ahhh….thanks for this article…it makes me feel better that my son was effectivly kicked out of Pandamania on the first day.  I have been debating weather to have him stick it out, or let him off the hook, and decided on “off the hook” since it is summer, and we will have the rest of the year to feel badly about ourselves!  Now, I can feel like there is a good reason not to attend - i think I will print your letter and send it to Monsignor too. 

Also love to hear the phrase “we are not joiners”, have not heard “join” used that way, probably becasue I am a habitual “joiner”.  Do you feel having a large family is mainly the reason you are not “joiners” or is it more of a philosophy, that you would adopt even if you had say 2 kids?  Asking, because I am wondering if I too could have enough gravitas to not sign up for things even though I have 2 kids.  Thanks for the inspriation!

This is funny to me because my (Southern Baptist Church) is doing PandaMania - THIS WEEK. Like, we just started it last night. So far, it has been one of the better VBS curriculum I’ve been involved in, but honestly? That’s not saying much.

I have to confess I didn’t even realize that Catholic churches offer VBS. Not many of the ones I’m familiar with here in Oklahoma do; neither do the mainline Protestants for that matter. It’s mostly an evangelical thing here in the Midwest, it seems.

Anyway, I think you are absolutely correct to point out theological problems with what our children are being taught. I’ve found I have to do a lot of reteaching at home to gently correct and expound on the things my kids learn at church.

our Parish offered Big Apple Adventure from Lifeway this year and the kids loved it. I tend to rely on my trust in the wonderful men and women who volunteer to run and teach the VBS that they are filtering for Catholic teaching. I am lucky we have so many faithful people here to minister to the children. I think our parish mainly uses the packaged program for the preprinted stuff and music.

This kind of catechesis misses the point entirely - it’s guts the true faith and turns Christianity into a social welfare program.

I had no idea Pandamania was at all Catholic because I’ve been seeing signs for it at all the Baptist churches??? I’m not a big fan of hokeyness and religion. I understand things should be presented on a child’s level and that it can be fun, but I don’t understand why teaching the Faith needs to always be presented as a halftime show. Our church had a great Vacation Faith Experience that focused on the Sacraments and which included Mass everyday. They did crafts and sang songs but they also actually learned.

Ugh, I’ve never been one for major VBS gung-ho, but last year our parish did a specifically Catholic program featuring Saints, and it was awesome. I get needing a theme, but this year they did the 12 Tribes of Isreal with great results again. I don’t get making VBS a cartoon of faith. The kids love the music, friendship and playacting. Why water it down?

Our parish has used the Group VBS program for a number of years, having used the Catholic version for the past couple of years (though it was canceled this year due to construction).

We have used the program more as a frame work.  It is a well organized program that teaches to multiple intelligences (http://www.tecweb.org/styles/gardner.html) through music, crafts, outdoor games, Bible story, and even the food (the snack each day relates to the Bible story. For instance, one year when the story was about Daniel in the lion’s den, the snack looked like a lion). 

We always use the music, and have these fantastic Franciscan nuns that come and do the Bible Story session (and this is frequently the kid’s favorite part).  Instead of using the saints that the program recommends, we choose our own saint to highlight (for instance, St. Teresa of the Little Flower).  Also, we never do the mission project they recommend, but have the kids bring donations to benefit a local charity (often, a program that provides school supplies for needy kids or our Catholic breadline and food pantry).  We also cut the Chadder session (video session geared toward the program mission project) and do Cathechesis of the Good Shepard (used by Mother Teresa’s sister’s).  We also choose a standard Catholic prayer each year to end the opening session with, such as the Memorare, which a lot of the kids that come to VBS have never heard (and those are the kids we’re trying to reach).

You might ask, with all the changes, why bother with this program.  The fact is, it is an easy program to implement and adapt, and has a high fun value, which draws in those kids who aren’t getting the real deal at home.

To Sally: I love volunteering at the parish BUT I have 6 children now and three of them are very young and I honestly feel I can not leave my poor husband alone with all of the children (or even half of them) while I’m at the parish volunteering all the time. Given the distance we have to travel to get to and from church and many events happen right after Mass, so you factor in drive time (hour), Mass time (hour or sometimes more), volunteer event time (an hour or two).. it usually amounts to about 3.5 or 4 hours away from home. Maybe not a lot for someone with two kids who can tag along but if you have toddlers and infants at home, its a lot to ask of the parent who is staying home.

I’ve had other parish members tell me, “oh, just bring all the children!” But honestly, do they know how stressful that is? Toddlers do not want to sit still during Mass AT ALL, infants get fussy very quickly and how can I watch all the kids while I’m talking to people or serving things, etc?  On a note, my husband is not Catholic so he doesn’t attend church events with the family unless absolutely necessary.

Catholic catechisis should consist of going on vacation and finding out how other churches do Mass and if it is better (seldom) or worse (usually) that your home parish. ;-)  Seriously: Most Protestants do not feel it necessary to go to church on vacation and that alone makes a Catholic summer different—children find out the Church is truly universal.

P.S. Teilhard de Chardin may have had fruity theological ideas, but he was an excellent geologist.

Iphone commenting.  Bleah!  I meant to put this here and it ended up on your blog.

Anyway….

Let me start by saying that I am not a fan of these canned VBS and their dumb crafts and songs. Attempted hyper-orthodoxy doesn’t help. To wit, the one based on Tommy Tabernacle. Eye rolling of kids included gratis.

