Service/Outreach Program

St. Thomas More Academy
Service and Outreach Program

 “What does love look like? It has the hands to help others. It has the feet to hasten to the poor and needy. It has eyes to see misery and want. It has the ears to hear the sighs and sorrows of men. That is what love looks like.”  ~ St. Augustine of Hippo

Performing works of mercy is an integral part of formation at the Academy, and students accompany classmates on at least one service trip per year to satisfy graduation requirements.

Each class concentrates on a different area and work of mercy.   Currently, Freshmen serve the young at St. Joseph preschool; Sophomores feed the hungry at Raleigh Rescue Mission and Catholic Parish Outreach; Juniors care for the elderly at Raleigh Heritage Senior Living Center and Seniors shelter the homeless by working at Habitat for Humanity construction sites.

The service day begins with Mass or Morning Prayer, for as St. Peter Julian Eymard said, “In one day the Eucharist will make you produce more for the glory of God than a whole lifetime without it.”

Each service day also usually includes a stop for breakfast or lunch, providing important social sharing time outside the academic environment.  The students conclude with reflection on the events of the day.

This opportunity to serve our community provides students with an invaluable life lesson in the joy of giving of oneself.  In nearly every case this experience inspires the students to want to do even more for their fellow man, gives them a greater awareness of the blessings in their own lives, and will hopefully engender in them a lifelong desire to see Christ in and bring Christ to others.