The first Camp Bosco for the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph happened a few weeks ago, June 21-24, 2016. Camp Bosco is for High School students, incoming 10th to outgoing 12th graders. We chose St. John Bosco as the Patron Saint for Camp Bosco because he was a great leader and mentor to the patron of our Middle School Camp, St. Dominic Savio. St. John Bosco was a teacher at an all boy school that St. Dominic Savio attended.
Camp Bosco held the same overall theme as Camp Savio, "Dangerously Deep." But all the activities and talks were totally different, they were "dangerously deeper!" The week started Tuesday morning, the high schoolers arrived around 10:00 a.m. and by 10:30 a.m. we had loaded the buses to head to a top secret destination. We went to Maryville, Missouri to Moera High Ropes Course. This was a great experience for the teens, on their first day at Camp Bosco, it really challenged them to get to know each other and support each other right from the start. As many of the teens told me, it skipped right over the awkward get to know you questions and took them deep quickly. They did several "low ropes" elements and then two or three high ropes courses, one of the high ropes courses was called "The Odyssey." The end of The Odyssey was completed by going down the zip line. After completing the High Ropes course, we loaded the bus and many of the campers fell asleep right away, not expecting there to be anymore surprises. But they were wrong, our next stop was Conception Abbey. We held daily Mass in their Seminarian Chapel, then had dinner in their cafeteria, followed by our nightly session, hosted by Kyle Sellnow, a high school teacher from O'Hara High School. Also during this session, we learned about the Year of Mercy and the Holy Door because we would have the opportunity later in the night to walk through the Holy Door in the Basilica. Following Kyle's talk we headed over to the Basilica for a Holy Hour and time for Confession to prepare to walk through the Holy Door. A surprise to everyone that night was that Bishop Johnston happened to be on campus for a Priest retreat, so he stopped by at dinner and then led us in the prayer for the Holy Door. Here is the prayer we said and that you can also say after walking through a Holy Door:
Prayer of Pope Francis for the Jubilee
Lord Jesus Christ, you have taught us to be merciful like the heavenly Father, and have told us that whoever sees you sees Him. Show us your face and we will be saved. Your loving gaze freed Zacchaeus and Matthew from being enslaved by money; the adulteress and Magdalene from seeking happiness only in created things; made Peter weep after his betrayal, and assured Paradise to the repentant thief. Let us hear, as if addressed to each one of us, the words that you spoke to the Samaritan woman: "If you knew the gift of God!" You are the visible face of the invisible Father, of the God who manifests his power above all by forgiveness and mercy: let the Church be your visible face in the world, its Lord risen and glorified. You willed that your ministers would also be clothed in weakness in order that they may feel compassion for those in ignorance and error; let everyone who approaches them feel sought after, loved, and forgiven by God. Send your spirit and consecrate every one of us with His anointing, so that the Jubilee of Mercy may be a year of grace from the Lord, and your Church, with renewed enthusiasm, may bring good news to the poor, proclaim liberty to captives and the oppressed, and restore sight to the blind. We ask this of you, Lord Jesus, through the intercession of Mary, Mother of Mercy; you who live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit for ever and ever. Amen.
After we prayed this prayer, we returned to the buses and back to Maur Hill Mount Academy. Each night and morning, as a whole camp we prayed the Liturgy of the Hours together: Morning and Night Prayer. During Camp Savio only the staff prayers them together.
Wednesday was lake day, but we started the lake day by each Small Group working together to Geocache to the lake by finding and reading the clues and typing the coordinates into an iPhone, which led them to the lake. At the lake they had free time and then an organized competition. The competition consisted of a boat relay race around the dock until their whole team had had a turn, canon ball competition, beach ball floating competition, watermelon polo and synchronized swimming competition. That night we had session back in the Auditorium and concluded with a Big Adoration night also in the Auditorium. After small groups, we had a late night competition of Bubble Soccer in the Gym.
Thursday was another intense and fun day. It was Girl/Guy Day, so after breakfast we separated and the girls heard a talk by Paige Rioux and the boy went outside and did Low Ropes for the morning. Paige's talk was on Virtuous Femininity. It was an amazing talk and the girls learned a lot. It was very real and relatable and the girls continued to grow a bond as sisters. Then the girls had Mass together and then they competed against each other in Hunger Games style Archery Tag. After lunch, they switched and the girls went out on low ropes for the afternoon and the boys heard a talk from Ben Rioux and had a guy's Mass and Hunger Games styled archery tag. We came back together in the early evening for a mud volleyball competition. The boys beat the girls in all but one round of volleyball. We also enjoyed ice cream sundaes, sponsored by Maur Hill. Thursday night was almost everyone's highlight. We held the session and Adoration out on the Football Field. Everyone brought blankets or towels to sit on. We had Eucharistic Adoration as the sun began to set, which was a beautiful view and then processed into the Chapel to conclude Adoration. The night concluded with a bonfire and campfire songs and dancing behind St. Leo's patio.
Friday, the last day for Camp Bosco was a great day as well. We switched our schedule and had our holy hour in the morning, then following lunch we had a few hours of service. The High Schoolers helped to clean up campus, as well as a few helped to pack up and deliver leftover camp food as donations to local service organizations in Atchison. The last activity we did before parents arrived was a Talent Show. It was very entertaining, the campers and staff had many talents- from singing, to dancing, raps, reading poems, talking in funny voices and more. Parents arrived and we had Mass, then the Parent Session and a potluck to conclude an awesome and intense week.
Camp Bosco was a shorter week, but the days were filled with many more activities and longer days. We cannot wait for Camp Bosco again next year! You can find pictures from Camp Bosco on the Youth Ministry Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/BorromeoKCYouth/photos/?tab=album&album_id=1084758148262036
For more information on Camp Bosco, go to www.campsavio.com.