Montréal: Happy Days Are Here Again

By Fr. Richard Authier, SDB

(Montréal, QC – July 17) – Greetings to all from north of the border. On Tuesday, July 2, the Don Bosco Youth Leadership Centre in Montréal launched its yearly summer camp, called Happy Days. Four hundred children and teens have registered to attend. Fifty young adults have been taken on as animators and coordinators. The camp lasts six weeks, ending on Friday, August 9.

The children and teens arrived with their usual enthusiasm. A lot of the staff are new, which gives us a refreshed atmosphere. At the last minute, we also received the gift of Br. Thomas Junis as our young Salesian presence. Thank you to Fr. Provincial and to Br. Thomas.

So far, the camp has had three highlights for this year. First, we have a rich group of about 35-40 teen attendees per week. They are a positive presence and enjoy doing activities as a group. Their presence permits us to have an impact on teens that often continues into the school year.

Next, we have gotten our special needs children and teens well-adjusted to Happy Days. As in many schools and camps, these young people need more support and attention. So we hired a young woman who is studying in this field of education. She has been a great helper to the campers and an extra support for the rest of the staff.

Last, our evangelization program has had a great start. All campers receive a weekly Catechism Moment that we call “Faith Space.” The whole camp has Mass together at our neighborhood church each Friday. Most of our campers have no catechism in their school and don’t attend Mass. So we are their “Church and Jesus” presence for six weeks. Please keep us in your prayers as we pray for you. God bless you all.