Urban Plunge Mission Experience: Arlington/Balt.

Who are we?

We are a group of students from Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit, continuing a 313-year-old tradition of service to communities across the world. Our CCME members honor our university’s tradition of service to marginalized  communities. This Year of Mercy, as declared by Pope Francis, is the start of a special year and we will participate through service in the urban areas of Arlington, Virginia and Baltimore, Maryland.

Where are we serving and what will we experience?

Our Urban Plunge Cross-Cultural Mission Experience will take place in Baltimore, Maryland and Arlington, Virginia from February 27 to March 6.  In Baltimore we will serve in St. Edward’s Parish and in Arlington, Our Lady Queen of Peace Parish.

This trip allows us to experience Spiritan work in two drastically different locations.

• Our Lady Queen of Peace is a historically African-American Parish located in Arlington, VA, a stones throw from the Pentagon. This parish is resource rich, with an active congregation and access to many funds to assist in their multitude of social justice work. Here we will learn HOW to we begin to incorporate justice work into our lives.
• In Baltimore, we will be engaging in more manual labor service by helping St. Edwards restore their deteriorating parish center. In contrast to Arlington, St. Edwards is a resource poor parish with an aging congregation and little funds to assist with extra projects. Here, we will learn about challenges faced by parishes across the country, and how regardless of resources, a rich community can be formed.

What will we be doing?

Our specific project for this year is helping to restore the Parish hall community space at St. Edwards in Baltimore. We will be restoring countertops and other surfaces in the community kitchen, installing window treatments, and sprucing up floors and furniture with new coats of paint! We would be grateful for anything you can contribute to assist in this process.

Please donate today and help spread the word!

Please make a donation today to our mission trip. We greatly appreciate your generosity. You can also help this campaign by spreading the word on social media. Thank you!