Gonzaga Celebrates Day of Service

On Thursday, December 8, Gonzaga hosted its first-ever Day of Service, with the entire school community fanning out across the Washington region to perform community service. 
 
Organized by Gonzaga's Campus Ministry Office, the day began with an all-school Mass to celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception in St. Aloysius Church. The theme for the day was inspired by the feast day: Following the example of Mary’s “yes” to God’s plan for her to be the mother of Jesus, students asked themselves the question, “What or who can I say yes to today?”  The collection during Mass was taken up for Unique Residential, our neighbor and long-time service partner whose mission is to provide high-quality health care to individuals of all income levels. 
 
After Mass, sophomores, juniors, and seniors departed to more than 20 destinations across the area, travelling by foot, bus, and Metro to service sites in Washington, D.C., as well as Montgomery and Prince George's counties in Maryland. Sites ran the gamut from schools (The Perry School) and churches (Holy Redeemer Parish in D.C) to parks (Dumbarton Oaks Park Conservancy) and a range of community-oriented non-profits (A Wider Circle, Little Friends for Peace, Nats Youth Baseball Academy).
 
Meanwhile on Eye Street, freshmen had the opportunity to participate in an interactive simulation to help them consider what it would be like to live below the poverty line. They also packed 650 sandwiches for Martha's Table, made 350 hygiene kits for SOME, listened to a group of seniors talk about their service experiences at Gonzaga, and watched a documentary about homelessness in the United States. 
 
After returning to campus, students gathered with their homeroom teachers to discuss and reflect upon the day. Danielle Flood, Gonzaga's Associate Director of Campus Ministry, said that the day was part of the school's overarching goal to continuously cultivate in students a culture of love and service. "We don’t just want to task students to serve, but to help them fall in love with it and take it with them well beyond their time at Gonzaga," she said. "The Day of Service gave students and faculty the chance to serve and pray in community, which was joyful from beginning to end. "

We hope you enjoy these great photos from a wonderful day at Gonzaga.

Day of Service (2022)
Back
Celebrating 200 Years of Jesuit Education in the Nation's Capital