Jul 12, 2023
2023-2024 Precious Blood Volunteer, Abigail Standish
2023-2024 Precious Blood Volunteer, Claire Downs
2023-2024 Precious Blood Volunteer, Clare Brown
2023-2024 Precious Blood Volunteer, Anna Nowalk
We’re excited to announce the 2023-2024 Precious Blood Volunteers!
We have four wonderful young women who will be starting in late July. These four will join us for Orientation which starts on July 30, 2023 and ends on August 5, 2023. Two of them will be living in community at Jerusalem Farm in Kansas City, Missouri. The other two will be living in community with the Dayton Precious Blood sisters in Chicago.
Our two volunteers in Kansas City will be working at two different placements. Abigail Standish will be serving as coordinator of Bishop Sullivan Center’s “Order Ahead” program. Claire Downs will be serving as a community health worker at KC CARE Health Center. Abigail is from the Houston area, and Claire is a fellow Texan from the Dallas area. Abigail is our first volunteer from Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama. Claire is our second volunteer from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
Clare Brown and Anna Nowalk will be serving in Chicago at Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation (PBMR). Clare is from the Chicago area, and Anna is from Virginia. Anna is our first volunteer who matriculated from Fordham University. Clare is a graduate of the University of Notre Dame.
Over the next several days we will be introducing them here on our website and on our social media feeds. Keep a look out for them!
Please keep our volunteers in your prayers as they begin their service. If you’d like to send them a note of support please send us an email at volunteers@preciousbloodkc.org.
Learn more about Precious Blood Volunteers at preciousbloodvolunteers.org.
Mar 29, 2023
Aaron Wise (2021), at work at KC CARE Health Center
By Tim Deveney, Precious Blood Volunteers Director
A few years ago, I had the pleasure of hearing Fr. Greg Boyle, SJ, speak at the Ignatian Solidarity Network’s Teach-in for Social Justice. Fr. Boyle said we need to not “settle for just shaking your fist, roll up your sleeves to create the place where we cherish each other with every breath.” Over the last 10 years, I have seen Precious Blood Volunteers do exactly this.
Precious Blood Volunteers is a ministry of the United States Province of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood. Our volunteers serve at one of our placements in Kansas City or Chicago.
They are formed in Precious Blood spirituality by living in intentional community, walking with people who are suffering, and seeking reconciliation.
The program was created in 2008 by the Kansas City Province. Marie Trout, then director of Companions, and Fr. Al Ebach, C.PP.S., came up with a plan to give an opportunity for lay people to live in service to others for a year as a part of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood.
Thomas (front), Michael, Mike, and Allison (2020) at Orientation at Precious Blood Renewal Center in Liberty
Since that time we have had volunteers serving people at Catholic schools, health clinics, social service centers, a hospital, an LGBTQ service center, parishes, a legal aid clinic, and at the Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation. Our volunteers have gone on to careers in medicine, education, nonprofit management, ministry and engineering.
The volunteers who serve with us are often right out of college, but we have had people in other stages of their lives, including people in their 30s, 60s and 70s.
Our volunteers have served in a variety of roles, including teaching, mentoring, tutoring, campus ministry and coaching at Cristo Rey Kansas City High School. In Chicago at PBMR, our volunteers have worked in arts and music programs, tutoring, the woodshop, the garden, and in peace circle training.
At Bishop Sullivan Center in Kansas City, our volunteers have helped in the food pantry, run the free restaurant, and assisted people needing help paying their utility bills. We have had volunteers serve as medical assistants at KC Care Health Center, which serves anyone regardless of their ability to pay for care.
Brooke Buth (2018) with a student at Cristo Rey KC
I am excited about what we have coming for the next volunteer cycle. Currently we have four young people committed to serving with us and we are working on finding a few more to round out the 2023–24 cohort.
The volunteer cycle starts in late July with our orientation retreat at the Precious Blood Renewal Center (PBRC) in Liberty, Mo. During orientation, our new volunteers learn more about the Precious Blood spirituality and charism, have time to reflect on what they are being called to in their service, and better understand the expectations we have for them in their work and community life.
Each month they will participate in spirituality/justice nights, when volunteers share the blessings and challenges of the work they are doing. We hope to have people from throughout the Precious Blood Community lead these meetings.
