Service

Giving back is a fundamental part of an Academy education.

As an expression of the charism of the Sisters of St. Joseph, education at St. Joseph’s Academy emphasizes the importance of relationships with the dear neighbor. The service component of our curriculum is one way we encourage our students to express God’s love and answer the call to service and discipleship within our school community and in the context of the broader world. 

Archbishop John Michael Miller, former secretary of the Congregation for Catholic Education at the Vatican in Rome, said a Catholic education “should awaken in students a genuine passion for justice and a desire to be moral and responsible citizens of the world.” 

The Academy’s four-year service program explores enriching opportunities in service to others. Through service, students meet and identify with others so that all may be one. The connections made with suffering, impoverished and marginalized people allow students the chance to reflect on their personal dignity and what it means in the context of the human family. They grow in awareness of themselves and become increasingly connected with all God’s creation.

Annual Service

Freshmen and sophomores are required to complete 15 hours of service.
Juniors and seniors must complete 20 hours of service.

Students completing 50 hours of service in one school year will receive special recognition at the end of the year. Students who complete 50 hours of service all four years are recognized at the Honors Convocation for seniors in May.

 

Serving Our Community

Here at home, SJA students partner each spring with Catholic and Episcopal high schools to build a house as part of the annual Habitat for Humanity Albermarle Youth Build. The three schools have worked with Habitat for Humanity’s Youth Build since 2001.

During the Christmas season, students, faculty and staff come together to brighten the holidays for less fortunate members of the Baton Rouge community. Dozens of families are adopted each year through the Catholic Charities’ Community Comes Together for Christmas program. Other groups that benefit from the generosity of the SJA community are Myriam’s House, Bishop Ott Shelter, St. Vincent de Paul Sweet Dreams, Boys Hope Girls Hope, Grandparents Raising Grandchildren and elderly citizens in need.

Throughout the school year, SJA continues its mission to help fight hunger in Baton Rouge by providing brown bag lunches – or Sticker Sacks – to St. Vincent de Paul every Tuesday. Since the start of the 2013-2014 academic year, members of the SJA community have made between 200 and 250 sacks each Tuesday.