17 April 2026 · 2026-04 newsletter
The boys’ camp returned to Mount Schoenstatt in January, after an absence of several decades.
Over two nights, a group of boys aged 12-16 gathered in the Home of Light with a simple goal in mind – to find the hero within. We often think heroism is about something outward, like winning an award or showing off physical strength. Yet we know that despite this being a popular secular message aimed in particular at boys, the reality is that heroism comes in all forms, all shapes and all sizes, and everyone can be a hero.
With that in mind, our spiritual theme was “The Hero Within.” We blended faith with formation to discover that growing closer to God is about the journey of faith and character development together.
Over a few days, we saw sweat, shields, Shrine, swimming, and solidarity. The conditions were challenging, with temperatures pushing 40 degrees in some parts of the day. We timed our activities as we ventured out into the bush to find raw materials for each young man to create and decorate their wooden shield. It served as a reminder that the things we need to draw on, the strengths and the things we need, are often all around us, if only we open our eyes and look.
We built an escape room as well within the Home of Light, a series of puzzles over 45 minutes, without which the boys could not ‘escape’ to lunch! Hunger came in physical form that day—and everyone did escape. But we should channel hunger in other ways too, to drive us to action.
The weekend balanced this action with stillness. Fr Pawel delivered a talk on happiness that gave the boys something to think about, and we continued to draw those threads together during holy mass.
Evenings brought games, films and fellowship. The boys coped remarkably well, despite the oppressive heat. Seeing it come together reminded us why faith matters. While a camp is a great place to gather, to pray, to take action, it is just part of the journey of the everyday striving that we see as part of our lives. Perhaps we plant seeds at the camp, but the flourishing into plants is something that we have to nurture and take pride in every day.
Faith and character are not built over a few days, but rather across a lifetime. Nonetheless, the heroes within made a bold appearance and we are proud of every one of them. Thank you also to our helpers and volunteers for making the camp a success.
Paul Regis
Filed underNewsletter · Youth