Mission & Ministry
Inspired by our Lasallian Catholic values, the Mission and Ministry team aims to invoke a servant leader’s heart in every child who attends St. John’s. With the motto, “Enter to learn, leave to serve,” as our focus, the Mission and Ministry team is the practicum partner to the quality curriculum offered by our dedicated faculty. Students are challenged to recognize the dignity of all human beings in their midst through direct service inside and outside our school walls. The Mission and Ministry Center, located in the middle of the main building, is the heart of St. John’s overall mission to bring a human and Christian education to the young, especially the poor.
The Mission and Ministry Center is an energizing yet relaxed environment that is a place of welcome to all students of the St. John’s community. Students come to the center as a place to be noticed, named, and known with a warm embrace from the Mission and Ministry faculty. Within the center, there is soft music playing in the background and students, either working on homework, playing games, or engaging in dialogue with one another. This space is where the practices of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging thrive, and is a safe place to grow in one’s faith, supported by community.
Retreats
Freshmen and sophomores participate in one-day, off-campus retreats. Juniors go on an overnight retreat, and seniors may attend Kairos, a four-day, off-campus retreat led by both faculty and students.
Peer Ministry
Peer ministry is a senior elective class that educates students on how to be faith leaders in their community. Peer ministers serve as mentors to the freshman class to acclimate them to student life at St. John’s. They also prepare and facilitate the retreats for freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. Students may apply to become peer ministers in the spring of their junior year.
Christian Service
Our students must complete 90 hours of Christian service during their four years as Cadets, but many extend themselves far beyond what is required. Service to others reveals our God-given graces and talents and helps us become citizens of the world.
Service Immersion Trips
Students trade comfort for care in favor of Christian service and self-discovery. These one-week trips over spring break and the summer open our students’ eyes to the reality of those living on the margins, encouraging them to break the cycle of injustice. Service trips can help cover the required hours for the school year.
SJC students actively engage with children and beneficiaries of organizations that provide education, asylum and refugee assistance, housing, food service, childcare and more. Recent trips include Florida, Mississippi, Montana, Texas, New Jersey, and Illinois. Four of the six sites serve fellow Lasallian educational ministries.
