The Benedictine College community gathered March 5 at St. Benedict’s Abbey in Atchison, Kansas to send off students participating in spring break mission trips across the United States and internationally.
The send-off mass was celebrated by Father Christian Schwenka, who shared during the homily about his own mission experience in Peru. Drawing from that experience, he encouraged students to approach their trips with intentionality and a spirit of detachment.
Schwenka told students to “leave the world behind when serving others,” but emphasized that such detachment must be rooted in Christ, as He ultimately is our source of living water that never goes dry.
At the end of the mass, each student who would be going on a spring break mission trip received an exorcised and blessed crucifix with a Benedictine medal, aiding their protection and call to mission.
The annual mission trips are a central part of the college’s emphasis on service and faith formation, offering students opportunities to serve communities in need while growing spiritually.
“Mission trips are important because it gives us the opportunity to, in a radical and external way, imitate Jesus,” said Reid Bissen, Coordinator of Missions and Service at Benedictine College. “The point of mission trips is to merely go out and love, and the hope is that students will learn that life as a whole—every single day—is a mission.”
Benedictine’s mission trips occur over fall break, Christmas break, spring break, and at the start of summer break. This year, Benedictine advertised 21 total mission trips, with 15 of them taking place over spring break.
Domestic Spring Break trips included:
- Alaska
- Utah (men’s pilgrimage)
- Cincinnati (football team)
- St. Louis – Missionaries of Charity
- Philadelphia – Christ in the City (“Man Trip”)
- Denver – Christ in the City
- North Dakota
International Spring Break trips included:
- Peru
- Mexico
- Mexico (medical)
- Belize
- Belize (medical – nursing department)
- Guatemala
- Suriname (education department
- Dominican Republic (engineering department)