But both of the last Popes have quoted Teilhard in encyclicals. Which is quite a rehabilitation for the old guy.  (Note:  now that I am at a real computer, I looked it up.  Teilhard is definitely in Ecclesia de Eucaristia and B XVI mentioned him approvingly in a homily in 2009, not an encyclical)  And the ‘greenest’ world leader out there is Benedict XVI.

You can take anything and make it a pool of heresy, or the same thing and sift through the chaff and offer the kids real kernels. I’d worry less about the pandas and more about the discernment and guidance of the adults in charge.

Our family are also non-joiners.  That said, I looked up our parish’s VBS program.  The ad in the bulletin is stamped “With Imprimater” (it is Son Surf—not the Panda thing).
If we were joiners, we’d be looking for the imprimater stamp before jumping on the VBS bandwagon.  It seems like the organizers of such programs should be, too.

The link from the homeschooling blog recommends Cat Chat VBS, and I couldn’t agree more.  Their whole series is wonderful and I recommend it wholehartedly.  www.catchat.ca

Yeah, VBS can be silly and disorganized at it’s worst, but at least your kids have something safe to do while you go to the grocery store.:) I can’t see that one week of VBS is going to make heretics out of the children.

VBS can also provide an opportunity for adults and teens who have the gift for teaching and nurturing kids to share their love of the faith in a more or less fun environment. The kids get to see that people outside of their own families love being Catholic, so that could be a positive witness too. So many people I’ve known complain that their churches don’t offer anything for families with kids and part of the reason is that there are too many critics and not enough volunteers.

I guess my point is that since families have the responsibility for faith formation for their kids’ entire childhoods, then why hyperventilate over one VBS program that lasts one week? BTW, my youngest daughter(age 6) went to Pandamania this summer and loved it. She also had the opportunity to go to a week-long program called Totus Tuus that was taught by Catholic college kids. She was taught about the rosary which reinforced what she’s been taught at home, she heard the stories of different people from the Old Testament, and attended daily Mass.  They also had a “water day” at the end of the week and she came home soaked, tired, and happy. Both of those weeks might have been spent in front of a TV while her tired father slept since he works nights. Since I’m not a stay-at-home mom, those two weeks were definitely better spent for her.

our parish does an optional VBS - not sure what the theme is this year (we are also not joiners).  Our parish also offers a two week summer intense catechism program.  My eldest is behind a year on her religious Ed. and will be late to receive the sacraments.  The summer program allows us to make up a year.  It’s pretty deep and involves a lot of homework.  Definitely NOT a typical VBS experience!

Our parish did “Sun-Surf Beach Bash” this year, although I know several area parishes went for the Pandamania.

I was in and out of all of the sessions last night, and I was actually quite impressed.  While there were some skits, the catechists (same catechists that are used for our “regular” faith formation) brought church teaching to the kids, and used the “Sun Surf Beach Bash” theme as a wide umbrella to work under, mainly because the music was fun.  The children heard Scripture, and learned about how to talk to their friends about Jesus.  Even “fun” activities were church based - playing “Peter-says,” etc. 

I think it mainly depends upon your catechists, and how “Catholic” they make it.

Our parishes have used the CatChat VBS for the last 2 years. They are very well done. There are other actual Catholic VBS programs out there, instead of the Catholicized protestant versions, but you do have to search for them. Here’s a review of 3 of them: http://catholicicing.blogspot.com/2011/02/catholic-vacation-bible-school-reviews.html and I know there are others!

I directed PandaMania at our parish this year and have been VBS director for 6 years. And yes, the OSV version. The Catholic version of Group programs used to be very poor but they’ve gotten much better. Not perfect. But what is and meets kids where they are? Here’s what I have to say ... yes, there are elements we do without. This year’s climate change CRS minute completely got under my skin. We adjusted that (by not doing it). But here’s the deal for all the nay-sayers: The program is fun. The music is fun and if the kids (most of whom are not all-that-well catechised to begin with) learn something valuable about God’s love and take it with them, it’s better than them sitting home and playing Xbox. It’s well attended and well organized (if I do say so myself). Kids love it. Volunteers love it. Theologins? Not so much. Luckily it’s not designed for them.

Chardin believed in the Piltdown Man hoax.  I do not think he was an excellent geologist. 

I think scientists tend to think he wasn’t a great scientist but he was so good at religion and religious people think he wasn’t good at religion but he was a great scientist.  Both try to give him credit for trying to be both, but assume he was better at the one they don’t know anything about.

He believed that man was constantly evolving spiritually, and that the twentieth century was the apex of that evolution.  Lenin, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Hitler, the Holocaust?  Not the apex of any evolution I want to be a part of.

Our oldest (4) was in our (Protestant) church’s VBS this year. It’s mostly all this stuff about how God is awesome, great, loves you, is listening to you and watching out for you, is wild about you. The crafts are cute, and outdoor games are harmless, the films are typical bad christian acting, the songs will be stuck in your head for weeks, and the the bible study is typical. My biggest problem with it was that the entire message was that God cares about you, and since I am leaning more and more agnostic/atheist, I just don’t really believe that anymore. But for my kid? She loved it.

PS That homeschool blog that you linked, ended her post by saying that if anyone was going to indoctrinate her kids it would be her, thats why she homeschools. I just wanted to add that her kids will probably grow to hate that. Maybe if my parents had allowed me to participate in VBS programs that told me God loved me and cared about me instead of doing all the indoctrination themselves, I would be a in a different place today.

