The Arrupe Immersion Program is a faith-based program with the mission to develop a "well-educated" solidarity for our students in the Jesuit tradition. Solidarity begins with contact with people on the peripheries, which serves as a catalyst for intellectual inquiry, moral reflection, and spiritual growth.
Whether the travel is local, domestic, or international, our primary focus is deepening relationships with others and with God. Arrupe Immersion experiences are rooted in prayer and reflection, and any hands-on work we do is always done in the spirit of mutual support and cooperation. Our hope is that those who welcome us into their homes or who share their stories with us are not seen primarily as people whom we have come to "help" but rather as companions on the journey.
“Students, in the course of their formation, 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.” — Very. Rev. Peter-Hans Kolvenbach, S.J., 29th Superior General of the Society of Jesus
Domestic
The Spring Break Immersion Program
The Spring Break Immersion Program offers Holy Cross students the opportunity to build relationships across economic, regional, and cultural differences with people throughout the U.S.
Solidarity, spirituality, and mutuality are core values of the program. Though there is an element of direct service involved at most of our Spring Break Immersion sites, the primary focus is on building relationships with the people in our host communities, with one another, and with God.
Rather than setting out to “make a difference,” our students set out — in the words of Rev. Greg Boyle, S.J. — to “wonder how people are doing.” The program aims to emphasize the “with” in the phrase “people for and with others,” and we hope that participants return to campus with a deeper appreciation for accompaniment, mutuality, and shared human experience.
Beginning in the 1970s, the program has since grown into one of the largest outreach programs at Holy Cross. Nearly 200 students travel to approximately 20 sites across the country during the week of Spring Break.
There is no "typical" day on the immersion program. The experience will vary depending on whether you find yourself in Kentucky repairing homes, in Chicago exploring issues of urban poverty, or in a L'Arche community sharing conversation and companionship. Transportation and accommodations vary by site as well, but usually involve simple living and traveling to such places as soup kitchens, community centers, churches, and schools. By tradition, groups are led by a senior Holy Cross student who, in addition to ensuring a safe and enjoyable experience for their group, also facilitates daily prayer and reflection throughout the week.
2023-24 Important Dates
Wed. October 4 - Information session (7 pm, Rehm Library) / Registration opens
Wed. November 1 - Registration deadline
Fri. November 17 - Financial aid request form due
Early December - Students notified about initial placements / financial aid
Wed. January 31 – Payment due in FULL to Bursar’s Office
Please follow the Directions for Making Payment.
Sun. January 28 - The Reveal (students meet the groups they’ll be traveling with)
Fri. March 1 – Kick-off Dinner in Kimball
Sat. March 2 - Fri. March 8 – SPRING BREAK IMMERSION TRIPS
Sat. March 9 —Welcome Back Dinner & Bowl-a-Thon
March / April – Beyond Spring Break evenings of reflection
Sites
Appalachia locations include communities in Kentucky, Virginia, and West Virginia.
Week-long experiences in the Appalachian region have been at the heart of SBIP since its inception. While there is a wide range of locations and hands-on work at these sites, the focus is always on building relationships with the people we meet, examining more closely the issues that impact these communities, and offering our time and energy in service wherever possible.
L’Arche community locations include Haverhill, MA; Jacksonville, FL; St. Louis, MO; Syracuse, NY; and Washington, DC.
L’Arche communities in the United States provide homes and workplaces where people with and without intellectual disabilities live and work together as peers, create inclusive communities of faith and friendship, and transform society through relationships that cross social boundaries. Students will be integrated into these unique communities for the week, sharing meals and celebrations, joining together in prayer, spending time with the members of each community, and engaging in small work projects to improve each home.
Eco-justice and sustainability-focused sites include Guilford, CT; Middletown, NY; Rindge, NH; and Wheeling, WV.
Whether visiting a farm in the Northeast or Grow Ohio Valley in West Virginia, students will learn about food justice, food systems, local sustainable agriculture, and nonviolent social change. Students will also have the opportunity to meet community leaders and citizens who are working for justice and making a difference in their corner of the world.
Chicago, IL
The Urban Immersion Retreat at the Brother David Darst Center is facilitated by a director from the center and serves as a tool to be introduced to and explore issues of justice and the reality of oppression. Through partnerships with local agencies, participants are able to get to know people, to challenge stereotypes, to confront fears, and to break down barriers that “protect” us from the unknown and the different.
Daily communal prayer, meal preparation, recreational and educational sessions are designed to assist groups to better reflect upon their work and observations at ministry sites. Program directors have an established relationship with many of the social agencies that will be used for field experiences, including the Chicago Food Depository, Su Casa, The Port, San Miguel Schools, Chicago Youth Centers, and St. Martin DePorres.
Camden, New Jersey
The Urban Challenge Program at Romero Center Ministries gives participants the opportunity to build bridges of understanding. Participants will confront issues that divide us — poverty, race, class — in a prayerful and constructive environment. The Urban Challenge experience combines volunteer service in the city with work, study, and prayer.
During the day, participants serve at a variety of work sites. The work sites include housing rehabilitation, work in schools and preschools, work at centers that provide hot meals, the South Jersey Food Bank, and at other social service agencies in Camden and in nearby Philadelphia. In the evenings, there is usually a speaker or an activity to educate participants about local and global issues of injustice. Discussions are also held on urban poverty, social and economic justice, and the concept of a "preferential option for the poor." Participants will also tour the city and listen to people from the community tell their stories about living in Camden.
Louisville, KY
Hand in Hand Ministries works with residents and community stakeholders in the city of Louisville, building relationships across cultural boundaries and assisting members of the community with home safety projects and repairs. Participants will also do some light construction projects to offer support for youth sports programs, childcare centers, programs to support victims of human trafficking, home ownership programs, violence prevention programs and other neighborhood initiatives. In a world where division is the norm, Hand in Hand seeks to bring people together.
Mariandale, NY
The Center at Mariandale encourages students to consider how they are called to protect our common home and care for the marginalized of the earth. Situated about 30 miles north of New York City, Mariandale offers weeklong immersions that include hands-on, direct service to the hungry and homeless, sustainable gardening, and engagement with advocacy organizations serving marginalized communities. In the tradition of the Dominican Sisters of Hope, Mariandale invites students to deeper reflection on how their lives might “preach justice” and promote sustainability. The Dominican pillars of contemplation, study, community, and service are woven into the programs and activities of the week.
