Pictured (l-r): Robert Michael Calimlim, Emily Bilynsky, Corinne Kleiner, Shruti Zirath, Sarah MacLachlan, Nini LeVu, McKenna Purcell, Michael Berger, Liam Rose, Alyssa Nicita, and Amanda Webster.

CBA students recently participated in a Summer Servants Mission Trip.

Rising seniors Emily Bilynsky, Nini LeVu, Sarah MacLachlan, and McKenna Purcell, and rising junior, Shruti Zirath, participated in the mission trip, organized by religion teacher Amanda Webster and science teacher Robert Michael Calimlim. Four other students joined their fellow Brothers on the trip, however, they went through their parishes. They included: rising senior Alyssa Nicta, rising sophomores Corinne Kleiner and Michael Berger, and rising freshman Liam Rose.

Summer Servants is an overnight mission trip for teens located in Syracuse, NY.

Through the Summer Servants mission trip, CBA students not only served those in their community, but found kinship with those they served.

“What we try to do at Summer Servants is to get people to reflect on the inside and serve on the outside. And hopefully the two all come together by the end of the week,” said event organizer Andrea Jacobs ’01. “Students will recognize who they are and that they are loved by God, they are served by God and given the gifts by God and they can go out to love and serve others through those gifts,” she added.

The CBA students started the week in prayer at All Saints Roman Catholic Church with a beautiful blessing from Fr. Fred Daley. Throughout the week, the group volunteered at Hopeprint, helping resettled refugee children with their summer projects and A Tiny Home for Good, as they painted the yard fence with the residents.  The group not only served their fellow neighbors, but also listened to stories of a woman who was originally an illegal immigrant, another woman who is a refugee and experienced and toured a mosque.

“I now recognize that after hearing and listening to people’s stories that people are people no matter who they are, where they come from, what they do or what they like and all the above,” Purcell said.

“This was a great opportunity to educate students about poverty within our own community and really help support those in need,” Webster shared.