“Through the roof” won the vote of young campers attending Vacation Bible School at Resurrection-Ascension Church, Rego Park, on a recent morning.

Campers didn’t know what they were voting for, but the roof won out over “up the tree” – and so Jesus’ healing of the paralytic man was the focus of the session. Zacchaeus would get his due another day.

Children commenced coloring worksheets illustrating the story from St. Luke’s Gospel, while Joyce Mennona, camp director, praised their efforts as she walked from table to table in the parish’s Father Feely Hall.

Now in its ninth year, Resurrection-Ascension’s Vacation Bible School eased children – and parents – from the full-day school schedule into the summer by offering a morning program on weekdays, June 30 to July 10. It is one of several vacation Bible camps offered by diocesan parishes this summer.

Using SonTreasure Island from Liguori Publications as a guide, each session focused on a particular Bible story, from the visitation of Mary to the raising of Jarius’ daughter. Students read the passages, acted them out and enjoyed related treasure hunts as well as outdoor games, crafts, songs and snacks.

Over the course of two weeks, Mennona welcomed about 15 campers each day, ranging from age three to 12. Most were Catholic school students from the parish school as well as from Our Lady of Hope and St. Margaret parishes, both Middle Village. 

Though enrollment varies each year with previous years drawing as many as 60 campers and as few as a handful, organizers were happy with this summer’s turnout. 

A Positive Connection
“We’re here to foster a positive connection with the Church,” said Mennona, who is also the parish’s religious education director. “As a Catholic community, we need to offer opportunities like this.

“We want children to come and learn about Jesus and their faith. We reinforce how much Jesus loves them, and it’s a great chance to evangelize.”

In addition to Mennona, four parish volunteers and several teenage volunteers ensured that every child received personal attention.

“We try to emphasize one-on-one attention – that they’re special to us and special in God’s eyes,” she said.

Looking over her worksheet depicting the paralyzed man, seven-year-old Meghan O’Connor turned to volunteer Jane Donlon and asked, “Why’s he going through the roof?”

“That’s the question of the day,” Donlon told her.

Smiling at a visitor, she explained, “I’m the Bible lady.”

She helped children transition from age-appropriate crafts to a sacred space for prayer, Scripture and songs like “The B-I-B-L-E, it’s God’s holy Word to me.” Each day, she read a Bible story with enthusiasm and expressive gestures while also interjecting explanations and observations.

As she read Luke 5: 17-26, children acted out the scene. Several boys and girls lay “paralyzed” on a white sheet and sprang to their feet when a boy playing Jesus told them to pick up their stretcher and go home.

Alexander Matuszewski, a rising junior at Cathedral Prep and Seminary, Elmhurst, assisted with the reenactment. He’s volunteered with the camp for the last four summers.

“They’re young, and they’re minds are developing,” he said. “I get to help them have fun and understand their faith a bit more.”

After the story, Donlon and Mennona highlighted the passage’s themes of friendship, community, faith and forgiveness, particularly in the sacrament of reconciliation.

“I see how you help each other and take care of each other, and that’s what being Catholic is,” Donlon told children.

Six-year-old Michael Franco, a rising second grader at St. Margaret School, said he thought the story of the paralytic man was “great.”

“I learned that whenever you do a sin, God still loves you,” he said. “The cool thing was how Jesus made the man get up.”

Children danced the conga to the snack station, where volunteer Riley O’Connor, 11, helped hand out graham crackers resembling the paralyzed man’s stretcher. A smear of icing was a reminder of how sweet Jesus’ healing power is.

“I think they get a good sense of the Bible here – with a fun perspective,” Riley said.

Boys and girls then separated into teams for a treasure hunt inside an enclosed garden on the parish grounds. They searched for color-coded strips of paper to piece together a not-so-secret message revealing the richness of God’s forgiveness.

Emma Iorio, 6, a soon-to-be second grader at the parish school, jumped up and down when the girls’ team won. This was her first summer at camp and she had a blast.

“I like playing outdoors and learning about Jesus,” she said before running off to play steal the bacon and duck, duck, goose with her new friends.