Appalachia

In March, 2006, Saint Peter's College-campus ministry resurrected a service and cultural immersion program for Spring Break. Five students traveled to the Gift of Tears Catholic Worker Farm in Spencer, West Virginia. (www.giftoftears.com). Students learned about the importance of community, long embedded in the cultural values of the Appalachian people, as they bonded more deeply with one another during local service opportunities, in learning about the history of West Virginia’s mining industry, the destructive practice of “Mountaintop Removal” for coal, and through nightly reflections.

Audra Lambert, class of ’09, wrote about her experience:
West Virginia was magical. The virgin forests and roads that twisted and turned between coy hills that were hiding untold beauty—going to West Virginia, serving others and bonding with my fellow Appalachia team members helped awaken a spirituality in me that I’ve been out of touch with for too long. Once you get hold of that feeling you’re loathe to part with it.

And Kevin Pettit, ’06, wrote:
My time spent in WV gave me newfound appreciation for life’s simple joys. A rich life is measured only by how much your heart can hold. I’ll never forget the bonds made with the people I met in WV and my fellow travelers I now call friends.