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TRAVEL & wellness
Changes made to Franciscan Study abroad program
October 23, 2016
Bridget McCartney
In light of recent developments, the Franciscan University Austrian campus has had to reevaluate the program to ensure safety for students.
Between the Syrian refugee crisis and the Paris terrorist attacks in the fall of 2015, there has been an undertone of fear and concern regarding the beloved Franciscan Kartause in Gaming, Austria. With rumors swirling around campus, even to the extent of students whispering about the Kartause closing down, Mark Hanrahan, director of Austria enrollment, was adamant to express that this is not true.
Although certain changes will be made and extra safety precautions will be taken, the Austria program is not closing. He went on to explain that the changes taking place will have no negative impact on students planning to study abroad in the future. Rather, these adjustments will only enhance student-life in Austria, all while keeping safety in mind.
The fall of 2015 was full of unexpected troubles for the Austria program.
“Everything changed on November 13 for us,” Mark said, in reference to the terrorist attack in Paris, killing 130 people. Prior to that event, the university had been keeping an extra close eye on the program because of the influx of Syrian refugees, but the tragic killings in Paris was the clincher that assured Franciscan faculty and staff that changes must be made to the program.
“One of the biggest things that we’ve done, is that we came up with about half a dozen new excursions for the Spring semester so that students can sign up for trips sponsored and organized by the university,” Mark said.
There will be a variety of locations for these trips, including Bavaria, Lisieux, Venice, Padua and others. Each trip will be chaperoned by Franciscan University faculty and staff. If a student is interested in participating, they can purchase the trip online for one flat fee, and with the purchase they will also receive an in-depth itinerary, which can be emailed to parents.
If the students choose to partake in these trips, they will enjoy traveling in an organized group on busses rented by Franciscan by a trusted company, they will stay together in safe lodgings and even share meals together. All of this will be covered by the flat rate paid in advance.
“What we did is we just gave students options. You don’t have to do this [organized trip], but the parents that I’ve talked to think that this is a Godsend. We are giving your son or daughter an opportunity to travel and see Europe, but do it in a controlled, safe environment,” Mark said.
In the past, there have been several of these organized trips, including visits to Salzburg, Vienna and Poland. These excursions will still be offered – the new trips are just additions.
Mark Hanrahan emphasized that parents of students in Gaming will be more informed than ever with increased contact. The Austrian faculty will send mass emails to all the parents, updating them on their children’s travels and assuring them of their safety.
To sum it up, Franciscan’s Austria campus is here to stay. In fact, according to Mark, the program’s numbers are at a record high.
“This is the biggest spring we’ve ever had!” Mark said. “I think our students are maybe more aware than they’ve ever been about the potential risk, how to minimize those risks and how to not jeopardize their security.”
Rest assured, the Kartause and all its occupants are safe.
Students travel far and wide as missionaries
March 10, 2016
Bridget McCartney
Father Luke, a Polish priest who is reminiscent of a young St. John Paul II, cheerfully drives a truck full of Franciscan University students up to a stone Church that looks out into a verdant Jamaican landscape. Children run up to the truck hollering and smiling. These children wait eagerly for the students to hop out of the truck, allowing them to sprint into the student’s embrace. The sun beats down through widespread palm branches and illuminates the tee shirts each Franciscan student wears, bearing the words “Missions of Peace”.
This is a scene from Seaford Town, Jamaica Mission, one of the 18 mission sites Franciscan sends students every year. Each mission is a little different, but they all have one common thread – spreading the joy of the Gospel and bringing Jesus Christ to people around the world. Most of these missions take place over spring break, while Jamaica missions happens only during Christmas break.
With over 400 students participating in Franciscan’s missionary outreach program “Missions of Peace” every year, the spirit of St. Francis and his charism of continual conversion is very present in the hearts of the students.
“You are pushed toward continuous conversion on mission by your team and by the people who you serve when you realize that nothing matters expect the people who you are serving,” junior Catherine Swope said after experiencing her mission to Jamaica this January. “Your own comfort, image, and expectations evaporate as soon as you meet the real people who you have been called to encounter,” Swope said.
Franciscan students are always encouraged to practice virtue and love all who they encounter, but Missions of Peace offers students a chance to take that to a new level.
“Missions of Peace puts Franciscan values into action. Rather than live out our faith surrounded by Catholics on campus, mission provides us with the opportunity to go out into the world, make real sacrifices, and follow Christ's command to evangelize concretely,” junior Miriam Nelson said. Nelson will be returning to Ecuador over spring break for her second time with Franciscan.
Many students are currently in the midst of their preparations, as spring break begins March 5.
“Even though mission is only a week long, we’ve spent so many weeks and months preparing to immerse ourselves in the culture that we’ll be living. We’ve even learned songs in Spanish! All of this has made me feel so much more prepared to love and serve,” said junior Anna Perault on preparing for her upcoming trip to Ecuador. This will be Anna’s first time on a Missions of Peace trip.
In addition to Jamaica and Ecuador, students will travel to Belize, Honduras and beyond. But the needs of the United States are not overlooked, as Franciscan students make the trek to locations across the country including the Bronx, Chicago and even locally in Steubenville. On each of these trips, the students encounter Jesus in a true and real way.
In just a few weeks, the four hundred or so students will have gone and come back again. Lives will have been touched around the country and around the world. Prayers will be prayed, children will sing, laugh and dance, tears may be shed, and if all goes as hoped, hearts will have experienced the healing touch of Christ and will never be the same again.