Coleman Geraci - Volunteer Of The Month

Volunteer of the Month

Seminarian Coleman Geraci

Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father and the Risen Lord Jesus Christ! Amen!I am Seminarian Coleman Geraci and bring greetings from Concordia St. Louis! As a part of our curriculum in Seminary, I have been given the opportunity to volunteer at the Peace Center’s Afterschool Program for CFNA. On Thursday afternoons, I get to work with collectively about 40 children from ages 7-12, but specifically with about six 10 and 11 year olds. The experience has been grand.

The Peace Center has provided me an opportunity to work with these children in several areas–academically, socially, and spiritually. We have spent time working on word puzzles, mathematical pattern recognition, card games, physical activity, as well as participating in Chapel services. The children have been responsive to most of the activities and it is a pleasure to see them grow in both their knowledge and maturity.

Being able to work with these children has been both a challenge and a blessing. The challenge is to communicate properly to them the importance of virtue and good character in a way that is not overly heady or theoretical. In this opportunity, I have had to transfer the lofty, academic knowledge from Seminary to on the ground application and response to the children. The blessing is the fruit of seeing them progress, although slowly at times, in both their character and wisdom.

I am thankful for the opportunity to serve at the Peace Center and am blessed by the practical engagement of Jesus words, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for kingdom of God belongs to such as these.”

By Coleman Geraci, Seminarian