Rather than spending their spring break on vacation, Christendom College students and staff will travel across the U.S. and abroad next week, dedicating their time to serving others through the college’s annual mission trips. This year, students will journey to the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Chicago, and Paris, embracing the opportunity to deepen their faith and bring Christ’s love to those in need.
For years, Christendom students have taken part in mission trips, leaving the college’s Front Royal campus each spring to serve communities around the world. Past destinations have included Malta, Peru, Honduras, Colorado, and the Bronx — each trip an extension of the college’s mission to “restore all things in Christ” by reaching out to the less fortunate.
This year, 22 students and three staff members of the college will travel to the Dominican Republic to partner with the Diocese of Arlington and serve at their mission in Banica. Continuing the work of founding faculty member Dr. Raymond O’Herron, who started the annual trip, students will work on building chapels for two poor mountain villages during their time there.
In Honduras, 10 students, one staff member, and one alumna will immerse themselves in the daily lives of the local people, evangelizing in remote villages while living and sharing meals with those they serve. Meanwhile, in Chicago, 10 students and three staff members will minister to the migrant communities of Momence, assisting farm workers and offering support to those in need.
A group of 17 students and three staff members will also embark on a pilgrimage to Paris and Lourdes, led by associate chaplain Fr. Gabriel Flynn. This journey will allow them to encounter the rich Catholic heritage of France, deepening their spiritual lives through visits to historic holy sites.
These trips follow a December mission to Guadalajara, Mexico, where Christendom students and staff built homes for impoverished families, continuing the college’s commitment to corporal works of mercy.
These mission trips will provide students with a variety of opportunities to perform spiritual works of mercy during the Lenten season, helping them grow while they assist others. Christendom exists to educate the lay apostolate and “restore all things in Christ.” The spring break mission trips are a natural extension of that mission, as students bring Christ to the less fortunate throughout the world.