As with our other clubs, we have compiled a list of suggested activities to earn your Patriotism pin.

Using Little Flowers as an example, we have saint to learn about, along with a Bible verse to memorize. We then have 8 other suggested activities to complete to show an understanding of the virtue and then putting into action to benefit the member, their family, their parish and maybe the world!

The activities get a little more challenging to finish. The idea is that younger members should be asked to do at least the first 3-4, while older girls might enjoy the challenge of completing all of them.

We rely on our parents to decide on the quality of the work and the effort of the member, taking into consideration age, ability or circumstances, to decide that member has fulfilled the requirements and has ‘earned’ the pin.

We have not designated a specific saint for our pin as we will let your family to pick its own ‘favorite’ American saint as one of the activities. You can ask this saint to watch over your family and welcome them to join your team of protective guardian angels and family patron saints.

The same is true for our Scripture verse. While there are no specific prayers or verses that speak of defending one’s country there are several that speak of God’s divine protection for those He loves as well as prayerful prayers of intercession for that protection during times of struggle or uncertainty. Three suggestions are given for your family to choose what is inspiriting for you.

See the last activity here to see our ideas about how to close out this summer activity for your family. Here’s the link to order your own pins – catalog.beholdpublications.com

ACTIVITY SHEET FOR PATRIOTISM PIN
Happy 250th Birthday USA
1776-2026

-Work to memorize your family’s chosen Scripture. Enjoy going on a Bible Verse hunt to read our suggested verses and prayerfully choose your verse. A quick craft can be to make a sign (or more) to post over your front door, on bathroom mirrors or other public place as a reminder.

CHOICES:

“if then my people, upon whom my name has been pronounced, humble themselves and pray, and seek my face and turn from their evil ways, I will hear them from heaven and pardon their sins and heal their land.” 2 Chronicles 7:14

OR

“Do not fear them! Keep in mind the LORD, who is great and to be feared, and fight for your kindred, your sons and daughters, your wives and your homes.” Nehemiah 4:8b

OR

“(First of all, then,) I ask that supplications, prayers, petitions, and thanksgivings be offered for everyone, for kings and for all in authority, that we may lead a quiet and tranquil life in all devotion and dignity. This is good and pleasing to God our savior, who wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth.” 2 Tim 2:1-4

-Pick your family’s favorite American Saint. Check out this list: https://aleteia.org/2017/12/29/49-saintly-souls-of-the-united-states-of-america/

Read their biography and make them a new part of your family. Mark their feast day on your calendar and have a family celebration. You might also decide to purchase a statue, holy card or picture if available.

-Discuss what patriotism means and why it is important. Check out these links for help.

https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/patriotism-begins-at-home
https://www.catholicsteward.com/a-letter-from-fr-fons-the-virtue-of-patriotism-a-willingness-to-serve/

Define the word ‘semiquincentennial’ for your family then find a family friendly book to explore the unique history of our country. Make use of your local library (perhaps they are hosting an event you could attend regarding our country’s birthday?).

-Read our Declaration of Independence together. Make note of the times God is invoked. Discuss its impact on our lives. How has your family benefited from its creation.

Highlight the only Catholic signer of the document – Charles Carroll of Carrollton from Maryland. Check out the impact of these other Carroll family members: John and Daniel.

-What is the history of your state and its own history within the United States? Did it have an active part in the Revolutionary War or the War of 1812? Did it join later? Who are its citizen’s of note? Knowing these simple facts can help in instilling a sense of gratitude for all those who went before us to help establish our own homes.

-Discover a few Catholic firsts for the United States. Go on an intellectual treasure hunt and discover these 5 firsts:

First Church’s location
Date of the first Mass celebrated
First Bishop
First Cathedral
Oldest Catholic Seminary

-Visit the USCCB website and take advantage of their videos, articles and other materials. Pick one to highlight for family viewing or discussion. https://www.usccb.org/weholdthesetruths

–Attend a 250th celebration of your choosing. Is there going to be a parade or fireworks in your area? Most areas do something for yearly Independence Day but many are doing even more during this special summer. Find one that fits your family’s schedule and head out remembering to thank God for His goodness and our country’s protection.

-Read the prayer for our country from the first American bishop, Archbishop John Carroll (c. 1736-1815)

Find a copy of it online and pray it as a family. Perhaps you can do it on July 4th specifically or around an outside campfire, after an All-American bbq or before heading out to a fireworks show? Remembering our country in a small way during your family’s daily prayers might be a new tradition to start.

