Dear Family, Friends, and Benefactors,

In August 2025, the Caruso Catholic Center is hoping to take 20 young adults to Poland, to follow in the footsteps of St. Maximilian Kolbe! We will follow Kolbe's life from his birthplace to where he was martyred in Auschwitz, and uniquely, we will have the extraordinary opportunity to celebrate Mass at Cell Block 11 (where he offered his life) on his feast day. In attendance will be bishops, priests, delegates, and several hundred people. We will also visit places significant to St. John Paul II and St. Faustina, because it's not the same without them!

"Life-changing." This is what our pilgrims have said about the impact of this pilgrimage! The Polish Saints have much to say to us about who God is, His mercy, who we are, and that we can live with freedom, hope, and love no matter what our circumstances. In 1979, Saint John Paul II described Auschwitz as a place "which was built for the negation of faith--faith in God and faith in man--and to trample radically not only on love but on all signs of human dignity, of humanity. A place built on hatred and on contempt for man in the name of a crazed ideology..." and shared that in this very place, a Saint was still able to emerge. But how? It is this reality (and many others) that students reflect on -- and continue to reflect on -- long after the pilgrimage has ended.

We want to inspire this kind of unshakeable faith, hope, and love for God in our students, and WE INVITE YOU TO JOIN US in this mission! To make this pilgrimage possible and to lighten the load for our students, we are fundraising the cost of travel for our chaplain and staff members. In addition, some pilgrims will be fundraising for the trip on this page too. There are no minimums nor maximums -- ANY amount helps because it moves us forward!

Thank you in advance for however you can support us, and thank you for your consideration. Please know that we will be bringing your intentions with us and will be praying for you and your family!

In the Immaculata,

Julia Osiripaibul, USC Caruso Catholic Center Campus Minister