‘Faith of Our Fathers’ offerings include bus tour, lake camps

“Faith of Our Fathers” is the theme of this year’s vocation camps for boys. In addition to two lake-area camps, the Vocations Office of the St. Cloud Diocese has designed a bus tour for young men in grades seven through 12, to be held June 18-20 and organized to reflect the heritage of the diocese.

“This is the second time we’ve done a bus tour,” said Father Ben Kociemba, associate vocation director and chaplain at Cathedral High School in St. Cloud. “The first one — six years ago with Father Gregory Mastey and Father Scott Pogatchnik — was very successful.

“On this bus tour, we’ll visit places that are significant in our diocese’s history, like Belle Prairie, the first parish in the diocese, and other places Father [Francis Xavier] Pierz ministered. We’ll go to the Crosier priory and the Benedictine abbey and St. Mary’s Cathedral. The pastors at the churches will give us tours and tell us their own vocation stories. And we’ll do fun things like camping.

“This year, we’ll focus on the legacy of our faith,” Father Kociemba said. “When guys get together to pray and share their faith and enjoy the camaraderie of time together — that’s where faith happens. And that’s exciting.”

Boys will depart from St. John Cantius Church, St. Cloud, at 8:30 a.m. June 18 and will tour six sites, ending at Belle Prairie for Mass, supper and camping. The second day they will visit four churches and camp at Lake Koronis Regional Park for supper, Mass and swimming. The third day they tour six churches, ending at St. Mary’s Cathedral in St. Cloud, with supper and a praise and worship concert.

The lake camps, for boys in grades seven through 10, are at Canary Beach Resort in Villard on June 25-27 and at Sand Dune State Forest Lakeview Camp July 9-11. Boys attending the lake camps will spend time in prayer, listen to vocations stories and presentations, and participate in adoration and Mass.

There will also be Ultimate Frisbee, soccer and other games, fishing and swimming and campfires. Families are welcome to join the campers for 12:15 p.m. Mass on Wednesdays and the potluck lunch that follows.

The cost of each camp is $25 and the registration deadline has been extended to June 15. For more information or to register, visit http://vocations.stcdio.org/vocations-camps. Those who wish to donate toward food and/or help with meals should contact the Office of Vocations at 320-251-5001.

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Author: The Visitor

The Visitor is the official newpaper for the Diocese of Saint Cloud.

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