‘Buddies’ Needed for Special Needs Camp
SAN DIEGO — Whispering Winds Catholic Camp and Conference Center is recruiting “Special Needs Buddies” for its annual Special Needs Family Camp.
The weekend camp experience is designed for families who have children of any age with special needs. It will be held on the Whispering Winds campgrounds in the Julian mountains, beginning at 1 p.m., Friday, July 30, and ending at 5 p.m., Sunday, Aug. 1.
Each camper with special needs is paired one-on-one with a Special Needs Buddy, an adult volunteer who accompanies that camper throughout all of the planned weekend activities.
Buddies need no prior experience with children or adults with special needs. There will be a mandatory training meeting at a date and location yet to be determined.
The Special Needs Buddy experience includes single-sex lodging for three days and two nights, six meals plus snacks, and a Buddy T-shirt. Buddies must provide their own transportation to and from the camp site and are invited to make a tax-deductible donation of $50 to Whispering Winds or to collect that amount through sponsors to help offset the cost of food.
For more information, contact Katie Gange at katieg@whisperingwinds.org. Additional details and an application form are available at https://www.whisperingwinds.org/camps-retreats/special-needs-family-camp/special-needs-family-camp-volunteer-opportunities.
Informational Sessions Offered on Detention Ministry
SAN DIEGO — In the 25th chapter of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus exhorts His followers to welcome the stranger, feed the hungry, clothe the naked and visit the prisoner.
For those who feel called to visit the imprisoned, the diocesan Office for Life, Peace and Justice will be hosting an informational session about prison/jail ministry on Tuesday, June 15, at the diocesan Pastoral Center.
Two identical sessions will be offered – one from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., and another from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
For more information, contact Dr. Bobby Ehnow at (858) 490-8375 or rehnow@sdcatholic.org.
YCP Set to Re-Launch
SAN DIEGO — After a hiatus amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the San Diego chapter of Young Catholic Professionals (YCP) is planning a “re-launch.”
The free event will be held from 7 to 9 p.m., Tuesday, June 8, at St. Therese of Carmel Parish in Carmel Valley. Eucharistic adoration will be available in the church from 5 to 8 p.m., and a priest will be available in the parish hall to hear confessions starting at 6:30 p.m.
All young adult professionals in their 20s and 30s are welcome to attend. There will be time for socializing and networking, beginning at 7 p.m. Father Corey Tufford, YCP San Diego’s chaplain, will provide a prayer and short reflection. YCP San Diego Board Chair Cort Peters will share a vision for the chapter’s future and extend an invitation to be part of its leadership team.
Before the COVID era, YCP San Diego had hosted a monthly Executive Speaker Series, at which a Catholic speaker would reflect on his or her faith and career, as well as bi-annual half-day retreats and quarterly networking happy hours.
For more information, visit www.ycpsandiego.org or email info@ycpsandiego.org.
Event Honors Our Lady
SAN DIEGO — Catholic Action for Faith and Family, a locally based apostolate, joined forces with Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Rancho Peñasquitos to organize a Marian Holy Hour and May Crowning on May 13.
The event commemorated the 104th anniversary of the Blessed Virgin Mary’s first appearance to three shepherd children in Fatima, Portugal, on May 13, 1917.
Auxiliary Bishop Ramón Bejarano presided over the event, which began with a procession with a replica of the International Pilgrim Virgin statue. Later, a crown of flowers was placed atop the statue’s head.
Participants prayed the rosary and recited Our Lady’s Litany, and Marian hymns were sung throughout. Bishop Bejarano blessed the congregation with a reliquary containing first-class relics of Sts. Jacinta and Francisco Marto, two of the visionaries to whom Our Lady appeared at Fatima.
A recording of the event can be viewed at https://www.catholicaction.org/_may_crowning_ceremony_2021_live.
