Home Sweet Scranton

^ In case anyone was wondering, this is the sign you'll see when you're approaching the exit for Scranton, PA (ya know, if you were feeling adventurous and wanted to come visit the Scranton JVC house *wink*wink*).

So recently I've been settling into things here in Scranton, getting acclimated at work, starting to develop a normal routine of things around the house, and the like.  I've also been creating some good "blog karma" by following some of my friends respective web-ventures as they embark on similar service experiences, or study abroad opportunities.  As it just so happens, I read a very interesting post by my friend from school, Anna, about her time spent studying abroad in South Africa this semester.  Anna's posts are typically packed with quick-witted little quips about her adventures within the program and the people she meets along the way. This post was markedly different from posts I had read in the past, most notably because it wasn't full of happy-go-lucky anecdotes or incredible pictures of mountains that you might liken to a work of artistic brilliance.  Her post centered around her apprehension with accepting the less exciting parts of her journey in South Africa.  She came to realize that in order to immerse yourself into another culture, you need to develop a sense of "normal" there - not that fun hiking trips and bungee jumping adventures aren't awesome, of course - but it's unrealistic to think that when spending an extended period of time in a new place, there won't be times when things slow down and you're just there, and that's OK.

I tell you this story because (and I'm not sure if it's in larger part due to my reflecting upon Anna's post) time in Scranton seems to be slowing down.  Not literally, of course, I'm not talking about some Sci-fy time travel plot reminiscent of that awful J. Timberlake movie "In Time", but just that the weeks start to become more routine as we adjust to our lives here and get comfortable with the Scranton area. The real question then becomes, how do we address/view/understand this standardization of our weekly routines?  Do we settle into the comfortable pattern we've developed and allow time to pass by without interruption?  Or perhaps we actively work to disrupt this pattern, for fear of the dreaded monotony of "the work week".  I think the answer is somewhere in between.  Yes, we want to make the most of our time here in Scranton and the journey we're on as Jesuit Volunteers and there will definitely be times during this year when we do, see, and experience some incredible things.  But that's no reason to frown upon the moments that aren't quite as awe-inspiringly eventful.

In fact, those exceptions might not define our experiences as much as we like to think they do.  After all, there's an Aristotelian quote that comes to mind, "we are what we repeatedly do.  Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."  So are we boring people if our lives start to consist of repetitive routines of eat, work, sleep, repeat?  I don't think so.  I think the perceived monotony of routines is solely a product of our choice to see those experiences that way.  Perhaps by simply framing the situation differently in our minds we can avoid the negative self-talk that occurs when we think of falling into routines in our lives.  So yes, I am developing a routine here in Scranton, and yes, that routine does get repetitive at times, but I choose to frame that reality as a positive thing.  I wouldn't be developing a routine here if this place wasn't becoming more comforting to me, if it wasn't becoming a place I can call home.  I wouldn't be developing a routine here if I wasn't enjoying the company of my housemates, coworkers, and all of the people I've met on my journey thus far.  And I certainly wouldn't be developing a routine here if I wasn't - in small ways - falling in love with Scranton and my life here.  It's not to say that every moment of the journey has been (or will be) incredibly amazing/exciting/life-changing, but that I'm accepting of the way in which the journey has been unfolding, both the good times and the bad.  So, no offense to Aristotle, but perhaps it's not what we repeatedly do that makes us who we are, but how we do what we do that defines us.  So I'm striving to do my year of service with a smile on my face and love in my heart.  Because if smiling and loving become indelible parts of who I am, I figure I can live with that.

All my love,
Tom

Make the Days Count

We're quickly approaching the completion of our first whole month of JVC!  September 9th will officially mark that day, but some of our FJV support staff are coming over for a celebratory/thank you/'yayyy it's the weekend' dinner this Saturday in honor of our first big milestone!

So, what exactly have you been doing in Scranton for the past few weeks, you may ask?  Well as I alluded in my last post, my roommates and I have been adjusting ourselves into a regular work schedule.  Most of us work normal Monday to Friday type jobs, although Abbie works every other weekend, David's Youth Group meetings are on Sunday nights, and my hours are 1-9pm Tuesday-Thursday...so scratch that, none of us really have "normal" jobs.  But I guess that's kind of the point, right?  There's nothing entirely "normal" about what we're doing here this year.  

