Father Noah C. Morey said today’s men need community more than ever before: “Especially young men feel like they have to earn their status. They have to earn their place in the community.”
Quo Vadis, an annual vocation camp for high school boys in the Diocese of Arlington, strives to provide this community. The camp is organized by the Diocesan Vocation Office and takes place at Mount St. Mary Seminary in Emmitsburg, Maryland. More than 100 teenage boys attended the camp this year. The camp features daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, communal prayer, and sports “tournaments.” Daily talks by priests and guest speakers focus on vocations to the priesthood, marriage, and religious life, as well as spiritual discernment and growth.
On July 9, the third day of camp, the young people woke up for breakfast and morning prayer. They gathered to hear a talk on community and renewal by Father Morrie, pastor at Bishop Ireton High School in Alexandria.
While many feel they have to earn their place in the community, Father Morrie said, “The good thing about the community I’m talking about today is that you don’t have to work to get into the community, you don’t have to earn a position, you don’t have to prove that you’re good enough.”
Father Molly reminded the campers that through their baptismal identity in the Catholic Church, they already belong to a larger community, but added that through the community of the Church, and especially through the communion of the Mass, we must always strive for renewal.
“What will you bring to Mass?” he asked the campers. “What will you offer? What will you place on the tablet when the priest lifts it?” He encouraged the boys to offer up stories of struggles, joys or even prayer intentions for their family and friends.
Father Molly’s recollections instilled in many young people an appreciation for the friendships they have among their peers. “It’s definitely more of a brotherhood, a community bond,” said Ethan Sarayon, a parishioner at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Church in Lake Ridge and a first-time camper.
Following the talks, campers spent the morning praying in Eucharistic Adoration, meditating on the seminary grounds, and worshipping at daily Mass.
At lunch, the campers were joined by transitional deacons and seminarians who help run the camp. The deacons competed in a “cookie face” contest, in which they tried to bring a cookie to their mouths without using their hands, from their foreheads. The campers cheered when Deacon Michael C. Sampson, who is preparing to become a priest, won the first bite of dessert.
Campers then took to the field to compete in a variety of tournament formats, from touch football to spikeball to chess.
Joseph Hambleton, a member of St. John the Evangelist Church in Warrenton and a first-time camper, was hoping for a spiritual transformation when he began camp. “I was looking forward to getting a head start, cleansing and rebooting my prayer life,” Hambleton said. After camp ends, “I’m going to make more time for God. I think that’s a big goal I’m working on right now,” Hambleton said.
Philip Vander Woude, a member of Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville, said the camp helped him understand “the importance of silence.”
“What I’ve learned is just ask God questions and just sit quietly and let Him do His work.”
