Alternative Spring Break

Each year during Spring Break, students are invited to join others in hands-on works of mercy, to integrate their Catholic faith with service, and to encounter Christ in the poor. As Jesus said, "Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me" Matthew 25:40.

Negril, Jamaica 

This is a mission of the Franciscan Friars of the United States. The friars staff many churches and rural missions, providing spiritual, financial, and medical assistance to the materially poor of the country. The friars also administer a couple of elementary schools.

Being that Jamaica is an English-speaking country, this trip offers the rare opportunity to work internationally while also having an intimate relationship with the people we are serving. Much of the trip will offer opportunities to speak with those receiving assistance, hearing their life-stories and engaging them in conversation, both in people’s homes and at the schools. Manual labor will also be a part of this trip, but there is no specific building project to manage. In the evenings, the group take turns cooking for the rest of the group, followed by time for reflection, prayer, and fun.
 

San Salvador, El Salvador

Project FIAT is a ministry of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The sisters organize specific ministries in the area of tutoring, literacy, food distribution, house building, and scholarships for children.

More information can be found at https://www.projectfiat.org/projects/

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, South Dakota

Students from the Catholic Center will be traveling to the Pine Ridge Native American Reservation in South Dakota, and serving with Tipi Raisers. The non-profit's mission is ​that, "We are a community of Native Lakota and non-Natives who believe that the wisdom, culture and traditions of the Native people can inform and benefit the Modern World at the same time that the Modern World can empower and support the Lakota in creating more prosperous and humane living conditions on the reservations." While on the trip, students will be learning about the Lakota Tribe through cultural immersion. Participants will also be doing service projects around the reservation, such as building wheel chair ramps or repairing homes. You can learn more about them here. 

This is part of a project we worked on with the Tipi Raisers! Check it out:
https://www.thetipiraisers.org/race-to-winterize-pine-ridge-homes.html

Jonesville, VA

Appalachia Service Project is a Christian ministry that focuses on volunteer home repair and replacement in Central Appalachia. The per capita of Jonesville, VA is $16513 with 21% living below the poverty line.

Participants will leave the Catholic Center in the morning of Sunday March 8 and drive via vans to Jonesville, VA. The week will begin with dinner, provided by the mission. Each weekday, students will go out to worksites in crews (ideally in 5-7 people in size, but we can be flexible), where they will be led through a home repair project by our trained staff and Helping Hands. Hot breakfast and dinner will be prepared each day by our local cooking staff, and materials for sack lunches will also be provided. After dinner, our staff will lead all students in an Evening Gathering, which is focused on pairing service with thoughtful reflection.

More information can be found at https://www.asphome.org/college-break-trips/

A reflection from Mackenzie Tilton  who attended the Pine Ridge Alternative Spring Break in 2019:
"I believe I speak for myself and our whole crew from UGA when I say that this week on Pine Ridge was unexpected, challenging, and so incredibly beautiful. We expected that the blizzard would bring changes and challenges. What we did not expect it to bring was the learning, the laughter, and the community that we have experienced in the last 7 days. Even as the snow piled up, I saw barriers melt away while watching our Georgia crew laugh and play hand games with our new Lakota friends.

I saw the openness with which the people of Pine Ridge shared their history and experiences, and the sincerity of my college friends as they listened and learned. I saw the grit of our whole group as we pushed cars up icy drifts and dug out more snow than we had ever seen before. And in watching all of these little moments throughout the week, it became more evident to me than ever that we truly are all related. We all have an innate desire to share our pain, our love, and our sense of community with one another. Sometimes all it takes to tap into that connectedness and break down the walls that we build around our own hearts is a small, sacred act. A little hard work in the lumber yard, a shared meal with lots of frybread, or a light-hearted snowball fight between new friends can begin to mend deep wounds and open hearts. After this transformative week, I know this to be true." All participants will need to bring pillows and sleeping bags.