When Mariah Naegele, 27, and Bulay Miñano, 33, parishioners of St. Anthony of Padua Church in Falls Church, saw the need for a more affordable camp experience in their community guided by Catholic faith, they decided to start their own. They pitched the idea to Father Matthew Zuberbueler, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Church, and their idea became a reality. When summer came around, Naegele and Miñano had 64 campers enrolled for the first “Contigo,” which means with you.
“Bulay and I wanted to bring what the youth development world does really well, like after school programs and summer camps, and then what the church has to offer and bring those things together,” said Naegele.
“Contigo” featured baking, sewing, sports and games, but what sets this camp apart is the religious aspect. Campers from first through to ninth graders worked on a special project. They built their own adoration chapel and decorated it with handmade art.
“The paintings of the saints in the back are done by the older campers and the mosaics were worked on by pretty much everybody at the camp. As you can see it took a very long time. There are thousands of little pieces,” said Naegele.
After working for weeks, the chapel was completed Aug. 11, a day before camp ended. That same afternoon, Father Zuberbueler led an adoration hour with campers and staff.
Another popular activity was “Catholic parties” that consisted of learning about saints on their feast days and a chance for all the campers to come together to celebrate.
There were days when campers ventured past the grounds of St. Anthony’s Church. Field trips included visits to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington and a trip to Billy Goat Trail in Potomac, Md.
“At first, I thought it was going to be boring, but after a few days here, I was like, OK this is actually fun,” said Yaari Parada, 13.
The camp prides itself in keeping kids engaged without having to rely on electronic gadgets. “We don’t have tablets or phones. The most tech thing we do is take photos and show them on a projector or show lyrics to a song on the screen, but they are not playing video games or anything like that,” said Naegele.
Karen Valladares, mother of campers Steven Espinoza, 13, and Joshua Nuñez, 12, liked that her kids had the chance to socialize with other kids and make friends rather than staying home in their rooms.
“The staff that have worked with them have been excellent. I am delighted with how they treat the kids,” Valladares said.
When asked if she planned to enroll her kids next summer, she smiled and said, “Yes, yes I do.”
Naegele and Miñano hope to host “Contigo” next summer but their immediate plan is to turn the camp into an after-school program during the school year.
Batista can be reached at [email protected]