I’m going to jump in here and prayerfully help…at least try not to muddy up the waters a little bit.

I’m the Religious Education Coordinator at our small parish and yes we had VBS and we used SonSurf (which comes in protestant & catholic versions).  I read thru our material and organized the crafts, bible stories, games and snacks according to the bible verse for each day.  I also added a “saint of the day”: St. Paul, St. Brigid, St Longinus (still can’t spell that one right) and St. Josemaria Escrivia.  The children had a great time, we reaffirmed in their little hearts & minds how much God loves them and we reinforced the need for confession/reconciliation.  Is it a waste of time, money & too evangelical for catholic understanding?  I personally don’t think so.  I also want our children attending a “catholic” VBS opposed to a “non-catholic” VBS (with their friends), instead they brought their friends to ours. 
With the deep cuts in our budget, my hours for the formation of our children and youth have been drastically cut.  I need “joiners” and the church needs “joiners”.  “WE” need to be truly present in the life of the church for our children, so that our children learn what it means to be “called forth”.
Please excuse my rant, I don’t intend to offend but to enlighten.  I hear so often from parents that they don’t have time to help with Religious Education on Sundays or with events that help build that sense of community for our children.

While the Panda movie series is a generally innocuous one that my husband and I watch (no kids, here, middle aged), when I saw that ourcollective city parishes were offering this along with every other protestant church, I had yo ask, “Have we gotten THIS lazy?”
Where is the creativity from teachers we enjoyed growing up in the 50s+60s. Makes me want to form a start up company that makes our Saints the stars and not some Hollywood mix of zen and political agendas.
We need to highlight the tools our Catholic teachers and scholars have left us: the Rosary, power of prayer, meditation. We have so many saintly friends willimg to intercede for us, why not make them the stars?

@Suzie - I say this sincerely.  Thank you for that swift kick in the rear.  You are right, we do need joiners.  I’m happy to sit an complain about so many things in the religious education department of our parish and yet I feel no need to step in and do something about it.  I pride myself on not being a joiner, especially when it comes to jumping on the bandwagon of whatever the latest parenting/homeschool/club trend may be.  But you hit a crucial point that we MUST join in the life of our parish - especially where it concerns the education of our children.  Good point!

My kids (age 11,9,6,4) have attended VBS at our parish and H.a.t.e. it.  We have a revolving door of protestant VBS packages, that they don’t even try to make Catholic.  They also attend (later in the summer) the Totus Tuus program - which they “cannot wait” for.  Totus Tuus includes daily Mass, instruction on the mysteries of the Rosary and lots of instruction on the teachings of our faith.  There are no crummy crafts, no syrupy songs, no lame “mascots”.  It’s just college kids and seminarians who love their faith, sharing it with kids.  They play lots of games and do sing songs, but it’s not that canned “Jesus is your boyfriend” music.  My sports minded 9 year old gave up a 3 day golf camp to attend Totus Tuus this year, and during his evening prayers said, “Lord, thank you for Totus Tuus, an thank you that I am a Catholic”.  God Bless that program, and I pray it spreads through the country!

My kids attended Pandamania and had a lot of fun.  My older daughter said it was basically a pep rally for God and the main message was that God loves you.  When I asked my 7 year old what he thought the main message of Pandamania was he couldn’t think of anything. . . . My kids also spend a week every summer at Totus Tuus where they get hard core formation.  And they actually have as much fun, maybe more and Totus Tuus. When I asked the same 7 year old what the message of Totus Tuus was he said “to say the rosary more, since its a powerful weapon and to honor your covenant with God and stuff.”  Big difference.

@Kris - thank you for listening and not being offended.

@Kathy & tanya - hmmm I’ll have to look into Totus Tuus…sounds wonderful.  Unfortunately we live 4 hours away from the closest seminary and 4 1/2 hours away from the closest catholic university…however we may be able to sign up enough volunteers for this program.  Worth a try!

I wanted to add a few things:

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One is that I truly and deeply admire people who teach and organize these types of programs.  My schedule doesn’t even allow me to show up for stuff most of the time, so I am full of awe for people who give up so much of their time and energy to teach other people’s children.

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Two is that the first draft of this post was mostly about how the value of these programs depends mostly on the leader, and less on the materials.  I’ve seen a diocese provide the volunteer CCD teacher with the usual crappy stuff,  which the teacher quietly leaves in the box, and buys her own books, bibles, and icons.  And I’ve seen stunningly impressive curricula turn into mush in the hands of teachers who are ignorant or have an agenda.

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Just think of the various homilies you’ve heard at Mass over the years!  No problem with the material (the Gospel)—but the priest who expounds on it can make all the difference.

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So, as I said, I can imagine a sensible, faithful teacher taking the good from PandaMania(and sensibly taking advantage of the prepackaged structure of the program) and leaving the bad.  I took a closer look at the materials, and the bad seemed SO bad to me that I thought it was worthwhile to warn the parents that, just because your church is running the program, you should be on your toes.  If I were to sign my kids up for this program, I would make darn sure that I trusted the leader, because I do not trust these materials.

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@Young Mom:  Yeah, I took the “indoctrination” line out because I was pretty sure it would sound wrong out of context.  I am quite sure she meant it ironically.  From what I see of the homeschooling blog (and from most homeschoolers, religious and secular, that I know in person), they are very clear on the difference between teaching and indoctrination.  (I understand that your experience was very different!)

Yikes.

