We are Salesian Witnesses to Healing
I’ve heard that it takes about six years before you begin to heal from the loss of a loved one, before you’re really in a healthy place of peace and acceptance. I was walking to class nine years ago on the morning of April 16, 2007 when a Virginia Tech student was at that moment […]
Tim Gallagher, a year-long DSW volunteer shares some highlights and insights from his time in Camden.
Subject: Update from Camden Hola! I just wanted to shoot everyone an email and give a little update on how things are going in Camden. We are now into our 7th month and things are really going well (not for the city government but for all of us here at DeSales Service […]
Ireton Journal Reflections: Camden, NJ, Nov. 19-21 2010
Groups from Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria, VA, have been coming to Camden for service retreats since Palm Sunday weekend 2009. They were the first group to come. Principal, Tim Hamer, has accompanied three of the five groups. (Check out two You Tube videos about DSW, Ireton.) It is very important for our city […]
Words Have Power
Poetry and poetic language reach beyond ordinary, daily speech to put words to human experience in vivid images and expression. Poetry in rap and hip-hop and Latino music make the soundtrack for our North Camden neighborhood. Along with that music pounding in the streets and in countless headphones, church music sung without self-conscious and with […]
Bridging the Language Gap
Editor’s Note: The following entry is from Fr. Mike McCue, OSFS, director of De Sales Service Works. Fr. Mike reflects on his experience of trying to learn Spanish in his new ministry in Camden, and the challenges that accompany this new task. It is easy for us to resist anything that takes work, but by […]
A Teen Reflects on Service in Camden
Editor’s Note: The following entry is from Emma Dolson, a student at Georgetown Visitation Prep in Washington, DC, who did service in Camden this summer with De Sales Service Works. This summer, I went to Camden, New Jersey for a week, with the intention of getting 50 service hours. This summer, I left Camden, […]
November Saints of Justice
Editor’s Note: The following blog entry is from Fr. Mike McCue, OSFS, director of De Sales Service Works in Camden, NJ. Two of my favorite saints have feast days in the second half of November. I want to share some highlights of their lives. Each gives us a good example of Christian charity and […]
Finding a Calling in Camden
Editor’s Note: The following entry is from Jenny Mayo, Communications Director for Georgetown Visitation in Washington, DC. The article reflects on the experience of students and faculty from different Visitation schools throughout the country who spent a week of servie in Camden, NJ, with De Sales Service Works. The Oblates have a strong connection with […]
The Power of the Little Virtues
Editor’s Note: The following entry is from Fr. Mike McCue, OSFS, director of De Sales Service Works in Camden, NJ. Power The alley near our house provides a quick spot for addicts to shoot up after a drug purchase out on the street. It is hard to know how to deal with people engaged […]
Meet the DSW Volunteers
Pictured (from left to right): DSW Volunteers Mike Morgan, Tim Gallagher, and Tom Briese. Editor’s Note: The following entry is from Fr. Mike McCue, OSFS, director of De Sales Service Works in Camden, NJ. De Sales Service Works presently has two aspects to it. First, we welcome groups who come to Camden for […]