Overall Summary

“If you have come to help the poor, you're wasting your time. But if you've come because you believe your Liberation is bound with [theirs], let us work together.” - Brother Casey. 

Faith in Action has been a part of Vancouver College since 1958 when the Sodality of Our Lady was formed by a group of grade 12 students. They came together and devoted themselves to prayer and meditation, participating in charitable activities including visiting young patients in local hospitals and collecting food for needy families. Nowadays, the Faith in Action trips involve students travelling to a variety of developing communities in different countries, where they participate in activities such as building houses, visiting local schools, and connecting with local children. These activities go deeper than just serving the community, allowing students to reflect on their own lives and gain a deeper understanding and perspective of the world around them. Faith in Action trips allow students to connect and liberate different communities, as they Stand in Solidarity with Those Marginalized by Poverty and Injustice.

(Brownsville) Mrs. Wicken Interview Quotes:

1. “For many of us, the first step is making a sandwich… But what do we all need? What do we all really need? Someone to be a voice for those who have no voice.” 

2. “It gives you an opportunity for a little while to experience life for other people…it pushes you out of your comfort zone, which is the best way to grow.” 

3. “There’s a lot of services they don’t have, even though they are in the US.”

4. “They’re coming because their life at home is not okay at all. They’re in danger from cartels, from gangs, and violence.”

5. “We are invited to enter into what life is like, which is what solidarity is.”

(South Bronx) Mr. Seppelt Interview Quotes:

1. “Opportunity to engage in fellowship with people in communities that are facing a variety of challenges.”

2. “Don’t judge how people carry their burdens, be in awe of the burdens they carry.”

3. “The kid that came back wasn’t the kid that left.”

4. “I kind of failed if our students aren’t able to take what they learned there and in some ways translate it here.”

5. “When you engage in genuine fellowship, especially with the poor, it gives you a depth of experiences that you would otherwise not get.”

6. “This is the most selfish thing I have ever done, I get more out of this than I put into it.”

(Peru) Ms. Robles Interview Quotes:

1. “Students should go on the Faith in Action trips because it gives students a different perspective on how the other parts of the world live.”

2. “In Peru, you see a completely different way of living and it’s good to see how the other half lives as well.”

3. “In developing countries, they have so little but they are happy people.”

4. “When we built the house for Tanya, we met Tanya, we met her family, we met the community, so there is no better way to help the marginalized when you're in it.”

5. “It just really opens their eyes to how fortunate they are, and really helps them see the difference that they could make.” 

(Alert Bay) Mrs. Greaves Interview Quotes:

1. “[My son] came back a changed soul, his eyes were so wide and so open to the community of the Bronx and the city of New York.” 

2. “To get out of your four walls and your own city [expands] your whole soul and yourself as a person.”

3. “It’s a great opportunity to make connections with other people in your own community… [and] grow as an individual, spiritually, mentally, physically, and emotionally.”

4. “We are going to be immersed in a very marginalized community that is rich with culture.” 

5. “For them to understand this road to truth and reconciliation, it starts with a conversation and listening and understanding their stories of our Indigenous communities.”