Catholic Summer Camp to Which to Aspire

We enjoy receiving the newsletter and the magazine ("From the Housetops") from the Saint Benedict Center in Massachusetts. We've visited the Center and attended Mass there while visiting some friends. Therefore, the kids have heard about the summer camp for boys and the one for girls and they're counting the years till they're old enough to attend (9 for boys, 12 for girls).

At the table over breakfast, I read two articles to the kids describing this last summer's camps and they are jumping-out-of-their-chairs excited, hoping someday to attend.

"Coming from a world of spiritual dehydration, the girls had the opportunity to drink in the graces. Each morning, after emerging from their cabins, the girls said morning prayers and ate breakfast. Then the campers divided into appropriate age groups for religion class, followed by Mass and the opportunity for Confession." 

Then would follow typical camp experiences: canoeing, kayaking, sailing, fishing volleyball, arts and crafts, buying candy at the trading post, singing, baton-twirling, sports, roasting marshmallows, movie nights, talent shows and hair-do contests--all led by the delightful, vivacious nuns (click here and here for photos)! The boys' list of activities led by the priests and monks was similarly typical of summer camps everywhere (click here for photos).

It made my heart feel so warm that our children are excited by this description, and that includes the daily prayers, catechism, Mass, and sacraments.

I informed the children that for visitors (non-SBC parishioners) to attend requires approval by a local parishioner that the children and family are wholesome, holy, and Catholics in good standing . . . so they should have motivation to keep up the good work on the road to piety and holiness! Heaven is often a distant theoretical place for kids (and adults), but the thought of not being good enough to go to summer camp is very real!

(Click here to see the archives of the Saint Benedict Center newsletters, "From the Center." Then click on Summer 2014 to download the PDF file to read the original articles about and see the great photos of camp.)