Early in the morning on the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, 120 Loyola High School teachers and staff left their Pico Union campus to serve at more than two dozen downtown shelters and centers --- an integral component of the Jesuit high school's curriculum.

For the first time, as part of the Loyola Faculty Faith Formation program, the teachers and staff followed in the steps of their students who have been serving the same sites for decades as part of their four-year community service program.

Conducted within the structure of a day-long Mass, Loyola faculty and staff attended the school's Clougherty Chapel service up to the homily and then went out into the community to care for the needy. The group served at:

---Midnight Mission, Union Rescue Mission, St. Francis Center and St. Vincent DePaul/Cardinal Manning Center (Skid Row).

---Blessed Sacrament Social Services, People Assisting the Homeless, Project Angelfood, AIDS Project LA and Los Angeles Public Counsel, Good Shepherd Shelter and My Friend's Place (Hollywood).

---Dolores Mission parishes' Guadalupanos Homeless Project (East Los Angeles).

---St. Vincent Meals on Wheels (McArthur Park).

In groups of three to 10, faculty and staff arrived to serve as needed. Most activities included cleaning, food preparation and delivering meals to shut-ins. The teachers, who already give much of their spare time to the students, saw first-hand what the young Loyola men they have been teaching were also learning.

"We cannot give to our students what we do not possess ourselves," said Jesuit Father Gregory Goethals, Loyola president. "Consequently, the mission to serve the world and build the kingdom outside of our usual sphere of influence is very important to all of our faculty and staff. We help in this way to better serve our students as we build their character and mold them into men for others."

After completing their tasks, the group returned to campus for lunch, reflection and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. After the Gospel was read a second time, all were asked to reflect upon the Ignatian practice of finding God in all things by reviewing "lights and shadows, so as to gain a greater awareness of God at work in the world," said Kim Cavnar, co-director, Loyola Adult Faith Formation.

The next day in class, teachers and staff shared their experiences with the students. The outreach made such an impact that many teachers, coaches and Christian Community Life leaders resolved to return with their students for a follow-up service effort.