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(NEW ORLEANS – June 23, 2021) Are you recently vaccinated from COVID-19 and ready to get out of the house to reconnect with people in a meaningful way? The Ignatian Volunteer Corps (IVC) invites area residents -- especially Loyola alumni -- to join our community of men and women aged 50 or better who each volunteer regularly with a local nonprofit and also gather together monthly to grow deeper in Christian faith by reflecting and praying in the Ignatian tradition.

The nearly 30-year-old  is a nationwide network of volunteers connected by faith, prayer, and service. Within the collaborative and celebratory spirit of the has entered a new partnership with �������� that will offer the Jesuit university’s retired staff, faculty and alumni this unique opportunity to serve people in need who are trying to overcome poverty and marginalization while continuing in the tradition of Ignatian Spirituality they encountered while at Loyola.

Through this partnership, IVC will identify service opportunities that enable Loyola alumni to continue the Ignatian traditions rooted in their early college experience – “service, leadership and caring for the whole person. It’s a way for Loyola alumni, faculty and staff the opportunity to deepen their spirituality while serving those in need.

In addition to serving eight or sixteen hours a week with a local nonprofit, volunteers also attend two retreats, participate in monthly meetings with other service corps members, and connect regularly with a spiritual reflector well-versed in Ignatian Spirituality. Service opportunities are available with a variety of organizations including: YMCA of Greater New Orleans , Catholic Charities Office of Justice and Peace, Covenant House, Project Lazarus, ARC of Greater New Orleans, the Harry Tompson Center, Good Shepherd School, Jesuit Social Research Institute, Raphael Village, Promise of Justice Initiative, Catholic Charities Prison Apostolate, and Iggy’s Cupboard, a food pantry on campus at Loyola.

“I call myself the matchmaker because I work with our partner service organizations to identify their immediate needs and then match them with the Ignatian Volunteers who have the specific skills to meet those needs,” said Lisa Schillace, director of IVC in New Orleans. “We ask our service corps members to humbly offer their skills where they are needed most. In return, I help these individuals find a regular, meaningful service position that expands the capacity of their partner organization to combat poverty and the suffering it causes.”

If you are retired and are looking for a way to deepen your spirituality with a peer group while also serving the needs of the vulnerable in our community, you are encouraged to attend the next information session offered at Ignatius Chapel on the campus of Loyola New Orleans on Tuesday, July 13 at 12:30 p.m.

Daily Mass is available at noon also in Ignatius Chapel. Parking is available in the West Road Parking Garage. For more information, see www.ivcusa.org/neworleans or contact Lisa LaFleur Schillace at lschillace@ivcusa.org or 504-264-3438.