Fortunately, our Church has never done Pandamania as far as I know (but I’m pretty sure other churches in the area have) but for as long as I remember helping out with VBS (which was as far back as 7 years ago during the summer after my sophomore year of high school), we always used Catholic-ized versions of Protestant programs, which always bothered me because they were basically just fluff, nothing substantive. Where are the saints? Where are the sacraments, the Mass, the COMPLETE version of the Bible? It’s good to know that are some distinctively Catholic programs out there, which I will alert the Religious Education people at my parish. Thank you!

I’m a little confused on this article.
The homeschooler’s blog that raised the “red flags” was NOT about the original version of the (protestant) “GROUP PandaMania”.  The red flags were raised over the “Our Sunday Visitor’s Catholic Rendition of Panda Mania”... which is understandable.

Many Catholic parishes, including my own, use the generic protestant “GROUP Pandamania” and add in their own Catholic twists (like Rosary making, focusing on certain Saints, daily Catholic prayers, etc).  This GROUP version is extremely benign, and while it doesn’t truly challenge our kids or call them to intense *Catholic* reflection, it doesn’t have the questionable additions that the OSV’s Catholic Rendition adds.

Wish this article would clarify that a little…

@Emily - I assumed that Catholic churches would be using the Catholic version of the program - thanks for clarifying.

Thanks Simcha!

I think there’s definitely a *balance* that’s achieved by purchasing a generic/benign/protestant pre-packaged VBS program (for the ease of presentation) and adding in parish-approved Catholic twists (like I mentioned with the CATHOLIC prayers, rosary making, focusing on Saints, etc).

It just needs to be clarified that “The Panda” isn’t *all* that bad. :)

It’s five days, 2 hours a day, and there’s lots of craft-making and singing going on: assuming the entire program was loopy, how many toxic ideas could a kid possibly absorb? Both of our kids went through PandaMania this summer and thus far neither has asked why we still use incandescent light bulbs in our dimmer switches or if I believe in Christogenesis.

Bottom line: It’s fun, the kids like it, and it gets them out of the house for a few hours for one week out of the summer. PLUS, without VBS and the wide-spread distribution of Chadder the Chipmunk ‘costumes’ to youth ministers all across the country, I’d be denied one of my very favorite YouTube memes: bizarrely unsettling Chadder the Chipmunk videos

Suzie, thanks for your thoughts! I am with you in that. I am a former CRE, and have a Masters in Theology. I thought the Catholic version of Pandamania was not good, but the general version was fine. One week of fun songs and enthusiasm makes great memories. And like so many have said, you can easily add in truly Catholic touches!

You will find no complaints about Pandamania in my house this summer. I have 2 autistic kids and my eldest, Alex, who is almost 8, has never (even after, now, 3 years in Sunday school) sung praise to God UNTIL this particular week at VBS (we did it the last week of June). I know, I know, I’m not Catholic but as a believer who was dying to hear her children talk about God just the SLIGHTEST bit, I will be undyingly grateful to this silly Panda program. Now, we have an excellent Children Ministry Director who used the best of the program, and both kids had buddies to help keep them on track, so it really was the best of all possible worlds for us. But, still, to hear my son, for the first time in his life, talk about God being with him and knowing his name, I was in tears. I love you, Simcha, but don’t knock the pandas! :)

My Catholic parish uses this company’s VBS every year.  This was the first year we (the group putting on VBS)  ordered the Protestant version instead of the Catholic one.  Sad, but the Protestant version was good, and the Catholic version was, well, weird and lame.  We didn’t buy the saint cards or the Catholic version of the CDs, no one mentioned global warming, and we had one of our priests or deacons visit every day.  It was great.

@ Suzie - thank you for addressing the need for “joiners”.  Part of the reason I have removed myself from some of the so called “more orthodox Catholics” circles in which I used to run, is that most of these folks have such pride in being “well formed” about the Faith they see themselves as totally above their local parish.  They constantly criticize the local priest, the DRE, the song choice, the homilies, the VBS, the parish picnic, the decorations, the . . . everything, but they do not get involved at all to help educate or influence parish life.  I can personally attest from my involvement in leadership at different parishes over the years to the need for these well formed, charitable Catholics to volunteer and help, instead of constantly criticizing.

I don’t understand why Catholics aren’t more interested in Group’s other VBS program for this summer—Hometown Nazareth. My Protestant church is doing this, and the Bible lesson is stories of Jesus told by His mother, Mary!

Our parish did Pandamania this summer for VBS.  It was an amazing experience for our youth!  I think with all things if you have a very devout leader (our Religious Ed director is a very devout, traditionalist who is on the mark and completely in line with the Holy See when presenting our faith to our children) then there is no problem with adapting a Protestant program to fit the needs of a Catholic group.  I helped teach at VBS as did my older children.  My younger children participated in the VBS activities.  Not once did I feel like they were receiving anything other than a solid Catholic experience and Catholic teachings.

