​Lent is a time of preparation, reflection, reconciliation, and penance. Sounds super fun right? Well… maybe fun is not exactly the word that springs to mind when you think of Lent.  By definition, Lent is not designed to be a “fun” or necessarily “enjoyable” time in the church. As we see, even the celebratory exclamations of “Alleluia” are removed from our services.  We are called to deepen our spiritual life through the practices of fasting, prayer, and almsgiving. It is designed to be a time where we call to mind our short comings, and failings, then seek to make atonement in the form of fasting and prayer.  It is to be a reminder of when we did not live up to our Christian values, to look at our mistakes and examine our lives and consciousnesses thoroughly and objectively. For most of us this act of self-examination is not a comfortable one, but it is a necessary one, and a good one.

Many people give up something, or fast, as a penance for Lent, maybe chocolate, or sodas, or maybe video games and television. Why? That sounds hard or inconvenient. However, that difficulty or inconvenience is exactly why this practice is so necessary.  Each time we are challenged or inconvenienced, by our sacrifice, is an opportunity to remind ourselves why and for whom we are making that sacrifice.  We are providing ourselves a moment of pause in our busy lives, to remember Christ and His sacrifice on the cross for us.  We recall that if Christ, sinless and pure, made the ultimate sacrifice to suffer and die on the cross, then I can surely take up the cross I have been given and offer my sufferings up to Him in atonement for my sins and failings.

The second spiritual practice we are called to is expanding our prayer life.  In 1 Thessalonians 5:17 we are called to “Pray without ceasing.” That may seem like a tall order. However, we do not need to be constantly knelt before the altar in church to live up to this request.  We can do this through our everyday lives.  Think about how much more meaningful and powerful our lives would be if you could offer even the simplest tasks to God as a prayer.   Well, you can! Simply by changing your mindset.  When you are faced with a task, first intentionally offer a small prayer up before starting.  Do you have to sweep the floor? Say “Father in Heaven, I offer this task up to You!” Maybe you even offer the task as a prayer for someone else. Think about how much more powerful that mundane task just became.

The final Lenten practice we are called to observe is almsgiving.  Many churches offer a Rice Bowl, where you are invited to place your spare change, or any donation amount during Lent, and then it is offered to a charity at Easter.  We can do this for any charitable organization that is designed to forward the message, and mission of Christ. We can also do this in the form of good works.  Perhaps a small random act of kindness each day, a deposit into another’s “emotional bank account,” is a beautiful gift to be given during Lent.  St. Therese of Lisieux said “Remember that nothing is small in the eyes of God. Do all that you do with love.” So even the smallest things we do for others, done with love and devotion can build to great things. During these trying times, we must seek to offer others a loving act of kindness, you never know what difficult battle they may be fighting.

So, this Lent, we are all bearing our crosses together. Let us offer each other love and support. Let us lift each other up in prayer. Let us orient our hearts and minds toward Christ and seek to allow His mission to be lived out through us!

I’m praying for you; we are all in this together.
​
Larissa Hurm
School Year Program Director

In 1978, I was ten years old and I played outside A LOT. From hide and seek in the neighborhood to various types of ball games in the yard, recess at school, creek play, and goofing off in the woods in my grandma’s backyard, to of course CYO Camp. I was outside most of the time. I also watched TV, played pong, Atari, Barbie dolls, board games, and read books inside. When I reminisce about being a kid in the 70’s and 80’s, I fondly remember how it felt being outside and how being outside was just as “normal” as being inside.
 
The woods were my favorite. Being in the woods and among the trees felt peaceful and adventurous all at the same time. Just the other day when I was hiking around the snow-covered trails at camp, I felt the same way. These days, maybe more than others, that outside feeling is stronger probably because it is less frequent. Much like many people I do not go outside like I did when I was a kid or even as much as I did when my own kids were growing up. I am guilty of too many screens too many days. COVID-19 has not helped. My teens, who are in high school, are in the same boat. School and most of their pastimes involve a screen.
 
Articles speaking to the trouble with screens are popping up in several of the sites and blogs I visit regularly and they are proposing intentional time outdoors as an answer. It is so simple, but we are so human and do not always do what is simple or best for us.
 
