My Year Adventure
Me llamo Steph, and I am a 2019-2020 volunteer for Rostro de Cristo in Guayaquil, Ecuador. Since the beginning of college, I knew I wanted to give a year of service, but never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I would get the opportunity to move to South America! This blog will document my days in Ecuador-- from the good to the bad, and everything in between!
Ever since I can remember, my parents and family have encouraged me to deepen my faith through the spirit of giving back. I have vivid memories of visiting St. Elizabeth's Soup Kitchen in Hartford, CT to make lunches in the early hours on Saturday mornings. Every March throughout high school, myself, my dad, sister, cousin and friends would travel up to Boston for our annual Mission Trip through Youth Group at St. Catherine of Siena in Simsbury, CT. These experiences were the seeds to my understanding of service.
When I began my freshman year at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, I began to fully grasp what it means to be a woman with and for others. As a double major in Sociology and Spanish, and a minor in Psychology, my studies helped deepen my passion for social justice in an intellectual manner. I studied the societal structures and institutions that perpetuate social inequality. I studied the human mind and how we behave as social beings. I studied different histories, cultures, and language. But most importantly, I became involved in many different communities that fostered experiential learning. I found value in reciprocal relationships through service-learning classes, service immersion trips to Appalachia, and my role in the Faith-Justice Institute. My understanding of service has transformed, revolving now around relationships and justice, rather than just going through the motions. I learned more deeply the importance of listening, empathy, and human dignity... and I began to better understand what it means to go to the margins.
This has all led me to my future with Rostro de Cristo in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Rostro de Cristo (which means “Face of Christ” in Spanish) is a Catholic volunteer program serving in the barrios of Guayaquil, Ecuador. It was founded twenty-five years ago by Fr. James Ronan, a St. James Missionary priest from the Archdiocese of Boston, who served the Archdiocese of Guayaquil for five years. Inspired by the faith of the Ecuadorian people, he started to invite young adults from the US to experience Christ in Ecuador. On July 23rd, I will board a plane for Guayaquil and spend one year living simply, working and serving the local Church with 10 other volunteers.
Words cannot describe just how excited I am to be a part of the Rostro de Cristo family. My year in Ecuador will, without a doubt, be one of the most challenging years of my life-- but with these upcoming challenges, I will be pushed to listen more, to think more, to empathize more, to question more... to be more. I look forward to the relationships I will build with my new communities, to fully immerse myself in a Spanish-speaking country, and most importantly, to encounter the "Face of Christ."
Thank you for joining me in my year of service. I am so excited to share my journey!
Abrazos,
Steph xx
[email protected]
rostrodecristo.org
Ever since I can remember, my parents and family have encouraged me to deepen my faith through the spirit of giving back. I have vivid memories of visiting St. Elizabeth's Soup Kitchen in Hartford, CT to make lunches in the early hours on Saturday mornings. Every March throughout high school, myself, my dad, sister, cousin and friends would travel up to Boston for our annual Mission Trip through Youth Group at St. Catherine of Siena in Simsbury, CT. These experiences were the seeds to my understanding of service.
When I began my freshman year at St. Joseph's University in Philadelphia, I began to fully grasp what it means to be a woman with and for others. As a double major in Sociology and Spanish, and a minor in Psychology, my studies helped deepen my passion for social justice in an intellectual manner. I studied the societal structures and institutions that perpetuate social inequality. I studied the human mind and how we behave as social beings. I studied different histories, cultures, and language. But most importantly, I became involved in many different communities that fostered experiential learning. I found value in reciprocal relationships through service-learning classes, service immersion trips to Appalachia, and my role in the Faith-Justice Institute. My understanding of service has transformed, revolving now around relationships and justice, rather than just going through the motions. I learned more deeply the importance of listening, empathy, and human dignity... and I began to better understand what it means to go to the margins.
This has all led me to my future with Rostro de Cristo in Guayaquil, Ecuador.
Rostro de Cristo (which means “Face of Christ” in Spanish) is a Catholic volunteer program serving in the barrios of Guayaquil, Ecuador. It was founded twenty-five years ago by Fr. James Ronan, a St. James Missionary priest from the Archdiocese of Boston, who served the Archdiocese of Guayaquil for five years. Inspired by the faith of the Ecuadorian people, he started to invite young adults from the US to experience Christ in Ecuador. On July 23rd, I will board a plane for Guayaquil and spend one year living simply, working and serving the local Church with 10 other volunteers.
Words cannot describe just how excited I am to be a part of the Rostro de Cristo family. My year in Ecuador will, without a doubt, be one of the most challenging years of my life-- but with these upcoming challenges, I will be pushed to listen more, to think more, to empathize more, to question more... to be more. I look forward to the relationships I will build with my new communities, to fully immerse myself in a Spanish-speaking country, and most importantly, to encounter the "Face of Christ."
Thank you for joining me in my year of service. I am so excited to share my journey!
Abrazos,
Steph xx
[email protected]
rostrodecristo.org