On June 26-30, 2023 a Summer Camp for Children “Vacation with God: Faith, Hope, Love” was held at the Basilian Spirituality Center in Jenkintown, PA. The camp was organized by St. Sophia Religious Association of Ukrainian Catholics, Inc. in cooperation with the Sisters of the Order of Saint Basil the Great. 33 children aged 6-13 from the Greater Philadelphia participated in the event. Among them were refugee children who fled to the USA in the face of the war in Ukraine.
The organizers based the curriculum on the foundation of Christian life: faith, hope, and love. The camp’s program was created with the goal of molding the spiritual and cultural heritage of the Ukrainian people. The children enjoyed catechism classes, songs, dances, crafts, stencil pictures, embroidery, yarn robins workshop, beadwork class, encoded embroidery masterclass, games, and talent show. The program was coordinated and directed by Iryna Ivankovych, President of St. Sophia Association, and actively supported by St. Sophia camp councilors: Andriy Singalevych, Denys Baranov, Victoria Hudzenko, Vladyslav Nestor, Pavlo Mazepa, Maksym Tatarchuk, Mariia Steblyna, Diana Kikelia, Emilia Shnitzer, and seminarian Nicholas Sharga. Noteworthy is the fact that camp councilors were properly prepared for their service through several workshops organized by St. Sophia Association. Catechetical classes were prepared by br. Bohdan Vasyliv, Sr. Frantsyska Shabliy, and Hanna Dovhanyuk. Sr. Joann Sosler and Sr. Lydia Sawka coordinated logistics. The Divine Liturgies were celebrated by Fr. Volodymyr Radko and Fr. Wasyl Kharuk.
This was the seventh initiative of St. Sophia Religious Association of Ukrainian Catholics, Inc, in cooperation with the Sisters of St. Basil the Great in the field of spiritual and cultural upbringing of Ukrainian children and youth in the USA. The event was supported by Ukrainian Selfreliance Federal Credit Union in Philadelphia.
St. Sophia Association Press Bureau