Holy Transfiguration Camp in Milton: Two Weeks of Community and Love
Article by Fr. Dusko Markovic
With the blessing of His Eminence Metropolitan Mitrofan, this year's annual children's summer camp was held on the church property at the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Milton. This time too, the camp gathered a large number of children and volunteers from different parts of our Canada. The first week, 213 children from Hamilton and the surrounding area gathered, while the second week, about 200 children from Toronto, Mississauga, Oakville, Kitchener, Waterloo and London attended the camp; a total of more than four hundred children and over a hundred volunteers.
The clergy of the Diocese of Canada actively participated in the program, serving the Holy Liturgy, talking with the children, hearing confessions, but above all, spending time, joy and love with the little participants of the camp. Special thanks go to the teachers, who, with their effort, knowledge and selfless love, helped to adapt the content planned for this year to the age of the children. Through creative lectures, workshops and an interactive approach, they conveyed important topics of our faith to the children in an understandable way.
The central theme of this year's gathering on the monastery grounds was the Holy Mysteries of our Church, which the children learned together through play, song, conversation and prayer in a way that will, without a doubt, remain deeply imprinted in their pure hearts. Much could be said, but the truth is that words cannot describe the significance of such gatherings for the life of the Church, especially in the diaspora. This is not just a summer children's camp, this is an icon of the Kingdom of God on Earth. In the children's smiles, in their sincerity and simplicity, the living face of our Church is revealed – present and future. Every encounter with these children reminds us of Christ's words: "Unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven." (Matthew 18:3)
That is why we must carefully educate our children, teach them, and strive to be an example to them. Not with words, but with deeds. In the future, we will see what kind of service we are serving today and what gifts we are offering to God. The camp in Milton is exactly that, our offering to God. Here, the best teaching work was not that which was in line with the program, but that which was lived out – learning through one's own example. The children saw what it was like to sacrifice time, comfort, strength, and summer days for others, for the Church, for Christ. We owe great gratitude to everyone who participated in this great work in any way. We do not want to mention names, because everyone who reads these lines and recognizes themselves in them already knows that this gratitude and prayer is addressed to them. We thank those who work tirelessly all year round, who care about the property, cleanliness, nutrition, and safety of the children. Thank you to those who take annual vacations, not to rest but to volunteer. Thank you to the parents who bring and support their children. Thank you to the old and young, the cooks, educators, clergy, drivers, hosts and hostesses. To all who were even a small stone in the mosaic of this bright gathering – may it be blessed.
