D.C. Trip Provides Students with Clarity and Opportunity

This October, Xaverian students and members of the campus ministry department embarked on an enlightening journey to Washington D.C. to participate in the Ignatian Family Teach-In for Justice. They joined more than 2,000 students from across the United States. The trip gave students an opportunity to investigate critical social issues, such as climate and immigration justice, through the lens of their faith. Mr. Welch, a campus minister and trip organizer, described the trip as an “excellent way to understand how our faith calls us to action.” He says that the purpose of the trip was to help students have a better understanding of themselves, their faith, and the world.

Highlights of the weekend featured several thought-provoking keynote speeches, including one from Sr. Peggy O’Neill, S.C., Founder of Centro Arte Para la Paz, an educational cultural center which promotes peace through dance, art, and theological reflection in Suchitoto, El Salvador. During her speech, O’Neill urged attendees to “upgrade our understanding of God,” a line memorable to many students. The group also visited historical landmarks, such as the National Mall, the MLK Memorial, the Lincoln Memorial, and the Holocaust Museum, which gave students a chance to better understand the human dignity central to Christian values. Anoop Rampure, a junior at Xaverian, reflected on visiting these iconic landmarks: “The attractions gave me a new sense of appreciation for my values and how they relate to the world around me.”

A standout moment for the trip was Advocacy Day, during which students had the unique opportunity to meet with staffers for Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey to review a bill in Congress, the Climate Displaced Persons Act. The students’ preparation for the meeting and conversations demonstrated how faith-based values can produce tangible political and social development. The group also visited the United States House of Representatives, where they received a guided tour by an Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms. These experiences were accompanied by various reflection sessions during which students discussed themes such as the consistent ethic of life to their personal backgrounds and experiences. Mr. Welch hopes that the trip would help students for years to come. “It was an opportunity for students to engage with their faith in a meaningful way, while motivating them to take action in their own communities.” For many, the trip did have a lasting impact. Anoop Rampure believes he now has a reinspired sense of self and belonging: “I now have a stronger connection to my morals and a clearer sense of how I am called to live them out within the world.”