Would you like to take a group of college students on a journey either for academic credit or as a service learning experience, and you’re not sure where to start? Saint Christopher Journeys can take care of everything for you—collecting travel documents and fees, arranging transportation and accommodations, providing materials for reflection on your journey, providing materials to build a syllabus for your class, helping you organize pre-journey and post-journey meetings, and more. All you need to do is recruit ten students. If your organization is willing to cover your costs, then your students pay less, and you only need five students.
How is Saint Christopher Journeys different from other study abroad companies? The purpose of Saint Christopher Journeys is: Educational Travel Focusing on Justice through a Catholic Lens. On a Saint Christopher Journey, you will visit museums and sites, just like you would with another organization. You will also visit schools, orphanages, refugee shelters, hospitals, and other social services doing justice in their communities. Your group will be provided with resources for reflection and social analysis informed by Catholic Social Teaching. On your journey, your students will do some direct service with the needy. In short, on a Saint Christopher Journey, you go deeper.
What if not all my students are Catholic...and I'm not Catholic? The agencies with which we work for site visits are all faith-based, and we can include Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim sites if you like. Also, we provide materials for reflection, but it is up to you which you use and how you use them.
How does a student group journey differ from an adult group journey? The student group journeys are designed with students in mind, especially those working with their universities or colleges to earn some credit. They are a bit longer, and they involve some direct service. Accommodations are more basic, but still safe and comfortable. For faculty and staff groups, or for alumni/ae groups, take a look at the adult group journeys. They might be a better fit.
How is Saint Christopher Journeys different from other study abroad companies? The purpose of Saint Christopher Journeys is: Educational Travel Focusing on Justice through a Catholic Lens. On a Saint Christopher Journey, you will visit museums and sites, just like you would with another organization. You will also visit schools, orphanages, refugee shelters, hospitals, and other social services doing justice in their communities. Your group will be provided with resources for reflection and social analysis informed by Catholic Social Teaching. On your journey, your students will do some direct service with the needy. In short, on a Saint Christopher Journey, you go deeper.
What if not all my students are Catholic...and I'm not Catholic? The agencies with which we work for site visits are all faith-based, and we can include Protestant, Jewish, and Muslim sites if you like. Also, we provide materials for reflection, but it is up to you which you use and how you use them.
How does a student group journey differ from an adult group journey? The student group journeys are designed with students in mind, especially those working with their universities or colleges to earn some credit. They are a bit longer, and they involve some direct service. Accommodations are more basic, but still safe and comfortable. For faculty and staff groups, or for alumni/ae groups, take a look at the adult group journeys. They might be a better fit.
| universitygroupsbrochure2024nov.pdf |
Subjects to Explore
Health Care: Imagine if your students could visit a leprosarium in Cuba, or shadow rounds in a hospital in Kenya. What about visting a Mayan clinic in Mexico?
| healthcareuniversitybrochure2024nov.pdf |
Black Studies: Your students could explore the African American experience from the Civil War to Black Lives Matter. They could experience the Afro-Caribbean world of Cuban music and Santeria. Your students could walk in the red soil of Africa themselves.
| blackstudiesuniversitybrochure2024nov.pdf |
Philosophy and Theology of Social Justice: Do your classroom discussions sometimes feel abstract? Have your students confront the challenges to justice in our world by walking in the footsteps of the poor and marginalized.
| philosophytheologyuniversitybrochure2024nov.pdf |
Arts, Literature, and Design: Imagine taking your students to see Diego Rivera's murals, or Michelangelo's David, or the Ballet Folklorico. What if your students could stand in Mark Twain's boyhood home or where JRR Tolkien and CS Lewis used to converse? They could hear African beats in Kenya or Rock-and-Roll in Memphis.
| artsliteraturedesignuniversitybrochure2024nov.pdf |
Architecture: It is impossible for your students not to be inspired by the Roman, Medieval, and Renaissance architecture of Tuscany. In Mexico, the can compare Mayan ruins to modern skyscrapers. In Saint Louis, they can compare French Colonial structures to the Gateway Arch.
| businessuniversitybrochure2024nov.pdf |
Business: Want to show your students how micro-lending works in Africa? How about agricultural projects in Cuba, or labor unions in Mexico?
| businessuniversitybrochure2024nov.pdf |
Education and Childcare: Your students could serve as teachers' aides in Kenya, or tutor English in a Mexican high school. They could help in a Cuban program for children with Autism, and many more opportunities.
| educationandchildcareuniversitybrochure2024nov.pdf |
History and Social Sciences: Imagine taking your students to a station on the Underground Railroad. What if your students could experience the sweeping changes happening in Cuba or learn about Mexico from conquest to revolution to today?
