Presenters: Renee Courtney, Nadine Wodwaski

Session Description: This presentation explores the profound journey of a parallel Lourdes pilgrimage, undertaken with nursing students serving the malades alongside the Order of Malta, as a catalyst for broader educational transformation. The pilgrimage, emblematic of compassion, service, and personal growth, sets the stage for a discussion on how such transformative experiences can be mirrored through service learning within academic settings. At the heart of our narrative is the recognition of service as a powerful vehicle for fostering empathy, resilience, and a deepened sense of mission among students. By drawing on the pilgrimage’s lessons of selflessness, community engagement, and spiritual growth, we propose a framework for faculty across disciplines to integrate service learning into their curriculum, aiming to achieve analogous outcomes without the necessity of travel.