Our Service Learning and Social Justice Philosophy: the Four Pillars

Social Justice

Love one another as I have loved you (John 15:12)

Peace and Service programs at Corpus Christi College are modeled on the tradition of Catholic social services and encourage our young men and women to engage in service to others. Through work in local and global community organizations, our students learn to reconsider the social realities of the world they live in and to personally take responsibility for their own ideas with respect to social service, faith, and justice.

Community

I want to stay in your home today (Luke 19)

It is a crucial component of our programs that our students work in community in the act of serving others. Everyone has something to offer through their own unique gifts and talents. By living in community, we learn to appreciate and recognize what each individual has to offer and to put the needs of others before our own.

Simplicity

Blessed are the gentle of heart (Matthew 5)

Simplicity and simple living are two other values our members are asked to observe. In an age where consumerism, resource exploitation, and material comfort have reached record levels, we ask our students to evaluate what they really need to be happy and comfortable in life. As they walk in the path of those who have so much less in material terms than we do in Vancouver, our students learn to appreciate hospitality and generosity in the most simple of terms.

Life in the Spirit

If you but knew the gift of God (John 4:10)

The foundation of our service programs is that of spirituality. We are founded on the Catholic principles of social justice and service and yet we are not exclusively open to just those who profess the Catholic faith. We encourage all students to reflect on their call to service and to explore how service, justice, and faith will ground them in all of the choices they make in life. The spiritual journey that our students make through their service experience is the one that will stay with them long after they have returned home to their familiar routine. It is what brings students back again and again to participate in more service work at the College.