College Summer Internships 
College students throughout the years have been an integral part of the ecological or "green" aspects of the community, cultivating, planting and harvesting in the organic garden. They’ve also helped in building and maintaining buildings, which include a straw bale house, named Brigid House, with solar energy, a compost toilet and wood cook stove. Wood splitting, gathering and stacking are part of the community rhythms as well as filtering vegetable oil for our automobile that runs on grease from a local restaurant.
The ongoing ministry includes welcoming college students from area colleges and universities for weekend retreats, ongoing programs and activities at Agape, as well as annual events and regular witness days. Prayer and music solidify office work and a daily schedule of work and witness in the local community and on the homestead. We use our voices and our instruments as we engage art, music and poetry as key ingredients in lives of practicing nonviolence.
Agape is a vegetarian community, Catholic in practice and ecumenical and interfaith in outreach. Prayer three times a day is optional, but encouraged and includes many sources, as well as daily Scripture.
Summer internships offer trips to local lakes, involvement with inner-city youth who come for programs, on-site volunteers, as we stack wood together, plant organic vegetables for the fall harvest, work on outreach in nonviolent education for the fall, enjoy the beauties of nature here in the Quabbin Reservoir. We study, think, talk about, pray about and practice a nonviolent lifestyle. Trips to other communities are planned and always a part of our ongoing desire to stay connected with other small communities of peace.
Short-Term Intermships: Agape is a member of the international WWOOF organization, so we take short-term residents for work in the organic aspects of the community. In addition, weoffer summer internships for college students for short or long periods of time.
Long-Term Internships: We are now searching for interns for a 9 month period, beginning September, 2009. Small stipends are available.
Internship Application (MS Word | pdf)
Our Experiences
When I first heard of the Agape community, I must say I uttered a sigh of relief. The very existence of such an invaluable project is affirming, calming, and of course inspirational. Throughout my young adulthood, I have come to value certain ideals: nonviolence, unconditional love, and the desire for a more alternative lifestyle. However, in my experience I have generally encountered the opposite. Even in a Catholic academic environment, my seemingly naïve idealism is met with a disregard for what I see as essential to a humane life.
But, what we learn from those at Agape is the possibility of real life. We can see the fully actual and radical life of Christ acted out each day. There, it is obvious that a commitment to nonviolence and true unconditional love is indeed possible. Through prayer, welcomed poverty, and the continuous extension of the powerful Christian message to all of life's aspects Agape has really shown the way. In the face of society's constant "no", Agape responds with a resounding "Yes"!
When humanity fails at resolving its ills, and difficulty and laziness are to blame, we can now see that with passionate committal peace is possible. With the effort we owe to our planet, our people, and ourselves we can conquer our shortcomings and foster the roots which Agape has planted.
The Agape community affirms my belief that it is the journey through life which is most important, that the struggle and tireless growth into faith is what really matters. In my personal quest I have found support from my experiences. I ground my mind in the constant teachings that I receive, my heart in the fervor of India, and now my guts in the Agape project. After observing what can and has been done there, my personal and spiritual motivations have been buttressed by a deep, concrete courage.
Brad Landry, St. Anselm College 2009
Agape has done something very important for me. It has made me fall in love with God, and the true meaning of my Catholicism. This is because God has brought me to a place where every dream I have ever dreamt about spreading the message of Jesus Christ already has a name. It has already been built.
As I ate my vegetarian food, smelled the Massachusetts wooded air and peered pictures of Agape friends at non violent gathering and peace rallies. On the retreat, we incorporated Eastern Spirituality, speaking of Jesus in the purest, most real way. He was non-violent. He was merciful.For me as an individual, all of these pieces of myself started falling into place. I was Catholic. I was a Peace and Justice Major. I was a Reiki (holistic and energy healing practioner.) I was a vegetarian, I loved community living.
Who knew that I would find my whole self, fully realized, accepted exactly how I was at Agape? But this is why God is so good. God loves us to no end and God knew that I needed to discover Agape giving me a glimpse of heaven in Agape, gracing and inspiring our young hearts with the community of Agape.
- I will take Agape with me as I choose to walk or take public transportation into and around the city.
- I will take Agape with me in every bit of garden organic food that I eat. Simplifying, not indulging in my meal.
- I will take Agape with me when I see a group of young intellectual men and women that are also lovers of Our Lady and the Holy Spirit.
- I will take Agape with me when I see a concentration of birch trees in the woods or while I converse with my friends under a patch of stars.
- I will take Agape with me as I turn the other cheek when someone produces words or the spirit of violence.
- I will take Agape to the alter when I am to be married, inspired by Suzanne and Brayton’s vow of teaching and working for non violence in communities.
- I will breathe Agape in every morning as my inhale is infused with the word “Jesus” and my exhale emits the word “mercy” as our meditation taught us.
Excerpt from an essay written by Maggie Rowlands ‘09,
Senior at St. Michael’s College in Burlington, VT
As an intern, I have learned about the importance of a simple and sustainable lifestyle, intentional community living and the correlation between energy conservation and peace. In addition, through daily community prayer and silent meditation, I have had the time to reflect about the meaning of non-violent spirituality and the inter-connection between faith, peace and justice. While the month of January has been a peaceful time of reflection and re-centering for us at Agape, we plan to be involved in upcoming local and national demonstrations over the continual human rights abuses at Guantanamo Bay and the President’s horrific call to send an additional 20,000 U.S. troops over to Iraq. Also, last Spring, Agape was central in coordinating an outside faith-based protest over Boston College’s decision to award Condoleezza Rice an honorary degree at Commencement despite her involvement and central role in planning the ongoing unjust war in Iraq.
Peter Land, Boston College, 2007