Yearly projects bring students into contact with poor

By Rohan Andresen ’12
The Roundup

One aspect of Brophy that the school is renowned for is its devotion to community service and helping the marginalized of our society.

Brophy enforces service work ranging from Freshman Breakaway, Sophomore Service Project and Junior Justice Project, all mandatory for students.

The Freshman Breakaway consists of a day in which freshman work in a small group for an entire day at a designated workplace like St. Mary’s Food Bank or Andre House.

For my Freshman Breakaway, I went to St. Vincent de Paul where we performed odd jobs such as categorizing food and cleaning up storage space.

Although the work wasn’t rewarding while we were doing it, we had a reflection in the St. Vincent de Paul chapel afterwards where I was able to realize, for the first time, what a fortunate life I live and how blessed I truly am.

Sophomore Service Project and Junior Justice Project demand 40 and 50 hours of service work respectively.  Students are required to log hours with one agency.

Approved agencies support underprivileged children and other groups often neglected by society.

Through my work with underprivileged children and senior citizens I was able to realize the unity of humanity that links us all and how we are all from God and should be treated equally.

Additionally, Brophy offers a variety of immersion trips and drives focused on work to help those in need who we are in turn able to learn from.

This past summer, I was fortunate enough to go on an immersion trip to Cholula, Puebla, Mexico, where I grew in astronomical ways.

The people of Cholula welcomed us into their homes with open hearts and love.

It reminded me of the love and the care that we should give others, even if they are complete strangers from a different land.

“I believe that our hearts are touched by our direct experience through service programs here at Brophy,” said Assistant to the Assistant Principal for Ministry Mrs. Sue Hornbeck. “The work of Christ becomes apparent as we help the poor and the marginalized.  The more we are involved and feel the suffering of the disadvantaged, the more we learn to become responsible, compassionate, caring people.”

The service doesn’t solely help the people in which it affects, but it clandestinely helps the faith of the person doing the service and allows them to grow.