The summer months have become an integral time to maintain St. Bonaventure student presence at the Warming House.
For many years, therefore, a ten-week internship program has been offered to students to continue and extend the ministry of the Warming House through these months.
This internship also welcomes students to progress through their own journey by giving them challenging experiences of living and ministering together in community.
Interns' time commitments, duties
During this ten-week internship, students will be asked to serve approximately thirty hours per week in a variety of roles.
The primary commitment of time will be spent at the Warming House itself planning menus, cooking, cleaning, and providing hospitality to the guests. The lesser, but still vital, commitment for the summer is working at Canticle Farm two mornings a week (8am to noon) planting, tending, cultivating, and harvesting vegetables (manual work).
Weekly, Canticle Farm donates vegetables to many needy families and agencies in our local area, including the Warming House.
Building relationships
Being intimately in touch with the relationships between the earth, food, and people (especially those who are hungry) is a central theme of this summer experience. There will also be a minor role in the summer freshman orientation sessions where student interns will represent St. Bonaventure University, University Ministries, and most particularly, the Warming House.
The summer interns will live together in community. This requires openness to collaboration, honest communication, and willingness to learn from each other.
There will be weekly community nights, reflections, mentoring visits with the director, possible camping trips and horseback riding, and an overnight stay at Mt. Irenaeus.
Student interns will be highly encouraged to keep a journal/portfolio of their summer.
Each intern will have two days off per week (which includes every Saturday and one other day a week). Other time off will be discussed with each student during his or her interview.
Stipend offered to help make ends meet
Because the students who will be considered for the summer internship program most likely are also financing some portion of their education, there is a stipend to help compensate, albeit on a minimal level, for lost wages from more lucrative employment opportunities.
Consequently, the stipend offered from the supervised experience is $250 per week for the10-week period (taxes will be taken), with room and board also included. We have received in the past a significant and generous grant from the Franciscans of the Holy Name Province to be able to offer this possibility.