Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

VOL. XVII. No. 8 AUGUSTA, GEORGIA, AUGUST 22, 1936 ISSUED MONTHLY—52.00 A YEAR S. Carolina Religious Vacation School Pioneer The Open Air Chapel The scene above visualizes the camp, located on a bluff by the Okatec River, shaded by stately water oaks; the site is ideal for the purpose. The Staff at Camp St. Mary Bishop Walsh Dedicated New Camp Last Year—Father Kamler Is Director “Great oaks, from little acorns grow.” This old proverb may well be applied to Camp St. Mary’s, near Ridgeland, S. C. From very humble beginnings it has grown in size, rep utation, practicability, conveniences and good results until today after eight years, it is one of the best known and well attended camps in this section of the country. The idea of Camp St. Mary’s was first propounded by Father James S. Linehan, who was for two years assistant priest of the Beaufort Mis sions. His intention was to gather the scattered children of the parish in one locality, and there to give them intensive instructions, which he could not otherwise arrange for them during the year. In June, 1929, Father Linehan put his idea into execution and founded Camp St. Mary’s, as a parish camp. In this he was assisted by Miss K. M. Ryan, Mrs. Kate Smith and Mr. Pat Keating and in attendance were 54 children. O- AT PINCKNEY PLANTATION I -a Father Kamler, director of Camp St. Mary’s, is assisted by the Sisters of Mercy, Miss Katherine Ryan, president of the Diocesan Council of Catho lic Women, which organization has been of invaluable assistance to the religious vacation camp movement, seminarians, collegians and nurses. 175 Children at Piedmont Religious Vacation School GREENVILLE, S. C. — The fifth annual encampment of Camp St. Ann’s Catholic Vacation School of the Piedmont opened at Rocky Bot tom, Pickens, on June 22, and con tinued for three weeks. Rev. Syd ney Dean, assistant pastor of St. Mary's Church, was the director and 175 children representing more than 50 towns in the state attended. The purpose of the camp is to as semble the Catholic children of the rural sections for an intensive re ligious instruction in the Bible, catechism, church history and lit urgy. The mornings were devoted to class work and the afternoons and evenings to the regular camp features. The teaching staff consisted of the Rev. Sydney F. Dean, Richard Madden and Lawrence McLaughlin, of Sulpician Seminary, Washington; Edward Keller, of St. Bernard’s, Rochester, N. Y.; Sister M. Cath erine, Sister Mary Concepta and Sister Raphael of the Community of Our Lady of Mercy, and Miss Ruth Poechmann, of Duluth, Minn. Councillors in charge of recreation were the Misses Margaret Niggel, of Columbia; Mary Dean, of Charles ton; Charlotte Rowland, of Green ville, and Veronica and Teresa Mon- ohan, of Charlotte; John Steele, of Spartanburg; William Goldsmith and George Francis, of Greenville; James Staples, of Charleston; Wil liam Doyle, of Lowell, Mass., the Misses Louise Bass, Elizabeth Clarke and Louise Felder super vised the camp infirmary; Dick Smith was chief steward. Camp St. Ann's closed Sunday, July 12. This Charleston section of The Bulletin, featuring the Religious Vacation Camp, is made possible by the Charleston firms whose advertisements ap- p e a r herein, and we recommend them and our other advertisers to the patronage of our readers. The camp was conducted at the plantation home of Mr. W. E. Pinckney, at Guerard’s _ Point, Pritchardville, S. C., Mr. Pinckney kindly donating the use of his home, grounds and beach for camp pur poses. The girls were quartered in the house, while the boys lived in five tents. There were no lights, no camp buildings, and no baths except the salty Okatee. Religion classes were held in the open, during the morning and part of the afternoon, the remainder of the afternoon be ing devoted to games and recreation. The Chapel was a large magnolia tree, whose limbs formed a canopy for the Blessed Sacrament, and here Mass was said daily during the two weeks at camp. In the evening the Blessed Sacrament was transferred to a Repository in the living room of the house. To offset expenses, each child brought a basket of supplies, which were kept in a storeroom borrowed from Mr. Pinckney. Milk was do nated, fresh vegetables begged from surrounding farms; other necessi ties were provided by visitors, the staff and the pastor. The Okatee River supplied fish most generous ly. | HUMBLE BEGINNINGS □ □ The kitchen equipment included a refrigerator, borrowed , which was placed under an oak tree and cover ed with a tarpaulin; a hole in the ground, covered by a grating, three borrowed pots, and later a stove ob tained from a burned dwelling; a piece of galvanized roofing nailed to four poles kept the rain out of the pots during cooking hours. The dining room was but another spot, walled in by the mighty live oaks and roofed by the (occasional- Religious Vacation School Held for Spartanburg Area (Special to The Bulletin) SPARTANBURG, S. C.