Faith in Action and Community Engagement: Realizing Mission through Immersion Experiences

Abstract

This article explores the merits and challenges of a community partnership that was forged between a Religious Studies professor at DePaul University and the nonprofit Interfaith Community for Detained Immigrants (ICDI). Through this partnerhip, students in a Religious Studies class participated in a set of ICDI-related, half-day immersion experiences. As qualitative data from students' reflections show, students reported having high levels of engagement and empathy through these immersion experiences. The article suggests that this form of community engaged learning is significant not only for student learning, but also for institutional identity and mission. For institutions like DePaul, where the mission is centered around faith in action, community engaged learning can be a potent site for enacting and realizing mission.