John Alcorn
2010 Faith in Action Award Recipient

“God has blessed me with so much in my life that I knew it was time to do something in return,” shares John Alcorn, a 1963 graduate of St. Anastasia’s School in Waukegan, Ill. He is referring to his decision to take a one-year sabbatical from the law practice he had founded to travel to the Tamale Institute of Cross Cultural Studies (TICCS) in Ghana, West Africa and give a year of unpaid service. TICCS is a teaching and research center of the Catholic Church that offers courses in language-learning, culture-learning, and learning for appropriate ministry and development.

Alcorn decided to serve at TICCS after learning that Father John Kirby, SVD, who had founded and run the Institute since its beginnings, had skin cancer and may not be able to continue administering it. Because there was not a priest available to take over, the Bishop was considering closing it. But with Alcorn’s help, that never happened.

Once he arrived in Ghana, Alcorn took on the day-to-day functions at TICCS, managing the finances and scheduling. He also developed an administration manual to ensure that those who came after him had a clear, administrative guide for how the center operated.

“I wanted to do service to the Church, to TICCS, to Fr. Kirby, and to those who benefit from the many services TICCS provides,” says Alcorn. Most of those who are educated at TICCS are from outside of Ghana—mainly Europe, Japan, Canada, and the United States—and are preparing for long-term assignments in Africa as missionaries, foreign aids, or diplomats. “TICCS is based on the premise that true cultural understanding only happens when people are able to gain the trust and friendship of another culture. The focus of TICCS is on how a ‘foreigner’ can become an ‘insider,’” shares Alcorn. Today, TICCS continues to thrive, educating approximately 300 individuals annually.

Holy Child Roots

Alcorn was taught by the Sisters of the Holy Child at St. Anastasia’s School and credits them with helping him shape his life. “The Sisters had a profound impact on my life: spiritually, intellectually, and emotionally. They imparted in me a deep respect for the mystery of both God's being and His love for us. I would not be the man I am today had I not been the beneficiary of eight wonderful years of kind and caring instruction of the Sisters of the Holy Child,” says Alcorn.

A Career of Service

Alcorn founded the Law Offices of John R. Alcorn in Irvine, Calif. in 1980. The mission of Alcorn’s law practice is to help people solve U.S. immigration problems by providing effective, competent, professional, and caring legal representation. Alcorn also provides pro bono immigrant legalization services for SVD priests and personally pays the legal fees for many indigent immigrants who are served by his firm.

Alcorn is an active member of his Rotary Club, having helped to raise $20,000 that was used to purchase and donate 240 wheelchairs to another Rotary Club in Sonora, Mexico. That club distributed the chairs to residents there—many of whom had crawled on the ground their whole lives or had been unable or unwilling to leave their homes due to the stigmas that were attached to their conditions.

“John always had an inquisitive mind and asked good questions. As a student, he was incredibly kind and caring. Today, he continues to do so much for others. To leave his law office to serve in Ghana really amazed me,” shares Pat Phillips, SHCJ (M. Clement Mary), who taught Alcorn at St. Anastasia’s School and nominated him for the 2010 Faith in Action Award.

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