FrancisCorps Volunteer Sarah King Experiences

the Various Realities of Life

FrancisCorps volunteer Sarah King in Syracuse, New York

We all have rough days when we wish we could stay in bed and not deal with the world. Current FrancisCorps volunteer Sarah King had what she thought would be such a day last autumn. Sarah is spending her FrancisCorps volunteer year in Syracuse, New York. On this particular day, she missed the ringing of her alarm clock. Outside a cold rain fell steadily. FrancisCorps – a volunteer program for young lay persons – is run by the Conventual Franciscan Friars with the purpose of giving young people a chance to serve others.

Dorothy Day

Sarah’s ministry with FrancisCorps is to assist the residents of Syracuse’s Dorothy Day House. Named after the American Catholic activist, Dorothy Day, the eponymous house’s mission is to provide shelter, safety and comfort to the vulnerable. The Syracuse Dorothy Day House specifically serves vulnerable women who were often abused, homeless, or dealing with drug addiction. Countless other Dorothy Day Houses can be found across the United States.

Driving down West Beard Avenue – a quiet neighborhood of older homes – Sarah finally pulled onto the property of the Dorothy Day House and went through the door. She was discombobulated. Sometimes things really don’t go the way we want them to. Inside the house, she found a new reality. A mother who had recently moved in was trying to get her four young children ready for the school bus. The kids had other ideas in their minds. They were running around and causing their mother a lot of frustration.

The enriching opportunity of serving others

Just as she had suddenly entered the new reality of the mother and her four children, Sarah left the problems of earlier that morning equally quickly behind. She sprung into action and helped the mother send her children off to school. When the house was quiet, the two women went upstairs to the attic to search for clothes that the children could wear.

Here the children’s mother started to tell Sarah her story. The images of abuse, pain, and mental suffering saddened Sarah. Yet, the mother’s deep and unwavering belief in God was awe-inspiring. God really gives us the strength to overcome anything. He is with us all the time. Sarah – in true Franciscan fashion – also realized how privileged she was to be able to serve this woman in her own particular way.

The 2009-2010 FrancisCorps (Syracuse) cohort

(Sources of related photos on webpage and homepage: www.catholicworker.com and www.franciscanseast.org.)