A summer Christian camp “Happy Holidays with God. Born for the Light” was held in Philadelphia. It was organized by the Ukrainian Catholic Religious Society “Saint Sophia” of the USA (TCS A) for children aged 6 to 13. Among the participants were refugee children who arrived in the United States due to the war in Ukraine.
This was reported by Society “Saint Sophia”.
The organizers chose the theme of the camp based on the need for God’s light in a person’s life in challenging circumstances. The program combined spiritual education with the study of the cultural heritage of the Ukrainian people. For two weeks, the children prayed, reflected on Bible stories, learned songs, danced bans, played educational and outdoor games, and participated in story readings and talent shows.
Every day, the campers prayed the Rosary, including for peace in Ukraine and the victims of the Russian attack on Kyiv. During the classes, they talked about the importance of light in human life, the struggle between light and darkness, Archangel Michael and Lucifer, the prophet Samuel, the exodus of the Jewish people from Egypt, the healing of the man born blind, the conversion of Saul, the stories of Zacchaeus and Daniel, the suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, and the ministry of the Apostle Paul.
The children watched films about the Ten Commandments, “The Prince of Egypt,” “David,” and “Journey to Bethlehem.” During the creative classes, the participants made guardian angels, macrame crafts, hearts, papier-mâché, original Christmas tree decorations, decorative crosses, flower arrangements, paintings made of isonitka, dream catchers, and symbolic lions. They also embroidered, baked sweets, prepared cake pops, nuts and a dessert called “Broken Glass”.
A separate area of the program was financial literacy. Representatives of the Federal Credit Cooperative “Samopomich” held a class for children, during which participants learned how to earn, invest, spend money wisely and collect dividends.
The campers visited the Keneseth Israel Temple synagogue in Elkins Park, where they learned about Jewish traditions and the importance of light in Jewish beliefs. During a meeting with Rabbi Ben David, the children asked questions and drew parallels between Judaism and Christianity to better understand the traditions in which Jesus Christ grew up.
The campers also visited the Holocaust Awareness Museum and Education Center. There they talked about the struggle between light and darkness in the history of mankind, the tragedy of Babyn Yar, the Holodomor and the genocide of Ukrainians by Russia. The children remembered the Righteous Metropolitan Andrei Sheptytsky, who hid Jews during World War II, and also listened to the testimony of George Marcus, whose family was affected by the Holocaust.
Separately, the participants visited the museum room of Patriarch Yosyf Slipy. There they spoke about his steadfastness during his 18-year imprisonment and the light he left to the new generation.
The camp program was compiled and led by the head of the St. Sophia Society of the USA, Iryna Ivankovych. The event was attended by animators Viktoria Dmytruk, Viktor Tsymbalenko, Ivan Dyschuk, Andriy Lehenkyi, Anna Tatarchuk, and Ulyana Melnyk. Catechetical classes were conducted by Iryna Ivankovych and Oksana Kikelya. Master classes were also conducted by Oksana Halupyak and Kateryna Chornomaz.
At the end of the camp, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated by the parish priest of St. Nicholas Church in Philadelphia, Father Ruslan Borovyi.
This year's project was first implemented over two weeks at the headquarters of the St. Sophia Society of the USA. The event was supported by the Samopomich Federal Credit Cooperative in Philadelphia.
Background The St. Sophia Religious Society of Ukrainian Catholics of the USA has been holding summer Christian camps for children in Philadelphia since 2016. The society works in the field of spiritual education of the younger generation of Ukrainians "in the dispersion" and organizes schools and master classes for animators throughout the year.
Photo: St. Sophia Society
Author: Danylo Pievchev