Fifteen students from Rochester’s Aquinas Institute traveled to New Mexico during their week off from school in February for an annual service trip.
The students, who are all seniors and members of the National Honor Society, taught religion classes to elementary-school-age children at Sacred Heart Catholic School in Gallup, which borders the Navajo reservation, school officials said. Another group served the Missionaries of Charity, a homeless shelter for men.
Sue Smith, who is the National Honor Society moderator at Aquinas, said she chose Gallup for this year’s trip based on a 2017 Catholic Courier article she read about a similar trip taken by students from McQuaid Jesuit High School. For the last two years, students traveled to Jamaica to build houses for families in need, she added.
As part of this year’s service, the students who went on the trip also collected donations that were shipped to Gallup to help families there who go without water, heat or electricity, she said.
To watch a video about the students’ experiences, visit the Photo &Video section of www.CatholicCourier.com.
