‘TO THE HEIGHTS’

A week of faith, adventure and joy at St. Thomas the Apostle School

St. Thomas the Apostle School in Delmar recently hosted the “To the Heights” Vacation Bible School, a week inspired by the life and joyful witness of Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati. (Photo provided)

St. Thomas the Apostle School in Delmar was transformed into a mountain adventure this summer as campers gathered for the “To the Heights” Vacation Bible School, a week inspired by the life and joyful witness of Saint Pier Giorgio Frassati. With mountains to climb, mysteries to discover and faith to put into action, campers spent the week learning that the path to holiness can be an exciting adventure.

Each day brought a new challenge at the mountain-themed stations. At the Alpine Adventure Lab, campers explored God’s creation through hands-on science and discovered how animals are uniquely equipped for life in the mountains. At Mountain Maker Space, they created crafts and projects that connected creativity with faith. Verse Climb challenged campers to learn Scripture through movement and games, while Uppertrail Chapel gave them opportunities for prayer, reflection, adoration and encountering Christ.

Throughout the week, campers were introduced to saints and witnesses who showed what it means to live an adventurous life of faith. Saint Pier Giorgio was a particular inspiration, not only for his love of the mountains, but for his deep friendship with Christ, his service to those in need, his love for the Eucharist and his joy in sharing life with others.

The campers put that example into practice in many ways. They painted “summit rocks” with words of faith, created gifts for mothers in need, made rosary carabiners as reminders of their VBS journey and to pray, prayed together, sang, performed skits and found plenty of opportunities for laughter and a few Frassati-inspired pranks along the way!

By the end of the week, the campers had reached the “summit,” but the real lesson was that the journey does not end there. Through Scripture, prayer, service, friendship and the example of the saints, they were reminded that we are all called to keep climbing, to set our minds on the things above and to seek the heights of holiness.

The week concluded with families joining the campers for songs and a skit, celebrating not only what they had learned but the joy of growing together in faith. With grateful hearts, the St. Thomas community looks back on a week filled with adventure, laughter, prayer and a renewed desire to journey “To the Heights” with Christ.