“Pas-Si di Speranza” (Steps of Hope):
Where there is hope, there is God, and where there is God, everything can be reborn.
“Saints like Philip Neri, Don Bosco, and Bl. Francis Jordan have shown the world the wonders brought forth when the potential of young minds is nurtured by those who instill values, morals, love, and spiritual growth. The summer camp organized every year by the Salvatorian sisters in the South Italian province of Porrino has been for the past 10 years a nest where such wonders took wings to fly. Here, pure joy, alongside deeply embedded values and morals, took root in the minds and hearts of the many summer camp children and young animators who contributed to the success of this camp. The children in this camp play, dance, sing, draw, jump and run but above all they learn to care for the other, praise God and respect the elders. Below is a wonderful note left by one of the animators from this group about the camp.”
Every year, the Salvatorian sisters of Porrino, together with us animators, organize a summer camp with love and dedication that guides us, step by step, toward a deeper encounter with God. This year, on the occasion of the Jubilee Year, we chose as our theme “Pas-Si di Speranza” (Steps of Hope), because we wanted to highlight the “Yes” that each of us has chosen to say to the Lord: a full, sincere, confident Yes.
The camp was divided into days of reflection, play, and sharing, lived with intensity and joy. A nice new feature this year was the swimming pool: two afternoons a week we met there, where even the water became an opportunity for fraternity.
The first week was intense: we had to get back into the rhythm, both for us animators and for the children, who were divided into four groups according to the class they attended (from kindergarten to middle school). Our mornings began with simple and cheerful group dances, suitable even for the youngest children, to warm our hearts and prepare us for the day ahead.
Afterwards, we gathered in the shade to enter into the theme of the day, listening, reflecting, and then working in small groups. Each group had a value to represent:
– The kindergarten children brought peace,
– the 2nd and 3rd graders dedicated themselves to love,
– the 4th and 5th graders to truth,
– and the middle school group to freedom.
Every day, the children carefully prepared a creative project to present to the others. It was an exciting moment because their inner beauty, commitment, and faith could be seen in those small works. At the end of the presentations, Sister Silva Jaku SDS awarded points to the groups: a healthy game that culminated in the announcement of the winning group during the final recital.
On Fridays, if the week had been lived with enthusiasm and respect, the long-awaited moment of water balloons arrived: a real water party, especially for us animators, who always ended up soaked but happy!
In the last week, the atmosphere became a little more nostalgic. Every year seems to pass more and more quickly, and the children, although tired, sense that something special is about to end. In the afternoon, we animators stayed in the convent to prepare for the performance on July 21: a precious date, when we remember the beatification of Blessed Francis Mary of the Cross Jordan, founder of the Salvatorian Sisters.
Each group enthusiastically set about making colorful posters, skits, dances, and much more, to offer their parents a small gift made with love. We animators also prepared a skit with a deep spiritual meaning: in the dim light of a room, four candles—Love, Peace, Faith, and Hope—were extinguished one by one, blown out by the disappointment of the world. But in the end, Hope, still lit, rekindled all the others with its light: because where there is hope, there is God, and where there is God, everything can be reborn.
To end the evening on a cheerful note, we changed into traditional Ciociaria costumes and, with the accordion and a reworked folk song, we recounted the entire campus adventure in a playful and affectionate way.
And so, another year has come to an end. A tear runs down our faces, but our hearts are full: we know that we will meet again, because what is born in the light of love and the joy of faith never ends.
On to other initiatives, with ever more confident steps… on the paths of Hope.