Our parish uses a VBS program that is purely Catholic from Kids 4 Jesus.  This year’s program was, “Win the World for Jesus.”  We have been doing the Kids 4 Jesus programs for 9 years.  Our kids come back year after year and go from campers to counselors to volunteers.  My own teenagers still spend part or all of the week at VBS.  I like that it is a Catholic VBS.  We’ve got the saints, sacraments, Blessed Mother…..the whole package!  www.kids4jesus.org

Yup my parish is doing Pandamania and yes we are changing up the questionable bits(the saint mentioned, the charity project, adding mass for those past 1st communion). Yes, Chaddar Chipmunk gets on my last nerve. Common Sense at work here, please and nothing wrong with a good time. In fact, I am doing the preschool class. You know when I became Catholic, I thought they were much more happy and less judgmental than the evangelicals in my area without the ridiculous liberalism of the mainlines. Yet the more I read on NCR, the more scared I am to be Catholic. What I see is a boatload of “bitter zeal”(find it in the rule of Benedict). In the quest to be holy people are stomping on other people’s faith walks and generally spreading ill will and negativity. Wow, those who go to VBS, doing the best they can do with a prepackaged curriculum(haven’t found a perfect one yet), are wasting their time and possibly corrupting their kids since even the Pope could make it worthwhile. I think even if it isn’t deep theology, it is harmless fun. Most of the kids are between 4 and 8 and not up for much deep thought anyway. While suffering can be meaningful, is it sinful to be happy about God and sing and play games together? And of course, then someone will write me off as a subversive liberal for holding the wrong opinion, that seems to be the default answer here. Look, I have 5 kids, practice NFP successfully, homeschool, and attend mass faithfully, I am not someone who wants to play cafeteria, but then, I wear pants, cut my hair, and have been known to laugh at Monty Python, so obviously I am not “really” Catholic enough. If you think your kids are too pure and holy to waste their time having fun with other kids from the parish, or even just think you have something better for your kids to be doing, by all means stay home, I don’t find it disloyal to the parish not to attend, but don’t pronounce those who go as straying from the faith or hurting their kids.

I conducted the “theater” part of PandaMania at our church this summer.  Here are my notes. Day 1-  God made you.  Activity - Make a list of God sightings?  Day 2 - God listens to you.  Activity - Compose one prayer asking for God’s help and one prayer thanking God.  Day 3 - God watches over you.  Benedict - God is love. John Paul II - Be not afraid. Activity - What do we need God to be especially watchful over us so that we are not afraid?  Day 4 - God loves you, no matter what.  Activity - God does not love all that we do.  We sin and, thus, need forgiveness in the sacrament of confession.  What type of actions do we need to ask God for forgiveness? Day 5 - God gives good gifts to us. Chant with Wave Effect - Crew 1 stands up and shouts - God is good!  Crew 2 stands up and shouts - God is love! Crew 3 stands up and shouts - God made us! Crew 4 stands up and shouts - God is here!  All stand up and shout - Be not afraid!  We had more than 250 kids. The video was great slapstick comedy with a good moral lesson in honesty.  The music was great.  I am listening to it now.  I loved it spiritually, intellectually, and artistically.

My son has participated in numerous VBS this summer, some Protestant and some Catholic, and will be in more before the summer is over. For the record, we are conservative Catholics who favor homeschooling.

To date, every program theme we have encountered, when I researched them, has been used by BOTH Protestant and Catholic groups. In fact, PandaMania is being used in our town by both a Prot and Catholic church, and Hometown Nazareth is also being used by a Prot and Catholic church.

People don’t realize that many of these VBS theme packages are tinkered with so that there is one version for sale that is decidedly Protestant and one that is Catholic. The differences are slight, but they are there.

So far this summer I’d have to say PandaMania has been the absolute best program of the 4 we’ve yet experienced. We have encountered none of what is described here, and quite frankly, I believe that what’s being described here is going off the deep end a bit - do you really believe that these things are being presented to 5 and 6 years old kids? Someone should have PROOF rather than smearing a decent, simple program.

Every church/parish adapts these programs to fit their needs, desires, theology, and especially their budgets. There is great diversity and ability to personalize these programs.

PandaMania is 100% based on Psalm 139 - if you can find fault with that, go for it.

If some lefty Catholic element wants to tie in some social justice nonsense (good question: IS it nonsense?), then that’s what that lefty parish is going to do. Other parishes it wouldn’t even occur to them. Quite frankly, the better read on this situation is asking yourself about the characteristics of the parish offering the VBS - is it the conservative, middle-of-the-road, or lefty parish doing the VBS? Then do the math. If you wouldn’t send your kid to that parish’s school, then don’t send them to their VBS.

The uber-conservative/homeschool police patrol is showing their true colors here. I say this as someone who is, again, a homeschool advocate and is often accused of being uber-conservative. However, I don’t fall in line with everything this crowd espouses. The critics of these VBS programs - have you ever sat in on a whole week’s session of VBS? If you have, you’d see that much of what’s being said in this discussion is absolute and utter nonsense. It’s as if people here are saying that in order to be a good, conservative Catholic parent then it is an absolute requirement that your child not attend VBS, because in doing so, oh gee, you might be admitting your kid has middle-of-the-road normal desires or something?

It’s very sad to see something so pure and simple as VBS being attacked. If you want to believe that PandaMania is some big front for an insidious social agenda, being indoctrinated into your kids over a 15-hour period in one week, fine. But don’t knock all the other great VBS’s out there in the process.

@SoutherTransplant:  Who are you talking to?  Me, or someone else?  I didn’t hear anyone saying that people who participate in Pandamania are “not really Catholic” or “straying from the faith or hurting their kids.”  I tried to make it clear that I was interested in giving necessary information to help people make good choices for their kids.  Your defensiveness is puzzling, especially since you’re responding to someone who is routinely (as in, daily) criticized for being a subversive liberal.

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You’re clearly mad at someone, and I don’t doubt that you have your reasons - but please pick your targets more carefully.

@Kristine: “it’s better than them sitting home and playing Xbox.”