It might be a nice ending to your family’s adventure if you were to give out the Patriotism pin during this last activity. Perhaps playing/singing God Bless America?

We hope you had fun doing this as a part of your family’s summer. Being a part of this special 250th year is kind of cool isn’t it? May God continue to bless our country and shed His grace on us.

There’s a whole lot happening in our country this summer! Our Church is continuing the powerful gathering that took place at the Eucharistic Congress with a nationwide pilgrimage, One Nation Under God, to end in Philadelphia on July 4th. https://www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org/one-nation-under-god

Our country was consecrated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus by all the bishops on June 11, 2026.

We are celebrating our 250th semiquincentennial of our founding as a country with all of its celebrations all over the country on and around July 4th. https://www.usccb.org/consecration-united-states-sacred-heart-jesus

Here at Behold Clubs, we just got done posting information about how you can host your own camp for with the theme, “God Bless America – 2026”.

But, we knowing not everyone can do everything and hosting a camp might be something you are not called to. With this in mind, we would like to invite every family to to do something special to celebrate the summer of 2026. How about your family earning its own button together?

I’VE GOT PATRIOTISM

Everyone in the family can earn their own Patriotism button by working by together as a family activity for Summer, 2016. Designed just like the pages of our clubs’ members’ guides – Little Flowers, Blue Knights, Honor Guard, and more – the Patriotism pin will give 10 activities to work on together to ‘earn’ your button.

You can choose to do all ten or just a few based on your family’s age range, abilities, time or circumstances. You might decide to host a sleep out under the stars and campfire in your own backyard. You might check it off as the summer progresses with a party to celebrate at the end before school starts. Or something different. Our hope is that this will help your family make a memories to last by commemorating this unique year in a unique way.

Patriotism as a virtue might seem incongruous or incompatible. We might think of the Scripture reminding us that you can’t serve God and mammon (Mt. 6:24). Or even as a sin against the 1st Commandment, “I am the Lord thy God, you shall have no other gods before me.” However, a special regard and honor for our country keeps God front and center as He is the giver of all good gifts including the United State of America.

“The virtue of patriotism can be defined as “Paying due honor and respect to one’s country, with a willingness to serve.” The love we are called to have for our homeland is based on gratitude for the gifts and benefits it affords us. It’s also a virtue that seeks to give back in ways that will make our country better. Being a patriot doesn’t mean accepting everything our country has done or is doing as good or worthwhile. But it does mean a generosity to seek to grow in those virtues that will improve its future.”

https://www.catholicsteward.com/a-letter-from-fr-fons-the-virtue-of-patriotism-a-willingness-to-serve

With this as our inspiration, you can also check out these sites for more inspiration.

https://www.usccb.org/weholdthesetruths

And

The virtue of patriotism

Give it some thought and prayer for your family! Tomorrow’s blog will be the ACTIVITY SHEET FOR “I’VE GOT PATRIOTISM”! God bless you until then.

Photo by rfirman on FreeImages

Did you know that tomorrow, June 11, the United States Bishops are consecrating our country to the Sacred Heart of Jesus? It has been talked about in my diocese especially as the Mother Cabrini path of the Eucharistic Procession is entering Maryland today, tomorrow in Delaware.

“On June 11, 2026, as part of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. bishops will consecrate the United States of America to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Parishes around the country are encouraged to join the bishops in celebrating the consecration of our nation to the Sacred Heart.”

If you are interested to be a part of this amazing celebration check this out:

https://www.usccb.org/consecration-united-states-sacred-heart-jesus

It is not to late to highlight this in your own family’s prayers and intentions!

CAMP 2026

GOD BLESS AMERICA

We hope the information we have been sharing this week has been beneficial as you prayerfully decide about hosting your own camp this summer. Whether for your own family, your group or a parish event, gathering children together for Catholic fun is always fun.

We just want to offer a review some last minute thoughts and introduce you to the concept of charities.

SET-UP – Having everything ready to go as soon as your campers arrive makes every camp start smoother. Will you do decorations? Most stores have patriotic decorations in abundance now due to the 250th celebration.

Make necessary signs for restrooms, food areas for drop-off, and any rooms where activities will take place.

Will you need name tags or do all the campers already know each other?

Have a clearly obvious registration table for campers to check in, get any camp supplies or gear helps as well.

SUPPLIES – Decorations, games, food for meals and snacks, beverages, tableware, table clothes, cleaning supplies, craft supplies, and each activity.

