alumni feature, jvc magazine
By JVC Staff
(Washington, DC 1979-80)
After helping Mother Teresa open an AIDS clinic nearly three decades ago, Pennsylvania lawyer Pat Brier starts an Esperanza immigration clinic in Scranton
PATRICK BRIER CONTINUES TO LIVE OUT THE MISSION AND VALUES OF THE JESUIT VOLUNTEER CORPS as a leader committed to justice within his native Scranton. As a volunteer with the newly-formed Jesuit Volunteer Corps East, Brier served alongside Jesuit priest Horace McKenna accompanying persons experiencing homelessness in Washington, D.C.
“We worked out of the basement of the Saint Aloysius Church on North Capitol Street at an organization called The Line. Every day, a large group of people who were homeless would line up outside of our doors, and we would give them whatever we had.”
After attending law school at Catholic University, Brier returned to Northeastern Pennsylvania to work for justice in his home community, representing clients that included Mother Teresa and the Missionaries of Charity.
“The Missionaries of Charity were working diligently to get a Pediatric AIDS home opened in Philadelphia, despite a number of delays and pushback. We were able to complete the project successfully and get the AIDS home opened.”
In 2017, Brier, now a healthcare lawyer, started an Esperanza immigration clinic in Scranton to support DACA recipients and others who require assistance navigating the immigration process.
“There is such a large need here, especially among this group that has been terrified by recent events. We are now hoping to expand the clinic and add additional services for this vastly underserved population.”
Brier and his wife Kate have raised five children in Scranton, two of whom have gone on to become Jesuit Volunteers themselves. He thanks JVC for inspiring him to build care for the poor and marginalized into his personal and professional life.
“JVC was a cathartic experience because it was the first time where my eyes were really opened to all the opportunities for remaining involved in social ministry.”
fjv, alumni feature, love stories
"Living in a community of parallels, marred by trauma, supported by deep love, helped us recognize how much responsibility we carry in this world as stewards of social justice."
fjv, alumni feature, love stories
"We credit JVC for giving us a strong foundation for our relationship and the values that we are actively passing on to the next generation of F(uture) Jesuit Volunteers."
fjv, alumni feature, love stories
"The four values of JVC, simple living, social justice, community, and spirituality have been infused in our relationship and marriage, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. We are at our best when we are surrounded and supported by community; the best and worst moments of our relationship have been made better when shared with the people we love."
fjv, alumni feature, love stories, international program
"JVC showed us how to care for each other more in radical ways, in more soulful ways. Together, we still ask the questions. How can we live in this world that is always demanding so much of us with a sense of abundance rather than depletion? How do we exist in a community with a sense of all of us belonging to each other?"
fjv, community, love stories, alumni feature
"JVC taught us to communicate openly and clearly with each other and we still use some of the things we learned in Milwaukee to make our big emotional decisions."