First Things First
 
Welcome to Shared Visions, a quarterly newsletter brought to you by Catholic Volunteer Network and the Catholic Apostolate Center.  We hope this resource will encourage reflection and creativity as you proceed as a community member and full-time volunteer! 

This Fall edition is themed  
First Things First,
  to signify the numerous firsts you have begun experiencing, including your community, your volunteer placement, and your new city, state, or country of residence. We hope you will also experience first recognitions  and realizations... of who you are becoming, and where you are continually called throughout and beyond this service experience.  

There are other firsts, of course. C.S. Lewis wrote of "first things" and "second things" in his own life, and reflected that anytime he put second things first, he got neither the first things nor the second things; but when he put first things first, he got "the first things with the second things thrown in." From all of us at CVN and CAC, we pray that you receive the wisdom to determine the true first things, this year and beyond. Thank you for choosing service!

Advice From a Recent Volunteer
    
By Faith Yusko, CVN Recruitment Associate & Former Bon Secours Volunteer

Welcome to your chance for a new perspective. 

Some of you have packed up and left the only
Faith (third from left) with her community.
home you've known in the rearview mirror. Perhaps your family has been your cheer squad on the journey to get here, or maybe they are worried for you and have been questioning why you've chosen partake in a year out of your comfort zone.  Many of you are recovering as you transition out of a higher education experience. Your education isn't over yet though! This year will teach you a lot, it will introduce you to new people, it will challenge your heart's limits, and it will hopefully give you a new perspective on the reality of injustice in our world.
               
This time last year, I was just like you. I had just moved to a new city, and I was excited to step into my new role, anxious to learn about my new environment, and scared to live with a new group of people.  I honestly didn't know what I was searching for and I didn't know what I would find.

In my search for post-graduate service I had looked at faith based programs, secular programs, large national programs and small local programs. I had my fair share of application fatigue, but after thoughtful reflection and a prayerful discernment process I found a spot I felt I was being called to. I spent my year with Bon Secours Volunteer Ministry in West Baltimore, and my placement was working in an Early Head Start Classroom working with Infants, Toddlers and their families.      Keep reading...  
 
You Have Chosen & You Have Been Chosen

By Katie Delaney, CVN Program Manager - From Service to Sisterhood, Former Good Shepherd Volunteer and Former Lasallian Volunteer

Congratulations! If you are reading this, you have made the life-changing decision to serve as a volunteer with one of CVN's member programs. As Faith mentioned, you have joined a community of over 17,000 volunteers, united by your choice to serve. It's true - conscious or not, you engaged in a discernment process to choose to embark on this journey. Now, the challenge and invitation is how you choose to live it out. 

For many of us, the word "discernment" brings to mind huge life decisions and turning points that shape our path ahead.  However, one of the most beautiful things I discovered as a volunteer is that discernment does not have to be all about the future; in fact, it beckons us to honor the present.

In the from the Staff found at the beginning of the 2018 RESPONSE directory, we describe how the three steps of discernment identified by the Catholic Church, Recognizing, Interpreting, and Choosing, could guide the process of discerning a faith-based service program. Now that you have made that choice...     Keep reading...

Share Your Story! 
 
Are you a writer, a photographer, or artist willing to share your volunteer story?

We are seeking current volunteers who would like to share their service journey through art, writing, video, and any other outlet! We invite reflections on all topics related to full-time volunteer service. We are accepting submissions beginning now for inclusion in our Winter edition of Shared Visions, "Winter Sunshine."

About Us:
CVN Logo
For more than 54 years, Catholic Volunteer Network has been the leading advocate for faith-based service. In the past year, CVN supported 18,587 volunteers serving with 180 programs. Collectively these volunteers impacted the lives of more than 2,821,000 individuals through a variety of services including education, social work, health care, sustainable farming initiatives, prison ministry, homeless services, and much more. Volunteers served in 45 states and 109 countries. CVN provides resources to prospective, current, and former volunteers, as well as volunteer program staff, campus and parish personnel, and many others in the field of faith-based service. 
 
CAC
The Catholic Apostolate Center, a ministry of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottines) - Immaculate Conception Province, was founded in 2011 to respond to the needs of the Church through: Developing, in collaboration with dioceses and other institutions and organizations, formation programs for the New Evangelization; Assisting pastoral ministers in deepening collaboration with one another; Providing formation and apostolic opportunities for members and collaborators of the Union of Catholic Apostolate; The Center takes its inspiration from the spirituality of St. Vincent Pallotti and achieves its goals through hosting conferences, seminars, webinars, and presentations as well as providing online and print resources.  
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Looking for more inspiration?
Check out our Stories of Service blog, written by current and former volunteers around the world who said "YES" to service! Click here to read.
 
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Interested in sharing your  story in Shared Visions?
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Please send your questions and feedback about this newsletter to Mike McCormick.