Dominican Volunteer Builds Community
This article is third in a series of six featuring Dominican Volunteers USA living with communities of Sinsinawa Dominican Sisters. Laura Reher lives with the Penn Community, Atlanta, GA.
by Laura Reher
Laura Reher and her students celebrate UN Day.
Students wear their native dress and represent their
countries in a parade. These Burmese first graders
are (left to right) Thayomoo, Behtoo, and Moomutoo.
The Dominican Volunteers USA (DVUSA) mission statement essentially describes my year as a volunteer. Dominican Volunteers “search for new frontiers for the faith.” For myself, I’m exploring a new frontier through working with and teaching an incredibly diverse group of people. My students are from Bosnia, Burma, the Congo, Iraq, India, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, the Sudan, the United Kingdom, and the United States. They represent numerous faith traditions. Working with a student group that is this diverse is both challenging and exciting. I’m learning a tremendous amount as I experience this frontier. I am privileged to be able to work with and learn from the poor and marginalized. Sadly, our refugees are marginalized, and many students at our school (both American and other nationalities) experience poverty. My experiences in my ministry, common life, prayer, and study within a diverse, intergenerational community have taught more lessons than I can count, and my year would not be complete without all of the components mentioned in the DVUSA mission.
I have repeatedly told my housemates that I would not trade living in the Penn Community for any other living arrangement. This is not hyperbole; living in this community has meant so much to me and contributed a significant amount to my experience. There are many wonderful aspects of living with these Dominican Sisters of Sinsinawa. To me, the best part is the opportunity to learn from them. They each have myriad experiences in ministry, community, prayer, and study that they are willing to share. I am blessed to learn from their experiences and unique perspectives. These both challenge and inspire me.
The International Community School (ICS) was founded with the hope of creating a “beloved community,” which is congruent with building a holy and just society. For a society to be holy and just, the dignity of each human person must be recognized and respected. At ICS, we honor people’s dignity by empowering them through education and showing them caring and support through the other services the school provides. I get to look my kids in the eyes each day and show them that they matter to me. By teaching them, I help them define their own sense of dignity as they learn and gain confidence in their abilities.