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Suzanne M. Geaney '76 and Philip M. Law '58
By Rebecca Smith '99
 When Philip Law '58 retired after 42 years in law, investment banking and consulting, he had no intention of spending his time golfing or traveling. Instead, he wanted to share his time and talents in a meaningful way with others.
In the Ignatian Volunteer Corps (IVC), Law found the perfect outlet to give back to his community. The IVC offers retired lay men and women over 50 the opportunity to work for justice and grow deeper in their Christian faith. Participants volunteer two days a week at organizations that serve the needs of the materially poor or address the structures affecting the poor. Volunteers commit to one year of service—although, according to Executive Director Suzanne Geaney '76, more than 80 percent renew their commitment annually. In fact, many volunteers have been with the program since its inception 11 years ago.
Geaney attributes the program's popularity to its distinguishing spiritual aspect.
"IVC's strong spiritual program supports volunteers in dealing with the effects of the poverty they encounter," she explains. "It helps transform their activities from service into mission, so they can see more clearly where God is acting in their lives and in the lives of those they serve."
Drawing on the Jesuit tradition, the program has four reflective components: personal prayer and journal writing; individual meetings with a spiritual adviser; group reflections with other local volunteers; and attendance at a series of short retreats.
Through the New York Province of the Jesuits, Law is currently volunteering in the South Bronx, teaching ESL (English as a second language) to Hispanic women. In his previous IVC term, he served as a Eucharistic minister to nursing home residents. Law says that both experiences have "deepened his faith."
"Due to the Ignatian element of our program, volunteers feel deep compassion for the people they serve," explains Geaney, "and know more clearly that God is working alongside them."
Headquartered in Baltimore, Md., IVC is a nonprofit organization with 12 regional chapters across the country and over 200 volunteers. For more information, see http://www.ilvc.org.
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