MENUS/MEALS: How many meals and snacks will you be providing? Water for each camper. Be aware of allergies. Where will the food be collected, cooked, served and eaten?

T-SHIRTS – While we mentioned doing a t-shirt as part of a craft, you might also decide to just buy t-shirts for everyone to wear as a part of camp, a take-away as it were. With the 250th being celebrated, it would be easy to buy one of the celebratory shirts with God Bless America already printed on them or lean into red, white and blue. Discuss the cost with your families.

SCHEDULE: Decide on the arrival and departure times. Allow families enough time to get themselves there.

PRAYER: While we are a Catholic camp, we also know how easy it can be to forget to let God be a part of what we do. Weaving prayer throughout the day brings us back to reason we are together. We want to ask God to bless our country, and show our thanks to Him by our time together. We want to welcome God to be a part of our adventures – Opening Prayer. Our Angelus prayer at lunch to draw ourselves back to God and then closing prayer as our thanks for the great time we had. Adding a Rosary or Divine Mercy Chaplet is another gift we give both to ourselves and to God for all His blessings.

You might decide to incorporate these prayers into your camp:

Prayers for the Nation

You can google one or more of our American saints and find prayers penned by their hand such as St. Elizabeth Ann Seton or Mother Cabrini.

The first bishop, John Carroll, wrote this powerful prayer for our country in 1791:

https://www.archbalt.org/prayer-for-our-government-by-archbishop-john-carroll

SAMPLE TIME FRAMES:

Registration: 30 minutes. Depending on the # of families and how far they are traveling.

Swapping Charities: As the campers are waiting for everyone to arrive, you could welcome them to start swapping until it is time to get started.

Welcome Event: 15 minutes. After most/all of the campers have arrived be sure to begin our event with prayer. A prayer of thanksgiving for the event, our country and hope for a great day.

Have a welcome game planned. Make it a Get to Know Me type of game if the campers don’t know each other, or a simple game such as Simon Says or Freeze Dance to get everyone warmed up for a good time.

Orientation: 10-15 minutes. Go over schedule, location of important places, people and things. Who are the helpers, where will they go for activities, etc. 10-15 minutes

Activity Periods: 1 hour. Allow for set-up, discussion about the activity, discussion with the campers, craft time, clean up time and travel to the next event time.

Meal Time: 1 hour, allow for set-up time and clean-up time. Say the Angelus and also Grace before Meals. A closing prayer after the meal (“We give you thans, almighty God…).

Depending on this location will the campers just fill their time after they eat on their own? Allowed to leave the table? Free time until next activity.

Charities could be swapped here as well as the meal is closing out.

Game Time and Free Time – depends on how long your camp is scheduled for. Ensure an adult or two is available as an active chaperone or an observant chaperone.

An active chaperone (or more) is the adult or teen running the event. Making sure everyone knows how to play, no camper is left out, games are played correctly and fairly.

An observant chaperone is in the background as the campers are making their own fun such as playing board games or having conversations. The campers know what they are doing but we want to ensure there is no neglect of virtue – everyone is included, language is appropriate, disagreements don’t get out of control, and everyone is being safe and property is being respected.

CAMP FIRE – As mentioned previously is a campfire possible? If an outdoor one isn’t possible, we have had very fun ones inside at previous camps when the weather didn’t cooperate.

Lights were turned low, campers had their flashlights, everyone sat in camp chairs or on blankets on the floor in a circle. Camp songs were sung, skits were performed. You can make s’mores in an oven if you want or just provide a yummy dessert.

A quick google will show you a fake fire made from fairy lights, red and yellow tissue paper and real logs. Pinterest will show you how to make one if this appeals to you.

CLOSING CEREMONY:

At the end of camp, bring everyone together to give it the proper closure. As there are no actual badges to give out for each activity, you could make it a show and tell with each camper showing what they made. You could also ask each camper and adult share their favorite memory.

We do have the 250th commemorative buttons which could give given to each camper (and adult?) if you decide to purchase those. The focus of the closing ceremony is to make sure everyone is recognized for being there and to be to say thank you for everyone else coming and everyone who helped.

Close with a prayer and make sure everyone is ready to help with the clean-up!

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE CHARITIES?

Charities or swaps are small little crafts that each girl would make to trade/swap with other campers. These have always been a huge hit in previous camps!

