The following reflection from Fr. Joseph Gill appears in this week’s newsletter for St. Jude. Click here to read the newsletter in its entirety.
Thanks be to God! We have just wrapped up another wonderful week of Camp Adore, our summer camp for kids. It was a blast – and so many kids drew closer to Christ! Over 70 kids came together every day for fun, food, games, songs, Mass, talks, and Adoration. It was heartwarming to see these children singing their hearts out to the Lord, worshipping Him in Adoration, and learning how to love His Sacred Heart.
Camp Adore is the brainchild of Heather Kid, a friend of mine from Long Island. She was telling me one summer about the camp she runs at her parish – which sounded quite different from a usual Vacation Bible Camp. I expressed an interest in it, and she was kind enough, not just to give us her materials and guide us, but even to travel to Monroe these past two summers to help run the camp! She deserves a true award – or maybe a canonization! – for such heroic efforts!
We certainly owe a huge debt of gratitude to Jessica Iannotta who organized and led the awesome week! She also had a huge team of adults and teens alike who took care of every aspect so that things ran tremendously smoothly!
What makes Camp Adore different than other Vacation Bible School weeks? A couple things. First, it has a uniquely Catholic twist – our focus this year is “Summer with the Sacred Heart”! Second, it is a chance for kids to have a real, living encounter with Jesus Christ. No one is too young to begin a personal friendship with Jesus! And the best way to do that is through the Eucharist – Mass and Adoration – where Christ is sacramentally present. It brings tears of joy to our eyes to see kids as young as five and six keeling before our Eucharistic Lord, singing praise songs to Him and offering their lives in love to Him!
“Train a child up in the way he should go, and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6). As Aristotle said, “Give me a child until he is seven years old, and I will give you the man.” Or, as Frederick Douglas put it, “It’s easier to form a strong child than to fix a broken man.” Jesus Himself encouraged “the little children to come” to Him. We pray that this past week brought so much joy to the heart of Jesus!
Are you, perhaps, called to work with young people here at St. Jude’s? We are always looking for people of all ages – teens, young adults, parents, retirees – who have a heart for youth and would like to help form the next generation of Catholics. We have three avenues to do so:
First, Kids’ Club, which meets every first Sunday of the month in the afternoon. It’s a fun, laid-back mini-Camp-Adore. Contact Jessica Iannotta for more information.
Second, consider teaching Religious Education. This year classes will take place on Sunday mornings and Wednesday afternoon/evening. We have 450+ kids in our program, and we’re excited to help them learn more about the Lord Jesus and what He has done for us, and how to love Him in return. Contact our Director of Religious Education, Alice Teixeira, for more information.
Third, we also need help with our Youth Encounters. These gatherings on Friday nights for youth in grades 6-12 are a lot of fun where kids can encounter Jesus in Adoration, through friendship, and through a laid-back conversation about our authentic Catholic Faith. Contact Fr. Joseph if you’d like to volunteer.
We are so grateful for all of the ways our young people can learn to love Jesus here at St. Jude’s – consider getting involved, giving back, and making an impact on the next generation of Catholics!
