We know, we know, it’s only November!  But it’s never too early to start planning your Spring Break!  S.O.U.L. trip locations will be officially announced next week!  Sign up early to reserve your spot!  Some locations will be familiar to Saint Mary’s.  Some are entirely new!!!

If you’re so excited that you can’t wait for Spring Break to go on a S.O.U.L. trip, consider joining us over Winter Break.  From January 7-14, S.O.U.L. is offering an immersion and service trip to Rochester, New York.  The deadline for registration is November 15.

Students will visit schools, soup kitchens, retirement homes, a Catholic Worker House, and daycare centers.  Students will learn how poverty, addiction, and mental illness have affected the Rochester area as well as what committed people are doing to care for others while working for systematic change.

Students are welcomed by the Sisters at the St. Boniface Convent to share their home for a week of volunteer service, community living and prayer, and fun.  The week-long experience will have a strong emphasis on learning about Catholic Social Teaching and often resonates for a lifetime as students share this extraordinary opportunity to live in religious community and to learn about society, service, and themselves.

We will depart Saint Mary’s University in Winona on Friday night, January 6, or Saturday morning, January 7, by Amtrak and return on Saturday, January 14.  In Rochester, transportation, meals, and lodging will be provided by the Sisters who will host us as guests of their community.

Registration is now open and requires a $100 deposit.  The total cost of the trip will be $250, with the remaining amount due upon departure.