FAQ

+ HOW LONG IS PRAYER AND ACTION THIS YEAR?

Our overnight mission trip consists of 5 days and 5 nights. The mission trips will begin Sunday evening at the site and finish Friday at noon.

+ WHO CAN ATTEND PRAYER and ACTION?

PandA is open to Archdiocesan Parish youth groups made of students from grades 9-12. This includes incoming freshmen. Adults who are VIRTUS trained are expected to attend with their parishes in the chaperone capacity. Because this mission trip involves overnight stays, each parish needs to bring VIRTUS trained adult chaperones with at least 1 adult accompanying every 7 teens of the same gender. For instance, a group of 5 girls and 3 boys would need to have 1 woman and 1 man chaperone, just as a group of 10 girls and 7 boys would need to have 2 women and 1 man as chaperones.

+ HOW MUCH DOES IT COST PER PERSON?

Total cost per person (whether participant or chaperone) will be $200. All monies will be collected by your parish youth minister or whoever is in charge of taking your parish’s group.

Effective for 2024 we had to introduce a new price: $200 because of inflation. However we also introduced a new sibling discount. So, out of a preferential option for families, if 2 siblings attend the cost for both will be $350 ($175 a piece) and if 3 attend the cost for all 3 is $500 ($167 a piece).

+ Where is Prayer and Action located this year?

We will be serving the community of Lawrence, Kansas. Details of the site are still in development.

+ WHAT KIND OF WORK WILL WE BE DOING?

We will serve the elderly and needy mostly through projects such as painting, cleaning, yard work, minor repairs, working at food kitchens, inner-city VBS, etc... The students will spend the week in an atmosphere that is free of distractions which will foster their faith, inspire charity, and lead them closer to Christ. The experience will also allow them to get to know other high school students from other parts of the Archdiocese who share their Catholic faith.

+ DO WE NEED TO HAVE HOME REPAIR EXPERIENCE IN ORDER TO GO?

As long as young people come with a servant's attitude, there is no problem involving them in home repair projects. We match skills to projects. There is plenty of work that needs to be done, such as painting, which takes little to no experience. Young people are not asked to participate in projects they are not equipped to handle but will be given the opportunity to learn new skills if they so desire.

+ HOW WELL SUPERVISED AND STAFFED IS PRAYER and ACTION?

The PandA team takes supervision and safety seriously. Besides the PandA team, each group is required to bring one adult sponsor for every seven young people to provide supervision at the worksites and at the parish. The PandA team will not involve young people in any kind of dangerous project. Every participant is asked to bring protective safety gear. To compensate for the hot weather, workers are supplied plenty of fluids to drink and frequent breaks. Home repair projects are well organized and prepared. First-aid kits and emergency care instruction will be available at every work site. Every safety precaution is exercised.

+ WHERE DOES EVERYONE SLEEP?

Males and Females sleep in separate areas and are accompanied by same-gendered chaperones. Typically they sleep on a classroom floor in sleeping bags (this is a mission trip after all). It is important that we have at least 2 adult chaperones in each of the rooms with an adult to youth ratio of at least 1:7. So, we require groups to recruit men and women to chaperone if they bring both boys and girls. Thus, it is mandatory that each group brings gender appropriate chaperons. If you bring boys, you must provide a male chaperon and if you bring girls, you must provide female chaperons.

+ WHAT ABOUT TRANSPORTATION?

Each group will have to provide their own transportation to the initial location and to and from worksites throughout the week. Ideally, we have 1 van per 7 people. Volunteers with trucks and SUV's are always appreciated.

+ WHO NEEDS A BACKGROUND CHECK?

PandA, in compliance with Archdiocesan policy, requires that any adult chaperone (21 and older) undergo training and background checks in accordance with all VIRTUS policies. The background check and compliance are covered if the adult has gone through and kept up to date with the VIRTUS training, just like any adult who volunteers with youth in a parish or school setting.

+ WHAT BENEFITS ARE THERE TO A SERVICE-BASED RETREAT?

A week long mission experience can be life changing. Although opportunities are set up to help those living in communities we serve, many times it is those of us who are serving that are effected the most. In order to see God's face more clearly it is often good for us to break free from the pressures and the busy schedule of our daily lives. This week of service allows these participants to do just that! In the evenings the leadership team will facilitate Collatio, the retreat portion of PandA. Collatio is perhaps the most important part of the day as the students play, worship, and grow together in Jesus Christ.

+ WHAT SPIRITUAL OPPORTUNITIES WILL THE TEENS HAVE?

Daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, Praise and Worship, Daily Rosary, Meditation and Contemplation, Liturgy of the Hours, Reconciliation, Small Group Discussion, Dialogue with Seminarians, Religous and other Adults intentional about their vocations.