If you look up swaps on pinterest you will find some great ideas: https://www.pinterest.com/search/pins/?q=catholic%20swaps&rs=typed

Here’s just a small selection from my own collection of charities I have gotten at LF camps for some inspiration.

Consider this fun addition for your camp, especially if your group don’t know each other well. We have seen the happiness and sense of accomplishment the campers have as they share their charities with each other. Let camper know how many they need giving them enough time to create theirs. Have the girls put their names on it with small piece of paper or marker so everyone knows who it came from.

Well, that’s it! Not really, if you decide you want to have a camp of your own we’re here for you. Hopefully, we have given you more than enough to get started and you can feel free to reach out to us for questions, or orders of our commemorative pin https://catalog.beholdpublications.com/product/ive-got-patriotism-button/ .

(Photo by Gio Bartlett on Unsplash)

At first, we were going to tackle these over today (Thursday) and tomorrow (Friday). But, as it turns out, this is easier than you may imagine.

Imagine every cookout or bbq you have ever been at with your family. You bring the hamburgers, potato salad and a bag of chips, then someone shows up with some buffalo wings, someone else with mac and cheese and a jello salad. You all finish dinner with a big plate of brownies and chocolate chip cookies. You have cans of Coke in a cooler and pitchers of sweet tea on hand if anyone gets thirsty. You play games of corn hole, throw around a frisbee, play a bit of kickball or use the basketball hoop at the edge of the park. It is a fantastic day in every regard!

There you have it, an All-American picnic meal. And everything listed from the food and drinks to the games were all invented right here in America! Pretty fantastic!

So, as you plan your meals and games for camp, do what ever you like because America is also a melting pot! My first Thanksgiving meal with my husband’s family the only thing I really recognized was the turkey. Being in Baltimore, Maryland there was a crab casserole and also having grown up in German neighborhoods, there was sauerkraut and kielbasa. This wasn’t Thanksgiving (the first all american meal perhaps?) my Mom made! But, over the years I have come to love them both, but I love the crab the most and the casserole remains on my family’s Thanksgiving menu.

If you ask a family to handle all the meals as a donation or with reimbursement to follow, let them decide the menu. A good old-fashioned potluck might be easiest with everyone bringing something they want or as assigned is another option. While ensuring food allergies and diet restrictions are taken into consideration, your menu can be what you make it to be.

If you are providing breakfast, ready-to-eat, no cooking needed cereal, is also an American invention starting with healthy granolas actually invented in my hometown of Dansville, NY in 1863! We also have the first chapter of the American Red Cross, but I digress.

Breakfast could be a selection of American cereals such as Cheerios, Corn Flakes or those sugar bombs of Frosted Flakes, and Lucky Charms. You could even make knock-off Egg McMuffins, invented of course by McDonald’s, another American invention!

Our only ‘suggestion’ would be to consider introducing your campers to a Chicago-style hot dog in honor of Pope Leo XIV as that is his home town:

From Wikipedia we have: A Chicago-style hot dog, Chicago dog, or Chicago red hot is a hot dog comprising an all-beef frankfurter on a poppy seed bun, originating in Chicago, Illinois. The hot dog is topped with yellow mustard, chopped white onions, bright green sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato slices or wedges, pickled sport peppers (a variety of Capsicum annuum), and a dash of celery salt. WOW! That’s a lot of stuff on a hot dog, so maybe not a Chicago dog exactly.

So, simply put make a menu that is easy for you, your campers and your families. Here’s a great list of other American food firsts if you are interested:

https://www.thedailymeal.com/1378249/foods-invented-in-america

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_foods

The same is true for games – frisbee, kickball, baseball, volleyball, cornhole and hula hoops. Many of our favorite board games were also invented in America – Monopoly, Life, Candy Land and Twister if you want to schedule an hour of those. Google toys invented in America and you could have game time with play-doh, Barbie or GI Joe, Slinky, Silly Putty or Lite-Brite.

As mentioned in an earlier post, create a schedule allowing enough time for as many activities as you want and provide good food, and good fun and everyone should have a good time!

Tomorrow we will give you a sample schedule, discuss charities (what are those?) and try to tie up any loose ends. God bless you every day and see you tomorrow.

(wiki image of Chicago dog – arnold inuyaki / Arnold Gatilao – https://www.flickr.com/photos/arndog/3031712242/in/photostream/)

It’s another long post, so perhaps you want a cup of tea or lemonade before you start!

GOD BLESS AMERICA – CAMP 2026

I have mixed feelings about crafts. On one hand, I like doing them. On the other hand, my crafts rarely turn out as good I had imagined or hoped.

