Pictures Archive

Students must 1st discern that they want to offer themselves this experience. They apply, read “In the Service of Life,” interview with student peers, pay the cost of the trips, come to 3 preparation meetings, and come to a missioning service the night before. The day they leave they take a quick picture, pray 1 more time and depart to be formed by our wonderful host site partners.Our Service Trips Program has 7 pillars: Service, Justice, Solidarity, Simplicity, Sustainability, Community and Reflection. Students are invited to watch video clips, listen to audio files, present to each other and then in small groups begin conversations on these topics. We talk about why these are priorities on our office and why we choose to work with partners who can share their strengths and challenges when working with poverty, migration, sustainability and peace.

For one of our General Meeting topics, Alice Smith reflected with our students about going “empty” and open to the experience of “going to a new culture and community”. She used the Chinese Legend of “The Empty Pot” to talk about being honest with ourselves, about weeding out the parts of us that will not help us to be present to each other on these trips.

Last night we used a Hopi Prayer and Downward Solidarity Reflection by Dean Brackley, SJ for our missioning. Allison and Rob Kinney-Walker shared their reflections with our group. They wanted to be considered for the Service Trips Hall of Fame. Between them they have been on 10 service trips with CCSJ, coordinating 8 of those and then hosting one trip when they were volunteering in Chicago! Allison graduated A&S ’06 and Werner Institute in ’09 Rob graduated A&S ’06 and is a current Law Student. They shared about thinking critically, learning from our hosts, building relationships and trying to bring their experience back. Fr. Ross Romero, SJ and many others blessed and prayed with our groups preparing for their departures.