By KATIE BORKOWSKI
katieb@catholicglobe.org
TWIN LAKES – Camp CAYOCA provides an opportunity for youth and volunteers “to take time and remember the beauties of the church while enjoying God’s creation,” said Kara Kardell, assistant director of youth and young adult ministry.
“Camp CAYOCA is a staple in the Diocese of Sioux City,” she said. “It has a renewed balance of faith-based activities and camp activities.”
Session 1 of camp for third through sixth graders will be held June 10-12. Session 2 for seventh through 12th graders will be held June 13-15. Both sessions will take place at Twin Lakes Bible Camp.
Camp will offer workshops focusing on the theme and great sacramental opportunities like Mass, confession and adoration. There will also be camp games, rock climbing, swimming, water activities, ziplining, fishing, paintball, miniature golf, campfires, music and much more.
“Camp CAYOCA is a unique opportunity to provide a balance between catechetical offerings as well as traditional camp recreational activities, as well as spiritual activities such as adoration, Mass and confession,” said Fred Shellabarger, director of evangelization, catechesis and family life. “Like all things Catholic – we strive for the ‘both/and.’”
Quoting St. John Bosco, Shellabarger said, “Obeying God’s law doesn’t mean having a miserable time with no fun at all.”
“What greater joy can be found than in the Gospel itself,” he added. “As we talk about Ministry 2025 and building for the future, we have to make sure we are a church of old things, but also be mindful that the church is ever in need of renewal. I think all of these principals form the foundation of Camp CAYOCA in a lot of ways.”
Linsey Hoard, assistant director of religious education and family life, pointed out it is good for youth “to see the church is bigger than their parish. There are other Catholic kids out there in the world. It’s always so fun to see how kids connect with their fellow campers who may go to a different school or live in a different town then them.”
Master Builder
The theme of Session 1 is Master Builder and will focus on God as the master builder and creator of all things.
“We chose this because of the obvious LEGO connection, and who doesn’t like LEGOS?” asked Hoard. “We also loved the image of God as our master builder. We are his master creation.”
She added God created people with dignity, love and purpose.
“This is such an applicable theme, especially considering at camp, we are out in the midst of God’s creation,” said Hoard. “Legos are also just an awesome catechetical tool.”
According to Kardell, the traditional closing Mass will return for Session 1. More information will be sent in a letter to parents of registered campers.
“This Mass is open to all families of campers and allows family to see their children participate in the Sacrifice of the Holy Mass and share their excitement over what they experienced at camp,” she said.
Walking with God
Session 2 will focus on Walking with God and knowing Christ and having a relationship with him through prayer and reading Scripture.
The past few years at camp, Hoard explained, have been focused on discipleship and what it means to be a true disciple of Jesus.
“But what we haven’t really talked about is – what does that look like? Practically,” said Hoard. Obviously, it means that you pray, because we develop a relationship with God through prayer. But how do you pray? And you can’t have a relationship with someone you don’t know – so how do we actually learn about who Jesus is?”
This will be done by looking at different methods of prayer and learning how to incorporate the methods into day-to-day life.
The youth will learn how to listen “to Jesus in the silence of our hearts, and how to use scripture to get to know the person of Christ,” said Hoard. “A solid prayer life is what we need to walk with God through the rest of our lives.”
Seeking volunteers
Totus Tuus teachers will act as cabin and group leaders. The diocese is seeking volunteers for other roles – a teen leader coordinator, cabin leaders, workshop presenters, a musician and a camp priest.
“Camp CAYOCA’s success relies on volunteers,” said Kardell. “Please consider donating your time for a few days this summer to share your love for the faith with the youth of our diocese. You are all appreciated.”
Hoard loves that Camp CAYOCA is a tradition “that parents can pass down to their children. We hear all the time when parents drop their kids off about how they themselves went to Camp CAYOCA when they were young. I think that’s such a special thing for parents and children to share.”
She also feels very proud that “we can partner with parents in this way to provide them with an avenue for bringing their kids up in the faith in a fun and exciting way.”
Cost is $175 per camper. Registration will open Feb. 14 and is due by May 25. For adults and/or teens who would like to volunteer, forms are now being accepted and must be turned in by April 10. For more information, visit scdiocese.org/camp/.
