July 11, 2023
Although separated by thousands of miles, members of the St. John’s University community were nevertheless united in their commitment to the vision of St. Vincent de Paul through service opportunities offered recently through Campus Ministry’s Plunge program.
Four separate “plunges” took St. John’s students and administrators to Paso Ancho, Panama; Lourdes, France; El Paso, Texas; and the communities of Ward and Hardeeville in South Carolina. The St. John’s representatives worked with Panamanian families, aided those impacted by border migration in El Paso and South Carolina, and assisted pilgrims in Lourdes, the site of the shrine to Our Lady of Lourdes.
Plunges, or service immersions, enable students to expand their learning into the world by participating in community building, cross-cultural exchange, and other activities consistent with the Vincentian mission. Regardless of location, each plunge has the goal of enriching the participants’ understanding of the relationship between faith and social justice.
Previous 2023 plunges saw members of the St. John’s community tackle urban poverty issues in Denver, CO; racial and poverty issues in St. Louis, MO: and environmental justice matters in Benson, VT. The service opportunities in Vermont and the two South Carolina communities were new to Campus Ministry’s calendar this year.
Approximately 11 members of the St. John’s community, including students, traveled to each destination, where they collaborated with representatives of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians) or the Daughters of Charity. Students raised funds to support their expenses, including airfare.
“Students are able to extend learning beyond the classroom and broaden their understanding of social justice and solidarity,” said Rachel Burgos ’21C, Residence Campus Minister for Vincentian Service and a member of the Panama delegation. “They learn about living simply, growing in their spirituality, and exchanging grace through service and reflection.”
Members of the St. John’s community have been visiting Paso Ancho, Panama, in the heart of the Central American country, since 2006. Consistent with tradition, this year’s group stayed with host families and helped with light agricultural work while entertaining and teaching local children.
“Service is a wonderful thing to experience in any environment,” said Sarah Jean Kelly, J.D., Vice President for Student Success and Retention Strategy, who participated in the Panama plunge. “To do so in the Vincentian tradition enables you to engage in meaningful reflection, and that makes it truly transformative. You experience the very best of St. John’s and the very best from our students.”
Though divided by language, the visitors and Panamanian locals were able to strike up friendships in an environment that benefited all.
“The way this trip was structured, we got to form real personal relationships with our host families and the community,” said Lucas Shears of Warren, RI, an Environmental Science student who recently completed his junior year at St. John’s. “There was an authenticity about it. Also, something about Panama was very alluring to me. It is one of the most biodiverse countries on the planet.”
The St. John’s community stayed on the fringes of a Panamanian rainforest in the Talamanca Mountains, more than 6,000 feet above sea level. While Panama is wealthier than many of its Central American neighbors, rural families such as those near Paso Ancho often lack access to education and health care.
“Part of the Vincentian mission is seeing God in another person,” said Sarah Quispe ’23C, of Richmond, Hill, NY, who will continue in a dual-degree program toward earning a Master of Arts in Criminology and Justice in the fall. “We are one human family, and to be able to experience that part of the Vincentian identity—especially across borders—is the goal of trips like these.”
At Lourdes, the St. John’s delegation transported sick and injured pilgrims from the local train station to the shrine, about a mile away. The shrine is among the most sacred in Catholicism; each year more than five million believers visit the site of the Virgin Mary’s 1858 apparition, seeking miraculous cures from its spring waters.
Members of the St. John’s delegation washed the hands, feet, and faces of their fellow believers in the grottos immortalized in the 1943 Academy Award-winning film The Song of Bernadette.
“Seeing the immense joy and relief that washed over the pilgrims during their bath experience is something I will never forget,” said Brooke C. Mosca ’23CCPS. “It reminds me of the importance of being grateful for every opportunity I am given and not taking anything, even seemingly small things, for granted.”