Balkan Orthodox Youth Association

THE 3RD SEMINAR ON CATECHISM IN THE BALKANS
“CATECHISM IN THE CHURCH AND THE CHURCH IN CATECHISM”
Soko Monastery, Holy Diocese of Sabac-Valjevo, Serbian Orthodox Church, 12 – 17/05/2003

Tuesday 13/05/2003
“CATECHISM IN THE ORTHODOX TRADITION – CONTEMPORARY CONTEXT”

CATECHISM IN THE ORTHODOX YOUTH CAMPS
(Fr. Dimitrios Maroulis, Archiodiocese of Athens, Assistant Director of Youth Office)

One might wonder why we should need an Orthodox youth camp, to what extent this would differ from any other privately organized youth camp, what the aim of it is and what is to be achieved through it.

The purpose of camping in the Orthodox Church is to gather our young kids in order to enjoy Orthodox Christian fellowship with one another, and to inspire them how to grow in the Faith through participation in sessions of catechism and assorted activities which are rooted in the Orthodox faith and tradition.

Living the Faith and putting it into practice in our daily lives, is the greatest challenge that both we and our young ones face today. The values of prayer, fasting and worship are foreign to most people. Therefore, the world that kids and young people experience in the Church is in total contrast to the world they experience at school, work, in the media, or even sometimes in their own families at home. An Orthodox Youth Camp program should focus on bringing the faith alive for our young people, helping them to discover its relevance to their own life, and give them the tools to return home and put the faith into practice in their daily lives.

The opportunities for learning and growth are much greater at a camp compared to the Sunday School sessions. In an average year of Catechism, most young people will attend between 25 and 30 hours of Sunday School, while an average camp session should last approximately 12 days, away from the “daily routine”, media, stress and the so-called “craziness of life”! More than anything else, at an Orthodox Youth Camp, the kids will have a unique experience of living within an Orthodox community where the values of the Church are the values of that community and consequently, in an environment like that, growth in the faith happens more naturally and easily.

Catechism in an Orthodox Youth Camp is achieved in many ways:
• Through word and preaching ( organized daily lessons of catechism, e.g. as in Sunday Schools, Bible studies, group talks etc.)
• Through the everyday living example of those involved in the camp ( the Priest and the Camp leaders )
• Through the way we ( the Camp leaders ) would deal with some special or difficult situations that might occur
• Through our example in the way we pray or participate in the Church Services
• Through our example in the way we eat, play, get entertained, get upset etc.

Thus, living in an Orthodox Youth Camp is characterized by:
- Worship
- Fellowship
- Catechism
- Service
- Witness

As for the lessons of Catechism, it is the task of the camp leaders to identify the educational needs of the participants, and to respond to them in a creative and responsible way. However, there is also usually a central theme which differs from year to year and aims to acquaint in more detail the young participants with a particular aspect of the Orthodox tradition and Church life.

For example, the theme for this year’s summer Orthodox Youth Camps of the Archiodiocese of Athens is
“The Earth is the Lord’s – Living in and caring for the Creation of God”
There will be special lessons of Catechism and activities connected to this particular subject according to the age group and special interests of the participants.

Returning home from this year’s camp, the child or teenager should:
1. understand that creation is a Gift by which God shares His life and His love,
2. identify him/herself as a part of – and the “crown” of – God’s creation, made in God’s own image and likeness,
3. have a sense of appreciation and joy for God’s creation,
4. be able to thank God for His Gift of creation in several ways,
5. feel a sense of responsibility for the care of creation,
6. understand the consequences of the abuse of creation for our lives,
7. instill within himself the concept that Christian stewardship is at the very center of a human person’s purpose and place within God’s creation.

Having said all these, we need to bear in mind constantly that the sound orientation of any orthodox youth camp’s religious life requires the leadership (both the Priest and the Camp leaders) to take into account the individual qualities of each child or teenager. Progress, questions and difficulties in spiritual life are very different between individuals and any “uniformity” in methods is almost impossible. It is very important that the adult’s main attention should not be directed towards the external aspect of the children’s religious life, towards their “ecclesial behavior”, but rather towards their inner state, towards the awakening, development and growth of their spiritual life – meaning the kind of spiritual life that suits the age, general conditions of development and individual life story of each one.

The bottom line is not to simply preach the faith, but to create an environment in the camp’s community where the faith can be experienced and lived by each individual child of the camp in accordance with his or her background and needs for spiritual maturation.