“Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them, for of such is the Kingdom of Heaven.” (Matthew 19:14)

Article by Fr. Dusko Markovic

There are places where one sees God more clearly. Not because God is more present there than elsewhere, but because human hearts are more open to receiving Him.
 
Holy Transfiguration Camp is one such place.
 
For three weeks, the Holy Transfiguration Monastery in Milton was not just a place where lectures, workshops or sports activities were held. It became a small city of children's joy, prayer, song and life. The monastery silence was not disturbed one bit these days, it was a blessed place filled with children's laughter, song and joy, from early morning until evening. Someone learned to sing to God, someone read a prayer out loud for the first time, someone asked questions that only children know how to ask, and someone simply discovered that the Church is not a place where you come because you have to, but a place to which you want to return.
 
And perhaps that is precisely the greatest success of this camp.
 
This year, the theme of the camp was the Holy Liturgy. In previous years, we have talked about many topics – the history of our Church, the saints, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Most Holy Theotokos, the Holy Mysteries and much more. And we will continue to talk about all of this in the years to come. But if a child does not love the Holy Liturgy, if he does not feel that it is a living encounter with Christ, then we have missed what is most important. The Liturgy is, of course, not just a religious lesson that needs to be learned, nor a custom that we observe just because our ancestors observed it. It is the heart of the Church and the heart of Christian life. In it, a person learns what it means to offer oneself to God, what it means to live for others, to give thanks and to forgive. In it, we encounter Christ who gives himself to us in the Holy Mystery of Communion. That is why it was important for us that the children not only memorize the order of the service or the names of individual parts of the Liturgy, but for them to also feel why Sunday cannot be imagined without the Liturgy and why it is the source from which our entire spiritual life is nourished. Because if a child loves the Holy Liturgy, he will also love the Church. And if he loves the Church, he will always know where his spiritual home is.
 
As I watched the children these days, images from the first HTC camps often came back to me. I remembered the little boys and girls who shyly came holding their parents' hands, looked uncertainly at the monastery gate and cautiously met new friends. Today they are tall boys and girls, high school students and students who no longer ask for someone to lead them by the hand. Today they help the younger ones, encourage them, talk to them, sing with them and show by their example how the life of the Church is lived. Building on the homily that His Eminence Metropolitan Mitrofan delivered at the Holy Liturgy, addressing all the children, before our eyes young people who will tomorrow be the bearers of life in our parishes, teachers in Sunday schools, singers, members of church boards, perhaps even priests, but above all Orthodox Christians who will pass on their faith to their children, have grown up.
 
That is why we can no longer say that they are the future of our Church. The future is still awaited. They are already the present. Today, with their presence, their prayer, their singing, their questions, and their desire to serve, they show that the seeds sown several years ago are bearing fruit. And for us who have had the blessing of being with them, there is no greater joy than to see children slowly grow into mature people, not moving away from the Church, but ever deeper and deeper putting down roots in it.
 
That is precisely why, as we look at the fruits of this work, we feel a deep need to say a sincere thank you to all who have invested themselves in this holy mission.
 
First of all, we thank our Most Reverend Metropolitan of Canada, His Eminence Dr. Mitrofan, whose blessing, quiet warm prayers, and fatherly care have allowed Holy Transfiguration Camp to grow and develop for years.
 
We thank the clergy, organizers, teachers, lecturers, educators, volunteers, medical staff, kitchen staff and all those who selflessly gave their time, knowledge, strength and love to our children. Many of them took vacation days, left their families and daily obligations to be here. It is a sacrifice that cannot be measured in hours, because it is offered out of love.
 
We would like to express our special gratitude to the parents who have shown us their trust and entrusted us with the most precious thing they have – their children. Without that trust, no camp would make sense.
 
We also extend our heartfelt thanks to our benefactors, sponsors, and friends of the camp, who have recognized the importance of this work and helped it grow year after year. Their support is not only material; it is a testimony that they recognize how important it is to invest in children and in the future of our Church.
 
Last but not least, we thank all those who have carried us in their prayers these days. The Church has always known that no good deed is the fruit of human effort alone. It is born where effort meets God's blessing. Therefore, we believe that every prayer raised for this camp was an invisible force that strengthened us every day, in every challenge and in every encounter with these angelic souls.
 
During each of the three weeks of the camp, the Holy Liturgy was celebrated on Thursdays. What the children heard about in lectures and workshops, they had the opportunity to experience and live by participating in the liturgical assembly, offering common prayers and approaching the Holy Sacrament of Communion, and thus the theme of this year's camp became not only a subject of learning, but also a living experience of the Church.
 
This year's Holy Transfiguration Camp lasted three weeks and brought together more than 400 campers, with the selfless help of over 150 volunteers who, with their hard work, love and sacrifice, made it possible for each day to pass in a spirit of unity and joy. The first week was intended for children from Hamilton and Niagara, the second for children from Toronto, Mississauga, Oakville, Kitchener, London and surrounding parishes, while the third week brought together high school students from throughout our Diocese. All the while, the children were surrounded by the fatherly love, prayers and watchful care of our Most Reverend Metropolitan of Canada, Dr. Mitrofan, whose blessing and care remain the foundation and inspiration of this blessed work.
 
As the camp grows from year to year, so do our responsibilities. Every year there are more children, more needs, and greater challenges ahead of us. That is why we will continue to need the support of our entire community – clergy, parents, benefactors, volunteers, and all people of good will who recognize the importance of this work. Because Holy Transfiguration Camp is not just a summer camp. It is a mission of the Church. It is a place where seeds of faith are sown, community is built, and generations are invested in who, God willing, will continue to bear witness to Christ in the time to come. With faith in God’s blessing and this shared support, we look forward to new encounters and new generations of children who will continue to find their spiritual home in the Church in the years to come.

You can view photos from this year's camp HERE.