By REY FLORES
Summer vacation time for teens and young adults can sometimes be a challenge for families. They have several options, like taking up a summer job to either save money for college or simply to have their own “mad money” for their smartphones, gas, movies, or other fun activities.
Some young people like to volunteer at any of a garden variety of nonprofits, helping the homeless or underprivileged children, but that usually isn’t the norm. At worst, a teen might waste his entire summer just bumming around playing video games, attached to his computers, tablets, or smartphones simply goofing off.
For those of you who may be financially blessed enough to send your own teens, grandchildren, or help sponsor other teens, I would recommend the 2017 Catholic Pro-Life Camp being organized by Vox Vitae in Southern California this summer.
The best part of the camps is that this year parents can join their teens. The camps offer the great opportunity for families to make a commitment as a family to be active pro-life advocates in a variety of ways.
Vox Vitae’s 2017 Catholic Pro-Life Camps are quickly coming up. There are three separate camps being held for both teens and parents. The first is the Catholic Pro-Life Commuter Camp for Teens, scheduled for July 9-15; then there’s the Catholic Pro-Life Evening Camp for Adults that same week, July 9-15, all taking place at St. Therese Parish in Alhambra, Calif.
Finally, for those unable to make the earlier dates, there’s also the Catholic Pro-Life Sleepaway Camp for Teens, from July 30 through August 5 in Silverado, Calif.
Regarding last year’s successful camps, one parent said that their daughter Patricia “loved the camp. On the last day, she said she had never prayed so much in one day. I could feel the graces flowing every time I came to pick her up.”
Another parent spoke about the effectiveness of one of the speakers: “Pam Stenzel spoke this evening to the adults at St. Therese. What a fantastic, passionate, informative talk presented with appropriate humor that kept your attention. I don’t think the young people will forget this information.”
Stenzel is scheduled to speak again this year.
The kick-off Mass will be celebrated at St. Therese Parish in Alhambra, at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, July 9 followed by a talk from Terry Barber of Immaculate Heart Radio. Barber will be speaking in the parish hall at 7 p.m. after Mass. The kick-off Mass and Barber’s Sunday evening talk are free and open to the public.
The weeklong camp program for teens features speakers such as Bishop David O’Connell, Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse, Terry Barber, Astrid Bennett Gutierrez, Fr. Stephen Imbarrato, Timmerie Millington, Pam Stenzel, and Doug Barry.
As a friend of several of these fantastic pro-life warriors, I can assure you that this camp is going to be worth the investment for those families who do have the time and the means.
Vox Vitae camps like to start their training with the beauty of the Catholic faith, and then cover topics such as abortion, euthanasia, chastity, and political involvement. Vox Vitae Camps for Teens provide campers with the tools they need to take a strong and confident stand for life.
The goal is to instill in youth the understanding that they are made in the image and likeness of God, and to help them develop the courage to withstand anti-life peer pressure, promote the culture of life, and become leaders in their parishes and their communities.
The Alhambra evening talks for adults from 7-9 p.m. provide an opportunity for parents and other adults to learn from many of the same speakers! The talks equip adults to live out their faith and guide their families in today’s hostile, anti-Christian world. Registration is now open for both youth and adult camps.
Bishop David O’Connell has endorsed Vox Vitae and says, “Let’s work together to prepare a whole new generation of youth who will be pro-life. This is why Vox Vitae Pro-Life Camp is so important. I encourage you to send your youth to participate. We need our youth to love life and to know how to be a voice for life.”
Camp registration is fairly affordable, but Vox Vitae is asking for anyone who can also help offset some of the cost to donate what they can. Registration fees do not cover the whole cost of camp and they rely on the generosity of supporters like you to cover the difference. If you are able, please help Vox Vitae cover the cost of camp with a donation of $5, $20, $35, or whatever you can afford.
I have personally worked with Catherine Contreras, president of Vox Vitae, and with several of the speakers scheduled to speak at these camps. These are some of the finest people you can ever hope to meet and learn from.
Again, if you can help sponsor one or more youth to attend, that would be incredibly generous and it would be your very important contribution to helping strengthen the next generation of pro-life leaders.
For more information and to register today, visit www.voxvitae.org, or contact Catherine at 213-395-8977 or send her an email at catherine@voxvitae.org.
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(Rey Flores is a Catholic writer and speaker. Contact Rey at reyfloresusa@gmail.com.)
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