catholic missionary trips

PLEASE NOTE: IMMERSION Staff will be out of office Sept. 11-15. After submitting a form, use the link in your email to schedule a call for Sept. 18-22!

Service opportunities assigned to each community or program are not guaranteed to be part of every trip. Fill out an interest form to learn more.

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Catholic Mission Trips

For groups and individuals.

Experience Mission is an interdenominational missions organization that partners with groups of all different Christian denominations and backgrounds, including Catholic youth and adults! Bring your team to serve in a cross-cultural setting and live out your faith in a tangible way on a mission trip or join a 1-9 IMMERSION program for young adults.

What does it look like for a Catholic mission trip team or individual to serve with Experience Mission? On most of our mission trips, volunteers are connected to local Christian churches and ministries of many different denominational backgrounds. This is an opportunity to step out of our normal routine, serve others, and live into life-changing cross-cultural experiences—whether in homes, on the street, or in the pews.

Many volunteers from Catholic contexts or backgrounds have served with EM on short-term trips and IMMERSION programs and found their experiences to be transformative. Click below to explore mission trips with EM!

You must have a group size of at least 6 members to join this trip. Please view the Small Team trips or call our Servicing Department for more options at 888-475-6414 .

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Cross Catholic Outreach

Delivering food, shelter, and hope to the poorest of the poor

Mission Trips

Putting faith into action, a unique opportunity.

Mission trips are a unique opportunity for your Catholic community to share Christ’s love with the poor in developing countries.

When you partner with Cross Catholic Outreach, you’re partnering with a Catholic organization that has worked with priests, nuns and Catholic lay missionaries around the world for over 20 years.

Each mission trip experience allows U.S. Catholics to encounter the poor and serve alongside our ministry partners in their work. This service may include building homes or schools, feeding children, digging irrigation ditches, caring for orphans and vulnerable children, or visiting the elderly.

Our mission trips can be tailored to your group’s specific needs and interests, always grounded in our service to the Lord. We will help you plan, organize, and engage your Catholic community for a blessed and enriching experience.

Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. 1 John 3:18

Encountering Christ through Mission Trips in Belize and Guatemala

Read how u.s. catholics are encountering christ through cross catholic outreach mission trips..

Idaho Parish is a Model for Catholic Evangelization

Nestled deep in the heart of Idaho, Holy Apostles Catholic Church participates in Cross Catholic’s Box of Joy program, which brings Christ’s love and joy during the Christmas season. In addition to its commitment to the good works, the parish also sponsors a mission trip with parishioners to visit Cross Catholic Outreach missions in Belize.

Donors Share Inspirational Visit to Santa Rosa, Guatemala

When Terry and Cindi Ruder visited the Diocese of Santa Rosa de Lima last year, they saw poverty – as well as incredible signs of hope. This was a “vision” trip provided to major supporters. Even in one of the most destitute areas of Guatemala, the Ruders saw the fruits of their generosity and the restoration of dignity among the poor.

The cost of each mission trip varies by destination,group size, length of stay and type of service project.

All food, lodging, materials for service, travel health insurance and devotional journals.

Airfare, trip insurance, travel visas, immunizations, and your personal essentials like clothing and toiletries.

Trips average seven days, but can be customized up to 12 days to fit each group’s needs.

At Cross Catholic Outreach, your safety is a high priority. We work closely with our ministry partners in each country to ensure your safety at all times. During your trip, you will stay at a secure compound, mission house or hotel. We register all groups with the U.S. Department of State.

Participants must be at least 13, and those who are 13-17 must be accompanied by an adult.

You will need to contact your cell phone carrier for international data packages available in the specific country you plan to visit.

When your group arrives in-country, a Cross Catholic Outreach team member will be there to meet you at the airport. Our team will be with you for your entire experience and see you off at the airport.

Yes. A detailed itinerary will be provided to you prior to your scheduled departure date.

