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Elias Pappas, a sophomore at Hellenic College, loves volunteering at Philoxenia House, a ministry of the Metropolis of Boston that is a home away from home for the families of children and adults, most from Greece, who come to Boston for medical treatment. “I’ve grown close to many of the families,” he says, “and have even made plans to visit them in Greece during my summer vacation.”
When Elias first started volunteering there last semester, he didn’t think his visits and efforts at conversation over Greek coffee would have much of an impact, “but the people keep telling me that they look forward to my visits since they can get their minds off their sicknesses and reminisce about their lives in Greece.” Still, he insists that “they have helped me more than I have helped them…They are so joyous and filled with love that I sometimes forget that they’re battling for their lives. It has been a humbling experience and I look forward to visiting Philoxenia House throughout my years here.”
Philoxenia House is one of a number of local sites where students in Hellenic College’s Community Engagement course can fulfill both the requirement to perform volunteer service and Christ’s command to love our neighbors as ourselves.
Learn more about Hellenic College’s undergraduate programs here.
