Catholic alternate "Vacation Bible School" - The Vatican Express

why do we always use generic protestant programs? well, not eveyone does... From the Dominicans of the Eastern Province, comes:

THE VATICAN EXPRESS

Every summer, St. Patrick’s in Columbus has a huge Vacation Bible School. The numbers of kids and volunteers has steadily been increasing to the point of reaching nearly 200 kids. This year beat even that, with about 215 kids registered to hop on board the “Vatican Express.” Unlike many generic Vacation Bible Schools, St. Patrick’s looks to make their program explicitly Catholic. Hence the theme this year, the Vatican Express, which took the kids on a tour through St. Peter’s Basilica, led them to learn about apostolic succession and the Holy Father (and even get to “meet” him during the days), and helped them better understand what a great gift the Eucharist is. Throughout the week, the children were given catechesis, did crafts, and learned music to help drive home the teachings of the Church. One of the special projects the kids did was to write letters to the Holy Father, which will soon be sent to Rome. Some of these are so touching and really show what love children have for the Pope and the Church. Click on any of the slides below for a larger image: (Link)