(ANS – Prague) – The “Salesians out serving” (SOS) international volunteer camp, a mixture of work, prayer and time for refreshing oneself, concluded on 12 August. It has been billed as a complete success. Those taking part came from 4 countries: Czech Republic, Germany, Russia and Spain. “I am happy I was able to be part of it; it was worth my while”, said one young man from Moscow.

The first ideas for a volunteer camp of the kind arose last autumn amongst members of the Salesian Don Bosco Association (SADBA) a Czech NGO which functions at international level: “We send many Czech young people abroad to carry out international activities. Why not organise something for them here?”, they asked themselves

Thus arose the idea of an international camp bringing together work, prayer and some fun. The need to rebuild a parish house in Cucice, near Brno, offered lots of opportunities for work, and the nearby church was a place to pray. The surrounding countryside gave an opportunity to restore body and spirit. One part of the so-called “Euroteam” - a team of young people who help with organising international activities – became the leading group in preparation for the workshop. Two Salesians joined them, Frs Jaroslav Vracovsky and Hynek Cernoch.

The first stage of activities (from 2-4 August) were held in Prague, an hospitable place which also has its spiritual side. As well as getting to know the city, participants also got to know Fr Jenda Vyvoda, a Salesian whose own story well-demonstrated the see-sawing fortunes of the Salesian work in the Czech republic.

Then in Cucice, the real work began. The daily programme involved cutting grass, cleaning the area behind the barn,stripping off plaster and cleaning the doors; on the other hand there was morning meditation, mass in the afternoon and evening prayer. Several enjoyable occasions included the Sunday 5 August outing, the visit to the Permonium centre in Oslavany on Wednesday 8th, for rope-climbing competitions.

“I am happy that the volunteer workshop was a success and that we were able to offer a wealth of spiritual activities as well as part of our Salesian activities in Europe to make ourselves useful”, one of the organisers, Jiri Machalek, said.

Published 21/08/2012