Immersion Program - Bellarmine College Preparatory
Source: https://www.bcp.org/faith-service/immersion-program
Archived: 2026-04-23 17:10
Immersion Program - Bellarmine College Preparatory
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Immersion Program
Bellarmine’s Immersion Program embodies the principle that
"Jesuit education is world affirming."
It's rooted in the Gospel's call to love and serve, especially the poor and marginalized. Through experiences in communities across the U.S. and abroad, students are invited to live the Ignatian values of faith, justice, and solidarity.
By stepping into the daily lives of others, students gain deeper understanding of global and domestic issues. They are challenged to become “men for and with others,” committed to building a more just, compassionate, and human-centered world.
Inspired by Ignatius and
Go Forth and Teach: The Characteristics of Jesuit Education
, immersion is more than a trip—it’s a transformative call to action.
Apply for an Immersion
See more immersion photos from 2024-2025
Important Immersion Dates
Immersion Program At-a-Glance 2025-2026
Immersion Trip Descriptions
Immersion Info Night Video
Court for Kids Immersion Info Night Video
Immersion Information Night:
September 4th at 7PM
Sobrato Theatre
For Parents and Students in 10-12th grade
Immersion Application:
Will be available on September 2nd on b.bcp.org
Immersion Application Due Dates:
September 14 and December 7 (11:59pm)
Download Immersion Program At-a-Glance Flyer
Urban Plunge – Los Angeles (Dolores Mission)
The Dolores Mission Immersion invites students into solidarity with the urban poor of Los Angeles. Rooted in Jesuit values, the experience is a call to serve others for the greater glory of God. Through relationships, stories, and shared life, students are challenged to see the face of Christ in every person and to deepen their commitment to faith and justice.
Rural Plunge – Salinas
In Salinas, students spend several days working alongside migrant farm workers, gaining insight into their daily realities and the systemic injustices within the food production industry. This immersion fosters compassion, awareness, and a Gospel-centered response to the dignity of labor and human rights.
Kino Border Initiative – Nogales, AZ
At the U.S.–Mexico border, students engage directly with migrants and deportees to better understand the human impact of immigration policy. Through service, desert walks, and listening to personal stories, students reflect on kinship, justice, and what it means to stand with our brothers and sisters at the margins.
Tijuana Immersion – Spring Break
During Easter Break, students and parent volunteers travel to Tijuana to build homes for families in need. This hands-on experience emphasizes solidarity through shared work, prayer, and reflection, offering students a chance to embody Christ’s call to serve the poor and build hope—literally and spiritually.
Alabama Immersion – Civil Rights Trail
This immersion explores the legacy of racial injustice in America through visits to Montgomery and Atlanta. Guided by voices like Dr. King and Bryan Stevenson, students confront hard truths and reflect on their role in the work of truth, reconciliation, and justice—core components of a Catholic, Jesuit education.
Watch the video recording of Immersion Info Night from September 4, 2025:
Immersion Trips
Bellarmine offers a range of immersion experiences that invite students to encounter different ways of life and deepen their understanding of justice, compassion, and faith in action. Each trip has a distinct focus, but all share a common goal: to form young people committed to service and solidarity.
Solidarity Immersions
These immersions invite students to build relationships with those living in poverty and to understand the social, economic, and historical contexts that shape their lives. Rooted in presence and empathy, these experiences encourage long-term commitment to justice and compassionate action.
Service Immersions
Focused on hands-on work, service immersions allow students to directly support communities in need. Alongside the work, students are invited to reflect on the systems that create and sustain inequality—and to consider their responsibility in building a more just world.
Prayer & Reflection
Seeking Understanding
Building Relationships
Reaction
Prayer and reflection play important roles in Jesuit education. As specifically relevant to our immersion program, the participant is encouraged to direct the intention of their prayer and reflection toward the reality of "the other" (the poor), as described in the Gospel, and to our own relationship to their suffering.
Prior to their trip, each immersion participant is encouraged to develop an understanding of the historic and daily reality of the poor and the structures that perpetuate their suffering.
Each immersion participant is encouraged to build relationships of solidarity through shared experiences and direct service. Direct experience with the poor results in the transformation of the student to live as a global citizen concerned about the wellbeing of all who suffer from disenfranchisement and marginalization. In the spirit of accompaniment, the motto becomes “men and women for and with others”.
The immersion participant is encouraged to share what they learned with the wider community, to challenge the structures that cause poverty and marginalization, and to change their own behavior so as not to contribute to injustice.
Questions about the Immersion Program ?