It’s important that visitors respect local cultures and norms, so participants must adhere to a modest dress code. For work times, men and women should wear pants or modest shorts, and T-shirts. For church, men should wear khakis or slacks and a clean shirt; women should wear skirts or dresses (knee length or longer). For leisure time, men should wear swim trunks; women should wear one-piece bathing suits. Bikini-style or tight bottoms or sleeveless shirts are not allowed.

A Cross Catholic Outreach team member will contact you with a packing list before your trip.

Depending on the country you go to, projects range from clean water wells, feeding, construction, and helping at orphanages or nursing homes.

No. interpreters will be provided.

Yes — a valid U.S. Passport is required.

There will be morning and evening devotions, prayer, and worship. Our goal is that your relationship with the Lord grows stronger!

At this time, we do not host trips for individuals to join.

Important Information Regarding COVID-19

Personal safety is Cross Catholic Outreach’s top priority. Whether it’s you, your group, our ministry partners, or those they serve, service to the poor must be done in a safe and controlled manner.

Cross Catholic Outreach has established thorough mission trip protocols to protect against COVID-19. This includes requirements for pre-travel, travel, in-country service and stay, and return travel back to the U.S.

Start Planning Your Group’s Mission Trip

If you’re interested in learning how your Catholic group can put faith into action through a mission trip, complete and submit the form below. Our team will help you plan, organize, and engage your Catholic community for a blessed and enriching experience. Note, at this time, we do not offer mission trips for individuals to join — only trips planned as a group.

Our mission is to mobilize the global Catholic Church to transform the poor and their communities materially and spiritually for the glory of Jesus Christ . Your gift empowers us to serve the poorest of the poor by channeling life-changing aid through an international network of dioceses, parishes and Catholic missionaries. This cost-effective approach helps break the cycle of poverty and advance Catholic evangelization.

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What kinds of service could you do on a FOCUS Mission trip?

Corporal Works of Mercy

The Corporal Words of Mercy, as found in the teachings of Jesus, include feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, sheltering the homeless, visiting the sick and the imprisoned, burying the dead and giving alms to the poor. This teaches us to see Jesus in everyone. Potential activities include serving food in a soup kitchen, doing homeless ministry or spending time with the elderly.

The Spiritual Works of Mercy guide us to “help our neighbor in their spiritual needs” (USCCB). Serving on a catechesis-based mission trip means opening the world’s eyes to the truth, beauty and goodness of the Catholic faith. Teaching people about the faith is an amazing opportunity to share the story of Jesus and the Catholic Church, as well as deepen your own faith. Activities may include home visits and working with youth groups.

Evangelization

Come share the Gospel with us! On evangelization trips, we share the story of Jesus with people who may have never heard the Gospel before. Activities might include sharing your testimony, teaching people how to lead bible studies, or simply starting conversations with people about faith. Answer the call to share the good news to the ends of the earth!

To be Jesus’ hands and feet on missions means always being ready to serve the needs in front of you. Based on the needs of those who invite us, service trips could include cleaning, teaching English, gardening, cooking, as well as other activities that are helpful to our hosts.

Whether it be restoring a dilapidated church or constructing stairs to improve access to a remote community, building projects on mission give you the opportunity to break a sweat and use your physical abilities for the sake of building up the Church. Building trips also give you the wonderful opportunity to labor side-by-side with the members of the community who will be most impacted by the work.

Medical missions are an amazing opportunity to live out the Corporal Works of Mercy to visit the sick and comfort the afflicted. By serving on a medical mission, you will have the opportunity to serve the basic health care needs of the poor. Some activities may include serving the ill and dying in a hospice, visiting a school to do health education, or setting up travel medical clinics to serve people without adequate access to health care.

Sports Camps

Spread the love of Christ through the universal language of sport! Share love, friendship, and encouragement through organizing sports camps for kids. Playing sports with locals is a great way to build cultural bridges. Sports camps allow you to teach children and invest in the future of a community through sports like volleyball, basketball, track, hockey, ultimate frisbee, and soccer.

