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Christian Service at St. John's Jesuit
National Service / Appalachia
Jonesborough, Tennessee
Each March a group of students visit Jonesborough, Tennessee for
a week of service. Through a liaison with Catholic Charities of
Five Rivers in the Diocese of Knoxville, Tennessee St. John's students
and faculty moderators are provided an opportunity to experience
both the beauty and the difficulties of the Appalachian region of
our country. The work involved is geared toward helping those who
cannot physically and/or financially afford to repair their homes.
Most of the work consists of light construction, including painting,
weatherproofing, dry walling, etc. |
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Students participate in church services and other community events during
the week. Amenities are limited; students sleep on a floor and supply
their own food. The trip itself takes nine hours each way. Students are
discouraged from bringing electronic devices such as a walk-man, hand-held
computer games, etc., that may prevent the group from bonding during this
experience.
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Mingo County, West Virginia
In July a group of students visit Sister Jane on her 500-acre land-trust
on top of a Mingo County mountain. Two objectives of the group are
environmental education and to minister to the underprivileged and
poor children of the area. Sister is building an Ecological Center
and, once completed, will teach 8th graders about environmental
issues. There is a great need to educate and re-educate the youngsters
in alternatives to coal and to environmental issues. |
Ultimately Sister would like S.J.J. students to mentor West Virginia
boys one on one. She envisions a week of camping, environmental education,
help with reading, math, spelling or whatever the special needs of the
individual child would be. Projects would include the installation of
a filter in the pond, studying pond life, building a bunkhouse for inclement
weather, marking trails and identifying the native plants for use during
the year for outdoor classes. Students will stay in a beautiful retreat
house called Spiritway that is complete with an outhouse. There are horses,
opportunities for swimming, canoeing, and a variety of other outdoor activities.
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