by Margaret Schmitz, St. Joseph Worker 2017-2018, Carondelet Village
In this holiday season of joy, love, and celebration, I have found myself reflecting on the new sense of fullness I feel as a St. Joseph Worker. We are in month four of the program, and I am finally settling into serving at Carondelet Village, and living in intentional community with seven beautiful women. The chore list is made, the car schedule has rhythm and we have decorated for the holidays. Joseph House has become home, and this brings me warmth in my first Minnesota winter. Every day at Carondelet Village is different and engaging in its own way. Whether I find myself sitting with residents in memory care, leading a Dementia Friends session, or answering emails, every moment is a chance to learn from and enjoy life in the moment.
At Carondelet Village, I have been able to spend time with people experiencing memory loss. These moments have brought new meaning to the practice of being present. Everyone I encounter in memory care is living moment to moment, and my focus is to bring joy to every interaction, as the emotions of the day are more likely to be remembered than the specifics of a conversation, or the person who brought them. Every moment I spend with someone living with memory loss is centered on joy, love, and celebration of life. This is a lesson that I think we can all learn from, and bring into our everyday lives, regardless of our interaction with those experiencing memory loss. I believe that I am becoming a more present, empathetic, joyful person every day in this program, but I also believe that this lesson on being present is something I will carry with me long after my year of service is over.
Communications Department September 15th, 2023
Posted In: Uncategorized
by Sophie Mongoven, St. Joseph Worker 2017-2018, Cretin-Derham Hall High School
Every day now I have to remind myself that there are still a few months in the St. Joseph Worker program. The end feels imminent and the shift in our lives is coming much too soon. As we prepare to move on, and next year’s workers discern if this is the path for them, I look back at what brought me here in the first place.
I was scared last year committing to something as all-encompassing as the St. Joseph Worker program. We have so many choices and opportunities, but practically our entire lives take place within the program structure. Where I sleep, what I eat, who I talk to, and how I spend my day are all a direct result of that one choice I made over a year ago. In some ways, that choice for me was made out of fear. As I looked for a future after college, I wanted to know that I would find a fierce and supportive group of women to help me take on my next adventure. What I was doing was less important to me than feeling that I had people looking out for me. I didn’t know who I would be without a community around me, loving and challenging me every day.
I found that community this year, but I also found so much more. Every day I learn a new skill or develop a new relationship, and all of them are unexpected. I never thought I would learn to cook for eight people efficiently and cheaply, and I never saw myself teaching a high school religion course. What I committed to last year was the unexpected: to open myself up to these opportunities, to face fears I didn’t even know that I had. It’s been difficult sometimes and I’ve felt lost more than a few times. But I think I’ve only begun to realize how profound an impact this experience has had on me. The program will end in June, but the relationships I’ve formed, the lessons I’ve learned, and the new way of seeing the world through the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph will all stay with me for the rest of my life.
Communications Department September 15th, 2023
Posted In: Uncategorized
by Diana Campos Loera, St. Joseph Worker 2017-2018, The Lift Garage
In this holiday season of joy, love, and celebration, I have found myself reflecting on the new sense of fullness I feel as a St. Joseph Worker. We are in month four of the program, and I am finally settling into serving at Carondelet Village, and living in intentional community with seven beautiful women. The chore list is made, the car schedule has rhythm and we have decorated for the holidays. Joseph House has become home, and this brings me warmth in my first Minnesota winter. Every day at Carondelet Village is different and engaging in its own way. Whether I find myself sitting with residents in memory care, leading a Dementia Friends session, or answering emails, every moment is a chance to learn from and enjoy life in the moment.
At Carondelet Village, I have been able to spend time with people experiencing memory loss. These moments have brought new meaning to the practice of being present. Everyone I encounter in memory care is living moment to moment, and my focus is to bring joy to every interaction, as the emotions of the day are more likely to be remembered than the specifics of a conversation, or the person who brought them. Every moment I spend with someone living with memory loss is centered on joy, love, and celebration of life. This is a lesson that I think we can all learn from, and bring into our everyday lives, regardless of our interaction with those experiencing memory loss. I believe that I am becoming a more present, empathetic, joyful person every day in this program, but I also believe that this lesson on being present is something I will carry with me long after my year of service is over.
Communications Department September 15th, 2023
Posted In: Uncategorized
by Margaret Schmitz, St. Joseph Worker 2017-2018, Carondelet Village
In this holiday season of joy, love, and celebration, I have found myself reflecting on the new sense of fullness I feel as a St. Joseph Worker. We are in month four of the program, and I am finally settling into serving at Carondelet Village, and living in intentional community with seven beautiful women. The chore list is made, the car schedule has rhythm and we have decorated for the holidays. Joseph House has become home, and this brings me warmth in my first Minnesota winter. Every day at Carondelet Village is different and engaging in its own way. Whether I find myself sitting with residents in memory care, leading a Dementia Friends session, or answering emails, every moment is a chance to learn from and enjoy life in the moment.
At Carondelet Village, I have been able to spend time with people experiencing memory loss. These moments have brought new meaning to the practice of being present. Everyone I encounter in memory care is living moment to moment, and my focus is to bring joy to every interaction, as the emotions of the day are more likely to be remembered than the specifics of a conversation, or the person who brought them. Every moment I spend with someone living with memory loss is centered on joy, love, and celebration of life. This is a lesson that I think we can all learn from, and bring into our everyday lives, regardless of our interaction with those experiencing memory loss. I believe that I am becoming a more present, empathetic, joyful person every day in this program, but I also believe that this lesson on being present is something I will carry with me long after my year of service is over.
Communications Department December 1st, 2017
Posted In: Uncategorized