—The an nual parochial summer school has concluded another successful ses sion. The registration numbered forty, somewhat less than in the last few years but the difference is ac counted for by graduations and moved away parishioners. Three weeks of intensive work oc cupied the children, covering in the course of a catechism review of the year’s Sunday School work. Project work, prayer classes, liturgy classes, Church and Bible history, Church music and the daily story period gave the youngsters plenty to keep them occupied and through these subjects sound instruction was giv en in the fundamentals of Catholic Faith. Of the forty registered children, twenty-two achieved absolutely perfect records, which meant not even one tardy demerit in all three weeks, and included attendance four times a week at Holy Mass. These children with perfect records receiv ed awards for perfect Mass attend ance and perfect class records and qualified for the much sought Rec tor’s prizes. This latter award takes into consideration the child’s record through the year’s Sunday School and the Summer School. The Rec tor's prizes are the top award of the year; this year five boys and three girls took the first distinguished awards in this honored group; six boys and five girls took the second distinguished awards. Every regis tered child received two souvenirs— a beautiful St. Christopher medal and a class pin with ‘‘St. Paul’s School” in raised enameled letters thereon. The teachers were Sister Ignatia and Sister Celestine of the Sisters of Ou r Lady of Mercy and the Rector, the Rev. Thomas J. Mac- kin. All religious services at Camp St. Mary were conducted in the open air chapel, the altar alone being under cover. In rainy weather the children could remain on the porches or verandas of the camp buildings facing the altar. The River at the Camp Bathing in the Okatee River immediately in front of the camp was one of the delights of the children at the camp. The bathing beach is hard, smooth, sandy and gently sloping; depth at the end of the pier is not dangerous for children. There is plenty of depth beyond. The Okatee is a salt water river, and the beach has the benefit of the tide without the danger of the heavy surf of an ocean beach. ly) blue sky. The children were seated on old church benches, at roughly-made tables, and enjoyed the simple but substantial fare, though at times it may have been scorched and seasoned with splin ters and ashes. Such was the beginning of Camp St. Mary’s. Though rather primi tive, it was so thoroughly enoyed by all in attendance and so fruitful and effective in a religious and spir itual way, by providing a real Cath olic atmosphere for the children to live in, as well as obtain instruction that the camp idea prevailed the following summer. •D- FATHER DEAN CARRIES ON -O o- Father Linehan was succeeded by Father Sidney F. Dean, who enthus iastically endorsed the camp plan and conducted it most successfully in June, 1930. He was assisted by Mr. Berberich Pinckney, Mrs. D. C. Boulware, Miss K. M. Ryan and Mrs. K. Smith. The term was lengthened to three weeks, and 75 children of the parish were accom modated. Three Sisters of Mercy, from Charleston, attended camp to assist in the religious instructions. The camp equipment and accommoda tions were similar to the pioneer camp in 1929, Mr. Pinckney again providing rooming space in his home and grounds. Tents were pitched along the bluff of the Okatee River in front of the house. The open- air kitchen was improved to the ex tent of placing a screen around the space occupied by the stove and ta bles, but only the stove was roofed over. Service was cafeteria style which has always prevailed. Since there was no roof over the tables many of the meals were, perforce, eaten under them during rainy weather. The children again brought groceries as in 1929. Religious services and classes were held in the open as formerly. Mass being said under the magnolia tree and the Blessed Sacrament reserved in the Pinckney home. FATHER WOLFE SUCCEEDS The results and effects of the camp were so impressively success ful, that in 1931, the Most Rev. Em met M. Walsh, Bishop of Charles ton, decided to establish the camp as a Diocesan institution of state-wide scope. Father Henry F. Wolfe, then Chancellor of the Diocese, was ap pointed as director of the camp, to succeed Father Dean, who had been transferred to the Greenville Mis sions. The transformation of the camp from a parish to a diocesan project brought about many im provements, and, naturally, an fn- increase in numbers. A mess hall and kitchen were roofed and screen ed, a Delco power plant obtained for furnishing light and pumping water, a shower bath built at the foot ot the bluff at the water's edge. Approximately 100 children from all parts of the state attended Camp St. Mary’s in 1931. As teachers three Sisters and two Seminarians of the Diocese were assigned to the camp. To take care of any possible inju ries, .a doctor and nurse were in at tendance. Mass was said, and the Blessed Sacrament reserved, in a tent, erected for the purpose of sheltering the temporary altar. The children, both boys and girls, were now housed in new and larger tents, the line stretching along the bluff and facing the river, making a picturesque tented city. The chil dren still brought foodstuffs, which aided greatly in balancing the cur rent expenses. CAMP ST. ANN In 1932, Camp St. Mary’s, now firmly established, was again under the direction of Father Wolfe. On account of the increasing attend ance, Camp St. Mary’s was designed (Continued on Page Two-A) A Glympse of the Buildings GAMP SAINT MARY'S COMPLETES SEVENTH SUCCESSFUL SEASON “To Bring About a F riendlier Feeling Among Neighbors Irre spective of Creed” Published by the Catholic Lay men’s Association of Georgia.