UPCOMING WINTER AND SPRING SJES

CPJE: San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala

We are excited to partner with the Center for Peace and Justice Education to offer this exciting opportunity for Villanova students! Participants will work with San Lucas Mission in San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala. All participants are required to enroll in a 1-credit course, which will meet on select Mondays at 7PM during the spring semester before and after the trip. This one-credit course is built around the spring SJE experience, and will examine issues of human rights and social justice in the context of the historical relationship between the United States and Guatemala, and the lives of the San Lucas Tolimán community in particular.  Prior to the trip we will study essential background information about the history and culture of the Guatemalan highlands, the San Lucas Mission, and Catholic Social Teaching. 

During the seven-day immersion over spring break, we will hold daily reflection debrief sessions based on CST, and after returning we will prepare for advocacy work on issues related to our experiences in Guatemala.  

Because of the course credits associated with this program, this opportunity is open to undergraduate students only. The course is listed as Class: PJ 4650 – Service Learning Practicum and will meet on Mondays at 7PM. 

Via International

Justice for immigrants does not end at the border. This Experience asks, what does immigration justice look like on Villanova’s campus, and how are we called to be a community of justice on campus? Participants will work together to develop skills for community leadership and engagement with a focus on immigration justice.

Then, over Spring break students will spend a week with VIA International in San Diego, CA and Tijuana, Mexico. They will share knowledge and resources with grassroots groups working to increase awareness and engagement in their own local communities, and volunteer with local partners in the Baja California region.

Bethlehem Farm

Bethlehem Farm is a Catholic community in rural West Virginia that transforms lives through a service retreat experience. Members of the community at Bethlehem Farm are devoted to living out the Gospel message through the cornerstones of community, simplicity, prayer and service. Participants will serve alongside the neighbors at Bethlehem Farm to address substandard housing by providing home repair. They will learn about the richness of Appalachia and experience God by building relationships between volunteers and the local community. 

Habitat for Humanity of Marion-Dillon County, SC

Giving and receiving mutual acts of hospitality removes the distance that separates people whose life experiences are very different. This SJE allows participants to both offer and receive the healing experience of being received as guest and partnering with others to provide a home for the displaced.

Participants spend a week with Marion-Dillon County Habitat for Humanity in Mullins, SC. Marion County has the highest unemployment rate in the state and safe affordable housing is scarce. Participants will have plenty of work to do and will be welcomed by the local Marion community.  

Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County

In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, 5% of the housing does not meet the minimum housing code, and 2.5% of the population live in overcrowded conditions. The need for new houses and neighborhood revitalization projects is huge.  

Students will partner with Habitat for Humanity of Forsyth County, which is working to remedy this situation. Participants will stay in dormitory-style housing near the Habitat headquarters. They will engage many community partners who provide lunch and dinner. This SJE is for First Year Students only and is a great way to meet service-minded peers. 

Winter 2026: Plenitud Puerto Rico

Plenitud Puerto Rico has three important pillars: Service, sustainaibilty, and community. Come spend a week learning about the sustainable living practices that they are enacting in the local community of Las Marias, Puerto Rico. Plenitud is an educational farm and teaching center dedicated to instilling people with the tools to reflect, grow, and work for change. They collaborate with a number of community partners in the local community of Las Marias, through efforts in agriculture, senior care, and youth activities. Their mission is rooted in love for one another and the Earth.