Wishing You a Merry Christmas

Enjoy these Christmas greetings from the Benedictine Volunteers serving around the world in 2025 and 2026.

A Message From the Director: Fr. Geoffrey Fecht, O.S.B.

Rome Volunteers Meet Pope Leo

Life as a Benedictine Volunteer in Rome is usually marked by quiet routines: early prayers, long stretches in the library, an hour cleaning the refectory. For Andrew and Henry, that pattern was unexpectedly punctuated on November 11, when they joined the monastic community at Sant’Anselmo for the consecration Mass of the Pontifical Ateneo and found themselves greeting Pope Leo XIV.

What struck Andrew was not only the handshake itself, but how it emerged from the fabric of ordinary service. The same work, hauling dishes, setting tables, showing up for prayer, suddenly stood in a new light. In Rome, he writes, he is learning to see how a life shaped by Benedictine stability and community can reveal “the wonder and strangeness” hidden in seemingly insignificant tasks.

BVC Alumni Sam Rengo and Peyton Reece Debut Documentary Trailer

Reece & Rengo Productions Presents: Something to Smile About

A social worker, a basketball player, and an artist navigate life in Mathare, Kenya, Africa’s second largest slum, reminding us that even though life is unfair, there's always Something to Smile About.

In January 2025, we traveled to Mathare, a massive informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya, with a vision to create a film about hope and humanity in the face of great adversity.

One year later, in early 2026, we will return to Mathare to premiere the film and to provide immediate assistance to the film’s subjects and their loved ones.

We are fundraising to help those struggling with homelessness, hunger, lack of educational funding, medical debt, and drug addiction.

Mathare is one of the most densely populated and underprivileged slum areas in the world where many people live below one dollar per day.

Any support you can offer will make a meaningful difference.

Thank you,

Sam and Peyton

Upcoming Nairobi Experience: A Collection of Testimonies from Nairobi

Written by Sean Fisher - BVC Monterrat and Imiliwaha ‘23-25

Each January, the BVC reunites the current cohort for a mid-year retreat in Nairobi, Kenya. Volunteers from their respective sites around the globe descend upon the city for an immersive experience. Despite the brevity of the Nairobi Experience, participants can expect deep community-building, both with one another and with the communities our volunteers serve in Nairobi. Over the years, this retreat has left a lasting impact on those who take part. We offer this collection of testimonies to illustrate what the Nairobi Experience is, and what it tends to awaken in the hearts of volunteers.

Daily life for a Nairobi BVC’er is a world away from Collegeville. The quiet rustle of the Saint John’s Arboretum is starkly contrasted with the hustle and bustle of Nairobi. Nairobi is a sensory playground: vibrant greenery and lush equatorial plant life bring wilderness into city living. Wafts of rich floral air lead the nose to ornate hibiscus bushes, only to fade quickly, as the city’s dense, fragrant air settles into the sinuses and reminds you not to breathe too greedily. Nairobi is a city brimming with duality. Within the gates of Saint Benedict’s Parish and the Amani Centre, life can retain something of a monastic rhythm. Outside the gates, Matatu conductors are clamoring and traffic is bustling. Just beyond those roads are the communities our Nairobi volunteers help serve.

Wes Kirchner (’24) volunteered in Nairobi and articulates this daily life: “We worked as substitute teachers in Saint Benedict’s Primary School. We also supported two different rehabilitation centers serving the people of Mathare: Saint Benedict’s Children Programme, and Alfajiri (dawn) Street Kids’ Art, each serving two distinct populations.”

Saint Benedict’s Children Programme, affectionately referred to as Mododo (beans), supports children in their efforts to attend school. “The kids would come to the center every day for one year and then would receive financial support to attend school all the way to high school graduation. Playing football and cards, teaching class, and sharing meals with the boys twice a week were very special. The struggles that these boys, aged 6–15, are greater than one can imagine, yet they persevere through the poverty, the hunger, and the dangers of their environment with courage and the biggest smiles you’ll ever see. Their strength was my strength when I was feeling down, and their joy was my joy.”

Alfajiri Art serves those living on the streets and working through addiction. “Working with Alfajiri showed me the immense struggle and suffering that can be found in the world, but it also showed me the unlimited potential that each human being has. Two or three times a week, boys are welcomed to the main center and its outreach center to participate in art workshops, which provide a safe space for the day and a meal, while also allowing them to express themselves in beautiful and often stunning ways. As they continue to attend these sessions and work towards sobriety, with the guidance of social workers and coaches, Alfajiri will then work with them to enter the next phase of their life, which could be school, work, or reuniting with family.”

One of the most impactful threads woven through our retreat days is what can be called the service of presence. Across all BVC sites, “being present” is an essential ingredient and a building block of real community. The daily rhythm of a volunteer in Nairobi is something we strive to emulate during the two-week retreat window: full days of community-building, rich cultural immersion, and the steady choice to be where your feet are. Presence and dedication to simply being part of the experience are central. Jake Kutina, reflecting on his Nairobi Experience, wrote: “I committed to being fully present, not wishing our time together away, not looking forward to what was next on the itinerary. Committing to sharing love. And receiving it back. That was special.” Being present goes beyond the physical; it’s dedicating your mind to focus on your surroundings, to intentionally engage your senses with what’s happening around you. In a place like Nairobi, this can feel overwhelming. But for the people who call it home, that hustle and bustle is everyday life.

Fr. Geoffrey Fecht participated in his inaugural Nairobi Experience in 2025. Fond memories of visits with our partner organizations remain core moments for him. However, he holds one moment from the slum walk close to his heart. Fr. Geoffrey recounts being with a group of street kids in the slum of Mathare. He remembers a group of boys who were intentionally caring for one of their peers who was severely physically disabled. They ensured their friend was included in the movement of the group by physically carrying him throughout the walk. When it came time to share food, an armful of bread loaves was parceled out among the group. Everyone broke bread together, shared in community, and made sure all were present.

Fr. Geoffrey mentions how this moment reminded him of Mark’s Gospel, chapter 2—specifically verses 1–5—when Jesus returned to Capernaum and was greeted by a large crowd. A group of men climbed the roof and lowered their friend, who was in dire need of a miracle, down to Jesus. The miracle was not only the healing of the man, but the commitment of his peers to his well-being. Just as the street kids carried their friend, ensuring he could be part of the community. “The moment will stay with me for the rest of my life.” —Fr. Geoffrey Fecht

The Nairobi Experience is also an opportunity for the current cohort to reconnect as a group midway through their collective service year. Additionally, it offers alumni the chance to reconnect with the BVC and experience the joy of service again. This blend of alumni and current volunteers often creates an electric group dynamic. The inclusion of strong supporters of the BVC also helps facilitate a deeper retreat experience. Margaret Nuzzolese Conway, who helped facilitate the 2025 Nairobi Experience, shared this about her time there:

“During January 2025 I traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, and led retreat sessions for recent alumni of Saint John’s Benedictine Volunteer Corps (BVC). This experience was very moving for me as I witnessed the profound growth in many of the volunteers who had formerly worked with SJUfaith. I was moved, filled with hope by their efforts in the local communities, despite very challenging circumstances… I had never been to Nairobi and was struck by the paradox of both beauty and sin: beauty in natural creation (giraffes, zebras, lions, and birds) and in good people working at the local level; and sin in our human neglect of one another (slums, lack of access to adequate education, sewage in the streets). I give thanks to God for the BVC and for the opportunity this program provides for young men to further their growth and give back in areas of dire need!” —Margaret Nuzzolese Conway

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