On another hand, I like making my own memory of the event/gathering. But on the other hand, what I made is often gathering dust and forgotten. And as parent are they really worth the money, time and effort?

It depends on who you are asking. My children have always liked doing crafts just as I did when I was thier age. And despite my waffling attitude towards crafts, I have a small basket I made back in 1978 when I was a counselor at a 4-H camp off Canandaigua Lake. This craft is still being used in my kitchen! Using it and seeing it brings back great memories and reminds to keep the people I worked with and the campers I interacted with in my prayers; despite not being able to remember most of their names.

As a result, you are welcome to approach doing crafts your own way at your camp. We will provide some suggestions, some websites for ideas and advice about budget. As with all decisions, it depends on you, how many campers you have along with the length and location of your camp.

Before beginning with our ideas, we wanted to share a very neat website that has easy crafts that I have never seen: https://teencrafts.com/cheap-diy-crafts/ While I am not sure any of these can be adapted for our specific activities, feel free to be creative!

IDEA #1

Make one big craft for each badge with each camper contributing to this. This could be a mural, a large map or series of posters highlighting the activity choice you made.

This works very well if you are holding camp at a specific parish. You could ask your pastor or other staff member about hanging these after camp is over. Being able to publicly display the hard (and fun) work of the campers always gives them a boost. At the same time, the parish is learning about how our Catholic faith has been a part of our country’s story from the very start.

SUPPLIES: Mural paper or newspaper roll or poster board, markers/colored pencils

IDEA #2

Make a bigger craft for each camper to take home. Each camper is given a plain tote bag, pillow case, t-shirt, a big poster or drawing pad/notebook to fill. During each activity they can add a picture or symbol with fabric paints or markers/crayons depending in item.

If you decide to use drawing pad/notebook they are making their own scrapbook. They can be encouraged to press flowers into it, glue in leaves. Have friends can sign it at the end of camp. During each activity, they can commemorate what they learn with short quotes, drawings, whatever they like.

SUPPLY: One item per camper and what they need to complete it. Fabric paints, markers, etc.

IDEA #3

A continuing craft, like the first idea, but each camper has their own USA map. Not as large as a wall map but bigger than a sheet of paper.

As they go from activity to activity they would add on information they learn. They could label their map with the camp theme (God Bless America), Pope Leo’s motto “In Illo uno unum,” which translates to “In the One, we are one”. Decorate it with his crest? See below for a good site for downloading printable maps.

SUPPLIES: Map per person. Markers/colored pencils, etc. Stickers for decorations.

IDEA #4

Each camper makes their own craft for each activity. Ideas below with any necessary links.

FOR THE ACTIVITY LIST

FINDING OUT THE FIRST:

-Get poster board and draw (or have the campers draw) an outline of a big #1. They then fill in the number with the names, dates or other interesting information they learn. You can add #1 stickers, saint stickers, holy cards of these saints.

-Make a #1 banner. Make enough #1’s for each girl to create a banner. Print these out of card stock, construction paper or large index card. Put one of our #1’s on each paper, punch holes at the top and string them with ribbons or string.

FIRST AMERICAN POPE:

-Print out his crest to color. https://www.morningkids.net/coloring-pages-id-66098-pope-leo-xiv-the-coat-of-arms.html

Explanation of his crest: https://press.vatican.va/content/salastampa/en/bollettino/pubblico/2025/05/14/250514b.html

You can add his motto to it as well.

Here’s a great explanation of the meaning of papal crests: https://www.catholicfaithstore.com/a/daily-bread/post/why-do-popes-have-a-coat-of-arms?srsltid=AfmBOorMlNsDnchwVfhYp2IO0IFYjk-x_NK75dfqg0OoM_rSNTGJaXF-

-Conclave craft. While explaining how Pope Leo was chosen as pope check out this simple craft for help and an easy craft:
https://www.allsaintsplay.com/blog/papal-conclave-catholic-little-kid-activities

-If parents are with the campers how about they create a family crest? Here’s a youtube video from England: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EHz_Y10sIqQ

Here’s some downloadable forms:

https://www.nga.gov – search for Family Crest

A homeschool Mom has created an entire lesson plan and downloadable: https://happystronghome.com/create-a-coat-of-arms-free-printable/

SAINTS FROM THE UNITED STATES

-Within the explanation, we explain about using a map of the United States for finding out where these saints came from, did their work and more. If you are using maps for this activity only, here is a good download of a black line maps – https://www.freeusandworldmaps.com/

-Teach your campers about the older art technique of CANIVET. the older art of embellishing holy cards. From https://www.casacenina.com/. “Canivet is an art connected to small holy pictures and it was probably born in France, in the 13th century approx. With this craft, the holy pictures are realized in a sort of needlework on a light perforated paper with an as perforated edge, forming a lace.”

