About Us

AMAs Needed!  AMAs Needed!

AMAs Needed!  AMAs Needed!                                              

Calling all young women who feel the call to serve! Our two communities in Chaparral, New Mexico and Worcester, Massachusetts need you to work with them as AMA's for the next volunteer cycle, August 2009 – July 2010.

• In Chaparral, our AMAs do invaluable work with the children and youth of this colonia – teaching and tutoring in the local schools, organizing camps during school breaks and vacations, holding weekly fun nights at Casa Maria Eugenia, teaching English as a Second Language, preparing adults for GED and Citizenship exams, and responding to the many needs of the people in this border town with Mexico. They work with Assumption Sisters to safeguard the dignity and protect the human rights of the immigrants.
• In Worcester, AMAs are needed to work with the Sisters and the parish community of St. Peter-St. Andrew Church in mentoring children and youth in the inner-city, providing academic assistance, wholesome recreational activities and friendship. The AMAs teach English as a Second Language to the many immigrants in this very multi-cultural neighborhood and offer educational support to those working toward their GED. They are also available to serve in the many neighborhood agencies, depending on the needs of the neighborhood, the skills and interests of the volunteer.  They form part of the Main South neighborhood, with all its challenges, struggles and joys. 

 

The Faces of AMA 2008-2009:

                                      

Jeff: England           Ellie: New Mexico      Kirsten: England    Stephanie: Worcester

                                      

                     Letty:  Worcester       Paul: Mexico           Nicole: The Philippines

                

              "There is more happiness in giving than in receiving."
                  ---Acts, 20:35

                   

What is AMA? 

In 1954 the Assumption Sisters founded the Associate Missionaries of the Assumption (AMA) as a way of answering the many appeals of the world. Young women and men committed themselves to work and live with Assumption communities in Asia, Africa, the Americas, and Europe, sharing their vision of the Christian transformation of society and working to make it happen. Today, the work continues.  While at their volunteer sites, AMA's find new insight into God's gifts through service to others. It is through their service that they come to understand more fully the rule of life of The Religious of the Assumption: "Love never remains idle: it makes us creative and impels us to heed all the appeals of the world and to find new ways of answering them."   The mission of AMA today, as it began over 50 years ago, remains the same and continues to enrich the lives of volunteers, religious, and those served. 

AMA Mission

AMA is a lay community of persons whose life and mission are rooted in the love of Jesus Christ and His Church. Their lives are marked by bearing witness to:

-a community life characterized by a commitment to personal and communal growth, the values of a simple lifestyle, the spirituality of the contemplative in action, and a spirit of trust;

-a prayer life deeply rooted in Jesus and Mary, the celebration of the Eucharist, and the celebration of prayer in community;
-a life in mission impelled by the faith to work for the Christian transformation of society, which comes from faith.

 

What's It Like to Be an AMA?

AMA volunteers see and experience life through the eyes of others: those to whom they minister and those with whom they live. Living in community with other volunteers, AMA’s find the support of peers and shared experiences. In addition, AMA's will receive guidance from the Religious of the Assumption and the Assumptionists, women and men who have vowed to live a life dedicated to service to God, education, and community living. Whether you want to serve as a teacher in Rwanda, in a parish in Worcester, MA, in one of the many community development projects in the Philippines, or in ministry in Mexico City; whether you are a recent college graduate or a young professional dissatisfied with the workplace and looking for more meaning in your life, your primary role as an AMA will be to empower the poor, the young and the marginalized.  Living with and serving the poor,  AMA's discover who they really are and how their faith is deeply a part of them.  They also realize that "You may never know what results come from your action.  But if you do nothing, there will be no results."  --- Gandhi   They take a chance, put their beliefs into action and find that their lives are made fuller beyond words along the AMA journey. 

Who Are the AMA's?

AMA's are young people from all over the country who find the beliefs of Saint Marie Eugenie appealing.  She believed that "this Earth is a place of glory for God"  and that  each of us has a responsibility to reflect that glory.  AMA's come from Florida and Rhode Island; from San Diego and Philadelphia; from St. Louis and Sweet Home, Oregon.  They are graduates of Gonzaga University and Stanford; Assumption College and Tulane University.  Some have spent some years in the work force; some are new graduates.  What unites them is a common zeal for service, for building the Kingdom of God here on Earth.  They choose to make a commitment to spend a year or two in service to others, living in communities marked by sharing, direct service to the neediest in society, and prayer.  And growing a bit themselves along the way. 

How Can You Become an AMA?

Please refer to the Apply Now page for more details on how to become an AMA.  If you think AMA may be a good decision for you, and if you are between 22 and 40 years old, we invite you to begin the process of application.  We require:

• Completed application form
• Two letters of recommendation
• Medical Certificate
• Psychological evaluation
• $15.00 application fee

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis with preference given to those received first. 

Once your paperwork is complete, we schedule a personal interview to get to know you better. This completes the application process. Our volunteer year begins in mid-August with a mandatory orientation program in Worcester, MA and continues through the following July.  Please feel free to call or e-mail Beth Fleming (508.767.1356 or ama-usa@juno.com) at any time during the process if you have questions or concerns. 

Missions     Apply Now

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"God led me into this program for a reason, and one of the most important things that
has been revealed to me is that the more I give myself away, the fuller I become.  I’m not sure exactly how it works, but I am not one to question God’s graces.  I am reminded, though, of a song I used to listen to when I was younger. It says simply that, “Love isn’t love, unless you give it
away,” I guess that is where the service aspect comes in."

Robin LaRouche

AMA New Mexico

2005-2006

 

"I am reminded of a quote by St. Philip Neri: “Cast yourself into the arms of God and be very sure that if He wants anything of you, He will fit you for the work and give you strength.” Working up the nerve to teach a small class of ESL may not seem like a very big triumph but like a lot of things this year it took a certain amount of trust. Trust in myself; that I was capable of more than I thought and more importantly, trust in God; that he truly would fit me for the work he asked of me."

Liz Clayton

AMA Worcester

2006-2007

 

"The biggest thing I’ve learned is the need to help in a humble and undramatic manner, without seeking to place myself at the center of things.  The less a person tries to place themselves at the center of the world around them, the more they’re able to enjoy the people and the moments around them for what they are."

Paul Siska

AMA Mexico

2008-2009