CHARLOTTE — It’s summer, and that means lots of summer camps. In the Diocese of Charlotte, summer is also the season for Totus Tuus.
Now in its sixth year in the diocese, Totus Tuus summer camps are dedicated to sharing the Gospel and promoting the Catholic faith to children in rising first grade through the 12th grade through catechesis, evangelization, Christian witness and Eucharistic worship. “Totus Tuus,” a Latin phrase meaning “totally yours,” was the motto of St. John Paul II. Taken from St. Louis de Montfort’s “True Devotion to Mary,” it signifies the desire to give oneself entirely to Jesus Christ through Mary.
One of the 18 parishes participating in Totus Tuus this summer has been St. Thomas Aquinas Church, which held its faith-filled summer camp for kids on July 10-15.
This year’s theme in all the parishes, including St. Thomas Aquinas, has been about “Prayer and the Our Father.” There has also been an emphasis on the Glorious Mysteries of the rosary.
As in other parishes, the program at St. Thomas Aquinas has grown in participants and volunteers since its first year. Coordinated by Sister Edeva Jover, parish youth ministry director, this year’s summer camp included more than 50 children.
Totus Tuus inspires the parish youth, Sister Edeva said. “The kids want to go to Mass and experience Holy Hour.”
Sarah Booles, a Totus Tuus participant and rising 10th-grader, describes the program as a mixture of fun and growing in faith.
“I look forward to our group discussions,” Booles said. “It’s enlightening.”
She and fellow participants Valentina Morales, Josie Peplinski and Katheryn Ryan agreed that Totus Tuus gave them a chance to learn more about Christ.
Totus Tuus also provides a unique opportunity for college students to become missionaries, of a sort. Catechists, grouped into teams of two young men and two young women, lead the week-long camp at each parish, teaching and inspiring the parish’s youth.
This year three teams of catechists traveled around the 18 parishes over the seven weeks when Totus Tuus camps have been offered.
One of those catechists was Mary Grace Bergen, a graduate of Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio. She describes Totus Tuus as a combination of Christian witness and one’s own experience in faith, mixing Bible stories, prayers, Mass and Eucharistic Adoration, games, songs and more into interactive lessons that encourage kids to deepen their faith.
“I want to provide a better understanding of what the Catholic Church is,” Bergen said, “the one Church Jesus established, that is continuously growing and thriving.”
The mission of the program is to inspire youth to make their faith “totally yours,” she said.
— Rachel McKimmon, Correspondent