18 February 2026 · 2026-02 newsletter
In January two Girls Summer Camps took place in the Home of Light at Mount Schoenstatt, Mulgoa. The first camp, beginning on Monday 12th January, consisted of 15 girls 14 years and over. The second camp, starting on Thursday 15th January, was for the younger girls 10-13 years and a total of 27 girls including leaders participated in this camp. Each camp went for three days and two nights and all the girls enjoyed these days tremendously with many complaining that it was not longer and others not wanting to leave as their parents picked them up.
The girls were split up into cabin groups and were asked to create a name for their group. Throughout the camp this group then became their little family and formed their work team as they each rotated to clear and wash up after meals. Points were awarded for good behaviour, tidy rooms, being on time etc and this proved to be a great motivation for the girls.
The theme of the Girls Camps was “Schoenstatt Marian Apostles.” Throughout the various inputs and small group discussions the girls were able to look at a talk given by Fr. Kentenich at the very first Girls Convention in Germany. He highlighted three points of what it means to be a Schoenstatt Marian Apostle: to be at home in Schoenstatt, to venerate Mary as Mother Thrice Admirable and to help her. The girls were able to share their own experience with the blessed Mother in the Shrine and had an opportunity to grow in their faith, relationships and love. The camp days also include lots of games, singing, prayers, bushwalks, storytelling, and craft activities. The first group really loved making rosary beads and bracelets during the craft time and were happy to simply enjoy each other companies.
The second group had the task to create gingerbread shrines. This really allowed for teamwork, patience and creativity to flourish.
Another highlight for both camps was the “Ask me Anything” sessions where the girls had the opportunity to ask any and all questions that they had. The spectrum of questions was very vast as you can imagine but this allowed for great discussion to take place.
The prayer times and singing in the Shrine were very much appreciated although the walking up the hill was often a struggle for some. Also, the games/fun night also proved to be a very loud and enjoyable night for all the girls.
The last session which was held dealt with examining our consciousness and how to go to confession. This served as a great preparation as confession was on offer for those who wished to receive this Sacrament before Holy Mass on the final day. It was great to see that many girls although some very nervous did in fact take up this opportunity.
At the end of each of the camps some of the girls (a total of 17 girls) chose to enter into a special friendship with our Mother Thrice Admirable by becoming Marian Apostles. This occurred during the final mass which was celebrated in the Shrine by Fr. Pawel OP. The girls who chose to seal the Covenant of Love and become Marian Apostles promised to say the consecration prayer daily, attend holy Mass on Sundays and make good media choices. As a symbol of this consecration, they signed their name in the Covenant Book and received a medal with the international Schoenstatt Girls Youth Logo and a certificate. This was a very special moment for everyone.
In the final evaluation each of the girls was asked to list three things about the camp: their highlight, something that they learnt and something which could be improved. Again, here the responses were varied but a few can be listed here: Highlights: Rosary bushwalk, singing in the shrine, building a gingerbread shrine, staying up late, making a rosary bracelet, becoming a Marian Apostle. What did you learn: about the shrine, what it means to be an apostle, about confession, about Schoenstatt. Improvement: No improvement this was the best, there should be a dishwasher, we should be able to stay up even later, and we should be able to sleep-in, in the morning.
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