For the 14th year, Chaminade students traded free time for community service during winter break.
The tradition, known as St. Joseph's Mission, took students to the Church of St. Andrew in Lower Manhattan. It is a newly-acquired property of the Sisters of Life. Alumni groups have also assisted the sisters in refurbishing the space.
St. Joseph's Mission began in 2005. After Hurricane Katrina made landfall on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi, Chaminade students traveled to St. Stanislaus College, a Catholic day and boarding school in Bay St. Louis, Miss. Storm surge from the gulf brought water nearly to the school's 2nd floor. Students returned to the school for several years during Presidents Week. Violet, La. also served as a base for volunteer activities in Greater New Orleans. Chaminade men would stay at a home refurbished for out-of-town workers while going out into the community each day. The St. Bernard Project, named for a parish (a municipality similar to a county) in southeastern Louisiana, coordinated the deployment of volunteers to homes.
Students from Kellenberg Memorial High School joined Chaminade men on the St. Joseph's Mission this year. In 2018, students repaired homes damaged by Superstorm Sandy in the Rockaways and Canarsie.