The 4th Annual PVI Development and Award Dinner was held Saturday night, June 9th at Elms College, Chicopee, MA. This Dinner serves a two-fold purpose: to enhance the development needs for Passionist Volunteers International and to promote the recognition and celebration of cross-cultural mission in the Church and in the Passionist Community. An award by the Passionist Community has been created, Beyond the Borders Award, to recognize excellent service in behalf of the Church’s Cross Cultural Mission.
The First Annual Award was given to Sr. Maureen Broughan, S.S.J. in recognition of her long effective service to Mission. Latino ministry in Springfield, MA, five years in Guatemala as an Associate of the Maryknoll Sisters, co-Director of Mission training for the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers, consultant in establishing the Passionist Volunteers International, co-Director for Discernment and Orientation, PVI program. Co-Founder and current administrator with Homework House, an after school program in Holyoke and Springfield, MA for at risk students.
Fr. Robert Joerger, C.P., Provincial presented the Award in the name of the Passionists of St. Paul of the Cross Province with Fr. Lucian Clark, CP., Director, PVI, reading the citation. Jennifer Martin, PVI Jamaica, 2010, presented a personal tribute in the name of the Volunteers, a collage collection of the fifteen teams of Passionist Volunteers trained by Sr. Maureen.
Present was Timothy McDonnell, Bishop of Springfield, joining him proudly to support Maureen were Sr. Maxyne Schneider, President, and some twenty-five Sisters of St. Joseph. Fifteen PVI Alums were present, coming from as far as Columbus, MO and Indianapolis, IN. Rosi Trichilo, 2010 Honduras and Steve Parker, 2010 Jamaica, shared the impact their PVI experience. Betsy Rouleau, 2008 Jamaica, spoke to the 130 guests present of the material needs to enable PVI to carry on, thanking all for their continued support and asking PVI’s new acquaintances present to become supporters of the Program.
In addition to development needs, celebrating PVI’s mission is an important part of this Dinner. For this reason Fr. Lucian emphasized the wider outreach of the Church’s Cross-cultural mission and the Passionists’ own tradition in mission. At the presentation of the Beyond the Borders Award, Fr. Lucian quoted from the PVI Statement of Mission Theology, The Church by its very nature is missionary. As members of the Church, the whole Passionist family, vowed members joined by collaborators and lay volunteers, continue to be drawn to mission within the wider world community. Throughout our history, we have been drawn to cross borders in service to this mission: from Italy to the Americas, from North America to China, the West Indies, the Philippines, and Central America, as well as to the needy of our own country.
