- 1520 GREEN ST, SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94123
- 415-567-WEST(9378)
- webmaster@dowoca.org
St. Eugene’s Orthodox Youth Camp offers an amazing opportunity to meet new people from different parishes and form bonds that will last a lifetime. St. Eugene’s can be found at the Armenian Western Diocese campsite in the mountains of Dunlap, California. The days may be hot, but the enthusiasm of the camp and staff make the days full of fun and new experiences. The beautiful mountain climate was perfect for contemplation of God’s Creation. The isolated location creates a serene condition in which to connect with others, and experience the stories of saints.
From June 26th to July 2nd, over eighty campers, eight clergy members, and over thirty adult volunteers came from all over the Pacific Central and Pacific Southwest Deaneries, as well as the San Diego area, to celebrate and explore God’s glory, and explore our theme of the North American Saints. Through our Christian education classes, we looked at the lives of saints who graced North America’s shores: who they were before they became saints, and how they found their calling and became saints. The understanding of their humanity brought them closer to the campers and helped to remind us that before they were saints, they were men and women. Camp was full of singing: in morning prayers, at meals, during Vespers, Divine Liturgy, and at our final night campfire, led by our fabulous camp choir. Everyday we played games with each other, such as elbow and blob tag, and anything involving water balloons! Our camp games culminated in camp-wide Olympics, where teams competed in a variety of activities and bonded through good-spirited competition. Campers answered Bible questions, played bingo, completed random acts of kindness, and came up with creative ways to keep their cabins clean and organized, all in competition to win the Cabin Cup. The week finished with the reuniting of old friendships, and the beginnings of new friendships, and everyone’s excitement for the next year!
Our week was filled with so much love and camaraderie, and we want to thank all of you who prayed for us, who raised money to support our campers and volunteers, we could not have done this without you. We were blessed to receive donations to make our camp costs more affordable for our campers from Holy Trinity Cathedral in San Francisco, St. Nicholas Church in San Anselmo, St. Mary Magdalene Mission in Atwater, Elevation of the Holy Cross in Sacramento, The Nativity of the Holy Virgin Church in Menlo Park, St Christina of Tyre Church in Fremont, and Holy Assumption Monastery in Calistoga! St. Eugene’s is a place like no other and we are so grateful to all of you who help make that possible. If you’re coming back, we can’t wait to see you next year, and if you’re interested in joining our big happy family, we welcome you to come and see! Next year’s camp will be from June 25th to July 1st, 2023 at our new home in Dunlap, CA.
The Diocese of the West is the geographical district of the Orthodox Church in America consisting of the Western United States. The diocese has active parishes in Montana, Colorado, Arizona, Nevada, Washington, Oregon, California and Hawaii. San Francisco is home to the diocese’s cathedral, Holy Trinity, as well as the Chancery offices. The diocese is led by His Grace Vasily, Bishop of San Francisco and the West.
