9/10/24
Vigil of Onze Lieve Vrouw Sterre der Zee
Dear Religious Family,
I am writing to you all from the land of Schillebeeckx and the Vikings of old. It is there that exists a place called Tentenkamp in Belgium. It is a place where the authentic spirit of the family triumphs and where virtues are taught and practiced. During my time at the camp this year and last, I was impressed by the abundance of Christian love and respect that the children and the parents had for each other, in a way that is exemplary for our domestic churches throughout the world. It is among these Catholic families that you see God’s ever-present hand electing, preserving, and guiding His chosen people.
For many years, some of the members of our Third Order have organized this weekend summer-family-camp called “Tentenkamp” (tent camp) for Belgian Catholic families. They have been organizing and running this camp longer than they have been members of the Third Order, but it already so full of the spirit of our Religious Family! Most of the families arrive on Friday night with a van full of kids just in time to pitch their huge family tents for the weekend. Upon waking Saturday morning there is a field full of various colors and sizes of tents, together with a refreshing spirit of simplicity, freedom, and poverty, when one camps in the middle of nature and can truly breathe the fresh air of the woods. It is a beautiful moment to escape for the weekend, away from the materialistic and ego-centric society and to get away with so many good families in order to simply enjoy one another´s company.
Each year, the camp begins with a late Mass since most families have to travel at least one to two hours to reach the site, after having worked or prepared the whole day with their eight children. They usually set up the camp and then eat a typical Belgium dinner of one slice of bread with meat, cheese, butter, or chocolate spread. This year we had Mass at nine o’clock at night, followed by a small Eucharistic procession on the same grounds where a Flemish saint, St. Godelieve van Gistel, was martyred in the 1000’s. After the procession, the Holy Eucharist was left exposed on the altar all night for nocturnal adoration so that the participants could pray for the fruits of the camp. Many of the adults also stayed up late in the night in order to spend a “gezelig” moment together (eutrapelia) and to catch up on each other’s lives once they were sure that their kids were settled in their sleeping bags for the night in their respective tents.
On Saturday morning, we woke up to the sound of a large camp bell as we breathed in the cool Belgian morning air. To our surprise the Dutch weather had followed us, because it was raining on all of the tents! Even so, I never witnessed bad spirit or preoccupation among the families about the climate… not even among the teenagers! To start off the morning, those that were able to come where invited to the reposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Morning Prayer. After this moment of prayer, breakfast naturally followed with all of the families totaling to about 125 people smushed together and happy under a big outdoor tent. The content smiles of the children’s faces covered in chocolate spread from their “brood met chocopasta” (bread with chocolate spread) was a sign that we were already off to a great start of the day!
Each day there were times of catechism and games for the different age levels (including formation for the parents). Our sisters and an IVE priest were divided among the age groups to lead the various catechism lessons, and the games were led by the camp counselors who are the older siblings of these families and who are very creative in this area! During the first catechism every year there is also always a moment for confession. During the weekend, almost everyone attending the camp takes advantage of the availability of this sacrament because while living in Belgium, confessions and Masses are not something to be taken for granted.
Throughout the camp, there is much time for prayer (the schedule includes daily adoration, liturgy of the hours, rosary, confessions, and Mass) and much time to play as families and to socialize. Some activities included epic scavenger hunts and newspaper hockey using old rolled up newspapers as hockey sticks while running around on a field with fifty people of all ages after a small ball. I am not sure if hitting the ball or your friends with the old newspaper was more fun! The Flemish people at this camp also love to dance, so as usual, there was a moment around the bonfire with many cultural or fun group dances throughout the night.
A few months after Tentenkamp, in the end of September, I went with a large group of youth from the Netherlands to see the Pope in Belgium. It was truly beautiful to see many of these kids from Tentenkamp along with thousands of others fill up a huge stadium for one sole purpose: to see the Vicar of Christ on earth. The voices of the Flemish and Dutch youth blended together in a full stadium chanting, “Esta es la juventud del Papa.” This can be none other than the hope and future of our Catholic Church in Northern Europe: a people who long for more than what the world has attempted to offer; a generation of youth open to the Lord and His Church!
Please pray for the continued fruits of this apostolate and of all the apostolates in the countries in Northern Europe! Viva la mision!
United in prayers,
Sr. Mary Mother of Perpetual Help Bowling
Missionary in the Netherlands
