4 Pillars of CVV

Direct Service and Advocacy

The volunteers seek, through their work with those who are struggling on the margins, to discover God in the persons they serve. As volunteers engage in various forms of service, they seek to cultivate an interior love for those who are poor. A variety of experiences working for justice are available to CVV volunteers, including work in: inner city schools, area food banks, health clinics, social service agencies, work with those who are homeless, inner city parishes, child care programs, and literacy programs, among others. CVV volunteers are placed in work settings that suit their previous education and experience and they receive supervision in their site placements.

Reflection and Discussion

Along with your direct service work and community living you will have the opportunity to share your experiences at weekly reflections and discussions with your volunteer community, at weekly liturgy, at retreats or over a meal with CVV guests. The reflection and discussion component will help the volunteers ground their service in Jesus Christ. This component includes:

• Pre-Service Orientation in which volunteers have opportunities to develop trust, friendship, and faith before embarking on their service work.

• Weekly Friday Reflections for input and discussion facilitated by the CVV Team, local Vincentians and other resource persons from the metro area.

• Retreats that allow the volunteers to momentarily step back from their work and reflect on its relevance. There are three  retreats, one in the fall and one in the spring, which are held away from the city in a setting close to nature in the midst of the Rocky Mountains.

• Immersion Experience where volunteers journey together to the Texas-Mexico border to explore and learn about the complex issues surrounding immigration.

Community

As a member of CVV, you will live in Denver in a shared community home. Your lifestyle will center on community and simplicity, as you participate in managing daily operations and in the care and upkeep of the house. In other words, you cook, eat, clean, and sometimes work together. You won’t be alone; you will be living with 8-10 other volunteers in a community supported by the CVV staff, board of directors, and the broader community of Denver and Colorado.

Spirituality and Prayer

St. Vincent de Paul passionately modeled the way Jesus cared for and served those who are poor. His life’s work included inviting others to be a part of that mission. CVV follows that tradition and invites you to join us in accompanying those who are poor in Denver as a Companion on the Journey. Serving as a Colorado Vincentian Volunteer will help you discover the presence of God in your everyday life. The spiritual life of the community will also clarify the connection between your commitment to the poor and your spiritual journey. Community life develops when individuals commit themselves to a shared vision and a common set of values. Although CVV is a Catholic-affiliated program, it is open to participants of all faiths who are interested in expanding their spirituality through Christian worship, and prayer.

“We cannot better secure our happiness than by living and dying in the service of the poor.“

-St. Vincent de Paul