Young Catholics build faith and friendship in great outdoors

By Jim Davis - Florida Catholic

Photography: JIM DAVIS| FC

DAVIE | May 4 and 5 brought several firsts for Frisly Alonzo. It was his first time in a canoe. First time firing an arrow and using a pellet rifle. First time camping.

More than that, he said, Young Adult Camping Adventure opened his heart and mind.

"It got me thinking about my life and the beauty of nature," said Alonzo, 22. "About how God created everything, and how he connected everything. I enjoy little things so much more now.

He and 45 fellow Catholics hiked, played and prayed their way through the campout “Truth, Beauty and the Great Outdoors,” organized by the archdiocesan Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry.

Camp Elmore, owned by the South Florida Council of the Boy Scouts, was a good fit for the archdiocesan weekend. Its 120 acres include trails, campsites, a basketball court, a lake with canoes, and even firing ranges for archery and pellet guns.

Spiritual elements were indeed woven into the weekend activities. The schedule included prayer, a vigil Mass, small group discussions and time for personal reflection. Camp emcee Guillermo Barquero outlined the purpose in an intro talk.

“God is driving this bus,” said Barquero, who shared emcee duties with Trish Vega. “Be intent and engaged. This is holy ground.”

For energetic young adults, though, it was a plus that the holy ground was also fun. They fired arrows and pellet guns. They fished, hiked and paddled canoes. And after sundown, they lit a bonfire, toasted s'mores and tossed glow-in-the-dark frisbees.

Rietta Steffen of Assumption parish, Pompano Beach, praised the mix of faith and fun. “It builds community,” she said.

Steffen, 24, also liked the broad variety of people at the camp. They hailed from a dozen parishes – as far north as St. Coleman in Pompano Beach, as far south as Our Lady of Lourdes in southwestern Miami – plus students from St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens.

“Catholic means universal,” she said. “We have different backgrounds, different strengths, but we come together in a universal way.”

Father Louis Merosme, a Haitian missionary priest, offered the campers a quick trot through St. Thomas Aquinas’ Five Proofs of the existence of God: Motion, Efficient Cause, Contingency, Degrees of Perfection, and Design.

Young Catholics should learn to wield such intellectual tools, he said. “Part of the beauty of reason is that we can know things, and one of those things is God. You have all the tools to build a kingdom of truth.”

He added: “If you can be beautiful, how much more beautiful is God?”

Frisly Alonzo drank it in. For all the games and recreation, the spiritual stuff is what he came for.

“I came back to the Church a year ago,” said Alonzo, who attends San Isidro in Pompano Beach. “I had questions like what is everything for? Why am I here?

"When the father was talking, I felt like it was for me.”

Danny Orms of St. Augustine parish, Coral Gables, agreed that the natural surroundings might well provide a better setting to reflect and discuss spiritual values.

“I have some questions for God right now,” said Orms, 27, a cybersecurity specialist. “And I think it's better to ask them in nature. That’s what he made. I think a lot of people my age forget that.”

For young singles, of course, a prime goal was meeting others their age. More than one camper spoke frankly about finding a mate who shares their faith.

“For people in their 30s, it's harder to start a family,” said Michael Budzak, 23, of St. David parish in Davie. “My parents have been married 23 years, and they still love each other.”

Christina Leggio, 25, sounded almost poetic about the spirituality of marriage. She said it was important for young adults, especially young Catholics, to choose mates who shared their beliefs.

“Marriage is God’s will, a foretaste of heaven,” said Leggio, who attends St. Coleman parish. “And if you have different beliefs, why make it harder than it has to be?"