Immersion trips offered through Campus Ministry over Winter Break took one group of students to Belize for a second year and another group to Costa Rica for the first time.
Such trips have been offered to Fairfield students for more than 20 years, as a way to broaden their perspectives on community, culture, and spirituality. To prepare for each trip, the student groups met weekly over the fall semester.
Costa Rica: Environmental Justice and Sustainability
The Costa Rica immersion trip focused on environmental justice and sustainability. It was led by Julia Murphy, campus minister for justice and immersions, and Na'Shyra Yates ’19, student success coach at Fairfield Bellarmine. The group visited the Tortuguero and Cahuita National Parks to learn about conservation efforts protecting turtles, birds, and other native species. Through guided discussions and observation, they gained insight into how Costa Rican society has broadly embraced environmental stewardship.
“It was really interesting to see how the whole society of Costa Rica has bought into conservation efforts,” said Murphy. “Especially as eco-tourism is so popular in the area, conservation is not just a value for the community, it’s a way of life.”
The students were warmly welcomed into the Bribri Indigenous community, a close-knit culture committed to preserving ancestral traditions and passing knowledge through generations. Community members shared practices such as cacao-to-chocolate making and traditional roof-thatching, and they explained the cultural significance of bows and arrows.
On a visit to the Sarapiquí coffee cooperative, a community-based initiative that directly supports more than 60 local families, they witnessed a powerful example of ethical, sustainable agriculture.
The Fairfield group also met with members of the Afro-Costa Rican community in Limón, including leaders engaged in women’s empowerment and cultural preservation.
Murphy connected the group’s Costa Rica encounters to Laudato Si’, Pope Francis’s encyclical on care for our common home, noting how actively its principles are lived out by indigenous and local communities. “For many students, witnessing this immersion of faith, justice, and environmental conservation fostered a deeper appreciation for God’s creation and a renewed sense of responsibility to protect it,” she said.
Belize: Jesuit Ministry, Education, and Poverty
The Belize immersion trip followed a similar formation-based structure while focusing on Jesuit ministry, education, and poverty. The group was led by Rev. John Savard, S.J.,’78, director of campus ministry, and Katie Byrnes, EdD, associate director of campus ministry.
Returning to Belize for a second year, the group retraced steps to familiar spaces and faces, nurturing established relationships with community organizations in the area. Students learned about the Jesuits' long-standing presence in Belize and the role of faith-based institutions in supporting local communities. In Belize City, they visited St. Martin de Porres Parish and partnered with Hand in Hand Ministries to spend time with community members and children supported by the organization.
Additional service activities included assisting at a food pantry in Punta Gorda and painting the main community center at St. Peter Claver Parish. Their experiences allowed them to offer hands-on support while learning about the daily realities faced by local communities.
A highlight of the Belize immersion experience was participating in a liturgical celebration marking the 175th anniversary of the Jesuits in Belize, a coincidental alignment in timing that students will remember for a lifetime. Students joined a large Mass honoring the enduring impact of Jesuit ministry and community partnership throughout the country.