Our volunteers also participate in two retreats and have other opportunities for spiritual growth. The mid-year retreat is scheduled for
Lina Guerrero (2018) with Sister Donna at PBMR
February in Chicago. At that retreat, our Kansas City based volunteers see where our Chicago-based volunteers serve and live. The mid-year retreat’s focus is seeing where God has worked in their lives over the first half of their term of service and to help them develop a focus for the last few months.
The second last retreat is the end of year at PBRC. At this retreat, volunteers reflect on how God has worked in their lives over their term of service and to see how they want to carry forward what they have experienced. We will help our volunteers find a spiritual director if they seek it out.
We would love to have your help in supporting our volunteers and the program in general. The most important item on the list is praying for them. Many of our volunteers have told me they felt the prayerful support of the Precious Blood community.
Vincent Tedford (2021) working with a student at PBMR
Another way to support the volunteers is to send them cards or emails letting them know you are praying for them. If you’re in Chicago or Kansas City, you can invite them to your home for dinner, take them out for a meal or coffee, or invite them to share their experiences at a Companions gathering or Community night. If you have a background in spiritual direction or companionship you can serve as a spiritual director for one of our volunteers.
You can follow along with what is happening with Precious Blood Volunteers by following us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.
Tim Deveney is the director of Precious Blood Volunteers. Go to preciousbloodvolunteers.org to learn more about Precious Blood Volunteers.
Jul 24, 2020
Mike was born and raised in Lahaina, Hawaii, and is our first volunteer from Hawaii! He will be serving at both Cristo Rey Kansas City High School and Bishop Sullivan Center. He graduated from the University of Notre Dame in 2020 with a degree in neuroscience and Japanese. This year he will be applying for medical school where he hopes to continue his dream of becoming a doctor.
Why do you want to volunteer?
“I want to volunteer to serve and learn from communities different than my own. In my pursuit of being a doctor, I have seen how important it is to truly understand the people we serve so we can walk with them in compassionate solidarity. By interacting with underserved populations while living simply, I hope to understand those who need help them most. This year I am excited to work as a teacher and mentor so I can prepare myself to be a better doctor who empowers patients to be informed advocates for their own health.”
Why do you want to volunteer with Precious Blood Volunteer Ministry?
“Doing volunteer work has always been something I enjoyed, but I realized during my time in college that I had more to give. Joining Precious Blood Ministry I have the opportunity to help those in need in a sustained and personal way. By living out the Precious Blood Mission to build community and walk with those who suffer, I know I will be able to make a difference in the lives of those who need it most. I am extremely excited to serve the Kansas City community, and I know with the support of Tim and the Precious Blood Ministry I will be well prepared to do so.”
What are you looking forward to most?
“I am excited to meet new people and I looked forward to building strong friendships along the way. This year will undoubtedly present me with challenges but I am excited to learn from them and grow from the experiences.”
Learn more about Precious Blood Volunteers at preciousbloodvolunteers.org.
Jul 20, 2020
Precious Blood Volunteers is excited to announce that four new volunteers will serve with us for the 2020-2021 volunteer cycle. We will again collaborate with Precious Blood Ministry of Reconciliation in Chicago with one volunteer and we will also continue our commitment to Kansas City with two volunteers. One of them will be serving at KC CARE Health Center, and another will be splitting his time between Cristo Rey and the Bishop Sullivan Center.
New for the program, our Kansas City volunteers will live in community at Jerusalem Farm in Northeast Kansas City, Missouri. The Kansas City Province and Jerusalem Farm have a longstanding relationship and this partnership will be deepened and strengthened because of this arrangement. In previous years, our volunteers lived in community at Gaspar Mission House in Kansas City. We decided to have them live in a different community setting to maintain a safer environment for the priests living at Gaspar Mission House since we are in the middle of a pandemic.
Also new for this year, we are thrilled to announce a new placement at Most Holy Redeemer Parish in San Francisco! Our volunteer at Most Holy Redeemer will be living in community with Father Matt Link, C.PP.S. Father Matt has been gracious in extending a welcome to our volunteer there.
We give thanks to God for this wonderful group of young people! Over the next few days, we will be introducing them on the Kansas City Province website and on social media. Orientation is starting this Saturday, July 25! Please keep them in your prayers throughout the year.
