Christian Service
Developing Compassionate Hearts
Since 1965 St. John’s Jesuit has taken an active role in Ignatian formation of young men who will be contemplative in action: young men who will be actively engaged in service as a response to God’s love, and will critically and prayerfully reflect upon how to best use their talents for the service of others.
The Jesuit mission at SJJ and around the world is to form men for others, men who are compassionate and reflective, men who care about justice and display kindness. Our formation program is built on Christian Service, a four-year retreat program, liturgies, reflective prayer and contemplation, and theology classes.
Forming Young People into Men for Others
SJJ young men have done Christian Service within the Toledo community since the school started with students volunteering in those early years at St. Mary’s and the Sunshine Children’s Home. Today, 50 years later, that legacy continues and has expanded to hundreds of organizations across the Toledo area, Appalachia and internationally in Latin America.
Each year the SJJ brotherhood volunteers over 20,000 hours.
SJJ is the leader in developing service programs that impact the Toledo community – Christmas on Campus for central city children and Easter on Campus for preschoolers with special needs, the Sweetheart Dance with an elder center and the Labre Program that prepares and delivers a home-cooked dinner every Monday evening, 52 weeks a year to 80 adults and their families in the Toledo area.
SJJ has the only school-day Christian Service Program where students help local service organizations, elementary schools, hospitals and senior centers at the time the organizations need it most – during school hours on weekdays.
Every student completes a service requirement for graduation.
Service extends beyond Toledo. National outreach started in the early seventies with some students volunteering in Appalachia. A more formal program started in 1992 and continues today with spring and summer programs.
SJJ was the first area school to offer an ongoing international service program where young men learn more about the world and themselves while serving others. In 1992, students explored an international component with two students working with a medical mission in the Dominican Republic. In 1994 students visited Guatemala. These events started a 20-year plus tradition of international service.
Currently, SJJ works with two foriegn immersion programs: International Samaritan and Courts For Kids. Students have served in Haiti, the Domincan Republic, El Salvador, Panama, and Guatemala doing everything. Doing whatever it takes to make life better for those living in developing world poverty.
