Summer is the time the earth yields its fruits. Jesus calls us all to bear good fruit, so each July and August, the youth and adults of Capuchin Family Ministries (CFM) bear good fruit, both spiritual and physical, through our summer programs. This year, more than 100 volunteers brought material relief, spiritual uplift, education, and entertainment to all of God’s people.

Capuchin Appalachian Mission
During the week of July 8–16, the friars and volunteers embarked on their 30th Capuchin Appalachian Mission to Harlan County in Kentucky. Six friars accompanied the teens, young adults, and adults. One of the volunteering families brought three generations with them!

Among other good works, the mission team

• distributed a large number of backpacks filled with school supplies for elementary school students;
• assembled hundreds of bags of household supplies for needy families;
• distributed 85 boxes of clothing and donated shoes for children;
• built decks, ramps, and stairs onto old houses and mobile homes in disrepair;
• conducted a Vacation Bible School for children, providing a wonderful, fun-filled, faith-filled week.

“We all received more from the people of Harlan than what we gave,” said one volunteer. Another participant spoke of the spiritual benefits of the mission: “It was great interacting with people on the trip. Sharing our faith and working together, I had a stronger feeling spiritually and physically of being part of the body of Christ!”

Fr. Michael Greco joined Fr. Erik Lenhart, CFM chaplain, and the team for this year’s journey. “It was awesome,” he said, beaming. “The teens and adults who came with us were tremendous, and so much good work was done for the people of Harlan County. Our teens and adults accomplished amazing work in just one week.”

Summer Outreach Week
Similar to the Capuchin Appalachian Mission is the Summer Outreach Week (SOW), which took place in the Hudson Valley the week of June 25-30. It is geared toward high school students, who spend their days in worship, service, and reflection under the direction of friars and adults. The volunteers, dubbed by Father Erik as “SOWjourners,” build bunk beds for children, visit nursing home residents, encounter the homeless, and lead a children’s Vacation Bible School.

Many of the teens came from Albertus Magnus High School in Bardonia, N.Y. One of these enthusiastic participants called the experience a “reset for my faith life” while another called it “the greatest week of my life!” The week of service and the overall attitude of the participants was perhaps encapsulated best by another SOWjourner who said simply, “Serving others! It’s what Christians are called to do!”

CLASP
During the first week of August, our troupe of talented teens and their adult advisors converged on the Hudson Valley to bring a unique theater experience to the Church.

It was the sixth season of the Province’s Catholic Literature & Arts Summer Program, or CLASP. A team of dedicated artists and educators donate their time to immerse the teens in a mix of theater and theology. “The ultimate mission of CLASP is to make saints, and we have fun doing it,” said Father Erik, who is the founder and director of the theater camp. “Some of our great saints were actors and playwrights, including Pope John Paul II!”

This year, our company of teens and pre-teens put on a performance of Solanus: The Brother Behind the Beard, an original musical bringing to life the story of our holy Capuchin friar, Blessed Solanus Casey. Each day started at Mt. Alvernia Retreat Center in Wappingers Falls with morning prayer and breakfast. Workdays followed at St. Martin de Porres School in Poughkeepsie, where the youth rehearsed, built sets, and prepared for the big performances on Sunday, Aug. 6. Late in the afternoon, the group moved back to Mt. Alvernia for a bit of free time followed by Mass, dinner, and an evening workshop conducted by one or more of the adult team leaders. An evening prayer service rounded out each of these very full days, but there was always more time to socialize and learn lines!

The experience was challenging, exhilarating, and uplifting for all. One CLASPer put it succinctly: “Service, caring, giving, sharing, valuing and appreciating others’ opinions and feelings, insight of adoration, and my interaction with God.”

Not a bad way to spend the summer!