• Simple lifestyle
• Community
• Spirituality
• Service with the Poor

For one year volunteers live in community with other volunteers, share spirituality with each other, live a simple lifestyle and serve the poor in full-time positions at local non profit agencies. We place volunteers in the inner city of Pittsburgh, rural Greene County, Pa., and Ashtabula, Ohio.

Volunteers have the opportunity to serve in the ministry of their choice while growing personally, professionally and spiritually and making a positive difference in the lives of others. Single men and women are challenged to experience God while living a Franciscan lifestyle during their volunteer commitment with low-income and under-served people in south-western Pennsylvania and Ohio.

The experience is known to leave its mark on a person for a lifetime because of its invaluable lessons. Read some inspiring stories by current and former volunteers.

Serving homeless men, women and children; troubled youth; pregnant teens; mentally challenged individuals; underprivileged people, or Hispanic immigrants in south-western Pennsylvania and Ohio will challenge you to help touch a life with God’s love. Your interest in the MFVP is a blessing to those we serve, and I know that you too will be blessed by the impact you make in your ministry by supporting our domestic volunteer program.

You don’t have to look far to find people who need your help. With an increasing number of elderly, Pittsburgh is ranked in the top 10 major metropolitan areas with a large demographic of adults 65 years of age and older. In fact, 17.7 percent of Pittsburgh’s population is elderly, which is just behind only four other cities in Florida. In addition, there are more than 3,000 homeless children in Allegheny County each year and usually live with a single parent, moving between several different shelters throughout the year.

From education to healthcare to social services, Pittsburgh has a variety of non-profit social-service agencies for you to get involved with, lend a hand and change a heart! Click here to learn what Pittsburgh has to offer?

Pittsburgh Home of the MFVP and other ministries sponsored by the Millvale Franciscan Sisters
Located at the confluence of the Allegheny, Ohio and Monongahela rivers and surrounded by hills, Pittsburgh features a beautiful skyline of skyscrapers and bridges.
Feel Pittsburgh’s warm embrace and experience the city’s charm from sporting events, to historical attractions, to cultural venues to social scenes.

With its polluted, steel-town image a distant memory, Pittsburgh has become a leader in “green” technology and environmental awareness and ranks second in green-certified space among cities across the nation. The David L. Lawrence Convention Center, the first green convention center and world’s largest green building, is the focal point of Pittsburgh’s green revolution. As a result, Pittsburgh has reinvented itself as a national resource for innovation.

“Pittsburgh has become a nationally-recognized center for medicine, education, art and culture, technology and financial services. It is home to several highly ranked universities, including the University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University and Carnegie Mellon University, as well as nationally acclaimed sports teams including the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins. In addition, Pittsburgh boasts many top-rated medical institutions, such as the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and Allegheny General Hospital.

The city has a rich heritage of culture, represented by institutions such as the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Ballet Theater, Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh and the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Because of its picturesque setting, economic opportunities, low cost of living, and rich educational, cultural and medical infrastructures, Pittsburgh is often highly ranked as one of the nation’s most livable cities.”

Learn more about Pittsburgh and its surrounding neighborhoods at visitpittsburgh.com