2026-2027 MISSION TRIPS
All applications open August 20, 2026 for our 26-27 year mission trips!
Explore our upcoming trips below.
We hope you’ll join us!
Lima, Peru
January 9-16, 2027
Rutgers University
+ Others, Space Permitting
Service will be in the capital city of Peru, Lima, to slum communities on the mountainous outskirts of Lima. Team will be hosted and accompanied by Bridges.
Service will include manual labor on needed physical projects, home visits, spiritual and evangelistic programming, participation in the Sacraments, visiting the home-bound, and fun, active, relational building activities through effective fraternal service and genuine personal encounter. Spanish capability is helpful, not essential.
Cost - $2,650
Trip Director - Br. Adam Neri
Deadline for applications - TBD
Puerto Maldonado, Peru
March 6-13, 2027
University of Minnesota
+ Others, Space Permitting
Service will be in the Amazon jungle region of Peru, to urban/rural poor. Team will be hosted and accompanied by the Family of Jesus.
Service will include manual labor, door to door evangelization, home visits, spiritual programming, participation in the Sacraments, and prayer ministry. Spanish capability is helpful, not essential.
Cost - $2,650
Trip Director - Br. Adam Neri
Deadline for applications - Oct 25, 2026
Lima, Peru
March 13-20, 2027
Ohio State University
+ In Partnership with FOCUS
Service will be in the capital city of Peru, Lima, to slum communities on the mountainous outskirts of Lima. Team will be hosted and accompanied by Bridges.
Service will include manual labor on needed physical projects, home visits, evangelistic programming, participation in the Sacraments, visiting the home-bound, and fun activities for genuine personal encounter. Spanish capability is helpful, not essential.
Cost - $2,850
Trip Director - Michael Murphy
Deadline for applications - Oct 25, 2026
TBD - Slovenia
May 12-22, 2027
Nationwide
+ Open to all students & staff
Exact location - TBD.
Team will be comprised of students and staff from across the nation. Service will be in partnership with the local church.
Cost - $2,750
Trip Director - Mario Dance
Deadline for applications - Nov 15, 2026
Comayagua, Honduras
January 16-23, 2027
University of St. Thomas
+ others, space permitting
An evangelization-focused trip, with an emphasis on the direct proclamation of the Kerygma to the rural poor mountain people of Honduras. Team will be hosted and accompanied by the Missioners of Christ.
Will require walking through mountainous terrain, sleeping in local village accommodations, home visits, preparing Gospel-oriented skits and presentations, participating in the Sacraments, and building relationships with the local populace. Spanish capability is preferred, not essential.
Cost - $2,750
Trip Director - Max Karas
Deadline for applications - Oct 2, 2026
Belfast, Northern Ireland
March 13-20, 2027
University of Central Florida
+ Others, Space PErmitting
Team will be comprised primarily of students and staff from the University of Central Florida, with openness to others.
Service in Belfast. NI, to urban youth - middle and high school students, and local/inner city poor. Will include partnership with Lagmore Youth Project, local Catholic parish, and other local youth organizations.
Cost - $2,650
Trip Director - Mario Dance
Deadline for applications - Oct 25, 2026
Tanzania
May 9-23, 2027
Nationwide
+ Open to all students & staff
Service will be in multiple locations including Dar es Salaam and Manyoni, and will be in partnership with multiple missionary organizations: Star of Hope TZ, the Missionaries of Charity, and the Precious Blood Fathers.
Service will be a mix of urban orphanage, rural village, home visits, and physical labor projects as needed. There will be lots of relational time with locals and children. Languages spoken are Swahili and English.
Cost - $3,150
Trip Director - Br. Adam Neri
Deadline for applications - Nov 15, 2026
THE SPO MISSIONS APPROACH
FAQ
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Applications open on October 1 and will be linked on this page.
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Safety is a primary concern in planning and executing SPO Mission trips. While no risk can be entirely eliminated, we follow best practices to mitigate potential threats. We work closely with trusted local partners for ongoing risk assessment and maintain regular dialogue before and during the trip. Trip Directors are trained in risk mitigation and emergency preparedness, and participants are registered with the US State Department before departure. All participants will also receive training on minor risk management and local safety considerations.
