MISSION AND MINISTRY | On a recent cold and drizzly Saturday, nine LMU community members from this year’s cohort of Companions in Mission arrived at the Downtown Women’s Center on Los Angeles’ Skid Row, ready to work. They donned hair nets, aprons, and gloves, and quickly dug into the task of preparing 150 hot meals for women who are currently experiencing or transitioning out of homelessness.
The Companions in Mission program is a yearlong program for LMU faculty and staff to learn more about the university’s history, identity, and mission. After attending a series of luncheons in the fall focused on various aspects of LMU’s history and Ignatian heritage, companions attend a weekend Ignatian retreat in February and then choose between two service opportunities in the spring semester. The program components are designed to reflect the pillars of the LMU mission statement: the encouragement of learning, the education of the whole person, and the service of faith and the promotion of justice.
As a reflection of the importance of whole-person education and the centrality of serving faith and justice, many of the 2018-19 companions dedicated their time on Saturday, March 2, to serving the clients of the Downtown Women’s Center. DWC is the only organization in Los Angeles focused exclusively on serving and empowering women experiencing homelessness and formerly homeless women. Among many other services — including supportive housing programs, health and wellness services, and professional development and internships — DWC provides hot, nutritious, and home-cooked meals to approximately 200 women daily. As part of their service, the companions prepared the entire meal from scratch, and then served lunch to each woman. They also received a tour of the adjoining Made by DWC Café, which is staffed by members of the DWC employment programs and also sells a variety of gifts and goods professionally crafted by women transitioning out of homelessness.
“I was humbled seeing the women, of all ages and ethnicities, at the center,” said Rosa Calderon, administrative specialist in the President’s Office, about her day of service. “As I served the women the hearty lunch that we prepared at the center, I was reminded about the many blessings in my life, and I was filled with a greater sense of gratitude. I left the center with a greater desire to serve, in a more consistent manner.” For Rosa, her experience at DWC and in the Companions in Mission program is inspired by LMU’s commitment to education of the whole person: “Part of my journey in developing myself [as a whole person] has been to immerse myself in my religious and spiritual growth, and part of that growth is helping others in need.”
If deeper engagement with LMU’s history, heritage, and mission in community with faculty and staff colleagues appeals to you, you are invited to consider applying for next year’s Companions in Mission program. All program costs are covered by the Office of Mission and Ministry. Applications are now open and will be accepted until April 26, 2019.
Click here for more information or to apply to the Companions in Mission program.
For questions about Companions in Mission or other Mission and Ministry programs, please contact Katherine Brown, director of mission and identity programs, at Katherine.Brown@lmu.edu or visit us at mission.lmu.edu.
More information about the Downtown Women’s Center and how to support their work is available on the DWC website.
