Virtue and solid Christian character are not encouraged or celebrated enough in our world.  We spend far too much time and energy supporting and endorsing those things and behaviors that tear down virtue and attack Christian values.  We ALL need to be stronger when it comes to standing up against the attacks and we ALL need to do a lot more when it comes to supporting and building up heroic virtue.

On Thursday November 17th, here at Camp Gargano, we celebrated four young teenage men who have worked hard and accomplished much.  Not in the area of athletics, academics or some sort of financial success but in the area of virtue.  For several years now Camp Gargano has put on a Summer camp called VIRTUS.  This 7 day camp is for young men between the ages of 12 and 17.  The focus of VIRTUS is strengthening a young man body, mind and soul.  It is a very challenging program that requires physical strength and endurance as well as mental and spiritual drive.  These young men are reminded throughout that they will one day become adult men that will lead others in whatever vocation God calls them to.  Such as in marriage or the priesthood they will have lives and souls given to their care.  If they are men of virtue who know the faith and live it with holy character and passion then those under their care will benefit greatly and will have a much greater chance of a good and holy life… and death.  If however a man does not know or live his Catholic faith in a way that teaches and builds up truth, if he does not pass this on to those under his care, then they, and he, will suffer more than need be in this life… and possibly eternally in the next. 

In order to be awarded the VIRTUS Medal a young man must:

1. Complete all 7 days of the program. (Each day is 3 hours long and includes prayer, physical training faith formation and leadership drills)

2. Be able to do 60 pushups in two minutes

3. Be able to do 77 situps in two minutes

4. Be able to do 15 pullups

5. Run the 1 mile Crusade course in 7:30

6. Complete the obstacle course.

7. Memorize and recall the Magnificent Seven. (This can be found on this site under “How To Prepare” in the menu above.  It is a list of key teachings of the Catholic Faith)

These four young men received the VIRTUS Medal for outstanding accomplishments in faith formation, leadership and physical training.

The VIRTUS SWORD  is an award given to a young man who has completed three years of the VIRTUS program and received at least three VIRTUS medals. In seven years of the VIRTUS program only three young men have reached this goal.  Congratulations to Cameron Connelly for receiving the VIRTUS SWORD! 

The Ultimate FighterOn November 15th we will be giving a presentation on one of the most important aspects of being a man.

“THE ULTIMATE FIGHTER”

a presentation by Doug Barry

Click Here for Flyer

One of the most powerful forces that God has given a man is his fighting spirit. When developed and used for good this becomes a vital weapon in the battle against evil and a necessary tool for the stability of family and society.  When the fighting spirit of a man is poorly trained or allowed to fade it becomes a threat to many and an insult to God.

Come out and join us for a spiritual FIGHT NIGHT you won’t forget!  Encourage and invite other men to join us for this event. 
Refreshments following

“Moreover the Christian is born for combat.”
Pope Leo XIII, 1890
Christians as Citizens

Check out other upcoming events at Camp Gargano by clicking on “Upcoming Operations/Events” in the menu at the top of the page.

Here we sit on the verge of the remembrance of the coldest day in the history of mankind.  We are just a couple of days away from Good Friday.  This is the day when we all took part in the greatest sin ever committed by mankind, the murder of God, deicide.  Good Friday is the day when Christ took upon His back the sins of the whole of mankind.  He allowed an ocean of sin to envelop Him, pierce Him and brutalize Him.  Most of us sit in our little sanitized religious boxes thinking that we are 2000 years removed from this mysterious truth.  We’ve been told that those mean Romans and those nasty Jews of Christ’s time were the real culprits, and sadly many people have accepted this just fine. 

If you walk through Walmart, Target or any number of other standard department stores, or grocery stores you would think that the next few days that we are about to experience have pretty much nothing to do with the death and resurrection of the Son of God and everything to do with toys, candy, eggs and fuzzy little rabbits.  It makes me think of the words of Pope Benedict XVI in a letter March 12, 2009 when he said, “The real problem at this moment of our history is that God is disappearing from the human horizon, and, with the dimming of the light which comes from God, humanity is losing its bearings, with increasingly evident destructive effects.”  If you’re not shaken even a little by these words then I pray for you. 

Who in their right mind would not be deeply concerned by these words especially when we see the anti-Christian attitude growing in our world?  But the watered down approach that many Christians take when it comes to events like Good Friday and Easter should concern us as much or more than the anti Christian attitude.  So many people over the years have found ways to rationalize away the connection we have to Calvary.  We’ve been told that the cross is over and now is the time to celebrate.  We have been effectively convinced that we really don’t need to meditate on the seriousness of our sinfulness and the impact that our free will has in spiritual realm.  Very dangerous.

It is my sincerest hope and prayer that we don’t settle for the world’s ways of watering down the spiritual power of this moment.  I hope we all can take a deep and profound look at our own souls and really check ourselves to see where we’re at in our relationship with Christ.  Let’s not let the presence of God disappear, first in our own hearts and then in the world.

God bless you this very holy time of year.    .