July 4, 2024

Bible camps keep kids close to Christ during the summer

REGIONAL
By Carolee McGrath

HAMPDEN – Dressed in traditional costumes and singing, “Immaculate Mary,” children at St. Mary Parish in Hampden, performed a play about Our Lady of Fatima for their parents, Friday, June 28. It was the last day of the parish Bible camp and the children showcased all that they learned. The theme was “Make a Joyful Noise,” and they certainly did all week long.

“We had four activities: art, music and movement, drama and outdoor games,” said Debra Joy, the director of faith formation at St. Mary Parish. This was the first time the parish hosted a Bible camp in several years.

“The last one may have been held about 10 or so years ago. I wanted to bring back the fun of getting together,” Joy said.

“The core of our program was drama, taught by Eleanor LaBine. The kids had so much fun with Miss Elly, dressing up and putting on plays on Friday. Eleanor created scripts, adapting them on the fly to accommodate the kids’ abilities,” Joy explained. “The K-2 kids put on the birth of Jesus. The grade 3-5 kids put on a play about Our Lady of Fatima.”

The children also performed other songs they learned including “Awesome God,” and “Joy, Joy, Joy.” The curriculum included why Catholics have a devotion to the Blessed Mother, who leads to her son. They visited all of the shrines on the grounds of the church, including the Our Lady of Fatima Chapel.

“Art was taught by Sue Mayotte. She took the kids around to visit all the shrines of Mary around our church. Then the kids made their own shrines, rosaries and votive candles, and stained glass window art,” said Joy. “We were blessed to have so many volunteers who made this program happen.”

In addition to the 15 campers, 11 youth volunteers helped during the week.

“The camp provided a supportive environment to learn about and love God,” said Maya Marquez, a volunteer and rising sophomore at Pope Francis Preparatory School in Springfield.

Several parishes across the Diocese of Springfield have held or are holding Bible camps this summer including: St. Ann Parish, Lenox; St. Mary Parish, Longmeadow; Blessed Sacrament and St. Jerome Parishes in Holyoke; St. Thomas Parish, West Springfield; St. Michael Parish, East Longmeadow; St. Cecilia Parish, Wilbraham; Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament Parish, Westfield; St. John the Evangelist Parish, Agawam; St. Rose de Lima Parish in Chicopee; and St. Agnes Parish in Dalton.

A popular curriculum for 2024 is “Scuba: Diving into Friendship with God.” Many parishes are using this package which includes different themes for each day, Bible stories, games and crafts.

“The summer Bible camps allow the children to develop a closer relationship with Jesus in a very different, fun, and engaging way,” said Celeste Labbe, the director of the Office of Faith Formation for the diocese.

“Traditional faith formation typically does not have the time nor the resources to teach our faith in that manner on a weekly basis,” Labbe added.

Hundreds of children throughout the diocese will have an opportunity to experience the fun this summer. A  thank you card from a camper at St. Mary’s in Hampden shows the evangelization effort is working.

“Thank you so much for a great week at Bible camp. I had so much fun,” wrote Mila.