Mission Trips

2026 Spring Break Mission Trips

We are very fortunate at St. Thomas Aquinas to be able to subsidize our service trips by one-third with the help of generous donations from our resident parishioners, alumni, family, and friends. All trips require a one-third deposit from student participants, a mailing to five individuals by each student missionary, and participation in various fundraising efforts, which will be explained at mandatory callout meetings before trips. Each trip has its own personality, but all trips provide daily Morning Prayer, Mass, and Evening Prayer. 

Spring Break Mission Trips

The student deposit will be $150 for these trips. 

MANDATORY CALLOUT: Thursday, Jan. 22, 7 p.m. in Newman Hall (downstairs at St. Tom’s)

• Jonestown, Mississippi: At Jonestown, there will be two work groups. You will be doing construction tasks with a local chapter of Clarksdale Fuller Center or working on social service projects in Jonestown. You may also help rehabilitate older houses that have fallen into disrepair. You will have the chance to visit the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee, en route home. You will experience the culture of the Mississippi Delta through experiences of warm Southern hospitality, live Blues music, and excellent Southern food! You will all stay together in a large dormitory in Clarksdale, MS, alongside IHM Church, where we will pray and participate in Mass.  
• Pensacola, Florida: In Pensacola, you will work with Habitat for Humanity to build a house for a needy family. You start from the slab, build the frame, put up the roof, shingle the roof, and assist in various construction activities. Each day begins with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, and there will be opportunities to enjoy the beauty of the surrounding area. You will stay in a nice beach house with other Purdue volunteers, taking turns cooking meals for the group. 
• Charleston, South Carolina:We partner with Sea Island Habitat for Humanity in Charleston, South Carolina. The South Carolina mission trip offers an opportunity to enjoy the beautiful and very historic venue of Charleston, South Carolina. You will work in construction, stay together, and cook your own meals. 
• McKee, Kentucky: We partner with Christian Appalachian Project (CAP) for WorkFest, a long-standing service immersion experience with economically challenged families and individuals. You will travel to Camp Andrew Jackson (Camp AJ) and work with skilled staff and volunteers from other universities to repair and renovate homes for families in the Appalachian region. While gaining practical skills, you'll also learn about the local community. You will stay in cabins at Camp AJ, in wooded hills along a lake. This trip will be focused on community service and some rehabilitation/construction work.

The deadline to apply for any of the spring break mission trips is Jan. 29. Contact Dee Bernhardt for more information.

Questions? 

Contact Dee Bernhardt, director of campus ministry.