inspiring choices and visible ministry!!!!
Thank you Mercy Volunteers for being Ripples of Hope! You have been shining lamps for our world and true advocates to our brothers and sisters on the margins.