Love Begins Here

Love Begins Here (LBH) is a local, overnight mission experience that helps middle and high school teens encounter Jesus Christ through a week of hands-on service and joyful Catholic community. Inspired by the life and witness of St. (Mother) Teresa of Calcutta, LBH invites teens to serve those in need right in their own homes and neighborhoods, continuing Christ’s work in the world.

LBH emphasizes doing small things with great love. While participants work hard, the focus is on building meaningful relationships with those they serve. Missionaries serve at a variety of local sites throughout the week, taking part in activities such as weeding, painting, visiting and playing games with nursing home residents, lifting and cleaning, raking and yard work, landscaping, sorting clothes or food for local shelters, trimming, washing windows, and other simple acts done with great love for the community.

Evenings offer time to cool off with swimming, grow in relationship with Christ through prayer and programming, and enjoy fun activities that build friendships with teens from your parish and across the Archdiocese of Milwaukee.

Each summer, we offer three middle school weeks and one high school week for parishes to bring groups together to serve our local communities.

Contact your parish youth leader to see if they are bringing a group to LBH this summer!

Questions about Love Begins Here

Why a Local Mission Trip?

In her 1979 Nobel Prize acceptance speech, St. Teresa of Calcutta (Mother Teresa) said,

And so here I am talking with you – I want you to find the poor here, right in your own home first. And begin love there. Be that good news to your own people. And find out about your next-door neighbor – do you know who they are?

Love Begins Here focuses on the needs right here in our own Archdiocese. While it is great to travel across the country and world to serve those in need, God has willed for us to be in this time and this place for a reason - to be His hands and feet to those directly around us. LBH seeks to facilitate an encounter between our youth and those in need in our own homes, parishes, and neighborhoods. As such, out mission manifesto, which is taught to all missionaries each week, and helps frame WHY we do what we do is:

NEIGHBORS FIRST.

We boldly take initiative to bring love to our neighbors, evangelizing with patience and joy. We are aware that when we close our eyes to our neighbor, it also blinds us to God. We encounter Him in those we serve. By putting God first in all we do, we live to serve others. Things of the world come last. We will find ourselves and come alive when we make a sincere gift of ourselves to our neighbors.

SMALL THINGS. GREAT LOVE.

We work on a small scale with a larger perspective. No task is too small in the eyes of the Lord when filled with great love. We will aim for perfection in our work because our work belongs to the Lord.

MISSIONARY DISCIPLES

We are missionaries who work with passion, knowing we can bring God’s love to our brothers and sisters who hunger. Love, in order to survive, must be nourished by sacrifices, especially the sacrifice of self. We refuse to settle for comfort and complacency, because we know each person is infinitely loved. We are the ones who enjoy life most, leaving security on the shore, on a mission to spread the joy of the Gospel.

Who Can Attend Love Begins Here?

Middle School weeks are open to teens who are currently in 6th, 7th, or 8th grade during the 2025-2026 school year.

High School weeks are open to teens who are currently in 9th-12th grade during the 2025-2026 school year.

Adult Missionaries must be at least 21 years old, or 23 if driving.

Any Student or Adult, over the age of 18 during LBH, must complete the Safe Environment Training in advance of attending.

Where do we stay? Do I have to stay overnight?

Love Begins Here is an immersive experience, where we separate ourselves from our daily routine in order to be more present to our neighbor and to God.

Because of this reality, Love Begins Here typically does not allow missionaries to go home during their week.

Missionaries stay at a host parish throughout the week, where we eat, sleep, and pray in community. Typically, we sleep in school classrooms (separated by gender), and eat in the parish hall. Missionaries are encouraged to bring an air mattress or mattress pad to sleep on.

At the same time, we are always willing to talk about needs that our missionaries have. If staying at home might a need for your missionary, please contact your parish leader or our staff to discuss.

My parish is not bringing a group, how can I attend?

Love Begins Here is focused on helping build community amongst parish groups. If your parish is not bringing a group, we encourage you to find a neighboring parish who is participating and to join their parish group for the week.

When capacity allows, we will allow for limited “Free Agent” registrations. Please contact our team to explore what free agent capacity we have this summer.

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