CAMPUS MINISTRY & CHRISTIAN SERVICE : THE HEART OF FORDHAM PREP
LEARNING TO SERVE THE COMMUNITY
I ’ m convinced that if the students have an opportunity to do something good , then they ’ ll take it and they ’ ll grow with it .”
– Dr . Patricia Morris , Assistant Director of Christian Service , French and Math teacher
C
AMPUS MINISTRY WORKS in conjunction with the Christian Service department at Fordham Prep . The four-year Christian Service requirement enables students to participate in the Society of Jesus ’ universal mission of helping souls for God ’ s greater glory from the very beginning of their time at the school .
While the pandemic challenged the ways in which students were able to participate in service work , Director of Christian Service and Religious Studies teacher Paul Homer noted that the Jesuits are known for adapting to whatever circumstances they found themselves in . “ COVID hasn ’ t knocked us out of the Ignatian tradition of service ,” he likes to tell students , “ and in some ways , this is the most authentic Ignatian experience you could have .” Interestingly , a number of students even got their families involved in helping with their service projects while learning was remote in 2020 , which included cooking food for soup kitchens and writing letters for those in long-term care facilities .
In freshman and sophomore year , students work collaboratively in their Mentor Groups to design and eventually run service projects such as making crafts for the elderly living in nursing homes , raising money for various causes and natural disasters , or bringing awareness to an issue of Social Justice . Juniors are required to perform service in the Prep community and can do so by monitoring recycling and compost bins in Moglia Commons as part of the school ’ s EcoRam volunteer program , and tutoring their peers . Service Immersion trips allow sophomores and juniors to help construct affordable housing in Tennessee through a partnership with Appalachia Habitat for Humanity . Another Service Immersion trip offered by the Prep gives juniors a chance to travel to Quito , Ecuador for a volunteer experience with the Working Boys ’ Center .
By the time students reach their senior year , they are well prepared to go out into the world for service projects at outside agencies . The Class of 2022 was commissioned to their service projects on All Saints ’ Day in November , appointing students to volunteer at Part of the Solution ( P . O . T . S .), Maria Fareri Children ’ s Hospital , Sisters of St . John the Baptist , Riverdale YMCA , CCD programs , and at scores of other organizations .
Christian Service at Fordham Prep moves students toward continual growth . As Homer stated , “ It tests [ the students ’] maturity , their social skills , and their judgments . After 70 hours of service , seniors come to realize that the people they serve are neither devils nor angels ; they ’ re just like us , because they are us . That insight happens at all of our service sites , whether it ’ s working with people who are poor , physically or cognitively challenged , children or aged .”
This continual growth that the four-year service requirement provides is something that the Christian Service department believes students will carry with them forever . “ I think I ’ m convinced that if the students have an opportunity to do something good , then they ’ ll take it and they ’ ll grow with it and go with it ,” said Assistant Director of Christian Service and French and Math teacher Dr . Patricia Morris . “ They take that opportunity and do beautiful things , and they open themselves up to doing it in the future .” continued …
LEFT : Seniors were commissioned to their service projects and received their pins during All Saints ’ Day Mass in November 2021 .
RIGHT : Fordham Prep ’ s EcoRam program allows students to receive service hours while helping the school get closer to its zero-waste goal by the year 2024 .
SPRING 2022 VOLUME 42 , ISSUE 2
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