Building a Life of Service

Editor's Note: You can support SJ Outreach Service Trips by donating to the Saint Joseph Giving Tuesday 2024 campaign. Click here to learn more.

During a hot and dry week last year at the Saint Anne’s Mission in Klagetoh, Arizona, Ethan St. Louis ‘25 had an experience that changed his life forever. Along with a dozen of his peers, St. Louis learned the true meaning of the Brothers of the Sacred Heart mission: to serve others who cannot serve themselves. 

Klagetoh introduced a new meaning of gratitude, and forced St. Louis to see the world differently. 

“The mission they’re doing is really helping out the community because they don’t have as much as we do. Their way of life is a lot different than ours,” St. Louis said.

On average 40 students attend service trips each year, offering a new perspective on life.

Director of Campus Ministry Tracey Coudriet P’14/16 organizes trips to Klagetoh, Dunlow, West Virginia and the Brothers of the Sacred Heart Trip through the SJ Outreach program, with plans to include a service trip to PALs, a summer camp for people with down syndrome, in the future.

“We are always giving back, we’re helping those in need,” Coudriet said. “It’s part of who we are as a Brothers of the Sacred Heart school and it helps a lot when (our students) understand that the world’s a lot bigger than just themselves.”

 

A Mission Beyond Graduation

As a student, John Risley ‘24, was connected to Saint Joe’s in many ways during his four year career. He served the school as a eucharistic minister and a retreat leader. After attending two trips to Dunlow, West Virginia as a student, Risley returned to campus a changed man. 

“I originally went on the Dunlow trip to serve as many people as possible,” Risley, a current freshman at the University of Notre Dame, said. “We’re going not for ourselves but to serve the people there. Serving other people is what’s going to bring you the most joy.” 

Risley was moved so much during his first trip to Dunlow, he organized a return trip with several members of the Class of 2024, creating new memories that will last a lifetime.

“It really did change our lives so it was a no-brainer that my friends and I wanted to go back,” he said. 

From Coudriet’s perspective, Risley and the rest of the Class of 2024 students who volunteered their time and resources after graduation are living models of how Fr. André Coindre and the Brothers of the Sacred Heart established their mission in 1821.

“We preach day in and day out about the importance of service and giving back to the community,” Coudriet said. “I can’t tell you how many alumni leave here and build a life of service because of their experiences here.” 

 

A Greater Need Calling

As participation numbers increase for SJ Outreach trips, so does the need for financial support. Service trips cost between $500 and $1,300 per student. To offset these out-of-pocket expenses, the Office of Advancement raised $55,982 for service trips during the school’s Giving Tuesday fundraiser in November 2021 to create a Service Trip Grant Program. To date, the fund has awarded 67 experiences since its inception in the spring of 2022.

“Many Saint Joseph families make a big financial sacrifice to send their sons to Saint Joe’s,” Director of Alumni Relations John Eppensteiner ‘02 said. “The service trips can cost upward of $1,000 per student, which some of our young men don’t even consider participating in because of the additional financial burden it would impose on their family.” 

Community service is a major part of Giacomo Imperiale ‘25’s Saint Joe’s experience. Imperiale is a dedicated member of the Campus Ministry Council, where he helps run the Falcons & Friends program and serves as a Kairos leader. Without the grant fund, Imperiale would not have had the life changing experience in Klagetoh. 

“Receiving that grant meant a great deal to me,” Imperiale said. “I was able to meet new people and broaden my horizons in the aspect of service. It was truly a one of a kind experience.”

SJ Outreach Service Trips will once again be the focus of Saint Joe’s Giving Tuesday 2024 campaign, with the school hoping to offer even more service trip grant opportunities in the future. 

“Participating in a service trip, especially as a young person, is both a humbling and an inspirational experience,” Eppensteiner said. “You begin to realize just how lucky you are to be in a position to serve others. When I donate to Saint Joe’s to help support something like service trips I feel like I am helping to perpetuate a cycle of good.”

 

Avery Stetz is a current senior at Saint Joseph High School and is a member of the Advanced Digital Media & Communications class.