Looking to experience Jesus and the Church in a new and life-changing way? Going on pilgrimage launches us on a transformative spiritual journey. By visiting some of the most important places in the Catholic faith, we are invigorated in our personal faith and shown what it means to be part of the universal Catholic Church. Walking in the footsteps of Jesus and the saints on pilgrimage teaches us what it means to follow Jesus in our every day life.

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Planning Your Trip to the 10th National Eucharistic Congress

I am sure that you, like many other Catholics across the United States, are excited to attend the 10 th National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis, Indiana. Make sure that you don’t miss the dates for the Eucharistic Congress – July 17 – July 21!

I get it, the five-day event might feel overwhelming! There are going to be so many incredible speakers and experiences. Every day at the Congress is designed to facilitate a life-changing encounter with our Lord. You will have the opportunity to select your preferred series of impact sessions for the morning and breakout sessions for the afternoon. The best part comes at the end of the day when the entire group experiences the revival sessions in Lucas Oil Stadium!

Want to know the key to maximizing your experience at the Eucharistic Congress? Before you get to Indianapolis, decide what impact sessions you want to attend. Here is what you can attend along with some of my thoughts:

• Encounter: Looking for a deeper renewal of your faith and a richer understanding of the Blessed Sacrament? Sign up for this powerful session!
• Empower: If you need some practical tools to become a Eucharistic Missionary, considering attending this session. We are all called up to evangelize and here you can learn how to do that better.
• Renewal: Some of the hardest working folks are people working in a parish or a ministry – be it paid or volunteer. These sessions are a great opportunity to meet other people in similar roles and help each other out.
• Cultivate: As a father of three girls, I know one of my biggest roles in life is making sure that my daughters understand the Faith and are active participants. These sessions are designed for families to attend together and experience the event together.
• Awaken: Do you have high school kids? Consider checking out these sessions.
• Abide: If you are a priest or bishop, these sessions are for you!

If you want an official run down of each session for the Eucharistic Congress, check out the official website here. Let me know which sessions you choose by emailing me at [email protected] .

Finally, your Eucharistic Congress trip would not be complete without a visit to the Catholic World Mission booth in the vendor area! Our Catholic World Mission team will be sharing the impact of our Monstrance Program and our projects that uplift families form spiritual and material poverty. Hope to see you there!!

James Flanagan

James Flanagan is the Executive Director at Catholic World Mission and is a devout Catholic with various nonprofit leadership recognitions. He has served close to 9 years in the Army where he had the honor to lead many successful teams in countries throughout the Middle East and Asia. James later worked in Senior and Executive corporate communications roles for Fortune 250 companies with an emphasis on Corporate Social Responsibility. He holds a BBA from the University of Georgia and a JD from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law.

• James Flanagan #molongui-disabled-link Catholic World Mission and the 10th National Eucharistic Congress
• James Flanagan #molongui-disabled-link The Real Presence of Jesus in the Eucharist
• James Flanagan #molongui-disabled-link 8 Ways to Become More Involved In the Catholic Church

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UPCOMING TRIPS

FMC has been in Costa Rica since 2016. Currently there are three full-time missionary families serving in the country.

During mission trips, short-term missionaries will find themselves enriched in evangelism and the corporal works of mercy alongside the full-time missionaries. Some highlights of a mission trip to Costa Rica are work projects, sharing of Scripture and personal testimony, praise and worship in local schools, and other acts of service to the poor. A “desert day”—a time of prayer and silence with the Lord—will be spent at a location that displays the beauty of God’s creation.

Who Should Come?

Individuals and families can join any of our planned trips. We also welcome church groups, school groups, prayer groups, youth groups, homeschool groups, clubs, and organizations. All you need is a group of 15 or more to schedule and plan a trip of your own.

Where will I stay?