A few of the talks at orientation centered around the concept of the counter-cultural nature of our work with JVC.  Essentially, how it is that much of our American culture does not condone the idea of going off to live in a city you've never been to before, to live with people you've never met before, and work a job you've never done before...without being paid.  And trust me when I say that this reality hit hard for me as nearly every conversation I had about my decision to join the JVC served as a constant reminder.  Questions of: Why would you do that?  How are you going to survive?  Do you really think you're going to change the world, or something, by doing this? all swirled around my head as I prepared for the upcoming year.  As I had very little knowledge of the program, my job, or Scranton in general, my answer was always somewhat lackluster and centered around feeling as though it's what I have to do.  But, I must say, after just this short period of time here I'm starting to see why I felt so called to be here. 

Let me explain, this weekend (as I'm sure you know) was Labor Day weekend.  In the holiday spirit, the Baltimore JVC house - another house of 5 JVs centered in MD - invited other JVs from the Northeast to a party at their house.  If you know me, you know that it would take an act of God to keep me away from a good party, and so my roommate Ally and I went to Baltimore.  Getting to see and hear from all the different people I had met at orientation just a few short weeks ago was amazing.  They all had such rich and varied stories about their respective cities, the type of work they've been doing, as well as many of the challenges that arise living in accordance with JVC's core values.  Strange as it seems, although it had only been about two and a half weeks since I had last seen these people, it felt as though it had been years.  The experience gave me a heightened sense of awareness to the value of being present in our daily lives, of choosing to actively participate in the world as opposed to sitting idly and watching life pass by.  I have a 'Quote of the Week' type project I've been working on, and this week on my whiteboard I've featured Muhammad Ali as he once said "Don't count the days, make the days count."  I feel as though that's part of what this journey has taught me already, that making each and every day count and valuing each moment of the time we have here on earth is what life is all about.  And so, my apologies if it's not the momentous epiphany you were expecting, but JVC has taught me to make the days count, and I'm grateful for that.  

View from the Baltimore Harbor during our visit to the JVC house down there.

In less "self-reflective" news, work has been going pretty well.  I work for United Neighborhoods Centers of Northeast Pennsylvania (or UNC for short).  My official duties will entail coordinating programs for youth in the area to participate in as an alternative to them being on the streets after school.  I'm most excited for the diverse populations of people and experiences I'm sure to encounter during my time at UNC, it's an enormous non-profit - the largest in the area - and so there's no shortage of programs to get involved with this year!  Also, much to the envy of my roommates, on my first week of work I was invited along on an photography outing with the kids who participate in the after school photography group.  We went to Penn's Cave and had a blast!  I have some photos, but don't be too critical!  It was only my first day of photography class.

The entrance to the cave

Big points if you can differentiate Stalagmites
& Stalactites! (Sorry, science major habit)

Other fun things in Scranton? Well, they're big fans of festivals around this town.  We've been to two in the past two weeks.  Last weekend for Labor Day was La Festa Italiana, which features some of the most delicious Italian food ever created in the Western Hemisphere - I had amazing calamari as well as buffalo hot wing pizza (A favorite from Mary's back home).  Two weekends ago was a parish festival that supports one of the biggest parishes around, and coincidentally the one my roommate David works for, St. John Neumann.  At that festival Caroline and I were talked into working (imagine that, volunteers...volunteering) and I'm proud to say that in one night I not only tasted my first potato pancake, but I also mass produced about 500 more!

My novice skills were put to the test fairly
quickly that day - I didn't burn too many! 

So far I've pinned Scranton as a place of many churches, a place with almost as many - if not more - pizza joints, and I'd like to add one more to that list.  I'm not sure if it's just the time of year or the Pocono Mountains in the distance, but Scranton has some of the most beautiful sunsets you can imagine.  We've seen some great ones over there past few weeks and I wanted to share one in particular with you.  It's a constant reminder that though our year of service may get hard at times, God is undoubtedly present here with us to help us through.  We can see it in the beauty of the world that surrounds us, if only we are present enough in our lives to take the time to notice.

