Service-Immersion Trips
Service-immersion trips invite students to live Rockhurst University’s Jesuit mission, a mission articulated in the former Jesuit Superior General Fr. Peter Hans Kolvenbach’s famous 1997 speech, which is partially etched into the stone of Rockhurst’s bell tower:
“Students must let the gritty reality of this world into their lives so they can learn to feel it, think about it critically, respond to its suffering, and engage it constructively.”
These weeklong experiences, which include manual labor, cultural immersion activities, relationship-building, and daily prayer and reflection, move students to a deeper understanding of the Gospel’s call to solidarity and justice. Extensive trip preparation and follow-up lead students toward the life-long path of becoming women and men for and with others.
Trips leave in the second week of January during Christmas Break and during March’s Spring Break to destinations that include:
- Belize
- Guatemala
- Honduras
- Joplin, MO
- New Orleans
- Nicaragua
- West Virginia
Rockhurst University generously subsidizes the majority of the trip expenses. The cost for the 2012-2013 Service-Immersion Trips will be available in August 2012.
The application process for the trips begins in September and includes a written application, short essay, and in-person interview. Acceptance is communicated in early November, at which time those selected for a trip must submit a $100 non-refundable deposit. Contact Bill Kriege, Director of Service-Immersion Trips, at 816-501-4855, bill.kriege@rockhurst.edu with questions.