Newbridge students going to Caribbean island to do missionary work

A group of 25 students and five teachers from Newbridge College will follow Trinidadian Dominican priest Fr Matthew Martinez OP to his home country for two weeks at Easter. They will be carrying out important missionary work with the Living Water Community in the capital of Trinidad, Port of Spain. The group of 5th years will engage closely with the disadvantaged, the marginalised and the needy of the parish in a variety of ways, be it providing comfort and aid to the elderly impoverished, hungry children, halfway houses, cancer patients, abandoned youth and will learn about providing general spiritual direction. The students and teachers involved have all paid for their own flights through summer jobs and sponsored events and are now taking part in further extensive fundraising activities, the proceeds of which will all go to the Living Water Community. A spokesperson said: "In a world where the illiterate, hungry, homeless and destitute spill on to our streets every day, we see the need for basic care, nourishment and self-development programmes managed in an efficient, cost-effective manner. "The students are still making tireless efforts to raise funds in order to bring a much needed donation to the Living Water Community but also to bring a message of hope to our Trinidadian family. "They will also share some of our own culture through Irish music, poetry, dance, sporting and media presentations. It will be a collaborative, spiritual and charitable mission that would greatly appreciate the support of the Newbridge community."