Thanks to the internet, you'll probably be able to find a place where you can worship on your ILP semester. Sometimes you can find a church right in the city you are volunteering in and other times you might have to travel a little bit, but here's more information to help you prepare.
If you're looking for volunteer opportunities and want to travel the world with a program who upholds high standards (we have a code of conduct similar to BYU's Honor Code and standards), then International Language Programs may be the right fit for you.
There is no religious requirement for our volunteers, but many of our volunteers are religious, and look forward to the opportunity to attend services on their semester abroad.
Personally, having a religious service to attend was something that helped me a lot during my semesters with ILP. There is a lot of comfort that comes knowing you can find a church of your faith and be close to that support if you need it.
Ready to volunteer but still have a few questions?
Come talk to someone about your questions!
Here are a few things that will help you find a meetinghouse no matter where you are.
- For Members Of The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
For Catholic Mass - For Additional Services
For Members Of The Church Of Jesus Christ Of Latter-Day Saints
Finding Your Local Church Meeting
In all of our locations, there is some access to attending church. To find the closest meetinghouse, check out these options:
Go to ChurchOfJesusChrist.com and search "meetinghouse finder" in the search bar (or click here). You can search by your address and it will tell you what buildings are closest to you. Or, you can search by city so that you can see what's available while you're on vacation in a new place.
After searching, it will bring up a list of options for you and give you all the information you need, like address, phone number and when the meetings will start. It's a great resource and really helpful when you are trying to track down the closest LDS church to you.
Or, Use This App
You can also use the Member Tools app to help you. Download the "Member Tools" app on your phone (Free on IOS and free on Android) and you have quick accesses to the meetinghouse finder. It's the same thing as the finder above, but on your phone.
This is also a great resource to find the names and contact info of leaders in the wards and branches you will be assigned to during your semester.
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Finding Catholic Mass
Several volunteers who have traveled with us before have had luck finding Catholic Mass services in their local city by looking at this website and also chatting with the local staff you'll be working with.
Several of our current ILP locations are in countries and cities where the majority of the population is catholic, and often have information about local mass times and where the nearest service is held. This is also an amazing opportunity on vacation — so many volunteers have talked about the experience of attending mass somewhere like the Vatican in Italy. What an incredible memory to take home after your semester abroad.
+ Additional Services
Looking into additional services offered in your city? Each ILP group is sent with an Area book that's filled out by previous volunteers. There's a chance information for other houses of worship and religions have been filled out for your city.
Also, volunteers are in close contact with a Local Coordinator, who's from the area, and may have information about services offered nearby.
Are you ready for an adventure?
Come spend a semester volunteering abroad with ILP! We have countries all over world — Get more info by checking out the ILP Blog and by talking with an ILP rep who has volunteered with us before and can help answer your questions:
