Applications for the 2023-2024 academic year are now open on a rolling basis with a priority deadline of March 22nd. Upcoming information sessions include 3/14 at 4:00 p.m. in McElroy 111, 3/15 at 8:00 p.m. in Stokes S105, and 3/20 at noon in McElroy 111. Please click on the links below to apply to participate or lead. Contact arrupe.program@bc.edu with questions.
What We Do
Invite students to a year-long commitment including weekly community building and education, ongoing faith formation, and a 7-10 day international immersion over winter break.
Foster a sense of compassion and solidarity for the Catholic Social Teaching themes of migration, racial justice, human rights, sustainability, and inequality.
Learn about the social, political, and religious realities of longstanding partner communities we visit by learning from those with first-hand experience.
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, inviting students to a faith that seeks global justice. Our anticipated 2023-2024 immersions locations include El Salvador, South Africa, Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, and the US/Mexico Border. The immersions 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 Catholic Social Teaching themes of migration, racial justice, inequality, human rights, and sustainability, 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 entirety of the 2022-2023 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
- Either have or be willing to acquire a valid passport 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 or be awared a Campus Minitry Scholarship available within the application
- 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 junior or senior in good standing at Boston College who will be on campus for the full duration of the upcoming academic year
- 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 or be willing to acquire 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 full time staff member in good standing at Boston College who will be on campus for the full duration of the upcoming academic year
- 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 or be willing to acquire 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
Please email arrupe.program@bc.edu with your interest.
Thank you for considering a donation to the Arrupe International Immersion 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. These charitable contributions are considered nonrefundable.
Donate Online
- Visit the Online Giving Form
- Enter your information; for the field "I wish to make my gift to:” select Arrupe International Immersion 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 Immersion 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 Immersion 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
Applications for the 2023-2024 academic year are open now on a rolling basis with a priority deadline of March 22nd, 2023. Interested adult mentors please contact arrupe.program@bc.edu.
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 will take place from January 6-14, 2024 - give or take a day or two. Each group has between 14-16 people including 10-12 participants, 2 Student Leaders, and 2 Mentors that are BC faculty/staff.
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. 2023 - 2024 anticipated locations include communities in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, South Africa and the US/Mexico border.
Participating in Arrupe is a year-long commitment and requires participants to be physically present on campus throughout the 2023-2024 academic year. As a participant, you can expect to dedicate an average of 5 hours per-week. As a student leader, you can expect to dedicate an average of 6-8 hours per week. The point drive week will 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; the 2023-2024 program fee is $700. Participants are also responsible for raising $1,000 through a letter writing campaign. Additionally, Arrupe undergrads participate in a “Point Drive” in BC dining halls and several other Small Community-driven initiatives. 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. Montserrat students are eligible for a 50% scholarship of the program fee. Lastly, a limited number of scholarships are available within the application to students with particular gifts, skill-sets, and life experiences that will enrich formation for all participants. Please contact arrupe.program@bc.edu with any questions or concerns about the financial commitments of Arrupe.
If you are concerned about the cost of participating in the Arrupe program, please contact the Arrupe Campus Minister to discuss your situation. Campus Ministry is committed to working with each student to ensure that cost will not be prohibitive to participation.
After participating in the Arrupe International Program, students will be able to…
- Identify themselves as members of a small community (i.e. “their trip group”) dedicated to the intentional sharing and exploration of faith and justice in an Ignatian context.
- Recall specific memories and examples from their trips that connect with the particular theme of their Arrupe trip (i.e. environment, globalization, or migration), linking the experiences of the heart and the mind.
- Utilize reflection to draw on the whole of the Arrupe year, creating a post-trip solidarity project that enables participants to begin synthesizing their experiences.