The group also visited Wadowice, the birthplace of Blessed John Paul II, on the anniversary of his beatification.

“We went into his house, his town, the church where he prayed and we saw many of the churches that were dedicated to him.”

Kamila Swiderski spent two days at the home for the elderly with the Felician Sisters, helping to feed residents who were quite ill.

“The amount of passion and dedication that the sisters have for helping the elderly was really unbelievable and shocking,” said Swiderski. “And it definitely brought me to tears at some points on the trip.”

Through working with them, she gained a deeper connection with the sisters.

“I gained so much more respect than I already had for them and I definitely want to learn more about them,” said Swiberski, whose Polish background allowed her to act as a translator on the trip.

She said being in their presence sparked a greater understanding of the faith and how important it is in her daily life.

Some of the elderly members they helped had lived through the Second World War, added McLevey.

“You’re feeding them through a syringe and they couldn’t talk to us in a way we could understand, but certainly in their eyes you could really see the depth of history.”

Every night, the students came together to pray and debrief on each day’s events, identifying where they saw Jesus at work, said McLevey, who added the group also paid a visit to Auschwitz and spent a night in a historical mountain town.

For Meredith Webb, she enjoyed seeing the young nuns — some as young as 21 — in the 70-member community.

“Rather than go to Kenya to build a school, this was more hands on and relatable to our school community.”

Impressed by Poland’s rich history and deep religious faith, Webb said she’ll be thinking about the leadership trip for a long time.

“I’m still thinking about Auschwitz and feeding those elderly women there. It’s a good thing because it makes me reflect and think about life.”