Girls Camp

Wow, a week with 70 girls who just graduated from 5th and 6th grades. I thought it would be hard, but it was truly a joy.

I heard the laughter and singing of girls coming down a trail from an afternoon hike, their shouts in the pool, their laughter and singing in the meal hall, and in the assembly room after breakfast. The sound of their laughter was like music, the silly songs like joy bubbling over.

One night was set aside for open questions with the priest (me). Who wrote the bible? Who created God? Is God a person? Why do people commit suicide? What should I pray for when someone is sick? What happens when a person dies? Can you still go to heaven even when you do something really bad?

These are the basic questions of living, of being human, and they are being asked by girls who are 11 and 12. They are wrestling with their humanity and the ills of society, the grief and sadness in everyone's lives. I was heartened to hear their questions and tried my best to answer them openly and honestly. It was like theology 101!

It gave me hope that our children are not just stuck in front of TV and video games and the internet, but are questioning life and God and death. They are truly engaged, if they have been thinking about these things.

They liked the open question time very much and so did I. During the questions and answers they were very quiet and I could tell they really wanted to discuss these issues. I was glad I offered a forum for their thoughts, and was honored I could be part of their lives for this week.