From Annapolis to Camden: A Journey of Service and Reflection

April 14, 2025

by Fr. Patrick Woods, C.Ss.R.

Twice a year, a small group of St. Mary’s High School Saints pile into two minivans, loaded with suitcases full of work clothes and sleeping bags. They journey through the charming streets of Annapolis, cross the majestic Bay Bridge, and travel up the quiet highways of Delaware. As they enter the tangled web of roads surrounding Philadelphia, they catch their first glimpse of the city skyline before crossing the Ben Franklin Bridge into Camden, New Jersey. The students, eager yet unsure, have signed up for St. Mary’s High School’s service trip to the Romero Center, where they will spend four days discovering Catholic Social Teaching and urban poverty through the Urban Challenge program. Their faces reflect a mix of uncertainty and curiosity as they pass through a city that starkly contrasts with their beloved Annapolis. Potholes and trash litter the streets, while row houses, once complete, now stand with boarded-up windows and vacant lots where abandoned homes have been torn down.

The Romero Center began its ministry in 1998, welcoming high school and college students to explore the life of St. Oscar Romero, the former Archbishop of El Salvador. Romero was martyred while celebrating Mass, having boldly spoken out against the government’s injustices toward its own people, especially the farmers and working class. Inspired by the life of Oscar Romero, Urban Challenge participants are assigned to a range of service sites, where they offer their help in whatever capacity is needed. Students visit nursing homes, food distribution centers, schools, and urban gardens, engaging with the residents and community members who call Camden home. After a day of service, they return to the Romero Center for reflective discussions, framed by Catholic Social Teaching—the Church’s guiding principles that encourage Catholics to live out the gospel values in their daily lives and treat all people with dignity, especially those most vulnerable.
Two students smiling while holding potatoes inside a food pantry or kitchen. They are wearing dark hoodies, blue gloves, and standing in front of tables and shelves filled with boxes of produce, including

Two students smiling while holding potatoes inside a food pantry or kitchen. They are wearing dark hoodies, blue gloves, and standing in front of tables and shelves filled with boxes of produce, including

Accommodations at the Romero Center are simple yet comfortable. Dinner is served family-style, while breakfast and lunch are self-serve. Small groups of students are assigned daily chores, and everyone is asked to help clean the building before departure. The group attends Mass at St. Joseph Pro-Cathedral, a welcoming Catholic community made up of Camden residents. The Cathedral is connected to the Romero Center, as well as a Catholic grade school and the St. Joseph’s Carpenter Society, which works to rehabilitate homes and provide affordable housing. Throughout their stay, students have numerous opportunities to witness the passion, service, and dedication of those committed to caring for Camden.
A group of high school students working outdoors on a gardening or farming project. They are holding tools like shovels and rakes, standing near a chain-link fence with a greenhouse and bare trees in the background. It’s a sunny day with a clear blue sky.

A group of high school students working outdoors on a gardening or farming project. They are holding tools like shovels and rakes, standing near a chain-link fence with a greenhouse and bare trees in the background. It’s a sunny day with a clear blue sky.

The Urban Challenge concludes with a commissioning ceremony, where students are invited to reflect on how they can take the lessons learned in Camden and apply them in their own communities. Romero participants from St. Mary’s have made commitments to volunteer at the Stanton Community Center, tutoring young students in need. They have organized donation drives for the Annapolis Light House Shelter and discussed ways to reach out to those who may feel isolated at school. One student shared how his experience at the Romero Center inspired him to stop and speak with a man in a wheelchair, whom he had passed by daily on his way to school. Though he had always felt sympathy, he had never taken the time to stop. But after his trip, he felt compelled to learn the man’s name, understand his needs, and, in doing so, the two began a friendship.

Students return to St. Mary’s with eyes and hearts opened by a New Jersey town facing immense challenges—crippled by unemployment, gangs, violence, poverty, and addiction—yet also marked by a resilient spirit and deep community involvement. They come back understanding that their voices, though youthful, can be powerful tools for building community, seeking justice, and lifting up those who are struggling. With renewed purpose and compassion, they are inspired to be agents of change, both in Camden and back home at St. Mary’s High School.