Earlier this month, Fairfield University and Fairfield Prep students visited the People of Hope: Faith-Filled Stories of Neighbors Helping Neighbors Mobile Museum, a storytelling initiative produced by Catholic Charities USA.
The People of Hope Museum is an immersive traveling exhibit designed to help visitors better understand the realities of poverty and the impact of charitable service within marginalized communities.
Housed in a retrofitted 53-foot tractor-trailer, the museum is expected to travel to more than 150 locations across the United States on a national tour that will run through the first half of 2028. Fairfield University was among its first stops.
The People of Hope Museum is hosted by Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA), a nationwide organization comprised of 169 diocesan Catholic Charities agencies. CCUSA’s mandate, according to its mission statement, is “to provide service to people, families, and communities in need; to advocate for justice in social structures; and to call the entire Church and all people of good will to do the same.” CCUSA is a member of Caritas Internationalis, a global federation of Catholic social service organizations.
Among visitors to the mobile exhibit were students from classes taught by Rev. John Savard, S.J.,’78, director of campus ministry, and Julia Murphy, campus minister for justice and immersions. As they entered the trailer, the group was surrounded by a multimedia experience. Videos told stories of poverty—from the perspectives of children, parents, and older adults—and shared how encounters with support services changed their lives.
