Importance of Encounter

Sep 9

The DeSales Service Works (DSW) provides opportunities for high school and college students to go out and join the good work of DSW service partners in Camden, NJ. These include the Last Stop (a street-level drug and alcohol recovery community with meetings here in Camden and the Kensington section of Philadelphia), Holy Name School (a Catholic elementary school), Joseph’s House (a homeless shelter for about 75 women and men), and Cathedral Kitchen (food distribution). DSW groups offer concrete help providing for basic needs of food and clothing—but most importantly, volunteers get to offer Salesian friendship by talking, listening, and encountering, others in need.

During the summer of 2026, a group of four rising sophomores at Notre Dame spent eight weeks volunteering with DSW. They shared brief reflections on their experiences.

Rebecca Knauff

What struck me most during my time in Camden was the raw and real humanity visible in the city. It is unfortunately easy to see human struggles of addiction and poverty; however, the human tendency to care for one another is also on full display. I am in awe of this community's strength and its willingness to help one another. Everyone I spoke with – volunteers, residents, or individuals living on the streets – truly cares about the Camden community and works to improve life there.

My experience this summer was marked by interactions with those living in and around Camden. I know they will leave an impact on me for the rest of my life. I am so grateful for everyone at DeSales Service Works for providing this opportunity. Thank you to Fr. Mike McCue for hosting the other students and me. This is truly an experience I will never forget.

William Salutillo

In our preliminary meetings with Father Mike, he told us to remember to cherish the stories of the people we would meet in Camden. Still, I did not realize until we arrived in Camden just how moving and impactful these stories would be. DeSales Service Works placement was unlike other Notre Dame NDBridge Program site placements that focused on one organization in a set place doing the repetitive tasks. Through DSW, we were able to work with multiple organizations and community leaders in Camden who serve the community in varying ways, responding to needs as they arise.

Through DSW’s widespread connection to the community, we got to know many of the people we served in the various acts of service we performed throughout Camden. As a result, we made genuine connections with the people of Camden in such a short period of time. Those genuine connections and the stories we encountered will stay with us forever.

In Notre Dame Bridge, we often talk about the concept of encounter in service, meeting those we serve where they are and earnestly building a bridge of connection and fulfillment of God's love in our actions and words. Working with Father Mike through DSW has shown me just how strong and meaningful encounters can be. This experience will always be something I cherish and will inspire the way I choose to live my life at and beyond Notre Dame.

Gabriel Velasquez

This summer, I had the gift of spending eight weeks in Camden with DeSales Service Works through Notre Dame's NDBridge program. I spent most days organizing donations and serving food at Joseph's House of Camden, assembling food packages at Cathedral Kitchen, handing out books and drinks at homelessness resource fairs, and joining in weekly renovation projects around the city. Alongside that work, and inspired by it, I spent the summer researching the safety net Catholic churches once provided to disadvantaged communities in Camden, and how canonical and ecclesiological changes within the Church contributed to the weakening of that system over time. This experience allowed me to reflect and learn, through hands-on work, about the mission the Catholic Church seeks to provide to communities in need.

Phifer Whorley

Writing this reflection, it is quite difficult to sum up in words my experience this summer. My time in Camden at DSW has been filled with so many lessons from so many different people. Yet, if I were to choose one common thread within this journey, it would be the importance of encounter.

In a world increasingly dependent on social media and distanced interaction, these past eight weeks have been incredibly inspiring. No matter what my groupmates and I were doing — whether serving food at Joseph’s House with Irma, distributing groceries at Cathedral Kitchen, or attending local AA/NA meetings — my experience has been defined by human connection.

I have learned many lessons this summer, but above all, I have learned how much there is still to learn from others. The Last Stop (AA/NA) meetings have taught me to treat each day with gratitude and to accept “life on life’s terms.” Irma has shown me what it means to show up and serve with love. Through the many individuals I have served this summer, I have also come to realize that while service can mean providing physical resources to those in need, it also means being present for someone, being ready to listen, and reminding them that they are seen.

It is easy to read a news article that reinforces a particular narrative about Camden and accept it at face value. It is much more important, however, to go to the place, to encounter the people, and to realize the dignity and strength of its community.

With this, I am incredibly grateful to Fr. Mike, DeSales Service Works, and the people of Camden for making my experience this summer so meaningful. I know I will take these lessons with me far beyond these eight weeks.

“It has been great leading DSW, welcoming groups to experience working in Camden, and sharing Salesian Spirituality and gospel values with all the groups who come to serve. People often observe that those who serve get as much out of the experience as those who are served; I find that to be very true for myself. It is great to be a part of this positive Oblate enterprise of doing good works and learning from one another.”

- Fr. Mike McCue, OSFS, Spiritual Director of DeSales Service Works

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