Josh Wise, who talks to us about significant relationships, is a Louisiana native that joined the Colorado Vincentian Volunteers (CVV) in the summer of 2008. He worked with Archdiocesan Housing and the Mary Lucy computer Lab & Neighborhood Network Center. He has stuck around Denver ever since. He is still wrestling some of the questions raised during his year of service, while serving on the CVV Board and planning his wedding for next fall.

When my CVV year was finished, I was hired as an Outreach Worker at the St. Francis Center. My job, in a nutshell, involved going out on the streets to connect with the individuals who were experiencing homelessness to assist with immediate needs, like providing socks, with the end goal of housing. While all those goals were tangible, in the end I was building relationships. Thomas Merton said “In the end, it is the reality of personal relationships that saves everything.” That theme has followed me throughout my life, but I don’t think I realized it until after my year as a volunteer was complete.

CVV set me down a path of deep internal struggles. I had to digest the fact that the individuals I was working with as an Outreach Worker and myself had very few differences….

Colordo Vincentian Volunteers is a community of faith and action that responds to the Gospel call in the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul. The are young men and women, ages 22-30, who serve the elderly, homeless, developmentally disabled, troubled youth and those who are poor. Their year-long program offers an opportunity for spiritual, emotional, professional growth, and a way of discerning and living one’s Christian vocation.

#IamVincent. So is Josh. Read the rest of Josh’s reflection at covivo.org.