God Bless,
Tom

The House on Moosic Street

Sorry it's been such a long time since an update!  The last two weeks have just been a whirlwind of activity and new things, I hardly find the time to check my computer (which makes the Simple Living commitment easier, I suppose!).  But so how about I catch you up in chronological order?

First, I headed off to JVC Orientation on August 9th and found myself in Blue Ridge, PA.  Shortly thereafter, I was SURROUNDED by other young men and women who were committing a year of service to the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.  I have to admit, it was nice to meet so many people who were going through the same things I was, asking the same questions and harboring the same concerns about the year ahead.  Suffice it to say that the 5 day Orientation program did a fantastic job of quelling many of those concerns as we spent time getting to know the JVC staff for the Baltimore office (responsible for all of the volunteers serving in the NE United States).  We listened to talks given by former members of the Corps (knows as FJVs - Former Jesuit Volunteers) as well as professionals in areas like conflict management and spiritual development to help us prepare for the year ahead.  Perhaps most exciting of all, though, we were introduced to our NEW HOUSEMATES for the upcoming year, and I met: Abbie, Ally, Caroline & David (you may have guessed...the people in the photo above! In order, skipping me) Who I will be living and serving with for the next year in Scranton, PA.  But I'm getting ahead of myself, we did some pretty cool stuff during Orientation in addition to hearing talks, for example the retreat center bordered an entrance to the Appalachian Trail and one morning about 13 of us got up at ~5:00am to hike 8.5 miles of the trail for one crazy morning workout!

We hiked across the Mason Dixon line as we crossed into Maryland.  And Emily was SO ecstatic to recreate this moment from "A Walk to Remember"

A dramatic interpretation of "what lies ahead" as we begin our journey hiking...and with JVC.

Quick! Photo shoot on these cool rocks!

As it turned out, only a few of us actually made it to the TOP of the mountain (there was a time crunch to make breakfast...and certain priorities simply trump all else) BUT! My roommate Caroline and I were among those who successfully scaled the top of the mountain, and I shot this pensive pic of her from the top.

View from the top of the mountain, worth every step of the journey to get there.

After that crazy adventure, I was sure nothing else was going to top my list of Orientation moments.  But, as I'm becoming accustomed to with this program, nothing is ever quite as I expect it's going to be.  We spent the last two nights of Orientation celebrating the mission the 80-something of us were about to embark upon.  A Jesuit priest came to bless us on our journey and to commission us into the Jesuit Volunteer Corps.  That was perhaps the first moment at which reality fully set in and I came to understand the magnitude of what I'm attempting to do this year.  As overwhelming as it was to see all of the JVs from the Northeast together in one place, I was in awe of the significance and impact JVs from all across the country and the globe might have as they set out to work towards common goals and ideals.  Little did I know, I was still ostensibly missing the 'big picture' still.  But I'll get to that in just a bit...

This is the sunset from Blue Ridge, PA on one of our last nights together at Orientation.

I had met so many great people at Orientation and I had just begun to feel comfortable and adjusted to that place when, you guessed it, we picked up and moved again!  This time to our final destination of Scranton, PA.  Admittedly, leaving orientation was quite difficult for me, although I knew I would see these people again at other retreats throughout the year - and perhaps on some fun visits throughout the year - there was something special about the newness of those relationships that I was hard pressed to leave behind.  Still, I was ready and willing to commit to the program I had signed up for, and we loaded up our cars and drove to the buzzing metropolis of Scranton...OK, so it's not quite a metropolis, but it has some city-esqe features.  My housemates and I were instantly surprised at how nice our accommodations in Scranton were.  We live in an old house on one of the major artery roads of Scranton, Moosic Street.  The house used to belong to our current landlords great grandparents, and had recently been reacquired into the family and renovated for use as the JVC house for Scranton (we are only the 2nd group of volunteers to live here) and the house is just magnificent.  It has high ceilings on the first floor and enough bedrooms on the second for us each to have our own space.  In fact, I'm sitting in my room right now as I write this posting and - I dare say - this is arguably the biggest amount of personal living space I've ever had.  