| socialsciencesuniversitybrochure2024nov.pdf |
Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math: You don't have to go all the way to Egypt to show your students how an ancient pyramid was built; you can take them to Mexico City. Or they could explore the famous Roman engineering through ruins in Italy. They can also explore the world of nature through the Monarch butterfly migration, or the animals at a national park in Kenya.
| stemuniversitybrochure2024nov.pdf |
Spanish: Want to give your students practice with the language and immersion in the culture? Take them to Mexico or Cuba for the journey they begin abroad and continue for the rest of their lives. Closer to home, they could practice their Spanish while volunteering in Chicago
| spanishuniversitybrochure2024nov.pdf |
Destinations
Is there a special theme you want to explore? Do you have another destination in mind? We do special requests!
Merida, Mexico: Located in the State of Yucatan, Merida is a small city with a rich Mayan culture and history. Participants will visit the famous Chichen-Itza Ruins, and there is ample opportunity to provide service in contemporary Mayan communities. The beach is only a 20-minute drive away. We work with two Catholic universities in Merida: Marista University and Anahuac Mayab University. Yucatan State is “Level 1” for caution with the US State Department, its safest level, and Merida is regarded by the travel industry as one of the safest cities in North America.
Mexico City: We work with two Catholic universities in Mexico City, LaSalle University and IberoAmericana University. Participants will learn about Mexican history and culture through lectures and museums, including a visit to the Shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe. For site visits, there are ample social services to choose from, including schools, clinics, and children’s shelters. The US State Department has consistently listed Mexico City as “Level 2” for caution, which is the same for London, Paris, and Madrid.
Rest of Mexico: Want to take a group to Oaxaca? or Guadalajara? or Veracruz? We can work with you on that! Costs vary greatly by location.
Havana: Partnerships in Havana are with a variety of Catholic orders which provide educational and healthcare services for children and adults. There is also time to enjoy amazing Afro-Cuban music and art. Cuba travel is regulated, and we only provide services for travel that is legal.
Cuba Cross-Island Extension: The most important shrine in Cuba is to the Virgin of Charity of Cobre, on the far eastern side of the island. In making this journey to and from Santiago, groups will visit locations rarely seen by tourists, including many historical sites off the beaten path.
Kenya: The host organization is the Brothers of Saint Charles Lwanga, a Catholic order working with schools, health care, and other social services. Travelers will stay near Nairobi and volunteer in the brothers’ schools. Healthcare groups can shadow at Catholic hospitals Groups will enjoy an overnight safari to Amboseli National Park to see the amazing wildlife.
Tuscany: Working with the University of Detroit Mercy’s Pagnotta Campus in the medieval hilltop city of Volterra, this is an amazing opportunity to study art, history, architecture, and Italian culture. The journey includes two days in Florence, and day trips to Pisa and Siena. There is also the opportunity to add day trips to Rome and Assisi.
Oxford: Working directly with Worcester College of Oxford University, this offers an excellent opportunity to go deeper into the writings of JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, and St John Henry Newman, from either a literary of theological perspective. Day trips to London and Birmingham included.
Father Tolton Tours and the origins of Black Lives Matter: Father Augustus Tolton was born a slave near the town of Hannibal, Missouri (home to Mark Twain). He became the first Black-identified Catholic priest in the United States. There is currently a cause for his canonization as a saint in the Catholic Church. Travelers will learn about the history of slavery through visits to sites associated with the Underground Railroad, Lincoln, Twain, and Dred Scott. They will also explore current issues in St. Louis and Ferguson, birthplace of the “Black Lives Matter” movement.
Memphis: It was here that Martin Luther King was assassinated on a balcony of the Lorraine Hotel. That site is now the home of the National Civil Rights Museum, dedicated to continuing King’s dream of justice and equality. Memphis is also home to the world most famous Saint Jude’s Hospital. Travelers will have time to explore one of the most culturally gifted cities in the United States, home to Rock-and-Roll and Soul.
Louisville: The Muhammad Ali Center is one resource in learning about racial justice, and the Thomas Merton Center provides a Catholic perspective on racial justice. Like many places, Catholic institutions in Louisville have had to come to terms with their history of slave ownership. Visiting with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, there is the opportunity to understand a history of both slave holding and work for racial justice.
If you don’t mind some long drives, two of St Louis, Memphis, or Louisville can be combined into a 1-week journey.
Chicago: The founders of America’s third largest city were Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, a Haitian man of African descent, and Kitihawa, his Potawatomi wife. The city has been a magnet for immigrants and a rainbow of cultural diversity ever since. It holds one of the largest Mexican populations in the world. Travelers will explore the rich cultures and learn about the many social services that make up Chicago’s present day.
