Arrupe creates a culture of encounter, introducing students to the Gospel’s call of solidarity. Our trips to countries in the Americas and the Caribbean invite students to explore the realities of climate change, globalization, and migration by hearing the stories of those who host us.
What We Do
Introduce students to the Gospel’s call of living in solidarity with the suffering world.
Foster a sense of compassion and responsibility for the greater world.
Learn about the complex realities of the countries we visit by hearing the stories of those who host us in their own words.
Reflect on our experiences so that we may translate learning into action.
Arrupe International is one of Boston College’s hallmark service-immersion programs.
The program—named for the late Jesuit Pedro Arrupe, S.J.—creates a culture of encounter, introducing students to the Gospel’s call of living in solidarity with the suffering world. Our trips to countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean invite students to learn about the complex realities of the countries we visit by hearing the stories of those who host us in their own words.
Through developing a sense of compassion and responsibility for the greater world, and by providing space to reflect on one’s experiences, the Arrupe program allows participants to translate their learning into action. We do this in the spirit of Fr. Arrupe, who pioneered the combination of service, faith, and justice, and believed that such personal experiences were key to catalyzing structural changes in the world that could work to alleviate oppression, violence, and other realities facing those in need.
To be eligible to participate in the Arrupe International Immersion program, you must:
- Be a current undergraduate student in good standing at Boston College who will be on campus for the full duration of the upcoming academic year
- Be at least 18 years old by the trip’s departure date
- Not have participated in a previous BC-sponsored international service-immersion trip
- Have a valid passport that provides for international travel
- Provide documented parent or guardian support to participate in the program, if requested
- Complete all required application materials
- Be in appropriate emotional and physical health for international travel
- Commit to the full fundraising requirements of the program
- Fully participate in the program’s meetings, retreats, and any pre- or post-trip activities
Members of the Boston College community interested in being more deeply involved in the Arrupe International Immersion Program can apply to be a Student Leader or Adult Mentor.
Undergraduate Student Leaders coordinate a particular Arrupe trip as a partnership, and are supported by a pair of Mentors (graduate students or professional staff members at BC). Each pair of Student Leaders and Mentors accompany a particular Small Community throughout their full-year experience, including the trip. Student Leaders are responsible for facilitating the small group meetings, logistical preparation for the trip, and practicing the ministry of presence in accompanying the students of the group.
To be eligible to be a Student Leader in the Arrupe International Immersion Program, you must:
- Be a rising senior in good standing at Boston College who will be on campus for the full duration of the upcoming academic year
- Have participated in a previous BC-sponsored international service-immersion trip
- Have great maturity, integrity, humility, and compassion
- Have a desire to explore and share faith with others
- Model a commitment to social justice and solidarity
- Have strong organizational and group facilitation skills
- Have a valid passport that provides for international travel
- Provide documented parent or guardian support to participate in the program, if requested
- Complete all required application materials
- Be in appropriate emotional and physical health for international travel
- Commit to the full fundraising requirements of the program
- Fully participate in the program’s meetings, retreats, and any pre- or post-trip activities
Mentors are adults affiliated with Boston College as administrators, staff, faculty, and graduate students. Each pair of mentors accompanies a particular Small Community throughout their full-year experience, including the winter break trips. Mentors act as guides and support to the group during the in-country experience and group reflection at BC. Importantly, Mentors are there to manage emergencies that may arise and to respond accordingly, and to ensure the group has a safe, healthy, and respectful experience.
To be eligible to be an Adult Mentor in the Arrupe International Immersion Program, you must:
- Be a current graduate student in good standing at Boston College who will be on campus for the full duration of the upcoming academic year, or a professional staff member at the University
- Have previous experience with an international service-immersion trip
- Commit to the ideas of faith sharing, social justice, and global citizenship
- Through servant leadership, invest in student formation and community-building
- Be present to, support, and challenge Student Leaders as they grow into their role
- Have a valid passport that provides for international travel
- Complete all required application materials
- Be in appropriate emotional and physical health for international travel
- Fully participate in the program’s meetings, retreats, and any pre- or post-trip activities
Thank you for considering a donation to the Arrupe International Imersion Program. Your tax-deductible donation is a valuable investment in a learning experience that many Boston College students will carry with them for the rest of their lives.
Donate Online
- Visit the Online Giving Form
- Enter your information; for the field "I wish to make my gift to:” select Arrupe International Imersion Program. If you are sponsoring a certain student, please select "In honor of a BC student," and include their name and year.
