Our work at Goodfaith began nearly 20 years ago with service immersion experiences at the heart of what we do. While the organization has grown over the years and expanded our offerings, we are excited to continue facilitating these foundational programs.
The summer will begin with a group of students from St. Peter’s Prep in Jersey City, NJ traveling to our retreat space in Trenton, NJ and participating in an overnight, week-long program rooted in John 15:12. During this program the students will serve at several local non-profit organizations during the day and explore themes of Catholic Social Teaching in small groups to reflect on their experiences each evening.
In July we will facilitate two program weeks of our middle school service immersion experience at St. Matthias parish in Somerset, NJ. This program has been offered as part of a comprehensive Confirmation Prep for the rising eighth graders for over a decade. We are thrilled to continue this long-time partnership. This program will offer service experiences for small groups each morning at local non-profits and afternoon reflections on The Good Samaritan and the importance of acts of charity and justice – the Two Feet of Love.
One of our newer summer programs is our Level Up retreat, which is a week-long overnight service immersion program for high school youth who are serving as, or learning how to be, a protagonist of their faith in their parish or school communities. While some elements of our “traditional” high school program will be present, the focus for these youth will be how to enhance their “passion projects” and explore the intersections of their gifts and the world’s needs. This program also incorporates adult mentors from their parish or school who accompany the youth over the course of the year as they lead programs related to their passion projects.
