Day 6-7, Chicago, March 13-14, 2026
This morning we started our day with mass followed by our final breakfast with Ferris State University before their departure. They were great companions this week so their goodbye was a little bittersweet. After that we helped the sisters with their chores, which for me included cleaning up Ferris’ rooms with Alex, Kathryn, and Tyler. After lunch with the sisters, we got some free time, which we used for a group game of Scattergories (still shaking my head about me and Alex both saying artichoke dip for things that are in a refrigerator). After that we swung by the YMCA to say goodbye to the kids. We didn’t originally have this planned but all of us wanted to see them one more time since we didn’t get to say goodbye to them earlier. Another bittersweet goodbye.
For the evening we went to a Catholic Church called St. Andrew’s where we walked around the blocks inviting people to adoration and confession where they could light a candle and pray for peace. Alli and I were buddies and we encountered a lot of people that said no or just kept walking. After many rejections she said,” Please God just give us one yes.” We then ran into a man that was very friendly and asked us more about our invitation. He said that he was just praying in his apartment to God and that this was something he was going to really consider. We gave him some free books and a candle. His name was Joshua. I suppose both us and Joshua were the answers to each other’s prayers.
After our street walking shift, we did a holy hour in the church, which was accompanied by Sister Kate playing cello and Sister Maggie singing. It was angelic. On our drive back to the convent, I realized how close this group has gotten. It was 30 minutes straight of laughing and sharing God moments from the day, with a little freestyling in between. This was not the same group that arrived here just a couple of days ago. Even as individuals, we have all had strong movements in our hearts that will change the way we live back at Carroll.
The last adventure (Day 7) Friday morning we packed up and had our last mass with the sisters and the bishop. We then hopped on a bus to see the famous St. Patrick’s day tradition where they dye the Chicago river green! There were so many people and the river actually turned a bright green! After navigating some city traffic(with mini hacky sac at the bus stop) We had one last meal with the sisters and played another short game of hacky sac before our emotional and final goodbye. We’re on the last flight home as of now. The Lord has taught us all to trust him this week by frequently giving us perfectly timed arrivals and departures whether it be busses, trains, or planes. His hand has truly been guiding this trip despite the delays, challenges, and incredulities. Thank you for reading about our adventures! Until next time.
Asher signing out.
Chicago Day 5, 3/12/26
Today was our free day out in the city of Chicago. We visited four different churches, and all of them were really beautiful inside with amazing architecture and artwork. Each one had something a little different about it, from the paintings to the design of the ceilings. The third one, St. John Cantius Church, was definitely my favorite. It just stood out the most to me, and the inside architecture was really impressive. Praying in all of them was also very peaceful.
After that we went to Lincoln Park Zoo and walked around for a bit. It was nice taking some time to look at all the animals and just walk through the zoo. Later we took a boat tour on the Chicago River, which was honestly one of the coolest parts of the day. Seeing the city and all the buildings from the water gives you a completely different view of Chicago, and the skyline looked awesome.
After the boat tour we stopped at Lou Malnati’s Pizzeria to try their world-famous Chicago deep dish pizza, and it was really good definitely worth it. Then we stopped by Cloud Gate and took a bunch of funny pictures in the reflection. It was honestly really funny seeing all the reflections and just messing around with it.
After that we stopped by the Harry Potter Shop and looked around for a bit. Overall, it was a really fun day exploring Chicago, especially seeing all the buildings lit up at night.
-Tyler
Day 4 in Chicago, 3/11/26
Our fourth day in Chicago began with another early morning Mass with Bishop Bob in the chapel. It’s always a blessing to start the day with what matters most, even if I’m quietly battling the pre‑coffee struggle to stay awake.
After Mass we had breakfast, and then the sisters divided us into our morning groups. My group was assigned to clean the church next door, Our Lady of the Angels, a true beacon for the community. A few Carroll and Ferris students and I were given the job of wiping down every pew in the large church. It might sound boring, but it turned into a great chance to talk with some Ferris students about our favorite philosophers and books while we worked. Once the pews were finished, we scrubbed the staircase leading up to the choir loft. What I loved most was the quiet simplicity of cleaning the place where God dwells.
After we cleaned the staircase, we hurried over to the dining hall to join the sisters for their weekly senior Bible study. We spent about thirty minutes reflecting on Luke 4:1–13, discussing how to fight temptation with prayer and connecting it to Christ’s time in the desert. Afterward, all of us college students helped serve lunch to the seniors and then sat down to eat with them.
This ended up being my favorite part of the day. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Pervis and his wife Belinda, who shared stories from their sixty‑year marriage, their prayer lives, and the hardships they’ve faced in their community. Having never lived in a big city marked by poverty and violence, it was eye‑opening to hear their experiences. It made me realize how different our lives can be and how much more grateful I should be for what I have. After lunch we cleaned up and had an hour break before our holy hour. Holy hour is another highlight of my day because it gives me a quiet space to bring whatever is on my mind to prayer.
Following holy hour, we walked down the block to the YMCA for our fourth day with the kids. It’s always a joy to spend time with them, playing games, helping with homework, and just being present. After basketball and a few rounds of sharks and minnows, we headed back to the mission for a delicious dinner prepared by the sisters.
We ended the evening with a Q&A session with the sisters and the apostolates of the mission. They shared their stories of discernment, how they ended up here, and offered insightful vocation advice, along with some of their favorite stories about St. Francis. We closed the night with a quick group meeting to reflect on the day.
I’m excited for tomorrow and whatever the big city has in store.
