Mission Trips for 2025

 

All applications for our 24-25 year mission trips are now closed.

We hope you’ll join us next year!

 

FAQ

  • Applications open on October 1 and will be linked on this page.

  • Safety is a primary concern in planning and executing SPO Mission trips. While no risk can be entirely eliminated, we follow best practices to mitigate potential threats. We work closely with trusted local partners for ongoing risk assessment and maintain regular dialogue before and during the trip. Trip Directors are trained in risk mitigation and emergency preparedness, and participants are registered with the US State Department before departure. All participants will also receive training on minor risk management and local safety considerations.

  • Trips vary based on airfare prices and mission location.  You can expect to budget between $2,000-$3,000.  

  • The cost includes pre-trip preparation and formation, water, food, lodging, materials, in-country transportation, and round-trip airfare to the mission country.

  • The following expenses are not included: cost of passport, flights to the USA departure city, Visa and associated fees, immunizations, cancellation insurance, personal travel insurance, and personal or elective expenses.

  • We will provide trip participants with the skills to fundraise the necessary finances. Historically, participants have had a very high success rate in fundraising.

  • Mission trip participants must be at least 18 years of age at the time of trip departure, unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. There is no upper age limit. Please note, however, that priority will be given to university-aged students during the application process unless otherwise stated in the trip description, e.g. a Young Adults-specific trip.

  • SPO Missions are open to university-aged students from all campuses nationwide. Certain trips may prioritize participants from specific SPO chapters, but anyone is welcome to apply.

  • Yes! We welcome both Catholics and non-Catholics to participate in SPO Mission Trips. Our trips are explicitly Catholic in expression, including daily prayer and participation in Catholic practices such as Mass, the rosary, and faith-sharing. The goal is to accompany those in need and to build the faith of all trip participants.

  • IFor any questions about your giving or how to make a donation please contact our Gift Operations team at gifts@spo.org or 651-451-6114x410.

  • You can reach us at missiontrips@spo.org.

 
 
 
 

WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY

“I have never felt more free or more in touch with who the Lord is calling me to be. On mission in Peru, I was able to grow closer to God by seeing Him in other people, witnessing their joy, being fully present in each moment, and by fully giving myself to those we met.”

Anna Jo Gullickson (Junior, UCF)
Peru, 2024

“Walking with them throughout the mission trip in Peru allowed me to realize just how deeply I desire to love the Lord with my whole heart and to live my life as a sincere gift to others. I am filled with wonder and gratitude for all that the Lord has done.”

Madison Creevay (Junior, UCF)
Peru, 2024

“The Uganda mission trip has opened up my eyes and my heart in new ways in just two short weeks. Throughout this trip I was reminded of God’s unique design for each of His children. He makes us exactly how we are, with no mistakes. The mission that I witnessed throughout the trip has given me a new zeal for my life at home. I want to be someone who can see the face of Jesus in every person that I encounter in my day to day life. I am so grateful for the experience this trip gave me.”

Samantha Beykirch (SPO Missionary, University of Cincinnati)
Uganda, 2024

“Without the spiritual aspect of the trip, it could have gotten difficult very quickly but with that level of God-centered service, the work became easy and more of a gift to us than us being a gift to others. Overall, the witnesses of the people in Uganda, called me on to live a life of more yeses to the Lord and be more joyful and grateful for all I have while seeking to put being over doing.”

Alex Bursey (Junior, University of Minnesota)
Uganda, 2024

“Any expectations I had entering this trip were met with far more of the Lord’s presence than I ever could have imagined. I had prayed, “Lord, I am only one man, and I don’t know if I can make a difference here. All I bring is myself.” And He said to me “that’s enough. Give me your ‘yes’ and I can accomplish more through you and in you that you could ever imagine”. That’s what the Lord accomplished in my heart through the people of Uganda.”

Mark Brenner, SPO Missionary (Rutgers University)
Uganda, 2024

“As someone with no younger siblings, prior to coming to Peru, I did not have any experience playing with children.  That all changed in Peru, and to see the joy on the children's faces when I was playing with them was a transformative experience. Prior to Peru, I had always been puzzled by the words of Jesus in Matthew 18:3, where he says, "unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven"; now I understand that if I could possess the same joy and trust of those children in my relationship with God, I will already be living out the kingdom of heaven on Earth.”

Andrew Kocisko (Senior, UCF)
Peru, 2024