mcafee's rose garden

Despite Summer Heat, Volunteers Joyfully Serve Those in Need

By Henrietta Gomes
HERALD Staff Writer
(From the Issue of 7/5/07) workcamp

Beneath the scorching sun, 750 volunteers — including 460 teens — put their faith into action as they descended upon 90 construction sites in four counties last week to build and do repair work for the needy.
The volunteers toiled in code orange air quality weather as temperatures reached to the mid- to upper- 90s during the Office of Youth Ministry sponsored WorkCamp, which assisted residents in Orange, Madison, Culpepper and Greene Counties.
The hazy and stagnant air did not seem to overwhelm Rachel Boardway who, like her crewmates, joyfully carried out their tasks. “It’s been amazing because I’ve been able to help someone who really needs our help,” she said. During the week the workers labored to build wheelchair ramps, fix doors and roofs and make other home repairs.
However, it was not just a social justice project that captured the attention of the volunteers during the week. Their efforts went hand-in-hand with spiritual renewal and growth through prayer and the sacraments. Prayer served as the sustenance to help them persevere through the long days of hard labor, and taught the volunteers that one can not go without the other.
“We’re not just building or just going to church, we’re combining both,” said Peter O’Dwyer as he prepared planks of wood to be drilled with holes for screws. He understood the importance of going to daily Mass, receiving Christ in the Eucharist, and being able to “immediately put that into practice.” The 17-year-old graduate of Bishop O’Connell School in Arlington will attend Christendom College in Front Royal in the fall.
During the week, volunteers attended daily Mass at 7 a.m. and concluded the day of strenuous work with evenings of Eucharistic adoration, praise and worship, and listened to talks on various topics. On Tuesday evening, Arlington Bishop Paul S. Loverde and 21 priests from around the diocese visited and offered confession. The bishop celebrated Mass the next morning.
The integration of work and prayer was fulfilling the call to “live out the Gospel,” said Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist Sister Clare Hunter, director of the diocesan Respect Life Office, who spent the week at WorkCamp. Serving those in need is something “we can only do because we’re centered in Christ. It’s got to be balanced,” she said.
The Franciscan Sister of the Eucharist was moved by the time and effort of the volunteers. “The profound generosity of everyone involved is really an inspiration,” she said. “It’s literally the definition of the outpouring of self.”
Crew Chief John Dixon, who was using his vacation to help the volunteers learn how to use power tools, said he was amazed that young people would take a week off of their summers to do volunteer work. The energy they bring is infectious, said Dixon, a parishioner of Our Lady of Hope Parish in Potomac Falls, of his fourth diocesan WorkCamp.
“This is putting the Word of God into a living form,” said George Harkin of St. Ann Parish in Arlington. With his straw hat protecting him from the sun, the contractor who was serving in his 15th WorkCamp said he was happy to be around “fresh-minded young people. I don’t have any other opportunity to do this,” he said.
“Attitude check,” Perry Rihl hollered out to his crew in military fashion. “Praise the Lord,” they yelled back in response without interrupting their work. “It’s an awesome support system,” the 17-year-old said of the way the crew encourages each other throughout the day. Dripping with sweat from his work, Rihl called his experience at Work Camp a “healing process.” It was an opportunity for him to reconcile with “myself, others and God,” he said.
Although he had been to previous Work Camps and had enriching experiences, Rihl said he was somewhat apprehensive about attending this year because he was facing some “life low-points.” However, the experience of serving others and praising God was just what he needed, said the parishioner of St. Raymond of Penafort in Springfield.
Donning a red bandana on her head, Katy Reinsel, 17, of St. Mary of Sorrows Parish in Fairfax, took a quick break from securing a nail on the top of what was soon to become a wheelchair ramp for the resident of a trailer home. “It’s been fun to make repairs around the house,” she said. However, the highlight for her was “Eucharistic adoration.” Gaining nourishment for her daily labors from the sacraments, Reinsel said, “It’s really been powerful.”
Like many of her peers, Erin Godwin, 16, of St. Joseph Parish in Herndon was also grateful for the opportunity for Eucharistic adoration, which gave her the strength to “help someone have a better life when this is finished,” she said. At the end, “You get to see change in the residents,” said Kristin Englemann, a 17-year-old parishioner of St. Louis Parish in Alexandria. All the physical hardships and sacrifices were worth it, she said.
Although he hadn’t been getting much sleep since he arrived at WorkCamp, 15-year-old Sam Click had a huge grin on his face. Sleep deprivation was perhaps the biggest challenge for the teen, however the opportunity to serve others and meet new people made it worthwhile.
During the week,participants ate peanut butter and jelly sandwiches donated by various parishes around the diocese. Teens and adults alike slept in sleeping bags on the gym floor in their home base of Orange County High School in Orange, where the science lab had been transformed into a small chapel open all day and night for participants to pray.
In his ninth year of helping with WorkCamp, Sam Firebaugh, a contractor who took vacation time to assist the volunteers said, “It’s the right thing to do.” It didn’t seem like a sacrifice for Firebaugh, a parishioner of St. John the Evangelist in Warrenton, who said he enjoyed being able to give of himself. In the end, he said, “I always get more than I give. No question about it,”
Charlie Davis Parishioner of St. William of York in Stafford, said, “It’s fun working with the contractor and helping out [the resident].” Davis, who said he was learning a lot about construction said he was especially grateful for the opportunity to meet the resident and get to know him and see how much he appreciated their efforts.
Jeremy Paul, 15, came to serve under his parents’ duress who “forced” him to attend, said the young parishioner of the Cathedral of St. Thomas More in Arlington. Grateful to his parents for the edifying experience of “helping out the less fortunate and being able to work for them,” Paul said he would definitely return next summer to volunteer.
“…WorkCamp is often the first time that teens experience service alongside a week of deep prayer,” said Kevin Bohli, director of the Office of Youth Ministry. While most teens have done service before, he said it was key to integrate work with prayer. “The joy that teens experience after a week of WorkCamp is the joy of living the Gospel; to live, serve and pray together each day in the name of Christ.”

Henrietta Gomes can be reached at hgomes@catholicherald.com