For the first time in over a decade, Jesuit High School sent a delegation of students to the heart of the Jesuit Province for a service trip. Eleven students, joined by Mr. Bacon and Fr. Kramer, S.J., traveled to Grand Coteau to engage in service to the poor. While staying on the grounds of the Jesuit Novitiate and Infirmary, in what many call the Holy Land of the South, the students not only enjoyed a trip that was full of direct service but was rich in spiritual fruit as well. Each day was bookended with prayer—starting with a morning prayer and ended with an evening Mass alongside the parishioners of St. Charles Borromeo and their pastor Fr. Mark Kramer, S.J. (the brother of our own Fr. Kramer, S.J.).  

The rest of the days were divided between an array of service opportunities. A rotating team of students spent each day directly engaging the wonderful residents of Grand Coteau at either a day camp for underprivileged children or at a day center for retired and disabled adults. And, despite the considerable 100 degree heat, a team of students cheerfully went out to work outdoors around the community—painting houses, trimming bushes, and fixing fences.