From Friday, November 18 through Sunday, November 20, the young women of IHA put their service-minded hearts into action.

Home base for this year’s Mission Trip was Camp Vacamas in West Milford. Over the three-day trip, students served their communities by hosting a dance for Camp Acorn, a 501(c)3 not-for-profit that serves children and adults with disabilities; running Immaculate Heart Academy’s much-loved Senior Citizen Thanksgiving Dinner; and attending a morning Midnight Run where they delivered food, toiletries, and clothing to some of the homeless population in New York City. Woven throughout these service opportunities, IHA’s young women were given time to write notes and create care packages for families with patients in hospice. On Saturday evening, the students joined together for Mass and partook in Eucharistic Adoration and Confession. The weekend ended with prayer, reflection, and a chance to share key take-aways from this year’s Mission Trip.

Mrs. Sarah Shutrop, director of formation, said the students who attend Mission@theheart often surface as some of our most empowered student-leaders upon their return. “This trip has truly transformed the high school experience for hundreds of girls over the last ten years. It was such a void in our school culture to have students who had never experienced it. I was so happy to be able to bring it back post-COVID and to share it with such an incredible group.”

Mrs. Shutrop continued to say that it was evident the students felt truly grateful for the opportunity, as they have lost so many experiences in the last three years. “I always look forward to witnessing how they bring what they learned home to the heart and continue to make IHA an even more incredible place than it already is!”

Click here for the full photo album, courtesy of Darlene Kearns Photography.