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GLOBAL OUTREACH CLASS 2021/2022BackForwardPauseCaption
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2023-2024 GO Student Applications
Submission of the GLOBAL OUTREACH STUDENT APPLICATION FOR THE 2023-2024 PROGRAM YEAR is CLOSED
If interested in applying for the 2024-2025 GO Program year, you are welcome to become familiar with the application by reviewing the 2023-2024 application. It can be found under the tab "Be Involved" "Become a GO Student".
The 2024-2025 GO Student Application will be posted in September 2023. -
2023 GOSUMMER CAMP
Participation is mandatory for all
new GO students (2023-2024) and
current GO Students (2022-2023)Date: Saturday, July 22-Sunday, July 28
Location: Šaštín, Slovakia
Additional Information: Will be provided in Spring 2023 -
2023 GO Summer Trip
The GO Program is not organizing a 2023 GO Summer Trip this year. If you are interested in participating in the GO Summer Camp...
Please contact
Barbara Tota-Boryczka
[email protected]
or
Tom Kropidlowski
[email protected]
Thank You for your interest. Blessings! -
Witness Talks
Agnieszka Kuszaj, from Poland and Ema Gromová from Slovakia share their
American experiences including their appeal to families (married, retired, with children, no children, etc.) to host a GO student -
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2022 Annual Appeal
Your gift makes a difference in the lives of the young people of east-central-northern Europe.
We invite you to learn about this year's Annual Appeal.The- GO Annual Appeal Letter
- GO Wish List
- Ministry to the People of Ukriane (personal testimonies from our GO Alumni)
Your financial contribution can be made by- Mailing a check to Barbara Tota-Boryczka, GO Executive Director, 4815 Whitetail Way, Appleton, WI 54914
- Via PayPal. See Donate to GO below
Thank you for your financial support of the
Global Outreach Catholic Exchange Program.
All donations are tax-deductible. -
2022 Annual Appeal Information
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Donate to GO
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Taste of Europe 2023
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Welcome 2022-2023 GO Students
Since 1991 Global Outreach Exchange Program has brought over
600 Catholic high school students to Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Nebraska
We are blessed to have welcomed 22 Global Outreach Students from the
Czech Republic, Hungary, Lithuania, Poland, Slovakia, and Ukraine
who are committed to the Global Outreach Program's mission and vision
"to build a civilization of love" as young, dynamic, Catholic servant leaders
in their countries as well as in the United States.
We are grateful for the Host Famiies who have opened the doors of their heart and their homes to these students and to our Wisconsin & Nebraska GO Partner Schools in Appleton, Chippewa Falls, Eau Claire, Fond du Lac, Green Bay,
La Crosse, Manitowoc, Neenah, Omaha, Oshkosh, and Stevens Point.
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MARK YOUR CALENDAR
2022
- June 26: 2022-2023 GO Host Family Orientation @ Mount Tabor, Menasha, WI
- July 9-24: 2022 GO Summer Trip for Americans - "Holy Heroes of Poland and Hungary Pilgrimage"
- July 17-23: 2022 GO Summer Camp at Piarist High School in Kecskemét, Hungary
- August 5: 2022-2023 GO Students arrive in the U.S.
- August 7-11: 2022-2023 GO New Student Arrival Orientation
- August 11: GO Mass for Host Famiies & GO Students with Potluck Supper to follow
- September: GO Staff visits GO Students at WI Partner Schools
- October: GO Staff visits GO Students at WI Partner Schools
- October 10: 2023-2024 GO Student Applications Due
- October 15: 2023-2024 GO Student Scholarship Applications Due
- October 24-26: GO Staff visits GO Students at WI / NE Partner Schools
- October 25: GO Candidates will be notified if selected to participate in "In-Person" interviews
- October 28-30: Teens Encounter Christ (TEC) Anchor of Hope, Green Bay,WI [Cancelled]
- November: GO Staff travels to Europe for GO Candidate Interviews
- November 24: Thanksgiving
- November 27: Advent Begins
- December 25: Christmas Day
2023
- January 1: Solemnity of Mary / New Years Day
- January 6-8: Teens Encounter Christ (TEC) Anchor of Hope, Green Bay, WI (Contact Fr. Larry)
- January 10: GO Candidates notifed of results of In-Person interviews
- January 20: March for Life, Washington, DC
