Boys' Summer Camp

By Seminarians of St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary

"I don't want to go to jail!" pouted one small boy as he was led away by a few eager lads to the well guarded garrison. The boys were intensely involved in a very active and competitive game called "prison ball." Running and shouting with all their might in good, clean, tiring fun is typical of camp. Boys camp is for them, an experience of formation that they probably don't even realize is taking place, and which they won't easily forget. In fact, the parents of one of the boys explained that the first night their son was back home, he kept hopping out of bed to run to the living-room to tell of another episode that he remembered.

His stories probably consisted of the more spectacular events like: the huge tug-of-war that ended in the cold, flowing creek-bed, or the long hike through thick undergrowth to the top of a mountain where there was a beautiful lake, water falls and ice-caves, or the games on the twenty-five foot high sawdust pile, or the saint stories Father read at the camp-fire, or the tow cows that entertained us during breakfast, or the numerous songs and skits done around the camp-fire or the work detail cleverly disguised as the game of "pick-up-sticks." All these activities have their purpose at a camp, they are not just idle distractions. They are tools to bring a boy's soul closer to God. In the beautiful Rocky Mountains of N.W. Montana, the boys are encouraged to see for themselves the beauty and order of nature and to realize that God is the Author of both the mountain and the boy. In the games, they are encouraged to suffer the bumps, scrapes and losses with patience or to rejoice graciously, in a game fairly won. St. Paul make the analogy between the champion of a race and the soul's victory over the world, the flesh and the devil. While playing the games, the boys are encouraged to play without cheating, to be-charitable whether whining or losing, to be virile in the effort and to eliminate any unnecessary whimpering and whining. If a boy is able to apply these virtues to a simple game, then with the grace of God he will be able to apply these same virtues of truth, charity, virility and patience in the most important game of all which is the spiritual life. If they rejoice over winning a child's game, how much more will they rejoice if they win eternal life?

"Please don't stop," insisted a group of boys when the sound of the whistle ended the catechism class and was to begin the recreation period. "Are games more important than religion class?" they complained. Who could blame them? For our faith is one of the most dynamic and exciting gifts which God has bestowed on us. A faith so vital as to make men shed their blood for it; give away their fortunes and devote their lives to the poor; renounce the world and all its pomps to enter monasteries; and countless other heroic deeds of the saints. A faith so powerful that in any age it is able to purge and transform any community into a God-oriented society. A faith so old and yet which is always so new and which permeates our lives and every aspect of society. A faith which is the necessary tool with which one must view the problems of the world.

To help the boys grasp this faith, it's necessary to take into consideration the nature of a boy. Normally, boys are extremely active and it seems that brief time periods of spiritual instruction more effectively keep a boy's entire attention. If these brief spiritual activities are evenly distributed and frequently recurring during the course of a day at camp, the boys learn to bring God into their daily activities. The goal is to help them live in the presence of God all day long, both at camp and at home.

The center of the daily spiritual activities is the sacrifice of the Mass, which begins each day. Morning and evening prayers and the afternoon rosary are all said in common in the chapel. Catechism and altar-boy serving practices are right after breakfast. The topics of catechism class of last year's camp ranged from the first revolution of original sin to our present revolution of rock and roll. Heroes like King David and St. John Bosco were given as examples. The dangers of new age and communism were explained. The wonders of God's Holy Word, Sacred Scripture, were commented upon. The good habit of sincere confessions and devout communions was praised. In all of this, the synthesis of our faith with daily life was stressed. The campers long day is ended at the camp-fire where a priest reads and comments upon a brief summary of one of the lives of the saints, and the boys are sent to bed in silence. Is it any wonder with a faith so sublime and yet so practical that at the end of these brief conferences the boys are thirsting to know more about God and the saints?

As for the Counselors, they are mostly seminarians fulfilling summer apostolic duty, by spiritually forming the future of America and of the Catholic Church. They are receiving a priceless learning experience by observing the spiritual development of the campers during the course of the camp. This will certainly be useful to the future apostolate of the hopeful priests.

