Every year members of the Catholic Campus Ministry go on a mission trip
during thier Spring Break. We usually bring about 15 students and
travel to places that need light maintenance/construction and/or
painting. We fundraise throughout the year by haveing a bagel
sale and dinner at the Church, and we writting to our home parish
organizations asking for donations.
2007 Mission Trip
March 17- March 24
For Spring 2007 sixteen of us will be going to Jarabacoa in the Dominican Rebuplic.
We will be building a chapel in the campos called Las Guasaras, near Jarabacoa. We will be staying with families.
We will start sending out fundraising letter to our parishes, Knights,
etc. over winter break, and the bagel sale and other activities will be
next semester.
2006 Mission Trip
March 18-26
The Mission
We went to Queretaro,
Mexico, to the El Puente de Esperanza, I.A.P. (Bridge of Hope) mission.
The mission cares for 24 youth between the ages of 15-22. These young
people come from very poor home conditions with a low level of education.
The home helps them to acquire skills that will enable them to go on to higher
education. Since their parents are not able to afford to pay for this program,
the youth and parents sign a contract to come to El Puente. Each youth
has to work at the house to help pay for room and board.
We stayed at El Puente, shared out cultures with the students through some
delicious meals, and helped them move their computer room and library so they
can rent out part of the building.
We will also worked at the San Idelfonso mission (also part of the ministry of
Puente de Esperanza). San Idelfonso is a small town located about an hour
from Queretaro. It is an outreach to the indigenous Otomi Indians.
They offer after school programs to help children with their homework, learn
life and decision-making skills, Christian values and self discipline.
Many of the children come from homes with alcoholism and spousal abuse and
where there is no father figure. Many of these people are so poor that
they lack any type of routine or schedule to eat, bathe, et. They eat
when they have food. Children, who qualify, would be able to go from this
program to El Puente in Queretaro.
We painted the houses of three mothers who had been abandoned by their
husbands. The houses are made of cement, so until we came the walls were
bare and gray. We also bought the supplies to paint two more houses.
We will also be sending almost $3000 of extra fundraising money to help both
missions, including paying for one woman to have a water pipe come to her house
so she doesn't have to go to the well.
Fundraising
Writing to our home parishes
and organizations for donations.
Bagel sale at St. Joseph's:
Had 800 bagels and sold out, raised about $1800.
Latino
Night: Had a good crowd, good food, and meringue lessons.
In 2005 we went to Montana where we worked on the Cheyenne Indian
Reservation. We cleaned the Church, moving around all the chairs and
statues so we could vacuum and shampoo the rug. We washed windows and dusted
everything. The we primed and painted three offices, a hallway, a kitchen, a
meeting room, and two bathrooms. Whew!
We also got to go to Mt. Rushmore, hike up Bear Butte, see the Deer Medicine
Rocks, go to the Battle of Little Bighorn, go to a sweat lodge, and go to a
prom.
So we were very busy.
In 2004 we went to Banica, a little town in the Dominican Republic. We
helped build little chapels so the priests could say Mass in the countryside. Check out our PowerPoint for more info.
Annual Spring Break Mission Trip