City of Contrasts

When you participate in the Cathedral Urban Service Experience, you will live and work in the heart of America’s fourth largest city. The Cathedral is located halfway between Houston’s theater district and Minute Maid Park, home of the Astros. Many CUSE participants take advantage of an Astros game, the museum district, or a trip to the beach while they are here.

But Houston is a city of despair as well as opportunity. Many neighborhoods are in decline. There are over 15,000 homeless in central Houston living on the streets or in temporary shelters. At CUSE young people learn to see the underside of a city as well as its glory. The lessons of CUSE will develop youth into adults who are sensitive to the poor in their midst (who are too often invisible). A mission trip to CUSE is truly an exercise in spiritual formation, where youth learn to recognize and serve “the least of these” in their midst.