Over winter break, 12 students and two campus ministers traveled to Belize City and Punta Gorda, Belize, through the St. Oscar Romero International Immersion Program.
For six weeks leading up to the Campus Ministry-sponsored immersion trip, the undergraduate students and campus ministers met regularly at formation meetings to establish a sense of community within their group and reflect on justice issues. Participants included students of all class years and majors from both the North Benson campus and Bellarmine Campus.
In Belize City, the Fairfield group visited Benque Viejo, a community near the Guatemalan border where students connected with local residents and listened to their stories of indigenous folklore. The group also shared conversations with imprisoned individuals at the Kolbe Foundation Belize Central Prison. Caitlin Fanella ’25, recalled this experience as “the most memorable moment” of the trip and said that it reinforced “the importance of genuine connection and treating everyone with respect and dignity, regardless of their circumstances.” The group then visited the Museum of Belize to learn about the country’s history of enslavement and colonialism, and how these forces have shaped its cultural diversity today.
During a visit to the Salvadoran refugee community called Valley of Peace, the group’s host, José, shared his personal story. When Civil War erupted in El Salvador, he said, Salvadorans who resided in rural and poor communities were targeted with immense violence through political and military repression. To escape the violence in his native country, José fled to El Salvador and sought refuge in Belize.
“José’s faith in a God who never abandoned him and his family through all this pain impacted our group immensely,” said Julia Murphy, campus minister for justice and immersions. On a walk through the Valley of Peace community, the students and campus ministers admired the church, schools, market, and library – all built by the community of Salvadoran refugees.
While in Punta Gorda, the group stayed in the St. Peter Claver Parish and participated in social outreach initiatives such as food sorting and delivery at the parish pantry, organizing books at the school library, gardening, painting, tiling, and hanging banners for the 2025 Jubilee of Hope celebration, a Catholic tradition that takes place every 25 years to renew faith, reflect on God's mercy, and embrace hope.
Through St. Peter Claver Parish, Jesuits and lay collaborators administrate around 30 of the region’s Catholic schools. Due to the area’s poverty, these schools lack the resources needed for proper upkeep. Murphy shared that “witnessing and hearing stories about the poverty of the region solidified the reality of this injustice for our group.” During the Lenten season, Campus Ministry will be supporting the Jesuits’ fundraiser for the Catholic schools of Belize, led by the students who participated in the Belize immersion trip. To support the fundraiser, visit lighthouseridebelize.org.
Murphy described how the the communal nature of the trip encouraged members of the group to enjoy “lots of time together, disconnecting from technology to eat meals and ask each other intentional questions about our lives and journeys."
Rishi Black ’25 started the trip not knowing others in the group that well but said that "collaborating with them and spending time with them were some of my favorite moments." The curiosity to learn about one another grew as the students connected with the people of Belize and listened to stories about Belizean cultural backgrounds, traditions, and their hopes and struggles. The connections made during this trip were “incredible to watch,” said Murphy.
The St. Oscar Romero International Immersion Program, rooted in Catholic teaching and Ignatian Spirituality, invites students to authentically engage with communities on a domestic and international scale. In the Jesuit tradition, Fairfield's Campus Ministry immersion trips reflect service through solidarity, or "being with." Students were encouraged to immerse themselves with the Belizean culture, encounter and learn about vulnerable communities from various perspectives, and cultivate a faith-based commitment to social justice.
Rooted in Catholic faith and Ignatian tradition, this immersion trip empowered the group to continue their journey in spirituality, social responsibility, community, and a faith that seeks justice.
To learn more about Campus Ministry’s Service Immersion Program, please visit Fairfield.edu/campusministry.