The boys come from various backgrounds, as well as various states. Some come from profoundly Catholic families while others come from families whose parents have fallen away from their faith. Their education varies as much as their backgrounds do. Some are home-schooled, or attend private Catholic schools like Immaculate Conception in Post Falls. Others attend public school which is considered by some parents as a necessary evil. The boys that are exposed the most to the corruption of today's world show the influence of bad companions, television, rock and roll, and lack of discipline and education. It's easy to understand how a child's innocence is so quickly lost living in a society so steeped in lust that it makes pornography readily available to children. At the camp, we rely on a positive sort of peer pressure. The boys setting a good example are strongly encouraged, those setting a bad example are strongly reprimanded. Boys discover other boys like them trying to live the faith and this gives them mutual encouragement and support. Even the boys that come to the camp with a bad disposition or a rebellious spirit find themselves (possibly to their surprise) having fun without the "help" of rock and roll and television. The beauty of nature, the innocence and virility of the religious, patriotic and folk songs sung around the camp-fire and in the bus; the reading of the heroism of the saints and the healthy work and sports give to the boys a positive foothold by replacing the television with the family entertainment of games, conversation and a good stock of healthy, religious and good secular books. It's up to the parents to replace the rock and roll that their children listen to, with family singing, the playing of instruments or at least listening to good wholesome music.

To enjoy the company of priests and seminarians, young men dedicating their lives to God for the salvation of souls, is an impression that they will never forget. The discipline administered by clerics at the camp seems to have the power to cure certain disciplinary problems of some boys when similar punishment at home has failed. A simple frown from a seminarian brought a boy to acknowledge his guilt and he returned to the other boy and expressed his sorrow with a good handshake. Just the good example of other boys seems to produce salutary effects, as in the case of a crying boy who pouted his problems to a seminarian, who finding himself in a dilemma, quickly pointed out that the other boys weren't crying, and to his astonishment the problem was solved.

The majority of the boys come from good Catholic homes. Their conversation is clean. Their difficult questions to answer come from sharp young minds which are normally overflowing with humor and wit. The one thing they all have in common is a true thirst for God. Some of them show signs to a religious vocation and we should all pray for their perseverance and for the future of the Church militant.

After "lights out" of one of the first evenings of the Montana camp, a counselor noticed a flashlight on under the cover of a sleeping bag. The counselor sternly, ordered the camper to douse that light. An eight or nine year old boy meekly and politely asked for special permission to finish reading one of his daily prayers. He explained that this was a special prayer that he rarely missed, and that he was praying it for the conversion of the souls of his parents. His parents aren't Catholic, and they don't want him to go to Mass, but that didn't stop this young man from hoping that God would still save their souls. Permission was granted.

"Amen I say to you, unless you be converted, and become as little children, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."

The parents have a critical role in the "success" of the camp. All parents have the obligation of raising their children Catholic, especially by establishing a Catholic family unit. "The family that prays together stays together." If the boys come to the camp with the habit of praying, the Holy Ghost is all the more free to work in their young souls. The community morning and evening prayers, Mass and the rosary, said in common give them an example of the unity of the church and the doctrine of the communion of the saints as one big family.

The "success" of the camp is the sanctification of the boys' souls by reinforcing and encouraging an example that they should already find at home. If you truly love your child, learn to love God and teach your child to love God. Two weeks worth of spiritual instruction and formation could be the most important event during the course of the year for a young soul. Nevertheless, if they don't have the daily example from their parents on how to lead a life pleasing to God, it will take a miracle of grace to save their souls. If you despise God and His commandments, you despise your child.

For more information; contact:

Fr. John Rizzo Immaculate Conception Priory
P.O. Box 206
Post Falls, Idaho 83854.
Camp Location: West Glacier, Montana
Dates: July 15th-28th.

Camp Director
St Thomas Aquinas Seminary
Rt 1 Box 97-A
Winona, Minnesota 55987.
Camp Location: Frankfork, Michigan,
on Crystal Lake
Date: August 18th-31st,

For French speaking boys:

Fr. J. Emily
c/o Holy Family Priory
10425 Blvd. de la Rive-Sud
Lanzon, Quebec
G6V 7W1
Location: Near Quebec City, Canada.
Date: July 7th-21st.

Last year the camp couldn't meet its expenses, so we relied on the generosity of the parish of Post Falls and on the generosity of a rancher in Montana to make the camp possible. If you don't have a child, but still would like to donate to this extremely important apostolate for the youth, contact your district superior about a fund for summer camps. If you would like to send your child, but can't afford it, contact your district superior or your local priest about establishing some kind of fund-raiser.

Certainly, entire parishes would benefit from a faith practiced more fervently by the children of the parish. The child you support could very easily be your future pastor, or your future son-in-law. May God bless your generosity.