- February 9-11: GO Student Mid-Year Gathering @ Mount Tabor, Menasha, WI
- February 11: Taste of Europe @ St. Patrick Catholic Community (Parish), Menasha, WI
- February 22: Ash Wednesday
- April 8-10: Easter Triduum
- April 9: Easter Sunday
- April 22-23: Teens Encounter Christ (TEC) Anchor of Hope, Green Bay, WI [Cancelled]
- June 15: Departure of 2022-2023 GO Students
- June 25 (Anticipated): 2023-2024 GO Host Family Orientation @ Mount Tabor, Menasha, WI
- July 22-July 28: 2023 GO Summer Camp in Šaštín, Slovakia
- August 10: 2023-2024 GO Student Arrival
- August 12-August 16: 2023-2024 GO Student Arrival Orientation @ Mount Tabor, Menasha, WI
- August 16: GO Student and Host Family Welcome Mass & Potluck Supper (more details to follow)
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How Can I Help Ukraine & East/Central European CountriesWE STAND TOGETHER TO HELP THE PEOPLE OF UKRAINE
IN ANY WAY WE POSSIBLY CANPray...Pray...PrayThis is the most important thing we can all do - day in and day out. We believe that prayer is powerful and that prayer can bring about change for the good. I urge you to pray for peace in Ukraine each and every day this month. Ukraine is now one of our GO countries, and the people of Ukraine are our brothers and sisters. They need our prayers. May the Lord watch over and protect Ukraine. Fr. Larry Seidl (GO Spiritual Director Message for March 2022)Donations: Financial & Material NeedsAs an organization, Global Outreach is unable to directly accept financial donations and disburse them to individuals or organizations engaged in assisting the Ukrainian people. However, we willingly share the following list of individuals and organizations who are doing so. Disclaimer: We do not benefit in any way from the efforts of these organizations or individuals. We do not take any responsibility for their actions or initiatives. We strongly encourage you to check out those we have listed below so that you find what fits you best, you are comfortable with their mission, and you understand how your donations will be used.- Valentín Harničár's Seminary
- Steve/Amee Pable, GO Host Family, have been receiving monetary donations for Valentín Harničár's seminary. Donations will be wired to the seminary. The seminary where Valentin, a Global Outreach alumnus, is currently studying for the priesthood has converted classrooms into sleeping rooms and has welcomed 80 Ukraine refugees, i.e., families with children. For more information, please contact Amee Pable at [email protected] or Steve Pable at [email protected]
- For more information of the work of Valentin's seminary, please view/listen to the following.
- Stories from the War in Ukraine
- Valentin Harničár, former Global Outreach Student, shares his experiences in his Seminary located 80 miles from the border of Ukraine. He and his fellow seminarians have helped to host refugees from Ukraine since the beginning of Russia's invasion. Interviewed by Steve Pable, St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish, Neenah (8/15/2022)
- https://fb.watch/e_ub6PhiqI/ (Copy into your internet browser; Be patient, although there is no sound, it will be shortly into the recording (following the opening song/prayer). Thank you for watching.
- Stories from the War in Ukraine
- Chalice of Mercy
- The Chalice of Mercy was founded in 2007 in Chippewa Falls, WI by Valentyna Pavsyukova, whose native country is Ukraine. Her organization is to providing relief for refugees who are fleeing to neighboring countries and for the many who are not able to flee. Babies are being born in basements, hospitals are trying to work without necessary supplies, and soldiers are sleeping on the cold ground with nothing but the clothes they are wearing. Visit the Chalice of Mercy website, https://
chaliceofmercy.org/ , to make a donation. Donations will go toward supplies for both civilians and soldier, i.e., field medical supplies, field clothing and basics, hospital medical supplies, and infant/children clothing and supplies. More information can be found at https://diolc.org/social-concerns/ - To read "Valentyna's Love Story" and view videos of the work of the Chalice of Mercy, visit https://catholiclife.diolc.org/2022/11/28/valentynas-love-story/
- Catholic Life is the official magazine of the Catholic Diocese of La Crosse, published eight times a year for the people of the Diocese of La Crosse.
