BERSI
The Blessed Edmund Rice Solidarity Initiative (BERSI) is a collection of travel-based educational service and immersion programs facilitated by Campus Ministry.
Led by CM faculty and staff, each program offers students a profound opportunity to immerse themselves in a global community, build meaningful relationships with their fellow trip members and the people of their host community, while also reflecting on the role of faith and God in their life.
Enlivened by the spirit of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers, each trip will cultivate a reflective faith-sharing community amongst students, and include elements of education and advocacy for peace, social justice, global awareness, and stewardship. The program empowers our students to put their faith-in-action, and to develop the sense of compassion and responsibility that is essential to stand in solidarity with those marginalized by poverty and injustice.
Each BERSI trip program has three mandatory components:
1. Two pre-trip reflection meetings to prepare for the trip.
2. The trip program itself.
3. Two post-trip meetings where students will create a group Advocacy project to share an aspect of their trip experience with the CM community
Led by CM faculty and staff, each program offers students a profound opportunity to immerse themselves in a global community, build meaningful relationships with their fellow trip members and the people of their host community, while also reflecting on the role of faith and God in their life.
Enlivened by the spirit of the Edmund Rice Christian Brothers, each trip will cultivate a reflective faith-sharing community amongst students, and include elements of education and advocacy for peace, social justice, global awareness, and stewardship. The program empowers our students to put their faith-in-action, and to develop the sense of compassion and responsibility that is essential to stand in solidarity with those marginalized by poverty and injustice.
Each BERSI trip program has three mandatory components:
1. Two pre-trip reflection meetings to prepare for the trip.
2. The trip program itself.
3. Two post-trip meetings where students will create a group Advocacy project to share an aspect of their trip experience with the CM community
If you have any question related to the BERSI program, please contact Mr. Michael Dermody, director of Campus Ministry, at MichaelDermody@CatholicMemorial.org.
Life
Campus Ministry
Travel Itinerary: Lima, Peru
-
Day 1
Students and faculty travel from Boston to Lima, Peru. Students stay at Casa Hendricken, the Christian Brothers Residence in Peru. Students begin their immersion by exploring the community in and around the Christian Brothers residence in the Las Flores neighborhood of Lima. Students learn the history of the area including the effect of guerrilla warfare in Peru between the years 1980-2000. In addition, students spend time exploring the Plaza de Armas, the historical and political center of Lima and visiting the Basilica and Convento de San Francisco, including the vast catacombs underneath the church. -
Days 2-4
Students begin their service project in the Canto Grande neighborhood of Lima constructing a hillside house for a family. Over the two days, the boys assemble and paint the small home. The boys have the opportunity to meet and get to know the children of the family who will live in the home. -
Day 5
After putting the finishing touches on the home, the group visits local families to hear their personal stories of struggle and difficulty, and of finding ways to overcome their obstacles in order to provide for their families. Students reflect on what we often lose sight of: the importance of a supportive family and the presence of hope, courage, and love in life. The day concludes with a visit to the local Christian Brothers school, Fe Y Alegria 26 where students play pick-up basketball with some of the students. -
Day 6
Students travel and stay in Jicamarca, one of the newer neighborhoods in the hills of Lima. The group stays in a new Christian Brothers residence attached to a family’s home that school groups have constructed over the last few years. -
Day 7
The group returns to central Lima for a leisure day before boarding an evening return flight.
1
/
5
“On the trip, boys open their minds and their hearts to what they encounter in Peru — dire poverty, the joys and struggles of the people of Peru, encounters with the face of Christ in those we serve. Students reflect on how they might bring this experience back to CM and their lives at home.”
Kevin Durazo
Vice Principal of Mission Integration
BERSI Trips
Brownsville, TX
Solidarity with those marginalized by poverty and injustice; the immigrant experience.
Washington, D.C.
Sanctity of Life — March for Life
Lima, Peru
Serving the Poor and Marginalized: Christian Brothers Missions in Latin America
Philadelphia
“Hungerfest”: Serving the poor and marginalized in urban areas
Wyoming: Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons
Care for God's Creation
About Us
Catholic Memorial, the Christian Brothers School of Boston, prepares boys for college, manhood and a world full of unknown challenges, ambiguity and complex problems and the importance of relationships.
