Christian Service at St. John's Jesuit The Christian Service Program at St. John's Jesuit High School in Toledo, Ohio, is a very extensive program. The program attempts to open the eyes and hearts of our students to people who are socially and economically different from them. The program tries to teach students that they are part of not only their family, but also a local, national and world community that is interconnected. Students come to realize that injustices that occur in any corner of the world have an impact on them, and that it is their duty as moral human beings to be concerned and fight for change. Local Community Service National Service, Appalachia International Service Student Advocacy as Christian Service

On a local level, S.J. works with 30 different Toledo area agencies. Students serve at local soup kitchens and food banks, inner city grade schools, extended care facilities, facilities for the physically and mentally disabled and shelters for abused women. In addition, C.S.I (the juvenile jail) allows S.J. students to tutor first time offenders at their facility. On a national level, S.J. sends students to Jonesborough, TN, every March and Mingo County, West Virginia during the month of July to serve the people of Appalachia. Students learn that poverty exists even in their own country, and also learn about the struggles retired coal miners face with the injustices of the black lung issue.

On an international level, S.J. has three intense programs for juniors. The first program sends four students to the Dominican Republic for 4 weeks over the summer to serve the people and live with families in third world poverty. Our second program involves sending five students to Guatemala City to work in a Boy's Hope Home for children that have been taken off the streets, and with the people that live off of the Guatemala City Dump. Our third program involves sending 5 students to a Mayan village in Guatemala to work on reforestation, construction, medical, and coffee projects. All three of these programs are fabulous experiences, and the students who take part in them educate the rest of the student body on poverty in the developing world.

To truly grow through service, we at S.J. believe that students should reflect on the service work they have done. Our volunteers, on a local level, sign up to volunteer for an entire semester. During the semester, the students are required to complete written reflections and meet for two reflection sessions. While serving in Appalachia, students reflect on each day's activities with the moderators; the moderators question the students about why poverty exists and what their response should be. The Dominican Republic and Guatemalan experiences include pre-trip reflection/orientation days, weekly reflection sessions during the experiences, and reflective days at the end of the experiences. In other words, students reflect on, and learn, what it means to be Christ-centered servants.

In conclusion, the St. John's Jesuit Christian Service Program is an extensive one that attempts to broaden its students' views of the world. The program also attempts to form young men who not only want to volunteer their time to meet the immediate needs of the less fortunate, but also fight for justice in their city, country, and world.