Service Immersion Experiences

Students come on immersion experiences for a variety of reasons: some as a way to live out their faith, some need service hours, some are looking for a community, some love service. And while all these reasons are good, we want to help all of us remember that, ultimately, we go because we are called.

We are created to form and sustain communities. Communities are not only groups of people living in close proximity, but people of similar values and goals committed to the common good. Our common bond in our Catholic tradition, along with our desire to serve, is a valuable aspect of our week.

By praying together, we grow closer to God through each other. We learn to rely on one another and to trust. We pray to see where God has been active in our lives that day and how we can better respond to God's invitation to love and grace.

We go with the smallest pack possible. Our material possession can be barriers to building relationships. We have been called to be stewards of our own possessions and that of the world. During the week, we hope that we will be more open to others, that we will learn to compromise our time and money, and that we will learn how to live simply so others can simply live.

Social justice is the challenge that urges people of faith to confront suffering in the light of the Gospel values. It is about those systems and patterns that describe how we do things. In many ways, justice is more difficult because justice confronts the powers that be in ways that charity does not. The Church has a whole body of work called Catholic Social Teaching, which helps us to act in faith to those who suffer from injustice, poverty, and oppression.

Through this experience, you might begin to see things a bit different than you had in the past. We certainly hope so. This experience should only be the beginning. That is, by your experience, you no longer can look at the world the same or the way you live it.