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Diocese launches parish-based ‘Re-Boot’ WorkCamp

Zoey Maraist | Catholic Herald Staff Writer

A tool bag is seen during WorkCamp last year. The diocese is changing how Work- Camp will function this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. FILE PHOTO

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Participants of Re-Boot will do acts of service during the day, then tune into a nightly livestreamed program. COURTESY

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Every year, hundreds of teens from
around the diocese descend on a high school, splinter into teams and fix up
homes throughout the area. While always a logistical challenge, with evolving
safety guidelines, a gathering of that size didn’t seem possible or safe to
have this year, even for a good cause. So the WorkCamp team began to reimagine
what the annual week of service could look like.

 

“Like everybody, we’ve just been trying
to read the signs, trying to figure out which ways things are going to go, but there
comes a point where we needed to commit (to a new plan) and make it happen,” said
Kevin Bohli, director of the diocesan Office of Youth, Campus, and Young Adult
Ministries. “We started talking about different options with (Bishop Michael F.
Burbidge), and listening to pastors and directors of youth ministry to see what
they wanted to do. And that’s how we landed where we are.”

 

That new plan is Re-Boot. In the best
case-scenario, participating youth groups will gather at their own parishes
June 21-25 to worship together, eat a bag lunch and do a service project on-site
or nearby. After dinner, they’ll watch the evening program of speakers and
music via private broadcast. Bishop Burbidge, performer Steve Angrisano and musician
Matt Maher are scheduled to address the teens.

 

If small gatherings are still not
permitted in late June, WorkCampers will be encouraged to do service in their
own home or neighborhood. They can still tune into the nightly program and will
receive a devotional journal and WorkCamp T-shirt. “There may be cases where people
can’t get together at all, especially since our diocese is broken into two
different (phase) zones,” said Bohli. “We’re trying to help parishes have as
much of a program as possible. We see this as a service, something we’re
offering to the parishes and they can make it as a la carte as possible.”

 

Bohli and his team are disappointed
WorkCampers won’t be able to help fix the homes of residents in the Winchester
area, where the camp was scheduled to be held. “Unfortunately, we’ve had to
mail letters to all those people and let them know we will not be able to do
their projects this year,” said Bohli. “That’s the hardest part.”

 

But they’re glad to offer teens a chance
to do something spiritually productive during this difficult time. Many
parishes that had planned to attend other now-canceled work camps have since
registered for Re-Boot, said Bohli. “We want (the teens) to understand that service
begins at home,” he said. 

 

Find out more

 

Go to arlingtondiocese.org/workcamp. Contact your parish
youth minister to see if your parish is participating. 

 

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