FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Discerning a Year of Service can be challenging with so many options today.
This FAQ page is full of questions fellow young adults have asked when inquiring about Cap Corps...
What sets a volunteer year of service with Cap Corps apart from others missionary programs?
This is a good question and an important one. What a blessing to live in this vibrant time of the Church with many avenues for young people to live the Gospel! There are many amazing "missionary programs” today and at face value they appear very similar to a volunteer year of service like Cap Corps. One primary difference is that other programs usually comprise a group of young adults who all serve the same mission/ministry; for example: missionaries all living/working in a women’s pregnancy home or shelter, or evangelizing together on college campuses, or accompanying men and women experiencing homelessness. While their roles might differ from one another, they all work together toward one common mission/type of work. Cap Corps is similar but distinct. While each volunteer in Cap Corps commits to living the same pillars of service, simplicity, community and prayer, Cap Corps volunteers all work/serve in different ministries (healthcare, schools, social service agencies, etc.). Unique benefits of this model are: -Volunteers can learn from each other’s experiences of serving varied populations with differing needs. -Volunteers are gaining professional work experience that will set them apart for future employers as they build concrete skills. -Volunteers receive subjective benefits like increased confidence and awareness from being in professional settings, navigating workplace dynamics, gathering insights into their strengths and weaknesses and exploring interests and passion. -Volunteers can be matched in service placements that suit their existing skills and interests as well as ministry opportunities that might help them discern a future career path.
How does St. Francis of Assisi have relevance to me as a young adult in today’s modern world?
Before he lived a saintly life, Francis lived a typical worldly life. He cared about his image, acquiring wealth, partying and gaining honor and prestige. He faced disappointments. Eventually, he struggled with knowing his purpose, figuring out how to follow God and what it meant to be a Christian. He clashed with his father over his growing convictions and likely felt misunderstood. St. Francis ultimately became the Saint we know and love him as today by his love of God, giving his life fully to Christ, and living the Gospel radically by living a poor life on the road with brothers. His life and the founding of the Order Friars Minor are characterized by this zeal and youthful energy of their founder. His witness is far reaching and it stems from his love and focus on God–his humility and life of prayer, his association with the poor and outcasts of society, his reverence for all of creation, his devotion to the incarnation and crucifixion of Christ, his love of the Eucharist–all of it came from his love of Jesus. In all this we see that St. Francis is a timeless example of our universal call to holiness, and can be a source of particular encouragement to young people today.
Is Cap Corps faithful to all of the teachings of the Catholic Church
Yes.
What sets Cap Corps apart from other year of service programs?
What is the formation like in Cap Corps?
Cap Corps is Catholic; not all year of service programs are faith-based and if they are, not all of them are Catholic. This is central to our identity and why we exist. We are a Franciscan Program; other programs may be affiliated with a different religious order or no religious order at all. We are specifically Capuchin, and the program was founded to share in the Capuchin Charism. Each of our pillars align with a core aspect of the Friars’ life, which is built around following in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi. We have active and consistent involvement from the religious order in which we are affiliated. Some programs may not have this benefit; we are blessed by their support! Most alumni say the close accompaniment of the friars is an unexpected joy of Cap Corps which adds a beautiful (and fun!) dimension to their experience. The four pillars are of equal importance and emphasized holistically as part of the experience; some programs have a different approach where one tenant is emphasized more than others, either explicitly or implicitly. Simplicity is a pillar not always emphasized in other programs, even other Franciscan programs, though it might be assumed or lived out by also having stipends. In Cap Corps, our pillar of simplicity is more than going without; it is an act of solidarity and a spiritual disposition of detachment, stemming from the Capuchin vow of poverty.
Cap Corps has a week-long orientation retreat, three additional retreats, spiritual direction and human formation sessions built into the year which all intentionally supplement the most formative experience Cap Corps offers: living the four pillars. We have repeatedly witnessed that the lived experience of service, community, simplicity and prayer is what forms and transforms young adults. At the conclusion of our year, we have a ceremony where we "Commission" or send forth our volunteers into the world as beacons of light and servants of the Gospel in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi. The end of Cap Corps is the culmination of a yearlong journey, building upon and strengthening each volunteer's foundation of faith and service. Our alumni have shared that the formative experience in Cap Corps makes the ending actually a beginning for the rest of their life.
Do I have to be a college senior to apply?
Will fundraising be required?
No. The requirement for Cap Corps is a college degree or at least 2 years of work experience. However, you must be 21 years of age or older. Cap Corps has also accepted individuals who graduated from college, worked a few years and then discerned taking time off to intentionally serve and/or create space to discern a next step or career change. These individuals and their experience add much to the community throughout the year.
No. Fundraising is not a requirement of Cap Corps. Personal, communal and transportation stipends cover a volunteer's needs.
Do I have to be Catholic or agree with all of the Church's teaching to participate in Cap Corps?
Cap Corps is open to accepting any candidate that demonstrates the qualities we look for in potential volunteers–we especially evaluate how well suited an applicant is for community living as well as their professionalism. While it is ideal that an applicant intentionally choose Cap Corps because it is a faith-based program, we would not exclude someone on the basis of differing views or religious belief alone. As a Catholic program we seek to uphold and reverence the dignity of all people no matter what. We expect that our Catholic identity is respected by those applying and that each volunteer demonstrates a willingness to participate in all aspects of the program, including those of prayer and spirituality. We welcome and encourage thoughtful engagement for those who have questions about the faith; Cap Corps is intended to be an experience where each member has the opportunity to grow and learn about themselves, God and the Catholic faith.
