Bellarmine's immersion program reflects the important principle that “Jesuit education is world affirming”.
Bellarmine's immersion program reflects the important principle that “Jesuit education is world affirming”. Our program embraces the Ignatian cornerstones of faith and justice as inspired by the Gospel call to love and serve our neighbor, especially the poor and marginalized. Our goal—to form men and women for others who will dedicate their lives to living according to this pattern of service as inaugurated by Jesus Christ.
Immersion into the culture and daily reality of those living in other countries, or in other areas of the U.S., offers unique learning opportunities to the members of our Bellarmine community. It is through our contact with other people, in other cultures, that we can better prepare our students, and members of our community, to be “a new kind of person in a new kind of society1”. Through the immersion experience, a world in which each individual has the opportunity to be fully human and accepts the responsibility of promoting human development in others becomes possible.
The nature of immersion is transformative; we can enter into the daily reality of “the other” in such a deeply personal way so as to be changed by the experience. In the spirit of Ignatius, the immersion experience provides greater opportunity for this lived experience to not only be internalized but formalized into action that results in a more peaceful, more just, and more loving world.
Go Forth and Teach, The Characteristics of Jesuit Education
Immersion Program Information
- IMPORTANT IMMERSION DATES
- IMMERSION TRIP PROGRAM AT-A-GLANCE 24-25
- IMMERSION TRIP DESCRIPTIONS
- IMMERSION INFO NIGHT
- Immersion Information Night- September 5th at 7PM – Sobrato Theatre – For Parents and Students in 10-12th grade
- Immersion Application - will be available on September 3rd on b.bcp.org
- Immersion Application due dates: September 15 and December 8 (11:59pm)
Urban Plunge Los Angeles: The Dolores Mission Immersion Program provides high school and university students the opportunity to grow in solidarity and relationship with the men and women of Dolores Mission. Our Jesuit mission strives to plant the seeds for future generations of Catholics thirsting to walk with the poor and suffering, serving men and women for and with others for the greater glory of God. Our prayer is this experience will broaden your students’ understanding of the world and change their lives through the people they meet, stories they hear and experiences throughout their stay. We also pray that by walking in kinship with our community, they will see the face of God in every person they meet.
Rural Plunge - Salinas: The rural plunge takes students to Salinas for serval days, where they will come to understand the struggles faced by migrant farm workers by working alongside them and allowing them to learn about the injustices and human rights issues present in our food production and distribution system.
Kino Border Initiative, Nogales, AZ: Students will come to understand the reality of immigration and deportation at the US-Mexican border. Students serve and visit with deported individuals. Students will walk the desert and learn about the legal process that leads to deportation. The trip provides an opportunity for students to walk with their brothers and sisters struggling at the border and come to understand their stories.
Tijuana - Spring: During Easter/Spring break, mostly junior and senior students, along with parent volunteers, travel into Tijuana to literally build a foundation for the future for four to five families living in Tijuana. During the building of each house, family members may very well be working side-by-side with the students as they build the house.
Alabama Immersion: Truth & Reconciliation Immersion; Civil Rights Trail Immersion) Where does racial justice in America begin? How can healing and reconciliation be an integral part of our future together? What is my responsibility in that pursuit? These are just some of the overarching questions that will guide this trip. The work of reconciliation is closely connected to justice, and both of these are part and parcel of a Catholic, Jesuit education. This trip to Atlanta and Montgomery will focus on the legacy of slavery – sometimes referred to as America’s Original Sin – it’s dehumanizing consequences and those people who, despite long odds, demonstrated the courage to face the truth of our story and call us to live up to the best of who we can be. Guided by the voices of Martin Luther King, Rosa Parks, James Cone, Bryan Stevenson and others, this trip will break your heart and amaze you! Please join us on this journey to truth and reconciliation.
Immersion Trips
Our program offers several different types of immersion experiences. While every immersion provides opportunities to learn about the daily living reality of people in other cultures and to witness different ways to be in the world today, each type of immersion trip has a unique focus and main purpose...
SOLIDARITY IMMERSIONS
The purpose of our solidarity immersion trips is for students to develop an understanding of the daily reality of the poor and the context within which their poverty is rooted. With service to and direct experience with the poor, we can act to redress the causes of their poverty. It is hoped that students are called to a long-term response based on compassion, concern, and genuine caring for those with whom we regularly visit.
SERVICE IMMERSIONS
Service immersion trips focus on specific work and service projects to benefit the poor. These immersion experiences raise to mind questions about the many structures that perpetuate the conditions of marginalization and suffering by others, especially the poor. Through them, however, the seeds of concern and compassion are sown, giving rise to a greater understanding of our responsibility to bring about change.
