God guides us to where we need to be

FrancisCorps volunteers live the charism of St. Francis

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By Eileen Jevis, Staff writer

“Charism is a gift from God for the church and the world, given as different ways of living out the Gospel. The source of all charisms is the same — the Holy Spirit. Charism may also be described as the spirit of the community. Like the strong, driving wind in the Pentecost story (Acts 2:1-6), it is a powerful energy that permeates through community members and the way in which they do their ministries.”

This definition by Sr. Annie Klapheke, SC, of Cincinnati, describes the work of the volunteers who commit to a year of service in FrancisCorps, a Syracuse-based ministry founded by the Conventual Franciscan Friars in 1999. Its purpose is to share the passion and vision of St. Francis of Assisi by empowering young adults to make a positive impact in the world.

The ministry, based on the spirituality and values of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi, allows volunteers the opportunity to spend a year not just serving, but thinking about how they have been called to live the Gospel for the rest of their lives, explained Alexander LaPoint, director of the program. LaPoint said the process is one of mutual discernment.

“The FrancisCorps experience is not like applying for a job,” he explained. ”Along with service, volunteers commit to a shared life together, including daily meals and prayer, weekly community nights, faith sharing and Mass as well as retreats and a pilgrimage to Assisi and Rome, Italy.”

LaPoint said the goal is to help young adults find where they are called to serve and what best fits with where they feel God is calling them.

It is that guidance, discernment and prayer that led Matthew Tate to apply to the program. Tate, who grew up outside of Albany, graduated from Boston University in 2022 with a degree in environmental policy. After college, he went home to contemplate his next steps. “I felt unsure of how God wanted to use me,” he said. “I spent a few months discussing this with my family and inviting the Holy Spirit to clear a path for me.”

Tate was looking for a way to combine his enjoyment of college volunteer experiences with his love of service and faith. As he was scrolling through the Catholic Volunteer Network website, he saw an opportunity that captivated him — volunteer opportunities through FrancisCorps in Syracuse.

While Tate didn’t have a lot of knowledge of FrancisCorps and the Franciscan way of life before joining, he said he was overwhelmed with such a loving community of religious brothers and friars.

“Since the first day we arrived in Syracuse, they welcomed us into their lives and embraced us as their own,” he said. Tate’s year of service was spent at Onondaga County Catholic Charities men’s shelter. His work included assisting with serving meals, organizing clothes and food donations, meeting with guests to conduct the intake process and other tasks.

Tate said he wouldn’t trade the experience for anything. “No amount of academic education or research that I had become so accustomed to could prepare me for encountering the stark reality of humanity,” he said. “God knew I needed a mindset shift and He knows that the world needs it as well. It is through being present to those who are marginalized and suffering that we experience the fullness of God’s love.”

Like Matthew Tate, Allison Kasparek, a third-grade teacher at Most Holy Rosary, was also looking for a potential post-graduate volunteer opportunity when she was introduced to FrancisCorps during her senior year of college.

Kasparek grew up in Grand Rapids, Michigan and graduated from the University of Michigan in 2022. It was an email from FrancisCorps associate director Jenny Rose Anacan that caused a spark and encouraged Kasperak to learn more. After doing her research, she applied.

“The mission is to instill a love of service in the volunteers who come from all over the country as well as some who joined from other countries,” Kasparek said. “For a year, we live out our faith in service to the Syracuse community, replicating the charism of St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi.”

During its 26 years of operation, the organization has partnered with 18 different service sites in Syracuse, helping those struggling with food insecurity, health care, education, housing issues and refugee services, to name a few. “We offer a wide variety of service opportunities so that our volunteers can find a place they feel called to and that their gifts and talents can be best utilized and challenged,” LaPoint said.

Kasparek, who has a degree in education, is the oldest of four children. She found her calling and fulfillment in working with children. She served as a youth mentor at Northside CYO, which is part of the Catholic Charities Refugee Program. She also worked in the Syracuse City School District providing a welcome academy for newly arrived refugee children.

“I receive a new perspective in many ways, ways that I can’t express into words,” said Kasparek. “FrancisCorps had such a tremendous impact on my life. The people I encountered deepened my love for God and for others.”

Since the organization’s inception, over 200 individuals from 33 states, Canada and Costa Rica cared for those in need at 34 different service sites in two countries, LaPoint explained. From 2005-2018 they also had a sister location in Costa Rica who lived out the Franciscan mission guided by the Holy Spirit. To learn more about FrancisCorps, visit franciscorps.org.