For more than two decades, Immaculata University students have packed their bags to participate in mission trips. This annual tradition, rooted deep within the University’s history, recently brought a group of nine students to Peru for a hands-on experience in cultural immersion and community service.
The connection between the University and Peru dates back to the founding of the institution, when the Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (IHM) in Peru and the former Immaculata College operated as mutual support teams. The modern iteration of the travel program was created between 2013 and 2014 by Sister Annette Pelletier, IHM, who channeled 12 years of personal ministry experience in Peru to creating this mission trip for Immaculata students.
Except for a temporary hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic, the program has run continuously, allowing students to live in the sisters’ residence in Peru and work directly with local service ministries.
Sister Annette Pelletier, IHM (L), and Amanda Fennell (R) at The House of the Beatitudes.
This year’s itinerary introduced students to The House of the Beatitudes, a Catholic institution founded by a local priest after the pandemic to shelter children, young adults and elderly individuals abandoned on the streets. Many of the children arriving at the home face severe learning and language difficulties and are entirely non-verbal.
For two days, Immaculata students commuted over an hour from where they were staying at Villa Maria, La Planicie, to support The House of the Beatitudes in Lurín, instantly bonding with the residents through play and physical connection. Three participating students, all education majors specializing in early learning and special needs, stepped forward to teach a classroom of children. Despite the lack of verbal communication, the students successfully adapted their training from their classes at Immaculata to engage the students through sounds and play.
“Those are the kinds of experiences where relying on verbal exchange is not primary,” Sister Pelletier reflected. “It’s getting to know people, being with them…You don’t speak the language, but no matter what, you can make a difference in that person’s life.”
The group also traveled to Centro del Adulto Mayor del Madre del Amor Hermoso, a recreational center for senior citizens, located in an impoverished shanty town outside Lima. These neighborhoods, built by families fleeing regional violence, are marked by severe poverty, with most residents living without running water or electricity.
Since none of the Immaculata students spoke Spanish, they used music and skits to connect with the residents, organizing a three-act talent show to entertain them, encourage interaction and bring laughter. The visit concluded with a traditional huayno folk dance, during which the elderly residents taught the Immaculata students the steps.
Reflecting on their time in Peru, Sister Pelletier hoped the experience instilled a permanent sense of gratitude and critical structural awareness in the students, particularly regarding how economic and justice systems impact developing nations.
That lesson in gratitude was exactly what resonated most with Amanda Fennell. A senior at Immaculata University who is studying English and Theology, Fennell reflected on how the mindset of the people they met changed her own outlook, “This mission trip encouraged me to stop comparing my life to others. Those we served were able to enjoy our company and not envy us because they were grateful and recognized that everything was a gift. They didn’t take anything in their lives for granted.”