Couple of years back, I found myself in a heated discussion with the policy guru for the Holy See Mission to the United Nations. A major piece of “legislation” was going before the UN on the status of refugees, and the Church was negotiating protections for those who were fleeing harm. Given Pope Francis’ encyclical, […]
Tag: development
Story Collecting from New Orleans to Denver and Beyond
I’ve been out in Denver for work. Before that I was in New Orleans. I work in fundraising, and my job mostly consists of meeting people and hearing their stories. I don’t think it was ever intentional, but these last several years collecting and cherishing the most heartfelt human stories from the people I’ve met […]
“The Glasses Project,” Official Recap
They say every volunteer has one big project all their energy goes into, a pinnacle of sorts to their two-year service. Actually, I don’t know who “they” are, and I’ve never heard anyone say that, so I’m entirely making that up, but it seems to me to be the truth. Almost all of the volunteers […]

The Calm Before the Storm, or Awaiting the Arrival of 700 Eyejusters Glasses
All’s been quiet on the western front lately. Lots of my classes have been canceled due to rain. Even a light mist or lots of dust can keep students from coming, and it’s not advantageous for me to ride my bike all the way to the youth center if there’s not going to be anyone […]

On Progress and Development
I’ve been waiting for the opportunity to say this, so here it is: regarding recent world events, ranging from the bombing in Marrakesh or the death of Osama bin Laden, I am not at liberty to comment. So, I’ll probably comment. I’d been on the road a lot lately, and when you say “on the […]