The Altar Scout Summer Camp in Dryden, Ontario
Father Gerard Rusak

A flaming arrow comes down through the roof of a tepee to the sound of cries of an Indian attack, 15 surprised boys stand in a semi-circle about a newly kindled fire.  Is it an invasion?  No, it is the last campfire of Altar Scout Camp 2002.  This camp lasted 5 days in mid-July and took place on the vast properties of Mr. Steven Bobay, Mr. Michael Bobay, and Mr. Arthur Bobay on beautiful Wabigoon Lake near Dryden, Ontario.  Besides the 15 boys, 3 guardian angels (made of flesh and blood), two priests (Father Rusak and Father De Vriendt), 1 seminarian (Mr Andrew Rivera) and several laypersons helped make the camp a wonderful success. 

We thank God for the success of the camp.  Our Lord, however, deigns also to use human actions as secondary causes of His Providence.  In fact, the camp required months of preparation both by the faithful in Dryden (especially the Bobay Family) and those who helped from afar (Winnipeg and elsewhere).  On the spot we saw the construction of The Tepee, capable of protecting to protect (or so we thought) against the worst rains.  Fortunately, however, the rains only came after the camp was over!  This Tepee was not an ordinary one, but a vast structure in which the boys ate and drank, listened to instructions and held their nightly campfire.  Before the camp, the campsite was also cleared of brush, change-rooms and the outhouses were constructed, and a high flagpole was raised.  Mosquitoes were even diminished during the camp by a mosquito magnet.

What are Altar Scouts anyway?

The Altar Scouts are a grouping of boys founded this year in our Traditional missions in Central Canada.  The aim is to help our boys become true Catholic men.  We chose the name Altar Scouts because we want to form the whole man, natural and supernatural, in our boys.  The word scout, in the name Altar Scout, reminds us of the natural side.  Through scouting the boys learn many natural talents from the Altar Scout leaders.  These talents however are not limited to wilderness activities but they entail whatever the scout leaders can transmit of their expertise.  A boy may remain in the scouts until he becomes a man, and then he may become a Scout Leader.  The word Altar in the name Altar Scouts, reminds us that these scouts are centred around the altar, principally around the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.  For Altar Scouts scouting is not just the wilderness, it is the supernatural life of prayer and sacrifice which will make them true Catholic men.

The Camp activities

Every day at Altar Scout Camp, there were morning and evening prayers, a visit to the blessed sacrament, the Rosary and of course Holy Mass.  The Altar Scouts assisted at Mass in uniform.  Their uniform manifests the love of country with the Canadian flag on the left shoulder and also their love of purity and Our Lady in its white and blue colours.   The uniform was worn as well for the raising of the flags and more solemn moments.  Besides the Altar Scout flag, a larger Canadian flag was raised first (with the singing of the National Anthem).  Two provincial flags (those of Ontario and Saskatchewan) representing the origin of the boys at camp were also raised.  Daily also, Father Rusak gave short spiritual talks on the spiritual qualities and virtues of the Altar Scout.  Some reading at meals, taken from the lives of the Canadian Martyrs, provided the boys with spiritual incentive and instruction about our fathers in the Faith.  Every day at Mass, Father De Vriendt made a short sermon on the saint of the day.

At camp, three inter-provincial teams competed against each other in a spirit of charity and good will.  Each team had a Guardian Angel (a man assigned to watch over them).  These guardian angels and many others were impressed with the good conduct of the boys and the good spirit pervading the camp.

Other activities during the day, like canoeing, games and swimming contributed much to the happiness of the camp.  Activities like orienteering, first aid and rope tying formed the practical and speculative intelligence of the boys.  We would also have liked to have had some astronomy but the clouds did not permit it this year.  Singing especially around the quiet campfire was a very rich experience for the Altar scouts.  Some songs contributed to the joy and unity among the boys.  Others referring to the beauties of Canada gave them a love of God’s creation and their country.  Yet others gave them a love their Catholic Faith and the desire to defend it.  The Altar Scout Slogan “Do a good deed daily” was practiced daily at camp.  However, in addition, on the last day of the camp the boys happily spent two hours in gratitude to our hosts by cleaning up some scrap wood around the Dryden chapel.

We thank all those, including the boys, who made this camp a wonderful experience.  Meanwhile, the Altar Scouts enter into training this winter, looking forward to an even better camp in the summer of 2003.