By Jack Morrison ‘23

During Brother Rice’s spring break, a group of students and faculty members went on a mission trip to Peru. With Mr. Alberts and Mr. Michniak leading the group of young men, the group built a house for a family in need. Through humid heat and abnormal living conditions, the group prevailed and provided for the less fortunate.

When the group first arrived, they were hit with a culture shock. Seeing how another country operated came as a surprise to many of the guys. The first couple of days the group was able to get comfortable with the conditions and new environment.

“The first couple of days was when we were more tourists than anything. Just getting a feel for the new world we were in was pretty cool,” said Danny Boss.

On Easter Sunday, the group went to mass together. The people of Peru were very welcoming to the men of Brother Rice. The priest brought them up to the front of the church to give them his blessing and thanks. Many of the young kids were ecstatic to see and meet with the students from Brother Rice.

“I felt like a celebrity. All the kids were so happy to see all of us, and we were so happy to see all of them,” said Charlie Boyer.

After Easter Sunday, it was time for the group to get to work. They packed a bag and headed up to the hills to help the less fortunate. Painting, laying cement, lifting, and building in the humid heat was grueling work, the group was not scared of a little bit of hard work. Day in and day out, they did what had to be done and provided for the people of Peru.

“You are just really grateful for everything that you have. You see people living like that, and all you want to do is just help them out. It is a great feeling being able to know that we helped those people out and had a positive impact on them,” said Antonio Franco.

The biggest project of them all was building a house for a single mother with four kids. Throughout four days, the men of Edmund worked hard to build the house. Despite the challenges, the group stayed motivated and encouraged each other while working relentlessly. After a grueling four days, the house was complete and presented to the family.

“The work really did pay off. That was one of the best feelings I have ever felt. Presenting the house to that family was a beautiful experience,” said Mac Murzyn.

Brother Rice prides themselves on advocating for the less fortunate, and this is a prime example of Crusaders taking action in the real world.