Students build houses in Peru on Christian Brothers immersion trip
Eight students from Bergen Catholic Academy in Oradell recently returned from a transformative immersion trip to Peru in collaboration with the Christian Brothers.
The journey, packed with service work, spiritual reflections, and cultural immersion, was chaperoned by Matt O’Connor, a Latin teacher at Bergen Catholic.
Bergen Catholic, like other Catholic schools sponsored by the Christian Brothers, provides students with the opportunity to engage annually in immersion trips to Peru in the Latin American mission area of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers North American Province. This year marks the sixth year that Bergen Catholic has participated.
The goal of the trip is to foster a deeper understanding of global issues and a commitment to social justice among the participating students. On the trip, students are “encouraged to see themselves as protagonists in proclaiming the good news, understanding that they belong to a global community committed to service and advocacy on behalf of the poor,” according to the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers North American Province website.
The students built a new house for a local family. (Bergen Catholic)
“After visiting Peru and helping all the families, I want to help my community at home,” junior Markus Samko said. “I am changing my lifestyle, and I will be volunteering almost every weekend from now on.”
The immersion trip, which spanned six days from Jan. 20 to Jan. 26, included three separate phases. The first phase of the trip included an orientation for the students at the Christian Brothers house in Las Flores, Lima. The students visited local markets, tasted local cuisine, and learned about the Peruvian culture.
The second phase of the trip focused on living on the same level as the Peruvian people, spending days in small villages, meeting families, and embracing the daily life of the locals. Students met and spent time with a local woman named Tanya, who earns a living creating whiteboard erasers from clothing scraps and sewing sports uniforms.
The students learned about her life and experienced firsthand the challenging conditions in which she works, including a small “sweatshop” attached to her residence where sports uniforms and jerseys are sewn.
According to O’Connor, the students were shocked to discover that the people in the villages often work 12 to 14 hours a day, earning $2 a day.
During the third phase of the trip, the students traveled to one of the poorest regions of Peru, Jicamarca. There is no running water or indoor plumbing. The students stayed with the Albarrán Family, a local family that has partnered with the Christian Brothers to board students during immersion trips. The students shared meals with the family and engaged in daily household chores during their stay at their home.
The students helped to rebuild homes in Jicamarca that had been destroyed by flooding over the past year and brought much-needed supplies and donations to local families. The students transformed one family’s home from a one-room dwelling with dirt floors into a more spacious and comfortable home with three rooms and a concrete floor.
“The most memorable moment of the journey was seeing the smiling and happy faces of the family we built the house for and seeing the tears of joy running down the father’s face,” said Santiago Hernandez, a 9th grader who went on the trip.
James Corcoran, a junior at Bergen Catholic, said he is now more conscientious of the resources he uses every day. He now makes an effort to save water and electricity.
“The trip has positively impacted my faith by exposing me to the reality of the less fortunate and made me realize how blessed I really am,” he said.
Samko said that the most memorable moment of the trip for him was when the group finished building the house in Jicamarca.
“After hours of hard labor we had finished and gifted a brand new home to a family in need,” he said. He also said that witnessing the strong faith of the Peruvian locals, despite their hardships, inspired him in his own faith journey.
The students began preparing for the trip months in advance, according to O’Connor. The eight boys who applied for the trip participated in weekly sessions with O’Connor starting in November. The sessions involved watching videos, discussing Peruvian culture, and setting expectations for the trip.
Hernandez said that he was inspired to take the trip because he wanted to experience life in other regions of the world and “wanted to do something to give back and help some people in need.” He said that the trip was “a life-changing experience like none other,” and that the lessons he learned with stay with him until the day he dies.
Catholic values and teachings were interwoven with the service projects daily, according to O’Connor. Providing a spiritual dimension to their experiences, the students gathered for daily reflections, including prayer, songs, and discussions. Students were also urged to write in prayer journals, reflecting on the impact of their actions.
The immersion trip aligns with Bergen Catholic’s broader commitment to social justice, echoing the mission of Blessed Edmund Rice, the founder of the Christian Brothers. According to O’Connor, the school’s values emphasize standing in solidarity with those marginalized by poverty and injustice, distinguishing the immersion trip from conventional volunteer experiences.
On the final day of the trip, students enjoyed rest and leisure activities, including a trip to the beach and souvenir shopping in Lima.
