Celebrating 30 years of faith-filled adventures through Vacation Bible School

For 30 years, St. Benedict Parish’s Vacation Bible School (VBS) has been drawing children and their families to Benedicta, a small community in southern Aroostook County.

“It’s a tradition for my family. My dad came here. My mom came here, and a lot of my family members came here. My sister has. I have,” says Mycah, age 9.

“In a nutshell, I think it is because of the Holy Spirit,” says Lynn Levasseur, who volunteered in 1994 and returned for a 30th anniversary celebration. “It’s a smaller community than it used to be in 1994, but the Spirit has remained."

While several churches throughout Maine offer Vacation Bible School, what makes the Benedicta program stand out is the number of children and volunteers it has consistently drawn throughout the years

“It’s not only for the Catholic children; it’s for the community children because Benedicta is a strong community,” says Father Dominic Savio, former pastor of St. Benedict. “We take them to church and help them to see that the Catholic Church brings everyone together.”

“We had 48 participants this year and around 15 teens and 20 adult volunteers, so we figure we had 70-75 people on these grounds every day. That’s pretty cool for Benedicta,” says Anna Robinson, the parish catechetical leader who established the program 30 years ago and has been involved in it ever since. “It started as a parish event because we had that many kids in our faith formation programs at the time, and then it just expanded. A lot of it resulted from grandparents bringing their grandchildren as the years went by. Their kids had been participants, and then they started bringing their grandchildren, even their grandchildren from out of town.”

Joshua Qualey from Sherman was a participant 30 years ago, and now three of his children participate. He says it helped his faith back then and is doing the same for his children now.

“For God’s hand to keep working in this town and in this community and in this parish, Vacation Bible School definitely has to keep going forward for the children,” he says.

“It’s just great,” says his wife, Sarah. “They definitely ask about it every year. They know when they’re done with school that Vacation Bible School is coming up. They look forward to it, and our oldest daughter, Lydia, has volunteered for three years now.

“It’s my favorite thing,” says Lydia, age 15. “I love helping kids and bringing them to the Lord and sharing the good news of Jesus with them.”

So beloved is the program that it draws children and volunteers from throughout Maine and beyond. Isabelle Letourneau, a 20-year-old from Scarborough, used to stay at her grandparents’ camp and attend when she was a child, and now she returns each year to volunteer.

“I’m down in southern Maine, but I’m thinking, ‘What is my happy place?’  It’s here in Benedicta, in a small town. I think my fondest memory is the arts and crafts and being able to do hands-on religious activities and having the Bible adventure,” she says. “I want to give that experience to new generations and hopefully to my kids one day.”

The parish has long used Group Publishing’s Bible adventure program. This year, the children traveled to “Hometown Nazareth,” where Jesus grew up.

“The Bible adventure is that you go to a destination. I’ll say, ‘We’re going to Bethlehem’ or ‘We’re going to Nazareth. We’re going to Egypt,’” says Anna. “I feel like we are not only sharing Jesus’ journey and God’s plan, but we’re also sharing the culture from all these different places with the kids. I think they gain a lot from that, too. When they’re here, they don’t care about Spiderman and princesses. They honestly can’t wait to get into their costumes.”

Children gather each day at 9 a.m., and then go to the church to spend time in eucharistic adoration.

“They kneel on the top step of the altar, and a lady from the church, Rose Rush, will say a little prayer with them. Then, Fiona [Ammerman] leads us in our prayerful song, and we do that as praise. It’s amazing,” says Anna.

Fiona, a young teenager, leads the music throughout the Vacation Bible School.

“The kids love the music, and I know it has a lot to do with her. She sings, and she leads them in the motions. She is just very gifted and talented,” says Anna.

Prayer is an important piece of Vacation Bible School, just ask Dan Qualey, a St. Benedict’s parishioner. He credits the children’s prayers for his recovery after he fell seriously ill during last year’s VBS and ended up in the hospital.

“The power of prayer from kids is unbelievable,” he says.

Dan says he still pulls out and reads the cards the children made for him.

“I will probably always keep them,” he says.

After adoration, the kids head to the marketplace to do crafts, listen to Bible stories, play games, or bake bread.

“We started that tradition years ago,” says Anna. “They have a tray with a basket of bread and grapes and cheese, and that is a highlight

The kids will come to me everyday and say, ‘I need that recipe for the bread.’ It’s just bakery frozen dough.”

There is no doubt that St. Benedict’s Vacation Bible School is a hit with the children.

“You learn stuff about God in a fun way,” says Isaiah, age 9. “There are people who tell you about stories in the Bible, and there are crafts that have to do with God and the Church, and we have songs that have to do with God.”

“I like Vacation Bible School because I learn a lot of great things about God and Jesus,” says Natalie, age 8.

“I like the bread, and I like getting to know Jesus’ story. It’s really fun to come here every year,” says Mycah.

A sentiment shared by the adults. Brenda Watson has volunteered for 24 years.

“Just being with the kids and seeing their excitement has been a lot of fun,” she says. “At the beginning, I worked as a team leader with the kids. Then I worked on the crafts, and now I’m working in the kitchen.”

Those who volunteer year after year say they believe the program makes a difference.

“They come to church and spend time in church through Vacation Bible School, so when they come to church, they know how to be reverent, and they know what to expect, and they know the priest because the priest is here visiting and interacting with them. He is accessible, just as Jesus would be,” says Brittany Arbo, a faith formation teacher from Mount Chase. “Through Vacation Bible School, they learn that Jesus isn’t someone who is far away. He is tangible, and we can pray to Him. Through the Bible verses that they learn and the memory verses that they learn, they know that they are not alone. They know that Jesus is right there.”

The program is so valued that despite the small size of the parish community, children never have to pay to attend. Parishioners have always stepped forward to cover the costs.