Rockaway parish fuses faith with fun for kids at Summer Bible Camp

The aim of the game seemed simple: place a balloon in front of a portable fan, let go, and then watch the wind blow it into a large cardboard box eight feet away. Children at the recent Summer Bible Camp at St. Cecilia Parish in Rockaway took turns trying to launch the balloons — a fun activity that also taught them a simple lesson about the Catholic faith.

“We are moving to our ultimate destination: heaven. The wind is the Holy Spirit and we are the balloons. The Holy Spirit is helping us get to heaven,” Jim Clancy, St. Cecilia’s faith-formation director, said before the game started in the parking lot of Divine Mercy Academy (DMA), also in Rockaway, where camp was held from July 11–15. Individual campers had difficulty with the not-so-simple task of getting the balloons into the boxes, so Clancy urged them to work together. It symbolized that “We can help each other get to heaven,” he said.

The name of the game at Summer Bible Camp was faith and fun this year for 45 children, from pre-k to 4th grade. Adult and teen volunteers kept campers engaged with an array of activities for the sessions from 4–6 p.m. They sang faith-filled songs, made crafts, played games, listened to bible stories, and enjoyed fun snacks. Like many parishes in the Paterson Diocese, St. Cecilia’s offers its young people an entertaining faith-formation camp experience in the summer. St. Cecilia started its camp in 1982.

The Beacon visited St. Cecilia’s camp on July 13, when the children learned about Pentecost: the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Jesus and the birth of the Church. Mary Spillman, who is going into 4th grade, said she loved to spend time with her friends at camp.

“I love the games. They’re fun,” Spillman said. “Today, I learned that the Holy Spirit filled the bodies of people [the disciples]. I learned to listen to God and love as Jesus loves.”

In DMA, sessions started with adult volunteers and guitarists, leading campers in singing catchy songs — like “I’m so free because the Father loves me” — that got them dancing and clapping. Afterwards, Father Mateusz “Matt” Darlak, St. Cecilia’s parochial vicar, told the young people, “We’re all children of God. No matter what age we are, we should share the happiness we feel about God with others.”

Many camp activities were creative. One day, Father Darlak captivated the children by riding a hoverboard outside on solid pavement. It was an unconventional way to teach Jesus’ command to his disciples to “build my Church on rock, not on sand.” Later, a volunteer wore a bucket covered with shaving cream on his head as campers threw ping-pong balls to try to get them to stick to the shaving cream. This was an offbeat lesson about Jesus’ command, “If you love me, feed my sheep.”

“We want to keep the campers moving. We also want to show that we [adults] are human and like to have fun,” Father Darlak told The Beacon.

Campers split up into four groups to rotate around to different activities, such as bible story about Pentecost on July 13. They also made plush lamb toys for a craft. For a few families, camp was a multi-generational experience. Some parents and grandparents of campers volunteered to help out. The week ended that Saturday with participants joining the parish for Mass in St. Cecilia Church, according to Denise Montalto-Rook, camp coordinator.

After having his snack, Jaeden Denninger, who is going into first grade, told The Beacon, “I like camp because I like to sing. I also like talking to God.”