Chi Rho Catholic Service Corps

"Being a part of Chi Rho has been a positive experience which has helped me to be the
person I want to be. The kids at the San Juan Tutorial Program have convinced me
that in order to have a better future, people really should invest in the children – the
results are incredible!" – Ellen DeBassige

“I spent my service year working at San Juan Tutorial program based out of Sacred
Heart Parish in the North End of Hartford. I worked with some of the children who
St. Ann’s provides scholarship money to attend Catholic Schools. My eyes were
opened up to a world so very different from the one that I lived in. The statistics I
read about and studied in college took on new meaning for me. Welfare, drugs, the
homeless, illiteracy, children in poverty, were no longer just words… they became
faces and names. People with feelings and dreams and fears similar to my own.
These people became my friends.” - Colleen Maher

"My year was like an urban Outward Bound, only I didn’t have to go it alone. The
support I felt from my community meant a lot to me." – Alexis Rizzuto

"The best thing about Chi Rho is being able to combine service, faith and friendship. I’
m grateful for all the wonderful people that I have met. A special thanks to the Office
of Urban Affairs." – Keri Saunders

"My first day at Tabor House, I was kind of scared. During the year, I have grown to
love both the residents and the staff. I feel honored to have served there." – Chuck
Noret

“Since my sophomore year of college, when my Catholic faith really began to grow, I
have believed that I am called to some kind of service. I knew that joining Chi Rho
was a way to pursue that calling. What I didn’t know was how much professional
responsibility I would be given with my placement. The experience has been valuable
to me, giving me more confidence in myself because others have trusted me. I also
hope the struggle to balance community life and work responsibilities at Chi Rho will
help to prepare me for any future tensions between work and family life. Our faith
community at Chi Rho taught me a lot and helped me to appreciate new things” - Molly
Hogan

“My year as a volunteer with Chi Rho impacted my life in many ways. Through my
placement at Children’s Community School I learned many valuable lessons about the
meaning of service. Working with the children taught me that I was receiving far
more than I could ever give. I had gone in with the hope of changing lives, when I left
I realized the only life that had changed was my own.
From this past years experience I gained a greater understanding of who I am and
what I believe. I feel that I have grown stronger in my faith and deepened my
relationship with God as a result of serving in the community and living at Chi Rho” -
Carrie Cilfone

"My year with Chi Rho has been filled with personal and spiritual growth. May the
spirit of the community, service and spirituality continue on in all our lives." – Jeanine
Gelhaus

"I am very thankful for the opportunity to have gotten to know so many exceptional
people this year through Chi Rho. I leave with the hope and desire that the friendships
formed will continue to grow." – Mary Woo

"What has touched me the most this year are the many wonderful and caring people I
have met both through the Chi Rho community and through my placement at Children's Community School." – Kate Carter