RAMA - In an authentic example of community service, 14 teen campers and their three leaders from St. Michael's Ukrainian Catholic Church Camp of Madge Lake offered their services and arrived at Rama on July 12 to help with cleanup at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes, in preparation for the Rama Pilgrimage on Aug. 14-15.
“What a wonderful gesture!” marveled Mary Kowalyshyn, one of the organizers of the pilgrimage. “They were willing to do whatever was necessary to beautify the Shrine. This meant weeding, trimming branches, sweeping, washing statues and cleaning up the pond plus gathering all the branches for a perfect clean-up job.”
Upon their morning arrival, members of the group were welcomed by Kowalyshyn, who had prepared a list of locations that needed attention. Their camp co-directors, Magdalyn (Maggie) Derow and Dmytro (Dima) Stepaniuk then took over as campers chose the area that they wanted to work at. Following a brief history of the Shrine given by Kowalyshyn, campers then went to their areas to work.
“It was indeed a pleasure to have so many young volunteers enjoying their work at this Shrine,” said Kowalyshyn. “It was amazing to see how much they had accomplished in a short time, all done before lunch. A few parish ladies had prepared a lunch for the group and expressed their appreciation for all their help.”
Maggie Derow said this volunteer project fit right in with the camp’s theme for this summer, “Heroes of Faith.”
“To have our teen campers embody the true essence of heroism and unity, our goal was to have them be involved in the community,” continued Derow. “All of our 14 teen campers come from all over Saskatchewan with most coming from Saskatoon and others from Canora, Regina, Rhein and Yorkton. Thus, having the opportunity to contribute to a community in Saskatchewan was very rewarding for them.
“Helping out at Rama’s Grotto enabled them to practice team building and gain an appreciation for those who maintain smaller communities. Learning of Father Anthony Sylla O.M.I.’s dedication and ability to bring his community together to build the Grotto displayed to our campers the effects of leadership.
“This year's theme for camp, ‘Heroes of Faith’ included earning about different saints who were witnesses of their faith. In our planning, the camp directors believed that the activity at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in Rama, correlated this theme with a day learning about the Blessed Virgin Mary, the other Saints depicted at the site, including Fr. Anthony. The directors became aware that there is an annual pilgrimage to the Shrine in August and reached out to the Shrine to see if they could assist by cleaning up the grounds. This was the first year our teen campers came to the Grotto as a work project.”
Derow and Stepaniuk have each been involved with the camp for several years as staff, and Derow previously attended the camp for many years as a camper. Along with them, the camp was blessed to also have Sister Janet Kozak, SSMI, who has been involved with St. Michael's Camp for many years.
The St. Michael’s Teen Camp Program, is a weeklong overnight camp for ages 13-16. It is not a typical week away from home, according to information provided by the camp
“Our teen camp program is unique as it emphasizes service to others and giving back to the community through what we call ‘work projects.’ These work projects vary from year to year and are balanced with lots of fun, recreational and spiritual activities. Some examples of past work projects include: tending to neglected and overgrown cemeteries through a cemetery cleanup, cleaning old churches in the area, visiting nursing homes in the area and interacting with residents, yard maintenance work, small wood building projects (such as building bleachers for the fire pit around camp) and preparing/painting buildings (in one case the house for an elderly lady in Roblin, Man.)
“Many of the campers involved in the Rama project were not even aware of the Shrine, but to be involved in the cleanup activities with each other made it part of their own personal spiritual journey. We find that campers gain a sense of accomplishment from participating in work projects, and are encouraged to follow Christ's example of helping those in need and loving your neighbour.
“At its roots, St. Michaels is a Ukrainian Catholic Camp which offers a space for youth with Ukrainian heritage and Catholic faith to connect with one another, however: all are welcome to attend St. Michael's Camp, there is no prerequisite to be Ukrainian to attend.”
More information, including other programs offered, can be found at the camp website at stmichaelscamp.com.
Don't count on social media to deliver your local news to you. Keep your news a touch away by bookmarking Canora Courier's homepage at this link.
Here's why you should bookmark your favourites.
Bookmark SASKTODAY.ca, Saskatchewan's home page, at this link.
