"Kaytana" 2012 – Five day summer camp

This year, there was again an increase in the number of children who participated in the annual, five day summer camp for Hebrew speaking Catholic children. 39 children were from the Hebrew speaking Catholic parish communities of the Saint James Vicariate (6 from Jerusalem, 9 from Jaffa, 6 from Beer Sheba, 6 from Haifa, 3 from Nazareth and 9 from Tiberias). Among these, were 8 teenagers (between the ages of 13 and 18), from the youth group, “Desert Flower” who served as assistants to the adult counselors. The other children who are also Hebrew speaking Catholics included 15 children from the different Lebanese Maronite communities spread through the north of Israel, 16 Filipino children of foreign workers (14 from Jerusalem and 2 from Tel Aviv), and 2 African children of foreign workers. The eleven adult counselors were from the different parish communities of the Saint James Vicariate: Fathers David (Vicar), Apolinary (Jaffa), Piotr (Jerusalem) and Gioele (Beer Sheba), Brother Alberto (Jaffa), Benedetto (Jerusalem), Sinead (Tiberias), Claudia (Jerusalem), Kirill (Jerusalem), Lonka (Jerusalem) and Sister Camelia (Lebanese Maronite communities). In addition, Etienne, father of two of the children and medical doctor, was present many hours during the day and always on call.

Like every year, the great diversity of origins enriched the experience of five days of shared adventure. The common faith lived in a shared language – Hebrew – and a shared society – Israel – cemented the ties among the children. Among the 72 participants, 27 participated for the first time.

The theme of the camp this year was "Blessed are they" – our brother Jesus teaches us his Torah. All the activities during the five days of camp focused on the "Beatitudes". A morning class taught by Father David not only taught the words of the Beatitudes but also attempted to inculcate the meaning of these words so that they might become a life program. The activities of art (animated by Brother Alberto) and music (animated by Benedetto) focused on this theme too as the children learnt songs that repeated the message. They also produced magnificent stained glass designs with the words in Hebrew "Blessed are they". These activities were integrated with daily morning prayer and the daily celebration of the Eucharist. However, each day there was also time for sport (animated by Father Piotr and Claudia) and games (animated by Father Apolinary and the group of young assistants). Once again, the big hit was daily period of time in the swimming pools that were set up in the courtyard.

On Thursday, July 19, the entire group of 84, together with the parents of Benedetto, who came from Italy to volunteer during the camp at Deir Rafat, made their way to the Stalactite Cave in the vicinity of Beir Shemesh. This was a time to reflect on the wondrous beauty of God’s creation, hidden underground. This was also a brief respite from the day’s heat as these were among the hottest days of the summer. After the Stalactite Cave, the group made its way to Beit Jemal, and there spent a few hours learning about the life of the nuns who live there, dedicating their life to prayer. Sister Anne Bruna explained the life of the nuns to the children and answered many questions. The children could view a film on the life of the nuns and visit the church. They stayed in the silent beauty of the monastery for a picnic lunch. That night, the children were invited to a bonfire, where they sang, shared experiences, good and bad and melted marsh mellows on the fire.

The final mass was celebrated in honor of the Feast of the Prophet Elijah as well as the Feast of Saint Apolinary. Father Apolinary celebrated mass on his feast day. This was also the occasion to pray a special prayer for one of the young people who will begin her military service at the beginning of August. A number of parents joined the celebration of the final mass, a time to give thanks to God for the joy of being together and continuing to learn to be disciples of Jesus.

Once again, the Kaytana was wonderfully welcomed to Deir Rafat, the sanctuary of the diocese, by the nuns who live and pray in this place. Special thanks to Sister Corinne and her sisters, to Rab’a, the cook, Serge and Brigitte, Aldo and Rosaria, Ines, Shahaf and the others. Thanks to them and the volunteers, this place became home for five days. We look forward to returning next year.

Finally, we must thank the generous benefactors who made this camp possible. In particular we thank Kirche in Not in Germany, whose generous grant allowed us to implement all the programs that gave our children so much joy.