I don’t think this is a good enough justification for using any program. Basically your making a point from the least common denominator. I also find myself mildly irritated when people talk about “meeting kids where there at.” Perhaps, different children are “at” different places. My children rarely enjoy the uber-shmarmy music that is geared towards children at the VBS and even at children’s liturgies. Then again, I’m a theologian, so what do I know?

Kids 4 Jesus is a Legionaire’s/Regnum Christi program. That should be disclosed here.

@Charlotte:  you said:

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I believe that what’s being described here is going off the deep end a bit - do you really believe that these things are being presented to 5 and 6 years old kids? Someone should have PROOF rather than smearing a decent, simple program.

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You mean the part where I linked directly to the program’s website, and asked for the opinions of people who had direct experience with it?  Yeah, that’s some irresponsible journalism there.  I mentioned at least twice that I thought the faults of the program could be overcome by sensible teachers. 

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Last week I was the scandalous, left-wing, culture-destroying harlot who hates men, modesty, and apple pie; this week I’m a soul-crushing, bitter traditionalist who gets her kicks by stealing candy from small children.  No wonder I have this tic in my eye.

My brother (who has not received the sacraments yet) went through the PandaMania thing last week. I was highly skeptical of it, and wouldn’t recommend it - but God does work even through such as that: my brother asked to start praying as a family (Something I, as the only churchgoer could not do or else be accused of forcing my beliefs on others) and he got it; he started asking questions about the Faith - really deep questions. So . . . I still do not like the program, but through it, it sparked an interest in the Faith for my brother.

My kids did three VBS programs at three Catholic churches this year. PandaMania was their least favorite and mine. My beef with it was not so much theological as commercial—the week seemed to be much more about the characters, videos, and crappy teenybop music than it was about the theology. I was pleased that my kids, young as they are, seemed to sense that. But I’m sad that this was the program at our home parish!

I don’t know who accused you of being a left-wing harlot who hates modesty, but it certainly wasn’t me. I have always been on your side of the modesty debate. You have always been a whif of fresh air out there, so I’m not sure what you’re getting at.

My comments are not meant to cast doubt on your fact-checking mission, but rather to cast doubt on the premise that PandaMania - or any other pre-packaged VBS program - are ever used as planned or marketed. THAT is the missing piece of information. Your presentation of this subject makes it appear as if VBS packages were some educational curriculum being followed to the letter by every church that buys one.

I am simply pointing out that anyone who has had any involvement with VBS knows that the opposite is true. It’s basic, it’s simple, and the program is usually purchased only with the intent of tapping into a lineup of songs the kids can sing on the last day for their parents, and ideas for related games and crafts. It’s not meant to be catechism in any sense, and especially not in the strictest sense that I sense some in this discussion imagine it to be.

The best VBS programs I’ve ever helped with have been those thought up entirely by a solid group of parishioners. The faith has been passed on rather effectively over the centuries without gimmicks and starter packs that often cost a pretty penny and, much worse, give our kids less than they have a right to be taught.

The program we came up with this year was pretty dang Catholic, and none of the kids ran away screaming at the thought of getting substantial Catholic teaching. Here was the run-down of the days: Jesus in the Eucharist, Jesus in Scripture, Jesus in the Priesthood, Jesus in “the least of His People”, and building a solid relationship with Jesus. We now have a parish full of kids who hold more solid Catholic beliefs than many of the adult Catholics in our country, and they had a perfectly fun time learning it!

Truth Himself once said, “Let the children come to me”. Let’s let them do just that, without selling them short and giving them some diluted and distorted “kid” version of Truth.

That being said, I have no personal experience with “Pandamania”, so I can’t comment on it positively or negatively. The little I’ve looked into it has left me unimpressed. I think that we can give our kids more teaching than that. I think they yearn for more.

Michael,
I’m all for what you espouse here. I’d much rather it be what you describe. Really. I just wrote a blog post a few weeks ago asking why VBS can’t be more Catholic in its identity.

However, until that happens where I live, I’m not going to sit here and act as if singing a song about Jesus, learning a Bible verse, playing a water balloon game, and making a cross craft are going to turn my kid’s brain into mush or destroy his Catholic faith. It’s a few hours on a summer day with other kids presumed to come from Christian homes. I don’t see the problem. Unless, of course, we want to imagine that VBS is supposed to be acting as if it’s a summer-supplement to actual catechism. Which would be impossble in one week.

I’m with Charlotte - I can’t believe how many panties are in a wad over VBS.  I never realized how liberal a Catholic I am (I’m not) until I let friends from my parish know about the extremely well organized, inexpensive, CUTE program that our neighboring Lutheran chuirch has run for over 25 years.  Well, you’d thinik I was suggesting a married priesthood.  IT IS A FUN SUMMER THING TO DO! Nothing more, nothing less.  My 4 and 6 year old have been runnign around singing, joyfully, a silly repetetive song (“He’s Wild, He’s Wild!  God is Wild about US!)with some jungle swing in their little hips for weeks now since. We really should marshall our energies for more important things.

Yes. The Catholic music for the OSV VBS is lame and they don’t have videos to go with, so rather anticlimactic after all the dancing and motions with the other songs. Why do they even do those OSV songs? And we finish the week with Mass. And do a service project. (Not the same one in the program.) Our volunteers are (mostly) well-informed in the faith make the program great. I disliked the panda theme this year ... but the kids liked it. And we always prayed for the unborn ... You make do with what you have. It’s hardly offensive if you edit it. There’s too much in the program anyway ... if the volunteers are into it, the kids are and everyone ends with a joyful sense of community. Gee. That’s just terrible.

