Success!
Ahem, ladies, just as I said. The boys had a blast. Doug worked them till they were dead tired. He was firm and encouraging, and they loved it.
You have no idea how inspiring it was to see boys of all ages and abilities with looks of determination, struggling but not giving up. Doug had them doing push ups when they missed a catechism question and they all had smiles on their faces.
I am firmly convinced that this is exactly the right approach for boys. Be prepared for the little men to be fired up for more.
One father made a comment before everyone at the very end, saying that he left the encampment and better man. This was a challenge to the mind, body and spirit. We are forming Catholic warriors. Awsome!
Fra Augustine will have some video up in the next day or so. Stay tuned.
Mary Victrix 
I loved it!!! One of my many favorite parts was the test for the night watch which was not easy but very fun and I learned a lot from it: how never to let your guard down and to always be careful not to fall for distractions. I hope we can get Mr. Barry at a few more camp outs!!!!!! 😀
It was great, night watch looked fun! Just, to make it more fun, you should elimimnate the workout. ~Anonymous
I must say that I had an absolute blast this weekend. Our Lord and Our lady showed me humility when I couldn’t make it over the 3 foot wall of Jericho, yet my entire banner (made up of boys 5-17) cleared it without a problem. Or when a five year old could hold onto the ropes of the chasm, and I fell flat on my back after the first rope transfer. Mr. Barry forewarned us about humility, lesson taken. What most impressed me was the improvement of maturity, self-esteem, and catechisical knowledge the young knights showed throughout the weekend. I will say that the most impressive feat by far was the absolute secure perimeter the night watchmen had throughout Saturday night. It was a difficult feat to try to invade the camp while these men were on guard. Well done, men well done. I look forward to first Saturdays when we can further develop these young squires, into knight for Our Lady. There is a new Crusade, and the outlook isn’t so dismal.
Marc,
Why don’t you write a short essay on the night watch and send it to me. I will put it up as a post. You can email it to me at:
mv@figuadalupe.com
Marc always kept his guard up. Adam never got a chance to steal his poker chips no matter how many times he tried distracting his brother from the intense game! *smirks* Just teasing on that one. I had to skip Night Watch because of problems with my legs, so I missed out on the fun. 😦 I enjoyed the encampment, but I think that the Scavenger Hunt was a little too much combined with the Boot Camp, especially while trying to get introduced to the course and suddenly being viciously attacked by a wild pack of little kids trying to steal my team’s banner. (I’m not trying to be ‘unchivilrous’ when saying ‘a wild pack of little kids.’ But that’s the best description I could find.) I want to make mention of that because I received an injury via the (capture another team’s banner) part of the Scavenger Hunt. Nothing life threatening… And if it was, there would be no need to worry. There are plenty of priests around the friary!
I thought that the whole encampment was a blast! The coolest part was probably being able to shake Mr. Barry’s hand and be able to meet him in person. The workouts were fun especially the shoulder busters. Being a night watchman totally rocked; it was so much fun that I don’t think that I have a favorite part. I really liked the keep and Mr. Barry’s reassurances on the safety of the ropes. I look forward to more movies from Fra A. on the encampment. I would come again in a heartbeat if I have the chance. Please keep up the great work, Fathers and Brothers.
My, just turned 7 year old, son absolutely loved the encampment. My husband was not able to take him so a friend brought him. He loved every aspect of the weekend and can’t wait to go again. He’s had his Radix t-shirt on since yesterday afternoon. Today I reprimanded him for not staying on task and reminded him that when he allows himself to get distracted he is saying that what he was told to do is not important. He humbly said “yeah, I learned that at the encampment”.
No problem father, I can have an essay ready by friday at the very latest. Its gonna’ be a challange to make it short because there was a lot that went on but, I’ll do my best and it’ll be fun.
Hey this was a great idea!! Why can’t we do something for young women as well? Well minus the boot camp and chivalry 🙂 But one that truly encourages imitation of Our Lady and is fun at the same time!
Yes, the night gaurd kept Adam from cheating to to ….er….. past experiences…*Cough* On the contrary though, we should let anyone cheat on the consequence that they…..*pauses to think up good consequnce* aha! That they get hung from the tower! On a gibbet, with crows! ahem….sorry….. It was a lot of fun, (At least the second half) especially the keep, that was awesome! Well, Mr. Barry is a man all boys (being one myself) at lest partially want to be like.
Ave Maria!
Had a great time! It really challenged me physically and mentally. Having Doug Barry explain the faith and exercise was pretty amazing!! Doing the push-ups, flutter kicks, and jumping over the walls of Jericho were pretty tough. The most fun was the night watch where we heard many strangers noises such as coyotes. All we wanted to do was to be able to catch Doug Barry!!!! instead he caught us!!!!!!! It was truly inspiring and I can’t wait until the next encampment!! Thanks alot to all who helped make this encampment possible!!!!! Ave Maria!!
Handmaiden,
The friars would be happy to help with a retreat or day of recollection and certainly to support the women and mothers who would be needed to organize any activity accompanying it. We are good at cooking stuff up for boys, but, frankly men are from Mars and women are from Venus. We are certain to flub it up.
Three cheers for Doug Barry and the Friars – a job well done! These encampments get better and better with this last one having the best mix of testosterone appeal and mental discipline/catholic formation. I am finally seeing some enthusiasm from my boys – you can be both a “real” man and devout follower of Jesus Christ. Since this last encampment, I am finally seeing the virtues sink in. We need to continue this momentum as we all know how easily these virtues get deflated in the world we live.
As for the Night Watchmen, I will just move my tent. I wonder how far the catapult will reach.
Tom (the cook)
Correction – the above reply is mine and not Brenda’s but I think she would agree.
This is my first time driving on this website.
Tom
i am ROLFLOL i am sorry Marc but i gave you the cards in the black case at the encampment and you said “thanks 4 points to heaven”(i am not giving out names here)
4 Points to heaven