Earlier this month I was in Brooklyn for my two-ish week orientation. Before heading to NY, I was busy visiting family I knew I wouldn’t see in a long while, and working on things for fundraising and my visa. I was making so many tangible strides toward leaving for the mission that I felt ready...
It has been a bit more than 2 years since I first met Elaine. She is one of the faithful friends who come to our gathering every Saturday afternoon at the women's shelter. I often heard different ladies at the shelter saying that living at the shelter is stressful. Sometimes, violence happens. You get along...
Those who have been on a New York City subway at least once know that it can be a place where human brokenness becomes manifested in all its depth: homelessness, addictions, poverty, ideologies - all of these and more are ubiquitous and ever visible. As I entered the subway earlier today, I noticed a woman who...
We have recently organized a small camping trip for ten boys from our neighborhood, ages 8 to 11. For some of them, this is the only chance they get to go outside the area they live in during the whole year. The trip was fun, difficult, but all in all, very blessed....
"Te quiero mucho!", Paty said. I had just met this sweet girl of 8 years old and she already told me she loved me. I accepted her hug graciously but I was shocked to say the least. Her tender affection seemed to have stirred something deep within my heart, and the questions I carried with me...
At the end of January we organized a summer camp for the boys in the neighborhood. We spent three days in the country, enjoying a large pool, fresh air, and the “mountains” of Uruguay. ...
This past month, I had the joy of spending five days at SEEK24, a conference by FOCUS for over 20,000 college students. In the area dubbed “Mission Way,” we sponsored a booth to share about the mission of Con-solatio for potential young volunteers. Our 10×10 booth became like a little Con-solatio house for the week,...
By Marian W., Alum Warm faces. Overflowing hearts. Beautiful liturgies. Delicious meals. Meaningful moments. This is why I come back year after year for Con-solatio's annual family reunion in Brooklyn. For me, it is the most nourishing, sacred, joyful way to ring in the new year. Every detail is planned out with care as we enter into our...
My community sisters and I decided to stop by the social block to see one of our dear friends Margarita. When we arrived, we realized that we had forgotten her apartment number so we waited by the door to see if someone could open the door and let us in. After waiting for five minutes,...
When I first talked with Irene, I learned that she was made to leave her home country for legal reasons and that she cannot return to it. She has not seen her family for over ten years, and since she cannot speak Spanish, she is unable to easily communicate with the other women living at...