One blog that I came across proposes that summer camp could be a significant antidote of our times. I don’t disagree. You may already now this about me, but I am a big believer in summer camp. If you would like to read the whole blog, you can check it out here:
 
https://www.acacamps.org/campers-families/parent-blog/summer-camp-our-kids-antidote-pandemic-living
 
This is the part I want to share:
 
“In 2020, 70 percent of camps didn’t open, many due to government restrictions, others by choice. The camps that did open showed great resiliency and creativity in adapting and flourishing within their new parameters, doing it better than most schools. While some families and staff chose to postpone their camp attendance until 2021 — most didn’t want to miss out, even in the midst of a pandemic, despite apprehensions. What were these people, crazy? Absolutely not. They strongly believed that the benefits outweighed the perceived risk. This June, after two compromised school years and everything that’s gone along with it, our children’s need for the benefits of summer camp will be crucially important:

1. REAL HUMAN CONNECTION — Zoom and remote learning have saved us in so many ways. But there’s no substitute for real human connection. Making and strengthening relationships while being guided by loving people is what camp is all about. The essence of camp is in the friendships we forge, something we are all lacking and craving these days.
2. REACQUAINTING OURSELVES WITH NATURE — While society has been trapped indoors for the past year, most of the world is outdoors, and it is amazingly beautiful, and fills our soul with joy. From picture perfect days, to “liquid sunshine” washouts — it’s real living — the way our ancestors lived for thousands of years, until the advent of central air, video screens, and the internet. Our bodies yearn for the outdoors, and that’s where most summer camps happen.
3. RESILIENCY — Our kids are certainly developing it; experiencing disappointments that will make them stronger. Learning to be brave and confronting challenges and fears are also important facets of resiliency. It’s easier to stay at home and stare at screens — but we want our kids to grow up with the kind of courage and “can-do” attitude that our health care, essential workers, and superhero school teachers have learned and cultivated.
4. *MENTAL HEALTH* — While summer camp is widely known for its physical health benefits, according to the CDC, “Children’s mental health during public health emergencies can have both short and long term consequences to their overall health and well-being,” so it’s no surprise that hospital visits related to mental health have risen dramatically for school age children and adolescents. Kids are resilient and can bounce back quickly. But a year and a half of stress and anxiety is bound to leave a mark. Extroverted kids are suffering, missing the energy of their peers. Introverted kids may seem to enjoy sitting in their homes, away from life’s normal pressures — but they need social interaction just as much. 

 
We had a depressed young camper last summer who hadn’t left his apartment nor gotten fully dressed in months. By his third day of camp, his parents thanked us for “returning his childhood to him.” For many kids, camp is a more important social-emotional antidote than the actual vaccine.”
 ----
As you can see, the author, Andy Pritkin, does not just speak to being in nature as the antidote to screens or the pandemic because at summer camp there is so much more. Being in nature is the foundation that we stand on to make everything else, connections, relationships, resiliency, physical and mental health benefits, and learning, happen.
 
Yes, many camps opened last summer and ran summer programs that were successful despite the pandemic and many did not. CYO Camp, as you may know, ran only one week before closing. It was the best decision at the time.
 
Fast forward to 2021. This year will be different. We are planning eight weeks of summer camp for all the reasons lifted in the blog. Summer camp will look a bit different due to COVID-19, but it will still offer kids the same fun, faith filled, adventures it has in the past only now it is COVID-19 safe. Our practices will include mask wearing, sanitizing, distancing, and handwashing. In addition, due to a grant and matching donations, we are updating the camp facilities with touchless paper towel dispensers, anti-microbial counter tops, and more.

Life will likely never return to the time when being outside felt just as “normal” as being inside. Younger generations may never know how it feels to spend more time outside than inside, but I believe we can take steps in that direction. Summer camp is a solid step for children to experience all that outside has to offer. No screens allowed.

Interested in signing up a favorite kid in your life? Dates and fees have been posted at: https://www.campranchoframasa.org/dates-and-fees.html

Registration Opens February 15, 2021!

I can't wait! 

Angi K Sullivan
Co-director

Confirmation is truly a once in a lifetime experience that we are invited to receive as members of the Catholic Church.  It is a moment where we are sealed with the Holy Spirit and our souls indelibly marked for Christ.  Many young people prepare for a year or more to make their Confirmation! CYO Camp Rancho Framasa is happy to be a part of that preparation for many young people in the Archdiocese of Indianapolis through our Confirmation Day of Reflection.  This day is a fantastic time for young people to connect to and build their faith in new ways, meet new people, experience the outdoors, and have a ton of fun all in a single day retreat!