- Click "Submit Gift"
Mail a Check
Arrupe International Imersion Program
Boston College, Office of Campus Ministry
McElroy Commons 233
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
If your corporation matches donations, please enclose the appropriate forms.
The Arrupe International Imersion Program, under the umbrella of the Trustees of Boston College, is a non-profit 501(c)3 with a federal tax exemption number of 04-2103545.
Email: arrupe.program@bc.edu
Phone: (617) 552-3475
Mailing Address:
Arrupe International Immersion Program
McElroy 233
Boston College Campus Ministry
140 Commonwealth Avenue
Chestnut Hill, MA 02467
FAQ
Interested students should attend an info session before applying online via the Campus Ministry website. Info sessions are typically held in January of each year and provide the chance to learn more about the various trips and day-to-day experiences offered in Arrupe.
The application asks for basic personal information and for brief short-answer responses. From there, applications are reviewed and students may or may not be invited to interview to be place on an Arrupe trip. Students studying abroad that are selected to interview can arrange for a conversation via Skype.
No. We’re looking for a mix of students who share different experiences and backgrounds.
We do hope, though, that all selected students share a similar willingness to commit to the same foundational values. Arrupe participants should accept responsibility for helping create the immersion program experience; conduct self maturely, with integrity and respect at all times; be willing to work through conflicts with others; be committed to enhancing the relationship with the countries we visit, and be committed to processing and sharing the experience with the BC community after returning from the trip.
Applicants also need to be comfortable with the uncomfortable, both literally (i.e. you may be sleeping in beds less comfortable than what you’re accustomed to) and figuratively (i.e. talking about issues of power and privilege could be outside your typical “comfort zone”).
Arrupe is open to people of all backgrounds. One does not have to be Catholic or Christian to participate. In fact, diversity in faith perspectives and then authentically and respectfully sharing that with others can significantly enhance each participant’s learning and formation.
That said, applicants need to know that these experiences are faith-based and that the framework used is influenced by BC’s Jesuit Catholic tradition, and that Catholic liturgies are a part of the experience. Regardless of one’s faith, participants are expected to explore and share their own faith and life journey, in all of its joys and struggles and questions, and within a small community context. Prayer, reflection, and conversation are integral to the experience within Arrupe, and everyone is expected to participate and contribute, and to do so with honesty, vulnerability, appropriateness, and respect.
Ideally, each participant will have learned how to become “the best version” of him/herself by delving deeper into his/her own faith and tradition.
While an understanding of Spanish is certainly useful on any of the trips where Spanish is spoken, it is not necessary. For trips to Spanish-speaking countries, an interpreter is provided by our In-Country Partner Organization, and this person accompanies the delegation throughout the trip, facilitating communication between the English- and Spanish-speaking parties.
Trips are about 10 days long and each group has between 14-16 people (including 10-12 participants, 2 Student Leaders, and 2 Mentors).
We do everything in our power to ensure that the trips are as safe and healthy as possible. We endeavor to work with organizations in each country—our “In-Country Partner Organizations”—that are well-established, well-respected, and that have well-connected networks in-country. That said, we are traveling outside of the United States and there is always a risk involved with such travel. All potential applicants and their families need to be aware of this risk. Before applying for the overall program, we ask that applicants seriously consider receiving the immunizations recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and by their family health care provider. Applicants should also review the U.S. Department of State’s website regarding its assessment of a particular country/region’s health and safety situation.
Participating in Arrupe is a year-long commitment, running from April to April. As a participant, you can expect to dedicate an average of 5 hours per-week. The pre-trip and post-trip retreat weekends and the point drive week require additional hours.
The cost of Arrupe is covered primarily through an initial fee and the collective fundraising effort of all Arrupe undergraduate students (both participants and student leaders).
Participants and student leaders each pay a program fee; 2019-20 program fee is TBA. Each Arrupe undergraduate is then asked to prepare at least 25 letters that will be mailed to family members and friends seeking financial support for the program.
Additionally, Arrupe undergrads participate in a “Point Drive” in BC dining halls and several other Small Community-driven initiatives. It is the responsibility of all Arrupe undergrad students to raise enough funds to completely cover the cost of each of the nine trips. The fundraising process is a collective effort. While some undergrads may be able to generate more funds than others, each person is expected to contribute equally to the collective fundraising process in terms of time commitment, creativity, resourcefulness, and hard work.
If you are concerned about the cost of participating in the Arrupe program, please contact the Arrupe Campus Minister to discuss your situation. No one will be turned away from participation in Arrupe solely because the overall cost seems prohibitive.