Over the Rainbow: If you would like to visit a city where more than thirty languages are spoken in the high school, a city that sits on the former border with Mexico, a city with African and Asian markets—then come to Garden City, Kansas! Located not far from Dodge City and the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles, visitors will also enjoy the beauty and history of the Great Plains, and they will get up close with a bison herd.
Is there a special theme you want to explore? Do you have another destination in mind? We do special requests!
Merida, Mexico: Located in the State of Yucatan, Merida is a small city with a rich Mayan culture and history. Participants will visit the famous Chichen-Itza Ruins, and there is ample opportunity to provide service in contemporary Mayan communities. The beach is only a 20-minute drive away. We work with two Catholic universities in Merida: Marista University and Anahuac Mayab University. Yucatan State is “Level 1” for caution with the US State Department, its safest level, and Merida is regarded by the travel industry as one of the safest cities in North America.
Mexico City: We work with two Catholic universities in Mexico City, LaSalle University and IberoAmericana University. Participants will learn about Mexican history and culture through lectures and museums, including a visit to the Shrine to Our Lady of Guadalupe. For site visits, there are ample social services to choose from, including schools, clinics, and children’s shelters. The US State Department has consistently listed Mexico City as “Level 2” for caution, which is the same for London, Paris, and Madrid.
Rest of Mexico: Want to take a group to Oaxaca? or Guadalajara? or Veracruz? We can work with you on that! Costs vary greatly by location.
Havana: Partnerships in Havana are with a variety of Catholic orders which provide educational and healthcare services for children and adults. There is also time to enjoy amazing Afro-Cuban music and art. Cuba travel is regulated, and we only provide services for travel that is legal.
Cuba Cross-Island Extension: The most important shrine in Cuba is to the Virgin of Charity of Cobre, on the far eastern side of the island. In making this journey to and from Santiago, groups will visit locations rarely seen by tourists, including many historical sites off the beaten path.
Kenya: The host organization is the Brothers of Saint Charles Lwanga, a Catholic order working with schools, health care, and other social services. Travelers will stay near Nairobi and volunteer in the brothers’ schools. Healthcare groups can shadow at Catholic hospitals Groups will enjoy an overnight safari to Amboseli National Park to see the amazing wildlife.
Tuscany: Working with the University of Detroit Mercy’s Pagnotta Campus in the medieval hilltop city of Volterra, this is an amazing opportunity to study art, history, architecture, and Italian culture. The journey includes two days in Florence, and day trips to Pisa and Siena. There is also the opportunity to add day trips to Rome and Assisi.
Oxford: Working directly with Worcester College of Oxford University, this offers an excellent opportunity to go deeper into the writings of JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, and St John Henry Newman, from either a literary of theological perspective. Day trips to London and Birmingham included.
Father Tolton Tours and the origins of Black Lives Matter: Father Augustus Tolton was born a slave near the town of Hannibal, Missouri (home to Mark Twain). He became the first Black-identified Catholic priest in the United States. There is currently a cause for his canonization as a saint in the Catholic Church. Travelers will learn about the history of slavery through visits to sites associated with the Underground Railroad, Lincoln, Twain, and Dred Scott. They will also explore current issues in St. Louis and Ferguson, birthplace of the “Black Lives Matter” movement.
Memphis: It was here that Martin Luther King was assassinated on a balcony of the Lorraine Hotel. That site is now the home of the National Civil Rights Museum, dedicated to continuing King’s dream of justice and equality. Memphis is also home to the world most famous Saint Jude’s Hospital. Travelers will have time to explore one of the most culturally gifted cities in the United States, home to Rock-and-Roll and Soul.
Louisville: The Muhammad Ali Center is one resource in learning about racial justice, and the Thomas Merton Center provides a Catholic perspective on racial justice. Like many places, Catholic institutions in Louisville have had to come to terms with their history of slave ownership. Visiting with the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth, there is the opportunity to understand a history of both slave holding and work for racial justice.
If you don’t mind some long drives, two of St Louis, Memphis, or Louisville can be combined into a 1-week journey.
Chicago: The founders of America’s third largest city were Jean Baptiste Point du Sable, a Haitian man of African descent, and Kitihawa, his Potawatomi wife. The city has been a magnet for immigrants and a rainbow of cultural diversity ever since. It holds one of the largest Mexican populations in the world. Travelers will explore the rich cultures and learn about the many social services that make up Chicago’s present day.
Over the Rainbow: If you would like to visit a city where more than thirty languages are spoken in the high school, a city that sits on the former border with Mexico, a city with African and Asian markets—then come to Garden City, Kansas! Located not far from Dodge City and the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles, visitors will also enjoy the beauty and history of the Great Plains, and they will get up close with a bison herd.