For all those who think that summer VBS is just for fun, maybe….But building up the body of Christ doesn’t end with the Faith Formation year.  Our faith shouldn’t take a summer vacation….Our small parish joins with 4 others in the area, all are protestant.  This past summer it was all taught by protestants and held on the Methodist church site.  There were many troubling things, not a single Catholic thought or idea anywhere.  I have been trying for the past couple of years to coax our DRE to break away from the “tradition” of the group mentality and attempt to do things about the sacraments, rosary, Mary, the saints….I am so glad to read about other Catholic parishes using programs that actually were enjoyed…They do exist.  I’m going to pray and work a little harder for next summer….Please Pray for St. John’s parish….

Great post Simcha! Any parent who this information might be cause for concern can, as Simcha adequately stated, make informed choices about were or if to send their kids this summer. If nobody has any reservations about a program with anti Catholic influences, regardless of how cute or innocent it appears thats their choice. (You can easily get as much from Disney channel and Sesame Street.)  I have reservations about this program because I think that there is enough confusion for kids today without blurring the lines. As parents, my wife and I feel that we are on constant guard against dangers to their faith, even in our parishes. I could say alot more about this but don’t wish to drag out the point. If you have good faithful instructors who can pass over the garbage and make it a worth while program then great. But, unfortunatly, with a program that stinks at the core and with so much better out there, I think I’m gonna pass.

@ Charolette ~ It should be disclosed that the incredible progam K4J, is no longer part of the Legionaries and RC!

“The uber-conservative/homeschool police patrol is showing their true colors here”

To whoever wrote that statement I had a good laugh!!!  In addition,  someone else commented about the ultra conservative Catholics who spend their time criticizing everything about the church—the priest, the Mass, the CCD program and then they even criticism other Catholic churches because theirs is the best.  I understand exactly who you mean.  Alot of time is spent criticizing others because nobody has it exactly right—They have no idea what it means to be Catholic.

My kids enjoyed VBS for years but the non-Catholic ones were always the best.  Some of you are thinking way to hard about this.

Has anyone been involved with the Totus Tuus program??

Our church has been doing the historical ones for 3 years now. This year it was Hometown Nazareth. The music is good, they set up tents, have snack and craft people dressed up in faux ancient garb and at least some of the snacks are somewhat historical like pita, olive oil and garbanzo beans. I’m pretty sure it is a protestant program but since it is mostly focusing on what it must have been like to grow up in Jesus’ time or be Mary it’s not as concerning as some topics could be. The one 4 years ago though, it had some supplemental saint cards and I seem to remember one of them being a blessed and I remember thinking that there are full blown saints who would fit into that virtue’s slot so why use a blessed. Not sure if the protestant designers understand the difference between status between prominent Catholic figure, blessed, saint, etc.

@ Kris and Suzie: AMEN!  I find it sad that some Catholics choose not to participate in their community.  I have been deeply hurt by a community and I have been deeply loved by a community.  I would always choose to be involved because being loved far outweighs being hurt.  Christ commands us to be involved.  The communities in which these “non-joiners” do not participate are missing their talents.  And the non-joiners are missing an experience of a lifetime.  How can Christ reach through another’s life and touch our hearts if we choose not to participate in a relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ?

As for VBS, I think all programs need to be evaluated before they are given the “Catholic” stamp.  Maybe this issue needs to be addressed by the USCCB.  However, VBS is a time for kids to come to church and have a little fun.  The objectives and concepts are important, but the relationships they encounter with one another and with Christ are even more important.  Let us not loose sight of that.

Our parish has run those generic Protestant VBS programs.  They’re fun, but we can do better.

OSV took the Protestant VBS and allowed a coalition of dissident organizations to put a highly questionable Catholic veneer on it.  That’s scandalous; we should do better.

After a group of parishioners, not all of us homeschoolers, brought up our concerns, our VBS director still wanted to use it, only modify it.  When he finally got the kit he found more problems, like the the earth-worshiping tone of the prayers, and he decided to scrap it.  He, too, realized that we could do better and ordered the K4J program.  It was a huge success.

This is not about choosing PandaMania or nothing; it is about choosing among something mediocre from a Catholic perspective (the Protestant VBS), something imprudent (OSV PandaMania), or something great (Cat Chat, K4J).  My kids clamor for great Catholic programs, and is it so much to ask for one at a Catholic parish?  If you tolerate mediocrity then that is what you will get.

My parish always used home cooked programs until last year, when someone donated SonQuest Rainforest.  My kids are stuck between one Catholic parent and one evangelical Protestant, so when they go to the Catholic Church, I want it to be unambiguously Catholic.  So I volunteered to coordinate for this summer.  We used (very, very loosely) Heroes in Heaven (.com).  We went with non-gimmicky, small groups, no bells and whistles but lots of conversation, and the kids loved it.  Which means I may be voluntold for next year :)

