The Corporal Words of Mercy, as found in the teachings of Jesus, include feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick and the imprisoned, burying the dead and giving alms to the poor. This teaches us to see Jesus in everyone. Potential activities include serving food in a soup kitchen, doing homeless ministry or spending time with the elderly.

The Spiritual Works of Mercy guide us to “help our neighbor in their spiritual needs” (USCCB). Serving on a catechesis-based mission trip means opening the world’s eyes to the truth, beauty and goodness of the Catholic faith. Teaching people about the faith is an amazing opportunity to share the story of Jesus and the Catholic Church, as well as deepen your own faith. Activities may include home visits and working with youth groups.

Come share the Gospel with us! On evangelization trips, we share the story of Jesus with people who may have never heard the Gospel before. Activities might include sharing your testimony, teaching people how to lead bible studies, or simply starting conversations with people about faith. Answer the call to share the good news to the ends of the earth!

To be Jesus’ hands and feet on missions means always being ready to serve the needs in front of you. Based on the needs of those who invite us, service trips could include cleaning, teaching English, gardening, cooking, as well as other activities that are helpful to our hosts.

Whether it be restoring a dilapidated church or constructing stairs to improve access to a remote community, building projects on mission give you the opportunity to break a sweat and use your physical abilities for the sake of building up the Church. Building trips also give you the wonderful opportunity to labor side-by-side with the members of the community who will be most impacted by the work.

Medical missions are an amazing opportunity to live out the Corporal Works of Mercy to visit the sick and comfort the afflicted. By serving on a medical mission, you will have the opportunity to serve the basic health care needs of the poor. Some activities may include serving the ill and dying in a hospice, visiting a school to do health education, or setting up travel medical clinics to serve people without adequate access to health care.

Spread the love of Christ through the universal language of sport! Share love, friendship, and encouragement through organizing sports camps for kids. Playing sports with locals is a great way to build cultural bridges. Sports camps allow you to teach children and invest in the future of a community through sports like volleyball, basketball, track, hockey, ultimate frisbee, and soccer.

Looking to experience Jesus and the Church in a new and life-changing way? Going on pilgrimage launches us on a transformative spiritual journey. By visiting some of the most important places in the Catholic faith, we are invigorated in our personal faith and shown what it means to be part of the universal Catholic Church. Walking in the footsteps of Jesus and the saints on pilgrimage teaches us what it means to follow Jesus in our every day life.