Email Emmanuel Cardenas, Assistant Director of Christian Service for Justice & Advocacy, at
mcardenas@bcp.org
.
Skip To Main Content
Immersion Program
Bellarmine’s Immersion Program embodies the principle that
"Jesuit education is world affirming."
It's rooted in the Gospel's call to love and serve, especially the poor and marginalized. Through experiences in communities across the U.S. and abroad, students are invited to live the Ignatian values of faith, justice, and solidarity.
By stepping into the daily lives of others, students gain deeper understanding of global and domestic issues. They are challenged to become “men for and with others,” committed to building a more just, compassionate, and human-centered world.
Inspired by Ignatius and
Go Forth and Teach: The Characteristics of Jesuit Education
, immersion is more than a trip—it’s a transformative call to action.
Apply for an Immersion
See more immersion photos from 2024-2025
Important Immersion Dates
Immersion Program At-a-Glance 2025-2026
Immersion Trip Descriptions
Immersion Info Night Video
Court for Kids Immersion Info Night Video
Immersion Information Night:
September 4th at 7PM
Sobrato Theatre
For Parents and Students in 10-12th grade
Immersion Application:
Will be available on September 2nd on b.bcp.org
Immersion Application Due Dates:
September 14 and December 7 (11:59pm)
Download Immersion Program At-a-Glance Flyer
Urban Plunge – Los Angeles (Dolores Mission)
The Dolores Mission Immersion invites students into solidarity with the urban poor of Los Angeles. Rooted in Jesuit values, the experience is a call to serve others for the greater glory of God. Through relationships, stories, and shared life, students are challenged to see the face of Christ in every person and to deepen their commitment to faith and justice.
Rural Plunge – Salinas
In Salinas, students spend several days working alongside migrant farm workers, gaining insight into their daily realities and the systemic injustices within the food production industry. This immersion fosters compassion, awareness, and a Gospel-centered response to the dignity of labor and human rights.
Kino Border Initiative – Nogales, AZ
At the U.S.–Mexico border, students engage directly with migrants and deportees to better understand the human impact of immigration policy. Through service, desert walks, and listening to personal stories, students reflect on kinship, justice, and what it means to stand with our brothers and sisters at the margins.
Tijuana Immersion – Spring Break
During Easter Break, students and parent volunteers travel to Tijuana to build homes for families in need. This hands-on experience emphasizes solidarity through shared work, prayer, and reflection, offering students a chance to embody Christ’s call to serve the poor and build hope—literally and spiritually.
Alabama Immersion – Civil Rights Trail
This immersion explores the legacy of racial injustice in America through visits to Montgomery and Atlanta. Guided by voices like Dr. King and Bryan Stevenson, students confront hard truths and reflect on their role in the work of truth, reconciliation, and justice—core components of a Catholic, Jesuit education.
Watch the video recording of Immersion Info Night from September 4, 2025:
Immersion Trips
Bellarmine offers a range of immersion experiences that invite students to encounter different ways of life and deepen their understanding of justice, compassion, and faith in action. Each trip has a distinct focus, but all share a common goal: to form young people committed to service and solidarity.
Solidarity Immersions
These immersions invite students to build relationships with those living in poverty and to understand the social, economic, and historical contexts that shape their lives. Rooted in presence and empathy, these experiences encourage long-term commitment to justice and compassionate action.
Service Immersions
Focused on hands-on work, service immersions allow students to directly support communities in need. Alongside the work, students are invited to reflect on the systems that create and sustain inequality—and to consider their responsibility in building a more just world.
Prayer & Reflection
Seeking Understanding
Building Relationships
Reaction
Prayer and reflection play important roles in Jesuit education. As specifically relevant to our immersion program, the participant is encouraged to direct the intention of their prayer and reflection toward the reality of "the other" (the poor), as described in the Gospel, and to our own relationship to their suffering.
Prior to their trip, each immersion participant is encouraged to develop an understanding of the historic and daily reality of the poor and the structures that perpetuate their suffering.
Each immersion participant is encouraged to build relationships of solidarity through shared experiences and direct service. Direct experience with the poor results in the transformation of the student to live as a global citizen concerned about the wellbeing of all who suffer from disenfranchisement and marginalization. In the spirit of accompaniment, the motto becomes “men and women for and with others”.
The immersion participant is encouraged to share what they learned with the wider community, to challenge the structures that cause poverty and marginalization, and to change their own behavior so as not to contribute to injustice.
Questions about the Immersion Program ?
Email Emmanuel Cardenas, Assistant Director of Christian Service for Justice & Advocacy, at
mcardenas@bcp.org
.