Religious studies and theology students are encouraged to participate in volunteer opportunities and internships with area agencies, nonprofit organizations, and through Campus Ministry. Alternative Spring Break gives students a community service alternative to traditional spring break activities. Participants repair and build houses with Habitat for Humanity, serve food in meal programs, assist disabled and elderly community members, and provide many other services in both urban and rural areas of the United States.
Students participating in Project Mexico travel to Mexico City and work at a day camp for children, and at Mother Teresa's home for the physically and mentally disabled.
Winter Service Week, a service experience that takes place during the winter break, is an opportunity for Canisius students to experience the rich diversity of New York City in the context of community living and service to others.
Students also may participate in an immersion program in developing countries such as Mexico, EI Salvador and the Philippines. In these summer programs they learn about and experience Christian faith as it is lived in the developing world.
The Center for the Global Study of Religion and the Conversations in Christ and Culture lecture and performance series bring leading theologians, musicians and artists to campus to discuss the place of religion in the 21st Century. Some recent speakers include Dr. Elizabeth Johnson, S.S.J. (Fordham), Father Richard McBrien (Notre Dame), Professor Lamin Sanneh (Yale) and Professor Charles Kimball (Wake Forest). Read more here (Adobe Acrobat PDF).