Mission trip participants will stay in various locations in the small, rural town of Coopevega including simple hotel rooms, the parish center at the local church, and shared family homes.  There are two gathering places at the local church where the group will meet for prayer and sharing.  There is also a dining area next to the church where meals will be served.

How do I get there?

You will fly into San Jose International Airport (SJO) in San Jose, Costa Rica.  There will be a 4 hour bus ride to Coopevega.

$800 per person

Please ask about our family rates..

Includes the following:

• Room and board
• Work/service projects
• Alms for the poor
• Transportation to and from nearest airport
• Transportation at mission site
• Mission trip t-shirt

* Prices do not include transportation to and from Costa Rica.

REGISTER    SPONSOR A PARTICIPANT     PAY FOR MY TRIP

Interesting Facts about Costa Rica

Costa Rica, located in Central America between Nicaragua and Panama, means “rich coast” in Spanish.

Costa Ricans refer to themselves as Ticos (males) or Ticas (females).

Costa Rica has a population of 4.5 million. The country is small: it’s landmass only takes up 0.03% of the planet’s surface (slightly smaller than Lake Michigan).

There are more than 121 volcanic formations in Costa Rica. Arenal is one of seven of them that are active.

A soda is a small restaurant, often attached to the owners home, that serves traditional Costa Rican food including casados (meat, rice, beans, plantain, and salad) for $3-$6 a plate.

Costa Rica’s official language is Spanish, though some are bilingual. English is the most common second language in Costa Rica.

Costa Rica has no standing army. They abolished the army in 1948 after their last civil war ended.

“Pura vida” is a happy, feel-good expression used often by the locals when asked how they are or in passing to say hello or goodbye.

There are usually no street names or addresses. People get used to giving directions via landmarks. When giving someone a home address, ticos usually say something like, “It’s the white wood house just south of the river” or “It’s 150 meters north of the school.”

Kim Capoun // Mission Trip  Coordinator

[email protected] (337) 893-6111

Family Missions Company is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

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What we know about the young missionaries and religious leader killed in Haiti

T he local director of a mission group in Haiti and a young missionary couple from the U.S. were attacked and fatally shot by gang members after leaving a youth group activity at a church, a family member told The Associated Press.

Thursday’s killings of Jude Montis, the local director of Missions in Haiti Inc., and Davy and Natalie Lloyd happened in the community of Lizon in northern Port-au-Prince . Natalie Lloyd is the daughter of a Republican state representative in Missouri.

Haiti's capital has been crumbling under the relentless assault of violent gangs that control 80% of the city, while authorities await the arrival of a police force from Kenya as part of a U.N.-backed deployment aimed at quelling gang violence in the troubled Caribbean country.

Here are some things to know about the missionary work, which focused on helping the children of Haiti, and the gang attack that took three lives.

Missions in Haiti’s website says its goal is “to see the Gospel of Christ make a difference in the lives of Haiti’s young people.”

Davy Lloyd's parents, David and Alicia Lloyd, of Oklahoma, started the organization in 2000 with the aim of focusing on the children of Haiti. David and Alicia Lloyd are full-time missionaries in the country.

“Although the entire nation is steeped in poverty, the children suffer the worst,” they wrote on the website. “Thousands are malnourished, uneducated, and headed for hopeless lives apart from Christ.”

Hannah Cornett, Davy’s sister, told AP that they grew up in Haiti. Davy went to the U.S. to attend a Bible college and married Natalie in June 2022. After the wedding, the couple wasted little time moving to Haiti to do humanitarian work.

Cornett said Montis, a Haitian, worked at Missions in Haiti for 20 years.

The organization's efforts include House of Compassion, which provides housing for 36 children — 18 boys and 18 girls, the website says. “All are destined to stay at House of Compassion until they have finished school and are ready to be on their own.”

Good Hope Boys’ Home provides a home for 22 boys, according to the website. The organization also built a church, a bakery and a school with more than 240 students.

