MADISON — The Love Begins Here service camp, held recently at various locations around the diocese, was not just paying lip service to the phrase “love your neighbor.”
It was teaching the youth who attended that even in a place as seemingly affluent as the United States there can be many people in need of help.
“It opens your eyes about how much people need help here,” said Sarah Garcia, a participant from Baraboo who had heard about the camp through her Confirmation class. “An hour away, there are people who need food, clothing, schools that need walls painted; there’s just a lot of stuff to be done here before we look other places.”
Youth from around the diocese attended the youth mission project Love Begins Here this summer, averaging 22 participants a session. The project, inspired by a similar program in the Diocese of Salina, Kan., and sponsored by the Diocese of Madison Office of Evangelization and Catechesis, combines service and spirituality to help youth see the connection between the faith and the works it should inspire to love and serve others.
Health care is a basic human right alongside food and shelter. All persons in the United States should be able to access good, affordable health care.