10 recent SJU graduates join Benedictine Volunteer Corps

07/25/2008

Ten recent graduates of Saint John’s University have joined the Saint John’s Benedictine Volunteer Corps (SJBVC).

The monks of Saint John's Abbey initiated the SJBVC in 2003. The mission of the SJBVC is to provide a SJU student or alumnus with nine to 12 months of volunteer service at a Benedictine monastery while he participates in the monastic life of that community. The volunteer corps supports the life and the apostolic work of the host monastery.

The graduates selected and their assignments are:

• Joe Wiechman (Freeport, Minn.) will volunteer at Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville;
• Brady King (Shawnee, Kan.) will volunteer at Colegio Sant Anselmo in Rome, Italy;
• Ben Demarais (Winona, Minn.) and Charlie McCarron (Stillwater, Minn.) will volunteer at Saint Maur’s Abbey in Hanga, Tanzania, Africa; Follow Ben's blog from Tanzania
• Michael Bancks (Fairmont, Minn.) and Michael Leither (St. Cloud, Minn.) will volunteer at the Abbey of the Dormition in Tabgha and Jerusalem, The Holy Land;
• Phillip Hanson (Oregon, Wis.) and Theo Eggermont (Fargo, N.D.) will volunteer at La Abadia de Jesu Cristo Crucificado in Esquipulas, Guatemala;
• Charlie Sawyer (St. Paul, Minn.) and Cole Woodward (St. Paul, Minn.) will volunteer at The Manquehue Community in Santiago, Chile.

“Since the beginning of the program in 2003, close to 30 SJU alumni have served in this abbey sponsored program,” said Br. Paul Richards, OSB, director of the program. “They report life changing experiences.”

Saint John's Abbey serves as the sponsor of the SJBVC. Abbot John Klassen assigns staff the tasks of cultivating host monasteries, recruiting participants, assessing sites and participants, developing programming for volunteers, training volunteers, building budget, creating and communicating expectations of the host community and volunteer, orientation of the volunteer, and facilitating communication between the host site and the volunteer.

The host monastery provides an on-site contact person/director, meaningful work, food and lodging for the volunteer.

Back row, left to right: Mike Bancks, Brady King, Phil Hanson, Cole Woodward, Ben Demarais
Front row, left to right: Charlie McCarron, Joe Weichmann, Mike Leither, Theo Eggermont, Charlie Sawyer