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Let Me Serve

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 Serviam: the word means not only "I will serve" but also means "Let me serve." 

Over February break, ten Ursuline students left their homes and their comfort zones far behind, and chose to spend their vacation break serving the poor as part of the Urban Challenge at Romero Center Ministries in Camden, New Jersey.  While there, they learned that by working in service with those less fortunate, they received as much as they gave.

Each day, the ten students, accompanied by Campus Minister Katie McNally and Latin teacher Erin Cummins (who taught the students the other translation of "Serviam") would start with a prayer, and then break into two groups, each bound for a different destination in Camden or Philadelphia.  One day it was a homeless shelter and soup kitchen; another day it was a home for the elderly.  Other sites included a home for adults with multiple sclerosis and other paralyzing diseases or injuries, and a low-income Jumpstart school.  Each night ended in prayer, journaling and education on poverty with the students from Xaverian Brothers High School and St. John's in Shrewsbury.

The experience proved life-changing for the students.  Said senior Caroline Ahearn, "My favorite site was New Visions, a homeless shelter in Camden. This was the day I truly began to understand what poverty is, and that it can happen to anyone. The people we encountered are our equals in everything but opportunity, just because they happened to be born into a certain situation. This was the day I realized just how fortunate I am to have a home, food, a bed, my education, a family, everything." 

Caroline summed up the impact of the trip on her by saying, "Although it's hard not to feel guilty once you see how fortunate you actually are, it's more important to use the opportunity you've been given to do something to help those who are not as fortunate as you."


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