“How good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity” (Psalm 133), a fitting quote for this year's ROYA winter camp which took place from December 26th, 2019 to January 1st, 2020 at the Protection of the Mother of God Monastery in Allegan, MI. This year's camp focused its festivities and prayers around the important theme of brotherhood, which was present in abundance throughout the week. Each year we are blessed to have more interested camp goers than the previous year, each sharing the bond that they hold as Romanian Orthodox Youth in America. This bond was strong enough that attendees came from all parts of America and Canada, some flying and others driving in order to be part of the brotherhood.
A crucial aspect of the ROYA camps and events is the focus on the spiritual well-being of the attendees, which were enriched by four Liturgies, as well as various morning and evening prayers that were completed throughout the week. A beautiful highlight of these services was the Vigil and Liturgy celebrated Monday night into Tuesday morning, where the heavenly chanting and heartfelt prayers made the long and late hours go by impossibly fast. Another highlight was the prayers offered by each person at midnight before the start of the New Year, after which everyone present at the camp asked forgiveness of each other for anything they might have done throughout the previous year. After midnight, there was a procession to a bonfire built by some of the volunteers, around which everyone came together to sing beautiful carols and traditional Romanian songs to herald in the new year, until three in the morning.
His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae blessed us with a wonderful recollection of his recent visit to Alaska where he visited holy places such as Holy Resurrection Cathedral where Saint Herman of Alaska’s relics are kept. The spirit of brotherhood could be found as far north as Alaska, with the Alaskan natives carrying on their traditions and beliefs by educating the upcoming Alaskan generations and those around them.
We were also blessed with the presence of Father Vasile Tudora, who held conferences and discussion panels relating to relevant topics that Orthodox youth face in today's society. One such important topic was marriage and the role that we, as Orthodox Christians, have in preserving our bond with Christ in our relationships. This bond is constantly being put into question as the youth must sift the superficial feelings of love, to find love that unites man and woman through Christ, and ultimately leads to salvation.
The week was also full of fun activities that included knitting and prayer rope workshops, as well as some time to get to know each other better and outdoor activities each day. A highlight of the activities was the Carolers Have Talent competition, where campers were split up by room and given time to practice throughout the camp, before presenting three carols. This was a great exercise to work on the spirit of brotherhood, as some groups presented their songs in English, Romanian, and Greek to include all members of the group.
This wonderful experience would not have been possible without the blessing of Father Atanasie (the spiritual father of the monastery) who allows ROYA to host the winter camp year after year, even now after the property was consecrated as a monastery earlier this year. We would like to thank all of the wonderful volunteers that worked hard to feed almost 60 hungry mouths everyday with delicious traditional Romanian food. We would also like to thank His Eminence Metropolitan Nicolae and Father Vasile Tudora for their words of wisdom and experiences. Finally, we would like to thank all of the ROYA youth that decided to be part of the brotherhood we have in Christ. We all will wait with great impatience for next year's ROYA events where we will continue building our community with the Lord's help.
For upcoming events please check ROYA’s FB page at https://www.facebook.com/ROrthodoxYouth/.
Our website is http://www.rorthodoxyouth.com/.
Happy New Year and many blessings throughout the year!
Darius Sabau
