This past March, approximately 80 Christendom College students, alumni, faculty and staff journeyed abroad for mission trips. Traveling to the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Mexico, and Honduras, the students spent their spring breaks giving to others and truly living out the mission of Christendom College.
Over a thousand students have spent time abroad since 1999, helping to build houses, give to the poor, evangelize, and more. Each year, students fundraise the money necessary to go on these trips themselves, revealing the generous spirit that propels the student body to acts of kindness throughout the academic year.
In the Dominican Republic and Haiti, students worked with members of the Diocese of Arlington to assist residents in the area. They constructed a wall around a landfill to reduce the amount of trash blowing into the area, helped prepare the foundation for a new rectory, and performed door-to-door evangelization, sharing the love of Christ with all they encountered.
“People always say that mission trips are life-changing, but unless you’ve been on one you don’t really understand the full extent of what that means,” says senior Joshua Forbes, who traveled to the Dominican Republic. “This was my first time on a mission trip, and I was blown away by what I saw in Haiti and the Dominican Republic. The genuine kindness the people have in their hearts, the deep understanding of life and death encountered there, and the joy that the people had were some of the things that stood out to me the most.”
Some students also traveled to Honduras, serving as missionaries to people living in the mountains. Each day, the students, alumni, and staff were split into small groups and went on house visits to Catholics in the village, while also putting on programs for different age groups. For junior Margaret Kolesar, the experience was a reminder to her of the importance of spreading the Gospel.
Students also traveled to Honduras, serving as missionaries to people living in the mountains.
“Going up into the mountains was extremely eye-opening,” said Kolesar. “We were treated like a mix of long-lost relatives and messengers from God. I couldn’t speak any Spanish but would go into people’s homes and they would all turn and listen to what I had to say about the gospel. It was humbling to be treated as an authority and considered a person bringing God to the village. It made me realize that even though I may not be a saint by any stretch, the experiences I’ve had in my time here at Christendom and the rest of my life have changed me in a way that needs to be shared. We are all called to spread the good news of the Gospel, and this is not something we should ever be putting off or afraid to do.”
That same spirit filled students who traveled to Guadalajara, Mexico. This was the first time students and faculty visited the area, working with the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter’s (FSSP) mission there to build homes, visit orphanages, and work in schools. The main work they performed was on two houses for people in severe need, with the group constructing the walls and the roofs over a three-day process. A month later, the homes are now livable, providing much-needed housing for people in the area.
This was sophomore Aron Forthofer’s first mission trip, and first trip on a plane period. The entire experience humbled him, as he saw the tremendous need to do more for those in poverty both at home and abroad.
The group constructed the walls and the roofs of two homes over a three-day process.
“After interacting a lot with the people there, I realized that there are so many people on this planet that we Catholics are called to be apostles to,” said Forthofer. “The trip humbled me, because every day we went to the worksite we were around great poverty, but the people seemed happy. It helped me realize that I have so many worldly goods that I don’t need, and that I’m not thankful for. Our group put forth tremendous effort, braved sickness, and gave the gift of themselves to the people who needed it. The sacrifice and hard work that the students showed was inspiring.”
The work in Mexico would not have been possible without the generosity of sponsors back home in Virginia that worked with Christendom Missions Director Mike Brown to ensure that the two homes would be able to be built.
Mike Brown, director of Christendom Missions, receiving a sponsorship check from Larry Urgo, an alumnus of Christendom and President of AllClaims Pro.
“We would like to acknowledge and thank those who provided the sponsorships for the two houses we built for two very poor families in Guadalajara, Mexico,” said Brown. “Without their generosity, we would not have had the necessary funds to buy the materials needed for these houses. And because of their generosity, two families now enjoy permanent housing after living many years in abject poverty. So thank you to each of our sponsors: to Larry Urgo with AllClaims Pro, to SmartRoof and to Frank and Angelique O’Reilly, all of whom provided gold sponsorships, and to Paul and Tom Lagarde with PSQuote and to RoofSimple, both of whom provided silver sponsorships. Finally to Chris McMahon with Cornerstone Construction and to Hoar Construction, both of whom provided bronze sponsorships.”
The Christendom Missions initiative has been going on for 24 years now, with students traveling far and wide to evangelize and bring aid to those in need. The over one thousands students, alumni, faculty and staff who have gone on these trips have truly responded to Christendom’s motto of “restoring all things in Christ,” sacrificing immensely for those in need.