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Trips vary based on airfare prices and mission location. You can expect to budget between $2,000-$3,000.
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The cost includes pre-trip preparation and formation, water, food, lodging, materials, in-country transportation, and round-trip airfare to the mission country.
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The following expenses are not included: cost of passport, flights to the USA departure city, Visa and associated fees, immunizations, cancellation insurance, personal travel insurance, and personal or elective expenses.
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We will provide trip participants with the skills to fundraise the necessary finances. Historically, participants have had a very high success rate in fundraising.
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Mission trip participants must be at least 18 years of age at the time of trip departure, unless accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. There is no upper age limit. Please note, however, that priority will be given to university-aged students during the application process unless otherwise stated in the trip description, e.g. a Young Adults-specific trip.
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SPO Missions are open to university-aged students from all campuses nationwide. Certain trips may prioritize participants from specific SPO chapters, but anyone is welcome to apply.
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Yes! We welcome both Catholics and non-Catholics to participate in SPO Mission Trips. Our trips are explicitly Catholic in expression, including daily prayer and participation in Catholic practices such as Mass, the rosary, and faith-sharing. The goal is to accompany those in need and to build the faith of all trip participants.
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Give a gift in support of SPO Missions at https://www.spo.org/support-missiontrips
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You can reach us at missiontrips@spo.org.
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Good question! Relationships are at the root of our mission.
Read more here.
WHAT OTHERS HAVE TO SAY
“I have never felt more free or more in touch with who the Lord is calling me to be. On mission in Peru, I was able to grow closer to God by seeing Him in other people, witnessing their joy, being fully present in each moment, and by fully giving myself to those we met.”
Anna Jo Gullickson (Junior, UCF)
Peru, 2024
“Walking with them throughout the mission trip in Peru allowed me to realize just how deeply I desire to love the Lord with my whole heart and to live my life as a sincere gift to others. I am filled with wonder and gratitude for all that the Lord has done.”
Madison Creevay (Junior, UCF)
Peru, 2024
“The Uganda mission trip has opened up my eyes and my heart in new ways in just two short weeks. Throughout this trip I was reminded of God’s unique design for each of His children. He makes us exactly how we are, with no mistakes. The mission that I witnessed throughout the trip has given me a new zeal for my life at home. I want to be someone who can see the face of Jesus in every person that I encounter in my day to day life. I am so grateful for the experience this trip gave me.”
Samantha Beykirch (SPO Missionary, University of Cincinnati)
Uganda, 2024
“Without the spiritual aspect of the trip, it could have gotten difficult very quickly but with that level of God-centered service, the work became easy and more of a gift to us than us being a gift to others. Overall, the witnesses of the people in Uganda, called me on to live a life of more yeses to the Lord and be more joyful and grateful for all I have while seeking to put being over doing.”
Alex Bursey (Junior, University of Minnesota)
Uganda, 2024
“Any expectations I had entering this trip were met with far more of the Lord’s presence than I ever could have imagined. I had prayed, “Lord, I am only one man, and I don’t know if I can make a difference here. All I bring is myself.” And He said to me “that’s enough. Give me your ‘yes’ and I can accomplish more through you and in you that you could ever imagine”. That’s what the Lord accomplished in my heart through the people of Uganda.”
Mark Brenner, SPO Missionary (Rutgers University)
Uganda, 2024
“As someone with no younger siblings, prior to coming to Peru, I did not have any experience playing with children. That all changed in Peru, and to see the joy on the children's faces when I was playing with them was a transformative experience. Prior to Peru, I had always been puzzled by the words of Jesus in Matthew 18:3, where he says, "unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven"; now I understand that if I could possess the same joy and trust of those children in my relationship with God, I will already be living out the kingdom of heaven on Earth.”
Andrew Kocisko (Senior, UCF)
Peru, 2024