Orientation Program - June 2010

Two weeks to learn what it really means to be a part of Heart’s Home

Charlotte I., Katherine I., Grayson H., Jonathan A., Julian L., and Marcus J. joined the com­mu­nity in Brooklyn for a two week ori­en­ta­tion pro­gram in prepa­ra­tion for their mis­sions in Peru, Ecuador, Argentina, Brazil, Philippines, and the ICCC in upstate New York, respec­tively. In the past year, each of the vol­un­teers felt called to find a con­crete way to serve God’s people and deepen their faith. All of them expressed that upon learning about the Mission of Compassion and vis­iting the Heart’s Home in Brooklyn, their hearts finally felt at rest.

During the ori­en­ta­tion pro­gram, the vol­un­teers gained a deeper under­standing of Heart’s Home’s three pil­lars of Prayer, Community, and Compassion by entering into the daily rhythm of the home and lis­tening to var­ious teach­ings pre­sented by the per­ma­nent mem­bers of the com­mu­nity. They had the oppor­tu­nity to par­tic­i­pate in our com­mu­nity outreach and meet sev­eral of our friends, including a member of Communion and Liberation who explained the close rela­tion­ship that has always existed between the two move­ments. One evening, Dr. Matthew Sutton pro­fessor of the­ology at St John’s University intro­duced the group to the teaching of Adrienne von Spyer, a 20^th cen­tury mystic who greatly influ­enced the founder of Heart’s Home. He expressed the neces­sity of being filled with the Holy Spirit as we approach the suf­fering because our lim­ited humanity is inca­pable of pro­viding true con­so­la­tion. The vol­un­teers also had the oppor­tu­nity to meet the founder of the International Artist Movement; he offered a unique approach to rec­on­ciling faith and art. Furthermore, the group was able to make a link between the lone­li­ness and suf­fering expe­ri­enced amongst those we encounter in the slums with hard­ships faced within the artist com­mu­nity.

Toward the end of the ori­en­ta­tion pro­gram, the group vis­ited the ICCC in Woodbourne, NY. This peaceful envi­ron­ment pro­vided them with a deeper appre­ci­a­tion of friend­ship, beauty, silence, and simple tasks. The two weeks were con­cluded with Grayson’s sending forth mass at St James Cathedral in Brooklyn. He will leave for his 14 month mis­sion to Buenos Aires, Argentina on July 6.

Julian L. summed up his expe­ri­ence saying, “I really enjoyed myself the last two weeks. What made the pro­gram great was the friend­ships I devel­oped with the other vol­un­teers.”

Katherine I. offered this reflec­tion about the ori­en­ta­tion pro­gram, “It is much less of a training and sending forth and much more of a family con­cerned for you all the way along your journey.”

“I came here not expecting any­thing, just trying to take every­thing as it was, but I got so much more. I have learned more in two weeks than I have in 19 years of my life!” com­mented Marcus J..

Charlotte I. con­cluded, “I hon­estly had no idea what to expect coming into the training ses­sion. While I nor­mally like to be in charge of things, joining Heart’s Home has taught me how to fully rely on faith and trust in others. I def­i­nitely have no idea what awaits me in Peru; nev­er­the­less, I feel peace in my mind and my heart because I trust in the mis­sion and truly feel called by the charism of com­pas­sion.”