A Facebook posting on the Missions in Haiti page stated that Davy Lloyd, 23, and Natalie Lloyd, 21, along with some children, were leaving a church when gang members in three trucks ambushed them.

Davy Lloyd later called his family to tell them that gang members hit him on the head with the barrel of a gun, forced him upstairs, stole their belongings and left him tied up, Cornett said.

As people were helping untie Davy Lloyd, another group of armed gunmen showed up, Cornett said.

“No one understood what they were doing, not sure what took place but one was shot and killed and now this gang went into full attack mode,” Missions in Haiti's posting said.

The couple and Montis fled to a house connected to the mission.

“They tried to take cover in there, but the gang shot up the house,” Cornett said.

Ben Baker, Natalie Lloyd's father and a state representative in Missouri, said Friday on Facebook that the couple's bodies were safely transported to the U.S. Embassy.

Cassidy Anderson, a spokesperson for the family, said in a later Facebook post on Baker's page that they were working to retrieve the bodies.

“We have to obtain a waiver that will allow their bodies to be transported without being fully embalmed due to the lack of facilities that provide that service in Haiti,” the post said. "After that, we have to find an airline that will be willing to do the transport. Prayers that this will all go smoothly.”

Cornett said Montis left behind two children, ages 2 and 6.

Montis’ family could not be reached for comment Friday, and Missions in Haiti did not respond to an AP request for comment.

Missions in Haiti said in a Facebook post Saturday that they were “facing the most difficult time of our life.”

“The embassy is working on getting all the paper work done in order for them to be flown to the states and many more behind the scenes to make happen more quickly and safely,” the post said, adding that the children and staff of Missions in Haiti have been relocated to a safer location.

Baker wrote on Facebook that his heart was broken “in a thousand pieces.”

“I’ve never felt this kind of pain,” he said. “Most of you know my daughter and son-in-law Davy and Natalie Lloyd are full time missionaries in Haiti. They were attacked by gangs this evening and were both killed. They went to Heaven together. Please pray for my family we desperately need strength. And please pray for the Lloyd family as well. I have no other words for now.”

Associated Press writer Summer Ballentine in Columbia, Missouri, contributed.

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2023 Mission Season

2023 mission locations.

Lake Charles, LA January 12-18, 2023

Lake Charles, LA March 13-18, 2023

Dominican Republic April 23-29, 2023

Dominican Republic June 5-10, 2023

Harlan, KY June 5-10, 2023

Lake Charles, LA June 5-10, 2023

Dominican Republic June 12-17, 2023

Harlan, KY June 12-17, 2023

South Texas June 19-24, 2023

Harlan, KY June 19-24, 2023

South Texas June 26-July 1, 2023

Harlan, KY June 26-July 1, 2023

Harlan, KY July 3-8, 2023

South Texas July 3-8, 2023

New Orleans, LA July 3-8, 2023

New Orleans, LA July 10-15, 2023

Lake Charles, LA July 10-15, 2023

New Orleans, LA July 17-23, 2023

Belize July 24-29, 2023

Lake Charles, LA July 31-August 5, 2023

Belize July 31-August 5, 2023

JOIN US IN 2023! REGISTER EARLY TO SECURE YOUR WEEK AND LOCATION.

SOUTH TEXAS

RURAL APPALACHIA

GULF COAST (NOLA, LAKE CHARLES)

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

PUERTO RICO

Alternative locations and dates available upon request.

If your group is interested in a winter or spring break mission trip, different dates or locations, please send your dates and location to Stephany at [email protected] and we will try to meet your needs.

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Dominican Republic Belize Puerto Rico Fort Myers, FL Lake Charles, LA New Orleans, LA Kentucky South Texas New Mexico Other

Which week works best for your group?

Spring Break June 3-8, 2024 June 10-15, 2024 June 17-22, 2024 June 24-29, 2024 July 1-6, 2024 July 8-13, 2024 July 15-20, 2024 July 22-27, 2024 July 29 - Aug. 3, 2024 Other

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