To add to our initial positive impression, we were greeted on that first night by 4 FJVs from the local Scranton area, two couples, who played instrumental roles in establishing the JVC program here in Scranton and keeping it going by acting as a support team for the JVs living here.  They cooked us dinner and answered about 1,000 questions we had about Scranton and JVC.  Not to brag, but in one short week I'm starting to really get the hang of this city!  And as if the warm welcome from our FJV friends wasn't enough, they held a party for us (at our own house!) at which we got to meet several other FJVs in the Scranton area, all of whom extended their warm welcomes and offers to help us in any way we might need.  It was perhaps at this moment - shortly following the party - when I came to discover the underestimation I had made in my previous understanding of JVC.  The network of this organization stretches beyond just current volunteers serving across the U.S. and the globe, to members who have served in all of those places over many years and give so selflessly of their time and energies to continue this program.  I suspect it has something to do with the core purpose and commitment of the program that really resonates with volunteers and stays with them long after they complete their year(s) of service.  Either way, I'm more excited than ever to be part of such an amazing group of people and to begin my own journey as a JV.

And so, finally this week my housemates and I have begun work at our respective job placements.  Two of my roommates work at a center for individuals with severe mental and physical limitations called St. Joseph's Center.  One of my roommates is serving as the Youth Minister for two local parishes (Scranton, by the way, is perhaps the epicenter of the world, where churches are concerned.  I haven't seen so many churches in one city since traveling Italy, and still this town may take the cake).  Another roommate will be working right across the street from me at a resource distribution center called Friends of the Poor.  And I will be working at United Neighborhoods Center (or UNC...yes I confused it with the school at first too).  I'm working with the youth programs there, although the organization is so large that there seem to be opportunities to get involved in just about anything you can think of in the Scranton area as a part of UNC.  I've thoroughly enjoyed my first few days of work so far, although I'll have to update you on more details of the job after I've got a little more experience under my belt.  As it's getting late, and I have work early in the morning, I think that'll have to be all for now.  As always, thank you to whoever is reading this for your support.  Know that I think of everyone back home often, and I'm praying you guys are off to as awesome a start to the next year as I am!  For peets sake, just check out the view from my office window:  

...and I was worried Scranton was going to be an ugly place (don't quote me on that come winter time, though!).  

Love always, 

Tom

4 Core Values of JVC

The countdown is OFFICIALLY 9 DAYS 'TILL ORIENTATION!

Which means...I should probably explain a little more about this endeavor I'm about to embark on to all you lovely people.  The easiest way I can think of explaining is by delineating the fundamental pillars of the JVC program itself.  These 4 core values have been an essential part of the application process, my acceptance into the program, and will surely continue to influence my experience over the next year.  The four core values of JVC are (in no particular order): Spirituality, Simple Living, Community & Social Justice.

As far as Spirituality is concerned, I expect the JVC is - unsurprisingly - heavily influenced by the teachings of St. Ignatius who, if you're unfamiliar, was the founder of the Society of Jesus (aka the Jesuits!).  As such, I expect the spirituality experience will include a combination of contemplative prayer, self-reflection, and - hopefully - self-discovery.  St. Ignatius is perhaps most remembered for the quote: "go forth and set the world on fire", I suspect that during my time volunteering, we will be challenged to discover exactly what that means in our lives, how it is that we can effectively "set the world on fire" through this year of service.

Simple Living: This value is the one I personally feel I have the most "experience" with, if you will.  Every service endeavor I've taken part in from junior high soup kitchens through mission trips during my years at Villanova have challenged me to consider what it means to live simply.  I can remember one definition that resonates especially well with me - and had a special meaning to a loved one in my life - that during our service we "live simply so others may simply live" - Ghandi.

Community: the value I am most anxious to discover more about, as this aspect of my year of service centers not around myself and my own decisions, but all of the people living in my community during our year in Scranton, PA.  The Scranton community will be residing in the Jane Jacobs house during our year of service, exploring together questions of how best to live out these Ignatian values and - presumably - growing together as a community in the process.