However, in more modern times this became embellishing a holy card by gluing lace, or ribbon or pretty paper. You can glue one onto a piece of card stock or cardboard and provide the campers materials including plastic gems, glitter pens (or not), stickers and more.

Just search for “cavinet” and AI will happily give you a more detailed description and you will see lovely images for the campers to be inspired by.

SUPPLIES: One holy card or images of the American Saints, lace, ribbon, stick on jewels, beads, etc. for embellishment.

-Make a patriotic red, white and blue banner for our country’s birthday. Utilize red, white and blue card stock cut into triangles. Each camper creates a flag for each of the saints listing a their favorite fact or maybe a quote you find from that saint. Punch holes in the paper and string along a ribbon or string.

-Make pinwheels of red, white and blue and write a fact about the saint in each of the four ‘petals’. Here’s a quick tutorial on making them:

With a chipper voice giving instructions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNjyf88-wAM

Watch and learn silent video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C0Rugzrpgv8\

SUPPLIES:

Scissors
Markers, colored pencils, crayons
Glue
Scotch Tape

Specific supplies are listed for each craft activity such as holy cards of American Saints, stickers, items for embellishment such as lace, beads, jewels, etc.

Reach out to parents to see what they might have to donate and/or share. Don’t buy anything before seeing what is already available to you. Determine the cost of what you need to buy or order and let each family know their expected share. Please strive to keep costs appropriate for the family circumstances of your campers. 

Enjoy making crafts with your campers and see how talented they (and maybe even you) are and what they bring home to remember their great camp!

God Bless you and God Bless America!

(Heart Image from Congerdesign and Basket from Vilkass at Pixabay)

While we don’t have any specific badges for these suggested activities for our God Bless America Catholic Clubs Camp 2026, we have great ideas for commemorating the campers time including this newly designed button:

Heads UP! This is looooonnnnggger post as we are listing all four Activities to work with. Pick as many or as few as you need for your planned camp, number of campers and adults along with its length. We have strived to make them as simple as possible, as interesting as possible and as fun as possible.

CAMP 2026 – GOD BLESS AMERICA!

It is an exciting time around my piece of the planet. I live within an hour of both Philadelphia and Baltimore and there is so much being planned for the upcoming 250th birthday of our country.

Even my town is getting involved as George Washington has slept in my town at least twice as well as one day with Thomas Jefferson visiting. We also had one of the largest landings of British soldiers during the height of the war.

On a side note, my family spent quite a few years being historical re-enactors in my town with a local tourism group. I sewed colonial skirts, dresses, knickers and vests. We did skits at schools, local festivals, participated in gatherings at Valley Forge, all of it. My whole family was involved including my husband. While my adult children cringe when I bring the photos out of them in costume, they also have fond memories of that time together.

Not knowing where you live, you may not feel you have any real connection to the upcoming 250th celebrations beyond watching good fireworks or parades. But, you can become connected through the history of the Catholic Church in our country. We have quite a bit we can be proud of in that regard and we hope to introduce you to some of it through our summer camp.

We have four options for activities this camp. And within each one, we have suggested ways of passing along or teaching the information. Feel free to use our suggestions or one of your own.

While none of these have actual badges for sewing on, we do have suggestions for commemorating these from pins to ribbons. Your members will certainly make fond memories and get their own photos to look at when they get older.

FIND OUT THE FIRSTS

During this activity your campers will find out some of the many Catholic firsts for our country. You could create a trivia game, do a multiple choice game or similar activity to teach them.

Also, if you know the members coming personally, you could assign them one of these to learn one of these on their own and come with the details to share. As a group you could make a big poster that might be able to hung at a home parish as a way of sharing the knowledge.

Be as creative as you want to let the campers know some truly historical facts about the impact Catholics have had on our country. You may even want to make up your own “American Catholic History Jeopardy Game!” https://jeopardylabs.com/

MEMBER OF THE CONTINENTAL CONGRESS & SIGNER OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE – Charles Carroll of Carrollton – From Maryland, only Catholic signer of the Declaration Of Independence (FYI – he was NOT a Mason despite what the National Treasure movie tells us)

WHICH OF THE 13TH COLONIES WAS FOUNDED FOR CATHOLICS – Maryland, named for Queen Mary, founded in 1633. First Catholics arrived on ships called the Dove and the Ark.

