Christian Service Program

As members of the Bellarmine community, we are called to live according to a pattern of love and service modeled by Jesus Christ. We do this by setting the needs of the poor and marginalized as the horizon of our vision. Each student is challenged to use his critical skills to help bring about a more just world, to bring about the Kingdom of God. Over the course of four years, all students are invited to participate in immersion activities and are called to service where they work directly with younger children, with the elderly and developmentally challenged and with agencies that make a preferential option for the socio-economically disadvantaged.

Purpose

"Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the creation of the world. For I was hungry and you fed me, I was thirsty and you gave me drink. I was a stranger and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me. I was sick and you cared for me, in prison and you came to visit me. ...I assure you, as often as you did it for one of my least brothers or sisters, you did it for me." Matthew 25: 34-40

At Bellarmine College Preparatory, Christian Service experiences are inspired by this Gospel message that calls for us to love and serve our neighbor, especially the poor. Our program is linked to the Ignatian-Jesuit ideals embodied in Bellarmine's philosophy and mission statement, as well as the Graduate at Graduation document.

As a Jesuit school committed to imparting Gospel values and faith-learning in young men, service and immersion activities add a critical experiential component to the academics of social justice issues. It is our hope that the Christian Service Program, which provides the opportunity for direct service to persons in need, results in a transformative experience for each student in his commitment to justice.