LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY

Dates: Sunday, February 28 – Sunday, March 7, 2010

** NOTE: This experience will specifically be for students participating in Christian Life Communities

Cost: $425.00

Immersion Site:
Since 1975 over 10,000 refugees from 30 different countries have settled in Louisville, Kentucky with the assistance of the Diocese of Louisville Office of Migration and Refugee Services. 

Community Partner:
CrossRoads is an inner-city retreat center that engages young people in peacemaking through urban retreat experiences, outreach to the margins, prayer, service, and a bridging of communities for justice.  Now in its seventh year of operation, CrossRoads has touched the lives of over 4,000 youth through a variety of retreat options.  Crossroads is a Christian organization in a Catholic tradition.  Their experience is rooted in the Gospel stories of Christ.

Service:
The experience provides opportunities for each participant to develop a greater understanding of the challenges and realities that people seeking refuge in the United States face each day.  The group will literally explore the path that a refugee takes when they arrive in Louisville.  This will include opportunities to visit and volunteer at social service center that work directly with refugees.  The group will also have an opportunity to visit the Abbey of the Genesee, former home of Thomas Merton, to spend a day in contemplative reflection regarding their experience.

Accommodations:
Accommodations at Crossroads are comfortable but simple. Most people sleep in same-sex shared rooms with separate communal bathrooms. Meals are simple but plentiful.