Summer camp in Colorado Rockies to help bring teens closer to Christ

Denver, Colo., May 29, 2009 / 08:27 am

Two summer programs intended to help bring young people closer to Christ will host Catholic teens in the Colorado Rockies for week-long experiences tailored to the various age groups.

Both programs are hosted near St. Malo’s Retreat Center, located just east of Rocky Mountain National Park.

God in the Rockies, a program for middle school aged children aged 11 to 14, is run through the non-profit organization Creation Adventures and Mission Programs (CAMP).

Youth will be able to hike and camp in tepees. Other activities include crafts, campfires and archery.

The week will also feature rosary making, the Stations of the Cross, and daily Mass.

Organizers told CNA that each activity has the specific purpose of “illuminating aspects of the Christian life” to bring youth into deeper relationship with Christ.

Camp Wojtyla, open to high school students entering grades 9-12, will hold a week for girls from June 28 to July 3. A week for boys will be held from July 5 to July 10. Run through the Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS), the program is designed to teach teens what it means to be men and women of Christ.

The week at Camp Wojtyla will feature “rugged” outdoor pursuits and counselors who know how to teach the faith in an approachable way through various wilderness and adventure activities. Teens will hike in the mountains, learn archery and how to purify water and scale rock faces.

Camp Wojtyla said it will challenge student to grow deeper in relationship with God, with others and with God’s creation while meeting new friends.

More information about God in the Rockies is available by emailing godintherockies@gmail.com.

Camp Wojtyla’s website at www.focusonline.org/camp/ presents more information and, according to organizers, they are still accepting applications.