The last value of Social Justice is perhaps the most rhetorically-loaded term thus far, as it inevitably encompasses just about anything you might define as "justice" in the world today.  With the variety of different strong opinions on this topic I'll restrict my definition to simply stating that, as a part of my welcoming information into the JVC, I was encouraged to read a short article by David Hilfiker called The Limits of Charity which took a surprisingly critical view of the type of "charity" work that is sometimes confused with "justice" in today's day and age.  I found the article very helpful in developing my understanding of what Social Justice is, and hopefully this yearlong experience will further that understanding.

I suppose it's time to get packing for Orientation, saying the final goodbyes to family & friends, etc.  This may be my last update for a while, seeing as I am unsure of my access to 'the blogosphere' during orientation.  But, as always, your continued following and support are very much appreciated.
God Bless,
Tom

This Morning

Ok, so you'll have to forgive me on this one as it has only a faint connection to the purpose of my blog and the Volunteer journey I'll be embarking on in a few weeks (I believe the countdown is now T-minus 20 days!).  Still, what I've read from other bloggers - and some advice from friends - tells me that sometimes you're just moved to put thoughts down in writing, and I think this fits that description precisely.

So last night I went to see the final installment of the Batman movie trilogy with my brother Terence and my cousin TJ.  We really enjoyed the movie and it was a great chance to get in some time hanging out with my family before I leave for Scranton.  Then, this morning I woke up to the news of the Aurora, Colorado shootings that took place at the premiere last night and the 12 people who had died as a result.  I can't say exactly why, but I've been struggling to reconcile this event in my brain and (for the first time in a while) I felt that urgent need to pray for those lost in this attack, their family, their friends, and even for the man responsible for the shooting*.  So often, I feel as though prayer becomes less of a impulse in our lives and more of an obligatory act.  There seem to be these prescribed times and places at which prayer becomes "appropriate" or - even worse - compulsory.  As a result, it can be hard for us to truly feel as though our prayers are meaningful, substantive, or even heard by God.  And then there come times in life when we feel that whisper from within to pray, and I mean really pray, not the textbook "Hail Mary...blessed fruit...Amen" regurgitation type of prayer, but real, heartfelt prayer in which we break the prescribed rules of praying (i.e. time/place/method) and truly open ourselves up to God.

I guess the point of my story is that this morning, in the most unexpected and unfortunate of ways, I had one of those prayerful moments as I thought about the victims of this attack and their families.  For me, song has always provided a powerful alternative to the standardized run-of-the-mill type of prayer and so a mournful offering through song will be my choice of prayer for those who lost their lives early this morning.  What will yours be?

*I found this in a Jesuit prayer book, Hearts on Fire, and I thought it particularly helpful this morning.  In case you're struggling to find an alternative way of praying, perhaps this might provide some help and inspiration:

From Death to Life
Jesus Christ, may your death be my life
and in your dying may I learn how to live.
May your struggles be my rest,
Your human weakness my courage,
Your embarrassment my honor,
Your passion my delight,
Your sadness my joy,
in your humiliation may I be exalted.
In a word, may I find all my blessings in your trials.
Amen.
 - Blessed Peter Faber, SJ

Oh! Hello, inter-web people!

My name is Tom McHugh and for the next year of my life I will be serving as a member of the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (JVC).  I will be moving to Scranton, Pennsylvania and working at a new job, living in community with four other volunteers from all across the country, and striving to come to a better understanding of what it means to serve.  I've decided to fill the "description" portion of this site with the dictionary definition of the word 'volunteer' in hopes that it may aid me (and anyone out there reading this) as I strive to make the word part of my everyday vocabulary and deepen my understanding of what faith based service is all about.

And so, as my journey begins in the coming weeks, I will do my best to update this blog as frequently as I can - while living in simplicity... we'll see how that goes - for any of you out there who would like to join me on this adventure!  I welcome input from anyone out there who has thoughts or comments on my blog, please just let me know!