Confirmation Day of Reflection offers retreat participants a wonderful experience! We provide a great mix of recreation, spiritual development, and Confirmation focused education.  In the upcoming Confirmation Day of Reflection on Feb. 6, 2021 we are excited to be partnering with the San Damiano Scholars program out of Marian University! One of their students will be joining us to give a talk about Confirmation and her personal Confirmation journey.  We will take a deeper dive into our faith by learning about different ways to pray, reflecting on our own personal relationship with Christ, and understanding the power that Confirmation holds. Retreat participants will also get to experience team and community building activities designed to bring them together in Christian community, and then be able to take those lessons and experiences back to their home parishes. 

Check out what people are saying about our fall Confirmation Day of Reflection!

“They both had a wonderful time at the retreat. They came away with a greater understanding of confirmation and they had fun while learning with their peers.”

“You guys did an amazing job. I would recommend this day of reflection to anyone!”

“Going into this, she was very unsure about what to expect and what she was going to get out of it. She went to camp a little grumpy. She came back a different child. She has been talking about our Faith more and has been much more engaged in learning about Confirmation.”
​
This coming Confirmation Day of Reflection on Feb. 6, 2021 is one you will not want to miss!  So, if you or someone you know is preparing for their Confirmation, and would like to attend this awesome retreat experience, sign up for Confirmation Day of Reflection with CYO Camp Rancho Framasa! Registration is open and there are still spots available! Don’t miss this great opportunity!
 
Larissa Hurm
School Year Program Director
CYO Camp Rancho Framasa

​          Tiny twinkling lights that shine through hues of red and green, glimmering off gossamer garland that gently flows in and out of branches adorned with glittering ornaments, and shining from the apex a star seeming to call us all home.  Christmas trees seem to bring us so much pleasure and enjoyment during the holiday season.  They fill our homes with a warm glow and decorate our lives with beautiful memories and love.  Isn’t it interesting how our rooms seem to be so full before we place the tree in our midst, and yet when it is removed in a few short weeks the room seems empty?  But where did this tradition begin and what does the tree symbolize?

            The tradition of using an evergreen tree as a Christmas tree is thought to have begun nearly a thousand years ago.  Though at that time the trees would have been suspended upside down from the ceiling (I’m quite thankful that tradition has long since passed…). However, the idea of bringing a tree into your home is thought to have originated with the 16th century German preacher Martin Luther. He is said to have been walking through the woods at night when he observed the stars shining through the tree branches.  This sight reminded him of Christ who left the heavenly stars to come to earth at Christmas. 

            Another Christmas tree tradition stems from St. Boniface of Crediton.  He rescued a young boy from the clutches of his captors, by cutting down a large oak tree to prevent the boy’s ritual sacrifice.  From the roots of the oak tree, there emerged a small fir tree. St. Boniface’s followers then decorated the tree with candles allowing him to preach at night, and further the message of Jesus Christ.

            Our Christmas trees today hold a whole host of symbols of our faith.  The tree’s triangular shape is a symbol of the Holy Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.  Being an evergreen tree, it reminds us both of our new and everlasting life in Christ, and of His eternal love for each of us.  We often top it with a star commemorating the star of Bethlehem which shown above the manger where Christ was born and was followed by the wisemen to lead them on a journey of hope to the King of Kings. Others may top their tree with an angel, which symbolizes the angel that appeared to the shepherds in the fields to announce the birth of Christ. The ornaments used to decorate our trees represent the fruit from the Tree of Life, through the memories and pleasure they evoke we are reminded to ensure that our lives are bearing good fruit in the service of our Lord. Lastly, the lights in which we wrap our tree bring light and warmth, this reminds us that Christ is the light of the world, and He will guide us through the darkness.

            So, as we adorn our homes with these beautiful decorations, let us always keep present in our minds the reason for the season, the birth of Jesus Christ. May His peace and joy be ever present for your family this Christmas and may you have a blessed and Happy New Year.
​
Larissa Hurm
School Year Program Director