“The additional monies from the capital campaign gave us at Campus Ministry a chance to
focus our efforts and become clear about what we want to stress at
this point,” says Pamela Shea-Brynes, Vice President, University
Ministry and University Events.
“We introduced new life-altering opportunities that not only
helped those in need but also transformed the volunteers by giving
them insights into the true meaning of giving. In addition, we
extended our efforts globally.”
St. John’s University is steeped in the legacy of St. Vincent de
Paul whose lifelong mission was achieving systemic change by
eliminating the root causes of poverty and social injustice, while
also addressing the immediate needs of the poor and
marginalized.
Our students’ Vincentian charism is always given with
compassion, understanding and without judgment.
- Campus Ministry sent 22 student volunteers to New Orleans during the 2006
spring break, where they helped rebuild homes for victims of
Hurricane Katrina and kept daily journals recording their
reflections. Organized by Rev. Tri Duong, C.M., Campus Ministry
Director of Education and Justice, the “plunge” incorporated the
Vincentian, Catholic and metropolitan elements of the University
mission.
- Fourteen students participated in Campus Ministry’s first
international plunge in Panama. After receiving advance instruction
in the local culture and history, they not only worked, but also
lived with their host families. Despite the language barrier, the
volunteers were profoundly impacted and impressed by the
selflessness and contentment of the villagers despite their extreme
poverty. Volunteers left Panama with “a deeper understanding of
another culture and way of life as well as insights into the
meaning of compassion,” says Rev. Michael J. Carroll, C.M.,
Executive Vice President for Mission and Branch Campuses. Says
Kaitlin McGovern, one of the volunteers, “Never have I seen the
face of God more vividly than I did in the faces … of the people
there.”
The Vincentian Center for
Church and Society hosted its Fourth Biennial Poverty/Social
Justice Conference on October 22, 2005. The organizing theme “Hope:
The Foundation of a Civilization of Love and Justice,” drew
academics, policy makers and clergy from around the world,
including three UN ambassadors who participated in a panel
discussion on “New Global Consciousness and the Poor.”