Alexandre
Chicago Day 3, 3/10/26
Once again, there was another early morning wake-up, but it was incredibly special because we got to have mass in the Church. The mass was quick because we were ready to hit the ground running at the food pantry. After a quick breakfast, we took our positions ready to serve everything from fresh produce to toilet paper to canned foods of all sorts. There were even 100 medical professionals here to offer healthcare to people whom it may not be as easily available to…for free! Many of the neighbors who came in spoke Spanish, so it was a humbling experience not understanding hardly anything that was being said. I wish I could have been able to converse a little more personally, but because of my non-Spanish capabilities, “macaroni e queso” and “sopa tomate” was about the extent of what I would say, handing a family a whole case of tomato soup or boxes of macaroni and cheese. Yet I still was able to say something to every one of the almost 500 people who showed up at the pantry. The way that every volunteer works to treat others with dignity really shows what service to the community means.
After an exhausting yet fruitful pantry experience, we ate lunch and had a holy hour. I was trying not to fall asleep, but after praying a rosary, I felt peace in the silence and had a few moments of just being able to rest with Jesus right in front of me.
We went to the childcare afterschool program again, and the kids had so much energy that it was hard to keep up with them! Each little smile, every adorable laugh, every one-on-one conversation made me realize the wonders of being a child and how much our attention matters to them. Throughout the coloring, bingo, and gym games, we have grown better relationships with these little ones.
Dinner was such a fruitful experience, being able to connect more deeply with the college who we are joining here in Chicago. Looking around, I could see everyone having a conversation, laughing, and having a good time. After gathering to reflect upon the day as a Carroll student, I remembered that this service trip is not about me or what I am concerned with, but about fellowship with all sorts of communities: the Franciscan Sisters, the poor, the children, and even my own Carroll peers who I have been blessed to be with. Also, who knew there were so many different ways people gulped?
-Abby, Freshman
Day 2 Chicago, 3/9/26
This morning, we started early with a beautiful Mass at 6:30a.m. led by Bishop Bob, one of the founders of this order. Afterwards, we ate breakfast and got to work under Sister Stephanie’s direction. She gave us different tasks to do in preparation for the food pantry that is held on the first floor of the retreat center every Tuesday.
We worked alongside the sisters and volunteers for about four hours. Whether it was transporting, sorting, organizing, or bagging foods and other goods, we all stayed busy and hard at work. I thought it was amazing to see how many different people were involved in this process and to see how generously people donate. You could tell this service is done out of love and it didn’t feel like just some chores, but rather like this would really make a difference in lives of our neighbors. Every Monday this food pantry goes through 50,000 pounds of food, which is something I can barely wrap my head around.
Once we got done, we got to pray liturgy of the hours with the sisters in the little chapel, which was very slow and intentional. Then we got to eat lunch with the sisters and students from the other school, Ferris State University, that had just arrived at lunch. I really enjoyed getting to sit among the sisters and get to know them a bit more while sharing a meal with them. After lunch cleanup we unloaded a few more pounds of food from a last-minute delivery and prayed a holy hour in adoration. A lot of us did have a hard time staying awake during this hour because of our busy morning, but it was a great time to take a moment to reflect and pray.
The next hour and half of our day was spent with elementary kids at the YMCA. This is a very crucial place in this neighborhood where kids from nearby schools can go after school, rather than getting into trouble elsewhere. We all had a wonderful time playing outside with these kids and just getting to know them and their sweet personalities a bit. We did this with some other students from Ferris, so we were able to get to know them too.
Before dinner, we played hacky sack in the sun and then ate a meal of pizza, tacos, and various items with the Ferris students. They are a big and fun crew, and I’ve had a good time getting to meet a lot of them. After dinner clean up, us Carroll students had a debrief in which we shared the various cool moments that we had from the day.
We really noticed how intentional the sisters are when they work, pray, and speak to people. My prayer for all of us is that we can be intentional and loving as they are and above all, as Christ is.
Alli
Denver, Day 3, Christ in the City, March 12, 2025
When thinking about this trip the word simplicity is the word I would use to describe it. I tend to over complicate and think most things in my life, and serving the poor is absolutely one of those things. But the way Christ in the City reaches out the poor completely wrecked my thought processes about serving and has re made my foundations for fulfilling the command to love the least of my brothers. All it takes to serve and love my neighbors, no matter their material wealth, is merely an introduction on my part and an inquiry into how their day is going. It might be incredibly awkward and I might not have any idea about what to say, but the authentic reaching out is all that is asked of me. I don’t need to over think, I don’t need to have a script. Christ asks that I simply show up and offer myself to my neighbor, and He will take care of the rest.
Davis Greenwood, Sophomore
Browning, Day 1, March 10, 2025 De La Salle Blackfeet School
Today was our first day working at the catholic school in Browning and it was absolutely wonderful! I got to work with the fourth and fifth graders and they were a blast. I was deeply moved by their simple joy. Their passion and excitement for life was infections. Throughout day I found myself being unable to stop grinning. I was pleasantly surprised by the kids sense of humor. I was laughing so much that the kids started making fun of me for it. But I couldn’t help myself these kids are just so darn funny. One highlight from the day was getting to help this young sweet girl develop a story. She ended up deciding the main character would be her older sister Kaia. To help develop this character I gave her sheet with a list of questions. The first question on the page was “What does your character desire most” to this she responded “My character wants more than anything to be mean to her little brother in the morning.” Anyway, I thought it was hilarious. I finished out the school day playing dungeons and dragons upon one of the students request. It was my first introduction to D&D and I learned that each participant gets to pick a player name by which they are to be referred. The names included “Issi” “Dark Lord” and last but not least “Big Daddy”. After the school day we had a lovey couple with two young children share with us the unique blessings and struggles of the Blackfeet people. It was a truly insightful discussion. Overall it was a great day and I am very grateful to Browning community for welcoming us in to their lives for a week.
Andrew Devine, Senior
Carroll College Campus Ministry 