- The Chalice of Mercy was founded in 2007 in Chippewa Falls, WI by Valentyna Pavsyukova, whose native country is Ukraine. Her organization is to providing relief for refugees who are fleeing to neighboring countries and for the many who are not able to flee. Babies are being born in basements, hospitals are trying to work without necessary supplies, and soldiers are sleeping on the cold ground with nothing but the clothes they are wearing. Visit the Chalice of Mercy website, https://
- Catholic Relief Services
- Shelter, hot meals, and transportation to safe areas
- Website: https://www.crs.org/
- Knights of Columbus
- Ukraine Solidarity Fund: Temporary shelter, food, medical supplies, clothing, communications and religious supplies
- Website: https://www.kofc.org/
secure/en/donate/ukraine.html
- Caritas
- https://www.caritas.org/
ukraine-appeal-22/ - For more information: [email protected]
caritas.va
- https://www.caritas.org/
Facebook - Global Outreach Servant Leaders
Please check Facebook - Global Outreach Servant Leaders private group. Members of this Facebook group are sharing other opportunities to help.- If you have FB and you would like to be part of this group, contact Barbara, GO Executive Director (barbara.tota-
[email protected] ) to invite you to the Global Outreach Servant Leaders Group.globaloutrreachprogram.com
Other Opportunities You Know About: Local & Global
Lastly, we know that there are many more opportunities available to those who wish to help those who are helping the people of Ukraine, i.e., welcoming them to their homes, schools, churchs, seminaries, etc.- If you know of an organization that is seeking financial or material donations for the people of Ukraine and/or those supporting them - please SHARE this information with Barbara Tota-Boryczka (barbara.tota-
[email protected] ) so we can share this with the GO Community/Family.globaloutrreachprogram.com
GOD BLESS UKRAINE AND ALL WHO ARE SUPPORTING
OUR UKRAINIAN BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN CHRIST - Valentín Harničár's Seminary
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Global Outreach Alum Reflects on Slovakian Seminary's Mission to Help Ukranian Refugees
Valentin Harnicár was a student at Xavier High School in Appleton in 2015-2016 as part of the Global Outreach Exchange Program. He is currently a seminarian at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary in Košice, Slovakia. February 24, 2022 was the day when much changed for the seminarians. We invite you to learn more about their journey and their mission to serve the Ukranian refugees.
Please visit Global Outreach alum reflects on Slovakian seminary’s mission to help Ukrainian refugees to read more.
This article was published in The Compass, an official publication for the Catholic Diocese of Green Bay, on February 20, 2023. -
Spirit Catholic Radio with GO
Noemi Riniková (2023-2024 GO Student), Dee Dzrod (Host Parent), and Allison Dzrod (Host Sibling) talk with KVSS Spirit Catholic Radio's Host/Moderator, Paula Bastian, about the Global Outreach program in Nebraska, its mission, vision, and role in the life of a young Catholic exchange student from Slovakia.
To learn more about Noemi's journey: https://spiritcatholicradio.com/program/witness-local-youth-program/ -
Pope Francis' Call for a Global Outreachby Gary Umhoefer
In October 2020, Pope Francis published an encyclical – Fratelli tutti: On Fraternity and Social Friendship (https://www.vatican.va/content/francesco/en/encyclicals/documents/papa-francesco_ 20201003 enciclica-fratelli-tutti.html). Given our inability to actually be “social” during the pandemic, that title might seem oddly discordant with our lives. Very few of us have recently traveled much beyond our own streets or cities. But in the chapter entitled “A Heart Open to the Whole World,” the Pope writes of our need to engage with humanity beyond our own borders. “For a healthy relationship between love of ones’ native land and a sound sense of belonging to our larger human family,” Francis writes, “it is helpful to keep in mind that global society is not the sum total of different countries, but rather the communion that exists among them.”
Creating “communion” among different countries would perhaps, on its surface, appear to be the task of diplomats: popes and cardinals, presidents and prime ministers, chancellors and heads of state. But could an individual or a family in the midwestern United States possibly add to this “communion”? In fact, there is a way that you can contribute to the Pope Francis’ vision of a global society grounded in communal love.
The Global Outreach Exchange Program has been bringing Catholic students from central and eastern Europe to the Midwest since 1991. Based in the Diocese of Green Bay, but reaching beyond to other areas of Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Nebraska, nearly 600 high school students (from Lithuania, Latvia, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic, Slovakia and Ukraine) have been welcomed by families in our parishes. Students have lived with single-parent households, retired couples, and families with both pre-school and school-age children. While the program took a hiatus year due to the pandemic, this year it has again welcomed young Europeans into our parish communities.
Opening your home to a student can have a tremendous impact on you and your family. Pope Francis writes that in “seeing ourselves from the perspective of another, of one who is different, we can better recognize our own unique features and those of our culture: its richness, its possibilities and its limitations.”
Our Catholic – our universal – faith has no geographic boundaries. Do you have a heart open to the whole world? As Francis observes in Fratelli tutti, “To see things in this way brings the joyful realization that no one people, culture or individual can achieve everything on its own: to attain fulfillment in life we need others.”
In a world that seems to be increasingly disconnected and discordant, we here in the midwestern US can make an intentional step toward Pope Francis’ “global society” and contribute to the communion of love that Jesus Christ calls us to. You could change a young person’s life, while discovering and tapping into your capacity to change the world.