This summer I had the opportunity to be a part of Camp
Tekakwitha in the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas. Each year Archbishop Naumann chooses a theme
for the camp, which thousands of school-aged kids attend for 3-9 days at a time.
The theme for this year is “Love is Our
Mission: The Family Fully Alive.”
As I sat and gazed upon the crucifix in the St. Kateri
Tekakwitha Chapel at Prairie Star Ranch in Williamsburg, I couldn’t help but
notice how perfect the theme is for this year.
Love is our mission…this is not just a call for some, but for all. This is our mission as Franciscan Sisters of
the Martyr St. George, as well. Through
our charism, we are called to receive the merciful love of Christ through our
prayer and participation in the Sacraments, and then give that love to all we
encounter. This is something we strive
for daily. I strive to do this in my
local convent, in my classroom, with my coworkers, and with anyone else I might
meet throughout the day.
It has been a wonderful experience for me these past two
summers to spend some time at Camp Tekakwitha, getting to know the staffers and
campers. In the time I have spent there,
I have witnessed young men and women giving totally of themselves over the
course of the summer. Some of these
young men and women were once students of mine, and it makes me incredibly
proud to see them striving for sainthood, striving to make this camp family
come fully alive through living out the mission of love. They inspire and edify me, as I, too, strive
to live the mission of love…of merciful love.
-Sister M. Bridget, FSGM
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