NEW YORK — As part of a series that features friars in formation, HNP Today talked with postulant Jeffery Jordan and learn where his ministry is leading him.
Jeffery has been spending several days a week ministering at the Mercy Center, a community center sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy in the South Bronx. According to Jeffery, it offers a variety of services to the South Bronx community, including ESL classes, after-school programs, parenting classes, anger management, immigration services, and yoga.
“The center is family-oriented; given the social and ethno-graphic dynamics of the area, the center works with mostly immigrant women and their family,” he said.
Jeffery has been enjoying teaching ESL and working in the after-school program. In addition to teaching, he said he is learning, too.
“Spiritually, I’m learning how to be more present, patient and supportive to ensure that my students and the kids I teach succeed,” he said. “I’m incorporating a Franciscan approach to my ministry, and learning to see God in my students, their successes, their struggles, and their perseverance.”
This ministry is a perfect fit, according to Jeffery, especially given his academic background in linguistics and romance languages, namely Spanish, French, and Italian.
— Wendy Healy, a writer based in Danbury, Conn., contributes frequently to this publication.