FIRST CHURCH BUILT – 1565 at the Cathedral Basilica of St. Augustine in St. Augustine, Florida. The land was owned by the Spanish but it is the first church built in what is now part of the USA.

FIRST CHURCH BUILT WITHIN THE THIRTEEN COLONIES – The St. Francis Xavier Church in Leonardtown, Maryland. Its Jesuit mission was established in 1640.

FIRST DIOCESE – The Diocese of Baltimore (now the Archdiocese of Baltimore), established in 1789 with John Carroll as its first bishop.

FIRST AMERICAN CITIZEN SAINT – St. Frances Xavier Cabrini. We will cover more USA saints in another activity choice.

FIRST SEMINARY – St. Mary’s Seminary and University in Baltimore, Maryland.
Founded in 1791 by French Sulpician priests.

FIRST CONVENT – Mount Carmel Monastery in Port Tobacco, Maryland (now located in La Plata) was established by Discalced Carmelite nuns in 1790

FIRST COLLEGE – Georgetown University. Founded in 1789 in Washington, D.C., by John Carroll, it remains the country’s oldest operating Catholic and Jesuit college.

Other notable Catholics – Thomas Fitzsimmons who was secretary and aide-to-camp to General Washington, while John Barry is considered the father of the American Navy.

2. FIRST AMERICAN POPE There is enough information available to help you introduce the first American Pope to your campers. Pick of these ideas (or use one of your own):

Teaching your campers about Pope Leo IXV could take place as a Did You Know? approach to trivia. Making use of on-line resources or one of the many books already published you can present some interesting facts about Pope Leo as a game show approach if you are familiar with Three Truths and a Lie, (not comfortable with endorsing telling lies, my family approaches this with “3 Facts and 1 Fiction”). List 3 facts about Pope Leo and add a fiction (typically a bit outrageous so they can easily spot it).

Conclave – While Pope Leo has been in office over 100 days, your campers might want to know how he got there. Check out this amazing resource for ideas:

https://www.allsaintsplay.com/blog/papal-conclave-catholic-little-kid-activities

Make Their Own Book – Using a simple list of facts such as Name, Birthday, Where was he from, Ordination Date, Missionary Work, Favorite Baseball Team. He is said to love pizza, tennis and playing world. You could include coloring pages of his image, his crest or motto. Connect the pages with staples, punch holes and yarn/string.

3. SAINTS FROM THE UNITED STATES

Here is a great page highlighting the 11 saints directly connected to the United States;

https://sfarch.org/holy-heroes-saints-in-the-united-states/

Make yourself a fact sheet about each of these to be able to share with campers.

You might give each camper a large enough map of the United States to put each of these in their proper state. Use a large white sticker or write directly on the map list some important facts about these saints. Country of birth, their mission, date of birth/death, feast day, etc.

Or you could divide them and give each camper one saint to create a poster, coloring sheet or similar.

You might also use one very large map and index cards to highlight these amazing men and women. Can the finished work be posted in a local church after camp and share the wealth?

Included in the article above are the Blessed of the USA, feel free to add any of these especially if you have a particular love for a specific one.

Don’t forget the offerings on American Saints books for kids through Behold Publications! In honor of our 250th Birthday, this books are all 25% off all summer! https://catalog.beholdpublications.com/product-category/catholic-literature-for-home-and-school/glory-of-america-catholic-fiction-for-kids/

4. PATRIOTISM

As found on-line at a number of sites: “The Catechism of the Catholic Church discusses the virtue of patriotism in the section which explains the fourth commandment.  The love and service of one’s country follow from the duty of gratitude and belong to the order of charity (CCC #2239).”

There are number of good articles highlighting this if you want to investigate further. A very good one is found here:

https://www.ncregister.com/blog/patriotism-is-an-unsung-virtue

Talk to the campers about how patriotism fits with charity and what it means for them.

***We do not want to get involved in any politics or difficult conversations about current headlines at camp. Please be ready to steer conversations away from any of those to focus on real positives. Freedoms found in the Constitution, the diverse landscapes of our country. Mention the national parks, zoos, libraries, churches, only found here in the United States. Have a conversation about what they like about being Americans.

