Adventures with Jesus in the Enchanted Garden

The Niagara Falls Roman Catholic Family of Parishes developed a unique Vacation Bible School experience around the theme, “Adventures with Jesus in the Enchanted Garden.” There were 59 children, a record number in recent times, who participated in the weeklong camp at St. Vincent de Paul Parish. 

What made the camp different was not only the large number of participants but the fact that rather than buying a kit with all the lessons mapped out this year, Sister M. Joanne Suranni, CSSF, director of Faith Formation, and her team created a beautiful series of lessons and activities focusing on the gardens of the Bible. Sister Joanne taught each day’s Bible story which focused on gardens, specifically the Garden of Eden, Solomon’s Garden, the Garden of Gethsemane and the Garden of the Resurrection. On the final day the children visited the “orchard” of the fruits of the Holy Spirit from Galatians 5.

Each day the children met at Cobblestone Cottage for their lesson and then broke into small groups where they worked in centers. The decor near the cottage changed based on the day’s lesson. The children created a fabulous art project, making their very own tree of life, adding flowers, butterflies, leaves, a snake made of beads and other animals. A new activity this year was a series of service projects that the children engaged in. They made sun catchers for nursing home patients, cards for veterans returning from service and blessing bags with snacks and hygiene items for the homeless. Although rain impeded playing outside, the children also enjoyed outdoor games during the week as they played their own version of corn hole, and not only created but also navigated their own obstacle course. Music filled the week with joy as the children sang songs of praise with all their hearts. Some of their favorites were “Thank You Lord” and “Joy, Joy, Joy.” There were many songs with movement which added to the fun.

A special feature of the week was that the children had a chance to do some of their own gardening both inside and out. With the help of some caring and patient adults, each child created their own terrarium to tend and watch at home. From the laying of the stones to the placing of the plants, the children thoroughly enjoyed building terrariums. Later in the week, they planted bulbs, annuals and two rose bushes near a refurbished and newly painted statue of our Blessed Mother on the grounds behind St. Leo’s Worship Site. The children learned that Jesus cares for our souls the way we care for plants and that we need to each do our part to care for our souls.

On the final day of Vacation Bible School, the students interacted with animals that might be found in a garden, specifically snakes and lizards. Jeff Schroeder of Caveman Critters Inc., brought a variety of creatures for the children to pet and hold if they wished. There was wonder and awe in the children’s faces, and some of the adults too as they interacted with these unique animals.

The week ended with an ice cream social for the children and their families.  Sister Joanne thanked the volunteers, catechists and many teenagers who helped make everything run smoothly. It was an incredible week of building up the faith community in Niagara Falls.