Priest links study to serving others

He brings to the post years of experience working with the poor and marginalized in New York City and Boston. He has also taught at Siena; at St. Francis College in Rye Beach, New Hampshire; and St. Bonaventure University in Allegany, New York, where he served as president.

A native of Malone, he grew up in Troy, attending St. Augustine School and Catholic Central High.

Volunteers

The center, now in its eighth year, promotes community service by students.

"We hold a volunteer fair each semester on the campus. Students sign up for work they wish to do. They donate whatever amount of time they can to local public service events," Father Doyle said.

"They volunteer in local food pantries, Christmas Giving Tree efforts, Thanksgiving meal preparations and deliveries, and annual blood drives.

Our students also teach reading courses to adults and teens, serve as hospitality volunteers at local homeless shelters, and provide service to the elderly, and to children in the Big Brother and Sister programs."

Last spring, 73 Siena students spent their spring break helping to build homes with Habitat for Humanity.

Franciscan touch

In his new position, Father Doyle hopes to further "solidify the match between the volunteer services that the students provide and their academic learning," a strategy that has consistently been one of the goals of the center.

The center was begun by a grant from the Holy Name Province of the Franciscan friars "to encourage students to engage in community service as part of their academic career," he said.

"The whole idea for the center is for students to become aware of the needs of others -- people that might be in a poverty or even homeless situation, those that are marginalized, ill or suffering. The hope is that their experiences will give them an understanding that Christians are called by the Gospel directive to care for others as part of our lives, as followers of Jesus."

Father Doyle added that the program "is beginning to make available opportunities at agencies outside of the Capital District. For example the Province operates a shelter for the homeless in Philadelphia that students here work in if they wish. They also go overseas to Third World countries on their vacation time."

Learn and give

Another goal of the center is to incorporate academics into the community service program.

"The values we aspire to as Catholics and as Franciscans can be absorbed into every discipline," Father Doyle noted. "We find all kinds of ways to connect our Franciscan values. Through the Service and Advocacy program, students are learning how to connect their academic knowledge with growth in their own faith experience."

He emphasized that the students are enriched by exposure to other life perspectives, leadership experience, meaningful relationships and a sense of accomplishment.

"Our tradition at Siena has always been shaped by the values that were lived by St. Francis, St. Clare and the Franciscan saints and leaders," he said. "That tradition is still alive here, and our hope for our students is that they can take what they learn and make it a part of their lives. Volunteering to help others is not just a 'one-shot deal.' The center exists to give students a much more realistic view of the world they're going to be living and working in as adults."

(For more information on the Franciscan Center for Service and Advocacy, call 783-2300.)(11/22/07)[[In-content Ad]]