SLS Blog

Service ministry is an opportunity for St. Lawrence Seminary High School students to transform the world through reverence. And through ministry to others, St. Lawrence students build relationships, improve the quality of life for those served, learn new skills, share gifts, and above all, live out the gospel invitation to serve others.

Take a look at five of the many ministry opportunities available to St. Lawrence students.

Angel Tree Project

The Angel Tree Project is a national program that provides Christmas presents for children who have a parent in prison or jail. While the students at St. Lawrence don’t physically visit the prisoners, they share gifts with the children in an effort to treat the families of the incarcerated with respect and integrity.

The Angel Tree Project is unique because it is the only ministry project that involves the entire St. Lawrence community: seniors deliver gifts to the families, juniors shop for the gifts, sophomores wrap the gifts, and freshman write cards for the families.

Broken Bread

Broken Bread is a food distribution and light meal preparation program for the hungry of the Fond du Lac area. Sponsored by St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Broken Bread provides needed assistance for many of the poor in the surrounding areas. St. Lawrence students help with serving food, taking down tables, putting food away at the end of the evening, and especially carrying boxes for the guests who are physically unable to do so.

This ministry is primarily available to juniors on Friday evenings throughout the school year.

Housing Rehab

Housing Rehabilitation is a hands-on opportunity for students to learn and provide skills for impoverished families in central city Milwaukee. Students generally work on houses in the near north side and near south side of Milwaukee.

Students work on a variety of projects including demolition, hanging drywall, minor construction of porches or walls, and painting. Through this experience, students also learn about the importance of home ownership as well as neighborhood stability and growth.

Mission Trip

Hilltopper Summer Mission Trip is an intensive summer experience to the U.S.-Mexico border. Ministry to and with others is one of the foundational elements of life at St. Lawrence Seminary, and taking time to do an extended mission trip to the south Rio Grande Valley of Texas is an exciting part of that ministry program.

This area of focus is an impoverished area both on the U.S. and Mexican sides of the border. The south valley provides St. Lawrence students with an opportunity to learn about immigration and poverty issues.

Villa Loretto

Villa Loretto is a nursing home just down the road from the St. Lawrence campus. Ministering at Villa Loretto provides students with an opportunity to bring their youthful energy into a nursing home setting. At various times throughout the year, students will go to the Villa to play bingo, visit, and provide other support services.

Students are given the opportunity to reflect on their experiences and at times, recognize that nursing home visitation is something they would like to do in their future.

At St. Lawrence, sophomores are required to complete at least 10 service hours through the school year, while juniors and seniors are required to have 20 and 30 hours respectively. Students are encouraged to complete more than the minimum requirement, and many choose to do so. The objective in these ministry opportunities is to provide St. Lawrence students and the served alike with a life-giving transformation.