In the same spirit as their counterpart in the Midwest, California’s St. Michael’s Patrol, the Institute’s youth group for boys, had its 7th annual Fathers and Sons 2022 Summer Camp, July 28-30 under the patronage of North American Martyrs. The Camp took place as a joint event for the Institute apostolates in Oakland and San Jose at the Santa Clara County Peace Officers’ Association camp site in Saratoga, CA.
Canon Raphael Ueda, Canon Benjamin Norman, Abbé Jacobo Velazquez, Mr. Jeffery Walton, Mr. Cody Teague and volunteers from San Jose and Oakland Apostolates of the Institute of Christ the King served about 40 boys to help them grow in the virtues of Faith, Hope and Charity.
The Summer Camp welcomed and encouraged fathers to join in, since the activities are wonderful occasions to reinforce the bonds between children and their fathers. Each activity was organized with the intention to develop the children’s natural virtues, considered as the foundation of divine grace. The virtues fostered by St. Michael’s Patrol are: zeal, courage and self-sacrifice, all moved by Charity.
"St. Michael’s Patrol is a three-day, two-night camp full of activities, inspiring talks, and solemn prayer. As for activities, we hiked, built altars and shelters, practiced archery and flag ceremonies, and held an Olympics competition. During camp we were put on a saint-themed team with 7-9 other boys who helped each other in the activities. During the Olympics the teams first competed in a tug-of-war tournament. There were four teams, and our red team won! The second game relay races in which the red and black teams tied for first place. After that, the teams played a dodgeball tournament in which the red team won. Finally we played capture the flag in which the black team won with two seconds to spare! We had Mass every morning and prayed the Rosary in Latin while in procession. In our free time we played games like volleyball, steal the bacon, foosball, ping pong, horse shoes, tether ball, and many other fun games. We had many talks about God, death, angels, saints, and the seminary. We were able to pray a lot and practice service and team building activities like building altars and outdoor shelters. The camp was fun and exciting—we are already looking forward to attending next year! " ~Joseph & Henry Cooper (Photos by Matthew Smithey)
In the Footsteps of the Saints: Link