Focus and celebrate on those All American things everyone likes:

• famous boardgames created in the USA include Monopoly, Scrabble, The Game of Life, Twister, Connect Four, Battleship, and Yahtzee.
• other games invented in USA – corn hole, every Frisbee sport/disc golf, kickball, volleyball, skateboarding, and basketball

Check out this list – 20 American Inventions that changed the world:

20 American Inventions That Changed The World

A fuller list is on wikipedia –

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:American_inventions

Learning about these and being rightfully proud of the ingenuity of Americans, both past and present is a great way to celebrate our country without any awkward conversations.

You can introduce these facts in any number of ways from bringing in actual games, inventions, etc. or print out some pictures and glue them to a big poster. Have a delightful conversation about how any or all of these have made lives of people all around the world better.

The campers could use paper/markers/crayons and draw their own invention to add to the list. Or create their own game. Let them become one of the next great Americans who added something fun, wonderful and beautiful to the world.

The four (4) activities above become the backbone of your camp. Build your schedule around those you are going to do. Again, you can choose all four or just a few or even just one. Around this decision put in the time for food, snacks, games, downtime and time together in prayer and you will have a great camp.

Hosting a camp might seem intimidating but we know you can do it! As a possible host, you can decide just what camp will look like to fit what you are able to do!

You can do a single day event, two or three days. You could decide on an overnight or have it be a come and go event. We have always had our camps have a mother/daughter retreat dimension to it but that is not necessary.

Here is a list of questions to consider:

-Length of camp
-Type of camp. Sleepover or day camp
-Number of expected campers
-Number of necessary adults/teens as chaperones, helpers, etc. Let others help so you can enjoy the fun as well.

-Location. Enough space for all campers, space for eating, working on crafts, games. Sleeping space if needed.
-Menu for food. How many meals and snacks will you need to provide. Space needed for cooking? Will there be special diet accommodations?

-How many badges will your campers work towards? Which ones?
-Review the badges and make a list of supplies and requirements for each.

-Games and supplies needed

-Cost. Develop a budget based on what needed to be bought vs. what will be brought or donated by families.

-Schedule. From arrival time to closing badge ceremony. Create a working schedule of badges, meals, games and some down time for everyone to just enjoy other’s company.

Please don’t forget to incorporate our Catholic practices in your camp! Begin and close with prayer and the Angelus before lunch. Is there time in a group Rosary? While each badge focuses on our Catholic faith, remember to sprinkle it throughout the day.

And, finally, as many of us have memories of camps we attended or the iconic image of songs around a campfire and s’mores, consider it as a lovely end to a lovely camp.

Once again, we have a printable camp ready for your family or club members!

While we would have liked having an in-person camp as they were always so fun, it isn’t possible. BUT – that doesn’t prevent you from having one with your own family or club.

Our camps are created to be easy to adapt for groups of different sizes, you can make it a family adventure, a co-ed day event or even held at your parish. We provide the basics of a theme, badge choices, crafts, food and more. You can host it based on donations from every family attending or ask for an affordable cost for each family. Are you thinking about it?

Our theme?

God Bless America!

On July 4, 2026, we will be celebrating the 250th anniversary or birthday (whichever you choose) of the United States of America. We have the election of an American Pope, Pope Leo XIV. At the same time, we also have the continuing Eucharistic Procession making its St. Frances Xavier Cabrini Route along the East Coast – including a stop in Philadelphia, July 3-5! With the theme of “One Nation Under God”.

https://www.eucharisticpilgrimage.org/

With their theme of “One Nation Under God”, the timing seems right to highlight the Catholic history and highlights of our beloved country at a Catholic Club camp so “God Bless America” is our prayer and theme.

Starting on Monday, we will post our ideas, suggestions and advice about hosting a camp for your club members either at your home, parish or maybe local park. We will cover camp basics (Monday), badge choices (Tuesday), craft ideas (Wednesday), game ideas (Thursday) and food ideas (Friday).

Over the past few years with camps both hosted by us directly and those hosted by local leaders have been a real success. They become a way for members to become closer friends, allow them to discover their faith and have fun outside of a meeting in a more casual setting. Our camp choice this summer allows Behold Club families celebrate our 250th anniversary from a Catholic lens.

We will see you on Monday and if you should have any questions ahead of time or as you read what is posted, please let us know!

God Bless you, your family and America!

(images: Pixabay – girls running – campfinder, flag image – prawny)