STEUBENVILLE, OH—Instead of vacationing or going home for spring break, 300 students will participate in 15 domestic and international mission trips sponsored by Franciscan University of Steubenville’s Missions of Peace.

Locations include Arizona, New York City, North Dakota, San Diego, Florida, Steubenville, New Mexico, Chicago, Belize, Ecuador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Slovakia, Romania, and Lourdes, France.

According to Rhett Young, director of Missionary Outreach, the students will strive to meet the spiritual needs of those they serve through evangelization and catechesis, and meet their physical needs by working in soup kitchens, homeless shelters, and schools, and providing basic medical care.

In Belize, Franciscan students will minister in middle schools and high schools, using Theology of the Body to teach the students how to live out their faith and practice chastity. In Chicago, they will work with Emmaus Ministries to assist inner city homeless men. In Honduras, they will serve the poor through sacraments, prayer, music, and ministry to families. In Florida, they will bring Christ’s love to the beaches of Panama City by evangelizing fellow college students and the marginalized. In Steubenville, they will serve the downtown area through street ministry, work in soup kitchens, and undertake service projects.

Students in Franciscan University’s study abroad program in Austria will participate in a mission trip to Romania and Slovakia to serve orphanages and schools, and a trip to Lourdes to serve the pilgrims seeking spiritual and physical healing.

“We do these mission trips to proclaim the good news that Christ is the Way, the Truth, and the Life,” said Young. “This year, we will focus on the Father’s mercy during this Year of Mercy.”

The students must cover all of their expenses for transportation, lodging, meals, and supplies. For domestic missions, they individually raise between $600 and $1,500, and for international missions, they raise between $1,200 and $2,800.

Each year, over 400 students participate in Missions of Peace spring, summer, and Christmas mission trips. For more information, visit www.franciscan.edu/missions-of-peace/.