Province News

Loyola alumnus, George Sullivan, runs local chapter of ILVC: from Loyola Magazine
Wednesday, December 05, 2001

Originally printed in Loyola Magazine
Karen Ann Cullotta

When retired lawyer George Sullivan (A&S 66) explains the philosophy behind the Ignatian Lay Volunteer Corps (ILVC), he embraces the words of T.S. Eliot: “I had the experience, but I missed the meaning.”

“I remember watching a gorgeous sunset in the North Woods on a camping trip with my son’s Boy Scout troop,” recalls Sullivan, the coordinator for the Chicago-area chapter of the ILVC. “I wrote a note home, describing the moment, and the reflection made all the difference. It reinforced the experience,” he adds.

Now, the Ignatian tradition of keeping a journal is a practice soon to be followed by members of the Chicago chapter of the ILVC.

At the Chicago chapter office, officials recruit area retirees to volunteer two days a week, 10 months of the year, at programs that assist the poor.

Since its inception at the Maryland novitiate in 1995, the Ignatian Lay Volunteer Corps has spread across the East Coast, with chapters in New York City, Philadelphia, Rochester and Syracuse.

Chicago, Detroit and Southern California are the organization’s newest chapters. From retired bricklayers who can resurrect crumbling Catholic school buildings to former teachers who can tutor children living in shelters, the ILVC now casts a wide net across Chicago for senior citizens willing to volunteer and take time for spiritual reflection as well.

Indeed, whether a volunteer hammers nails or helps children with homework, Sullivan says ILVC members must also agree to follow the program’s three-part philosophy: discern, act and reflect.

Discerning a need for service and acting upon it are commonplace with any volunteer program.

But spiritual reflection is one aspect that is often missing from other programs, says Sullivan, a father of four, who recently retired after three decades as a corporate/ finance lawyer with the Chicago law firm Chapman & Cutler.

A Wilmette resident and alumnus of both Loyola University Chicago and Loyola Academy, Sullivan’s lifelong respect for the Jesuits made him an ideal candidate for the ILVC’s first Chicago chapter.

Though retirement can be synonymous with golf and travel, Sullivan spends most of his free time interviewing potential ILVC members.

In addition, he searches for organizations in need and huddling with
fellow ILVC officials, such as Fr. Bill Creed, S.J., a resident at the Arrupe
Jesuit residence on the Loyola University Chicago Lake Shore Campus.

“Volunteers serving in the Ignatian tradition seek to become aware of God’s spirit that is already present among the poor,” says Creed, who has orchestrated more than two dozen retreats for the homeless with the Ignatian Spirit Project.

“When a volunteer connects with the poor, their spirit is enhanced,” Creed adds. “It’s not just about feeling good, although we hope that will happen, too.”

Creed refers to the Ignatian vision, which calls for seminarians, students and volunteers alike to find God in all things and all people. While the struggles of those deemed “successful” in society are hidden, Creed says that ILVC volunteers will discover that “the poor can’t hide their troubles.”

“The key is to awaken in the volunteer the gift of the poor,” Creed says. “The person who is ‘serving’ will receive a tremendous gift.”
To guide volunteers as they work through the reflection process, Creed and other ILVC spiritual directors meet with members one-on-one and at monthly group meetings. There, participants share their journal entries, discuss assigned readings and examine the experience.

For Sullivan, who spent the past summer visiting shelters and parishes in many of Chicago’s hardscrabble neighborhoods, his early experiences with the ILVC have already demanded reflection.

“While I was waiting in the lobby of a congregational living center the other day, I saw all of these homeless people just wandering around,
looking lonely,” Sullivan says. “I’ve always felt that God likes the preposition ‘with.’ Well, these people have no one to be with.”

Still, Sullivan is optimistic his retirement years will allow him to spend more time with his family, including his spouse, Dorothy Turek (A&S 66), and his four children.

“I have promised myself that I will take time off on sunny Friday afternoons,” says Sullivan, adding that he also plans to continue his work with death row appeals at the Cook County Criminal Court.

Of course, with the ILVC making its Chicago debut this fall, the volunteer program is likely to tug at much of Sullivan’s time and talents.

“I think the volunteers we select will find this is very gratifying work, but it’s demanding,” he says. “The hallmark of a Jesuit volunteer experience is meaningful work with the poor. We don’t intend to stuff envelopes. This is a way of praying … of being a contemplative in action.”

For more information about the Ignatian Lay Volunteer Corps, contact George Sullivan at gsullivan@ilvc.org or call the ILVC national office toll-free at 888-831-4686.