Puerto Rico Spiritan Mission Experience 2026

Who we are

We are a group of 12 Duquesne University students traveling to Puerto Rico during Spring Break to serve communities in need. This is Duquesne’s third year volunteering in Puerto Rico. Our service work will focus on leading workshops and participating in worship at a homeless shelter and several children’s homes across various locations. We will also assist with physical labor and other projects as requested by the Spiritan order of priests serving there.  

Grounded in a deep commitment to service and compassion, our group is eager to put our faith into action by accompanying those on the margins, serving individuals in need, and learning from the Spiritans in Puerto Rico who share the same mission and values upheld at Duquesne University. Our goal is to be a positive and meaningful presence in the lives of those we encounter through our volunteer work. Through this experience, we seek to grow not only as students, but as individuals of strong moral character. We are dedicated to serving those most in need of care and support, while contributing to the strengthening of communities that may be facing hardship. Guided by our shared mission as both a university and as individuals, we strive to act with integrity, humility, and purpose throughout this service trip. 

Why we need your help

Keeping in line with the Spiritan Mission of promoting education, social justice, peace, and spiritual development through serving impoverished and marginalized populations, our mission trip team is actively seeking funds to support the procurement of necessary materials for our service activities in Puerto Rico. Any contribution provided will go directly towards purchasing supplies for our group home workshops, arts and crafts activities, worship nights, and infrastructure repair materials.  

Last year in Puerto Rico, our mission team spent each morning at a local group home serving men who had experienced homelessness due to many different life circumstances. We worked with our hands mainly, repairing infrastructure, repainting walls, cleaning bathrooms, organizing donation rooms, and tending to the garden. The men who lived in the home would often watch us, communicating with us through smiles, broken English that always centered around “thank you”, and shared laughter. But, on our final day, we led a workshop, guiding the men to open their hearts as we turned off the lights, formed a circle, and gave each of them a candle to hold while sharing one kind word about themselves before lighting it. As the room filled with their collective light, we reminded them, and ourselves, that every individual carries a unique brightness – that we together are what transform the world into the beauty it is. Many of the men shared that this moment—and our presence throughout the week—helped them feel seen, valued, and deeply human again. In leading them through this experience, we were equally touched and inspired, leaving with hearts full of gratitude for the lives we were privileged to share 

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