Catholic camps help teenagers go on mission to assist people in neighborhood affected by poverty
Contractor Jim Oswalt worked with students at a homesite in Stephens City, Va., during WorkCamp June 26. During each summer camp, teams of teens, guided by adult building contractors, site managers, and chaperones, assist people struggling with poverty.
WINCHESTER, Va. — Summer is mission trip season — which usually conjures up images of a few dozen Catholic teenagers and their chaperones practicing the corporal works of mercy in developing nations while simultaneously expanding their cultural horizons.
But what about the poverty and hardship — the kind that some groups often travel far to alleviate — right here, in our own country? In our own proverbial diocesan backyard?
Three Catholic summer volunteer experiences — Arlington (Virginia) Diocese WorkCamp; Baltimore WorkCamp in the Archdiocese of Baltimore; and Catholic Heart Workcamps throughout the U.S. — give an answer to that question.
During each summer camp, teams of teens — guided by adult building contractors, site managers and chaperones — come alongside people struggling with poverty to make their living spaces and conditions “safer, warmer and dryer,” as a shared work camp motto goes.
“Throughout the week, the question is always not what are you doing for the resident; that’s kind of obvious,” Kevin Bohli — executive director of the Arlington Diocese WorkCamp (June 22-28) — said as machinery buzzed, sawdust flew and the smell of freshly cut wood filled the air at a home in the Shenandoah Valley just outside of Winchester.
Bohli, who previously served as a contractor for the diocesan WorkCamp, has another question for participants: “‘Why did God call you here, and what is it that He’s trying to change in you?’ I’m constantly asking them that question.”
One industrious crew busily replaced a deck destroyed by fire, while another fixed a flood-damaged basement floor.
“We all are on this journey together, and we all want to grow at least one little step closer to God in the process of being here,” Bohli added. “So just be open to that.”
Students dug out room to build a new deck during WorkCamp at a homesite in Stephens City, Va., June 26.
The experience — which included worship and prayer, service and song, eucharistic adoration and confession, as well as fellowship — was shared by 670 high schoolers and 1,200 volunteers. Their day began with 7 a.m. Mass before dispersing to 120 projects.
“WorkCamp is a great experience,” said Nathaniel Salsberry, 16. “It was certainly calling to me — and this is me calling to them,” he said, imagining his listeners, “because we could always use more people.”
Homeowner Shaunita was impressed by the teens and admitted being moved to tears when they arrived to assist. “Just being so willing to give back and help other people,” she said, “it’s nice to see that in the youth today.”
At another work site, a pile of rotten boards in the side yard gave witness to improvements needed at the home of a single mother, where the backdoor deck and steps had become unsafe.
“A lot of our students do mission trips,” explained Bishop Michael F. Burbidge of Arlington.
“We are sent forth to go abroad and help,” Bishop Burbidge said, noting that is a good thing because the needs are so great. “But don’t forget the needs that you see every day, right in your own neighborhood; in your own community. That’s what I really like about this being local.”
The Baltimore WorkCamp (June 23-28) — managed by parishes in the Archdiocese of Baltimore — is, in a way, the apostolic offspring of the Arlington Diocese WorkCamp.
Some 14 years ago, volunteers from the archdiocese attended the Arlington camp. But as the program grew, space for those outside the Virginia diocese became limited. An offer to mentor the Baltimoreans was enthusiastically accepted — and they brought that expertise home to found Baltimore WorkCamp, open to all parishes in the Maryland archdiocese.
The aims are identical.
“It’s obvious that they’re going to be transforming people’s homes; you can see that change,” said Marissa Paoletti, who directs both the camp and evangelization at St. Timothy Catholic Church in Walkersville, Maryland. “But our true goal is to transform hearts for Jesus. It’s really a service retreat.”
“We put just as much time and effort into the retreat and sacramental and prayer experiences — and we extend those to our residents that we serve,” Paoletti explained.
There were 100 participants this year — 60 teens and 40 adults — from a half dozen parishes, Paoletti said. If a parish isn’t participating, solo workers are also welcome. Seminarians and religious sisters and brothers often join in.
Headquartered in the area around Orlando, Florida, Catholic Heart Workcamp — founded in 1993 — operates summer work camps throughout the country during June and July. In 2024, teams descended upon sites in over a dozen states, stretching from Pennsylvania to New Mexico. Camps include daily Mass, a mid-week confession service and eucharistic adoration.
Every camp was full this year, said Kelly Naas, who handles public relations.
“They’re looking for an opportunity to step into action in our faith,” Naas said, “being the hands and feet of Christ in a real way, and not just hearing about it or talking about it.”
“We always say that we’re not just aiming for a week of their life,” Naas explained about the campers. “We want them to be ignited, so that they go home and just let the ripple effects happen — in their homes, their churches, their schools, throughout wherever they’re coming from.”
