Teen girls across the diocese learned about the beauty of discernment and religious vocations, and grew in their spiritual lives at the annual diocesan FIAT vocations camp for young women July 19-23.
The weeklong camp, organized by the diocesan Vocations office, was held at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary in Emmitsburg, Md.
The camp began with Sunday Mass, celebrated by Bishop Michael F. Burbidge. Referencing the Sunday’s Gospel, the parable of the weeds and the wheat, Bishop Burbidge reminded the young women that weeds can grow in our own lives. “We know of our strengths and virtues, as well as our sins and failures. Do not get frustrated or despair when you see those weeds,” he said. God never gives up on us, and he sends us the Holy Spirit to help us in our weakness, he added.
He encouraged the campers to have faith in God’s plan for them during the week. “Remember that the harvest comes about in God’s time not ours,” he said. “God is always at work in your life even though you may not see immediate results. So, persevere and be patient — yes, even be patient with yourself.”
The morning of July 21, 88 campers gathered in a classroom to hear a talk delivered by Salesian Sister Jazmin Rangel on healthy versus unhealthy fears.
“All through love, not through constraint,” said Sister Jazmin, echoing the words of St. Francis de Sales, the Salesians’ patron. She encouraged the girls to adopt a “fear of the Lord” rooted in love and awe, a fear that is trusting and filial, to combat the worldly fears that leave one anxious, feeling inadequate and scrupulous. The girls engaged in the talk, were vulnerable with some of their fears, and participated in exercises of trust — a classic “trust fall” among them.
Following the talk, campers gathered at the neighboring Chapel of the Immaculate Conception for Eucharistic adoration. The girls also had the opportunity to speak to the 16 religious during their personal retreat time.
Among the eight religious orders present at the camp were a couple of postulants from Sisters, Servants of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Mary Steinbecker, a former parishioner of St. James Church in Falls Church, said she had attended FIAT in 2021. “It’s a little surreal to be on the other end of this,” she said.
Steinbecker said that as a FIAT camper, she felt called to religious life, but didn’t know what to do with that calling. “Here was the first time I talked specifically to a sister about a religious vocation and about what that process kind of looked like,” she said. She said that experience “really affirmed what I was feeling in my heart.”
Steinbecker entered as a postulant with the IHM sisters last September and said that the order will formally receive her as a novice at the end of July.
Father Noah C. Morey, diocesan director of vocations, reminded campers in his homily at daily Mass that God delights in seeing himself in each of us. “He has created us in his image and his likeness,” Father Morey said. “It’s not anything that we have to earn because we can’t earn God’s love. It’s a free gift … So, I hope that a grace you will receive either this week or going forward is the opportunity to see yourselves as God sees you.”
In the afternoon, girls met on the sports fields for games of spikeball, soccer, cornhole and more. Back at the seminary, campers enjoyed games of chess and pool, or tried a hand at coil weaving with several religious sisters.
First-time attendee Maeve Burgess said the camp was a step out of her comfort zone. “At first, I was a little nervous, meeting new people,” she said. “But everyone’s been super nice.”
A parishioner of Holy Trinity Church in Gainesville, Burgess said that she’s most appreciated her small group community. “The small group discussions at the end of the night, where everyone comes in with their own special experiences of the day, and … stepping into each other’s shoes — that’s beautiful.” She added that while her family makes a priority of regularly praying a family rosary, the camp has taught her to prioritize personal prayer. “It kind of showed me how I can weave it into my day,” she said. “It’s not like, ‘Oh my gosh, I have to pray.’ It’s, ‘Oh my gosh, I get to pray.’ ”
Gigi Lagarde of St. John the Baptist Church in Front Royal said the week was her second time at FIAT. This year, she’s seen significant growth in her spiritual life. “Last year, I had a hard time focusing on prayer, but I feel like this year has been a lot better in the sense that I can just talk to God and it’s not a big deal,” she said.
For Lagarde, the community at FIAT has made the week a summer highlight. “Everyone around me is so joyful and full of Jesus, and being with so many people at once and sharing the same faith is an experience that you’re never going to forget.”
Catholic Herald Staff Writer Anna Donofrio can be reached at [email protected]. Catholic Herald Intern Julia DeJak can be reached at [email protected].