As I read through all of the above comments I was somewhat confused.  Never once did I read in the article that all VBS’s either Catholic or Protestant were bad, never once did it mention in any way a hurtful or mean comment about liberal or conservatives, nor did it make light of anyone who is involved with their parish or not.  It seems to me that many of the comments went way off track from the original article.  As a parent of 6 children and 1 grandson I am concerned when the focus of any ‘teaching’ program whether it be adult or child orientated is not on the catechism or the doctrines of our beautiful church.  Yes, we are given brains and God loves an educated mind but questioning always leads to the truth and the ultimate truth is the Catholic Church.  There is a faction of people who attend Mass (lay people and priests) who are wanting to change the fundamental basic truths; abortion, contraception, female priests, same-sex unions, etc.  Is questioning the authority that Jesus set up as our head the correct way?  Why come to the Catholic Church if one is not convinced that this is Jesus’ church?  Do we love all?  Yes, but we do not have to participate or agree with anything that seems to be out of line with the Catechism?  As a parent I am responsible for my children’s spiritual welfare.  I am to be their guard.  God calls me to this as my vocation as a parent.  When anything comes against the faith I am teaching them then I have to be on guard and protect them.  There is an evil one who roams about the earth seeking the ruin and destruction of souls.  Are we really so ignorant that we would sacrifice our children’s welfare for a cute cuddly ‘panda’?  I am not against my children having fun and they do so on many occasions but the enemy comes in the form of a sheep seeking to destroy like a lion and we must always be on constant guard whether that be in our parish’s or with the media, etc.  I am concerned that we as parents just see cute things as innocent.  There is nothing wrong with teaching our children good stewardship.  As parents we recycle and reuse.  We teach that it is our job to take care of the earth and make it a healthy place to live.  But the agendas of the ‘climate control’ are very much against Catholic teaching.  They are affiliated with zero population ideas which involves contraception and abortion.  Do we really want our children being any more confused than they are?  Lets teach our children and show our children that the Catholic Church is our life, our way to heaven, a sweet love for Jesus and Mary and give them a good foundation.  My children love to play and have fun right along with the others but I just want them to have a safe place to do so.  Let’s as parents stop putting our heads in the sand and pretending that this is just some sort of sunday religion…this is our life, this is our soul and we are going to have to make a stand on right and wrong and on the moral teachings that we give to our children.  May St. Lucy make the truth known and come to light for all.

Our parish is using the Cat Chat VBS. AWESOME! This year’s theme is all on the Sacraments. Last year was the Mass, and the year before it was Mary Leads Me Closer to Jesus. The kids love it. We are up to about 100 kids registered. Their web site is www.catchat.ca

TheologGeek
www.theologygeek.blogspot.com

I just finished a week of Pandamania at our Catholic Church with my 3 kids, 8, 7, 3. They loved every minute of it. VBS is a morally safe program that all Christian families should encourage and endorse. I led 100+ kids in crafts and also had a great time. We adapted the curriculum quite a bit: no people of faith cards, no climate crisis,and we do our own crafts. However, the main framework is sound and stays the same. The music is great and gets the kids excited. The games are fun. The Bible Adventure exposes many kids to the Gospel who otherwise may not hear these stories at home and reinforces the point of the day: God made me, God listens to me, God watches over me, God loves me no matter what, and God gives good gifts. Our Dominican Friars led the children in a brief discussion and opening payer every morning and afternoon. Throughout the week the children are encouraged to think of others and bring in donations for a local Right to Life Center. What is better than that? VBS is a great way to build your children’s faith, and connect with other faith-filled families in your community.

Wow, Mrs. Bob Cratchit! Beautifully done and puts all of this in perspective. I, too was perplexed by these comments and read them as a study into understanding human nature and reactions to seemingly innocuous stimuli.  Thanks for sharing your wisdom and insight.

Someone else already mentioned this, but I wanted to second the recommendation for the Kids 4 Jesus VBS, it is thoroughly Catholic.

I am a homeschooler and we do Seton so our Catechesis is based on the Baltimore Catechism.  I have enrolled my sons this year in our Parish PSR as well.  Homeschoolers are allowed to skip this if they take a course but still have to pay for PSR.  I just figured, if I am paying for PSR the boys should attend.  But, my Parish did hold Pandamania VBS this summer.  I didn’t consider it, but only because we have a busy fun summer and I feel like the kids get plenty of religious ed without it.  Should I be concerned about my Parishes regular PSR?  Never in my wildest dreams would I imagine I’d be asking that question.

Mrs. Cratchit says it all much better than I can.  But I have noticed that VBS, which in itself seems like a good thing, has become commercialized (I’m NOT anti-capitalist; quite the opposite) with curious connections to superficially attractive themes: the old west, the rain forest (aka jungle), and so on.  Like the bridezilla-ing of the Sacrament of matrimony, super-gluing themes to studies of the faith suggest something’s not quite right.

@Jeanne: Do you mean the materials put out by the Apostolate for Family Consecration (www.familyland.org)? Yes! I am a great believer in their program. Converted me and my husband and my son. :)

My 5yr. old son just completed this Pandamania program. In our home, his bad manners are often corrected with, “Stop acting wild”. Great, now I hear from a Pandamania song that “God is wild about us”. Should I correct this God ?

Luntfamily,

Not buying that story. It might be true, but not buying it because the Legion excels in hiding their connection/affiliations to these things, and often “sells” to “disinterested” groups/parties who are, in fact, Regnum Christi lay people. So in essence, getting to the bottom of the facts concerning whether of not in essence K4J is or is not Legion, well, I don’t have time for that.

Never (never, never) say “no” to Panda:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X21mJh6j9i4

Eric,
If your parenting style is threatened by one word in the human language, one which has multiple meanings and connotations, then that IS a problem.

See - this is where common sense is missing. PandaMania is bad because they use the word “wild” in a different way than you use the same word in your home? The baby, the bathwater, and the bathtub have all been thrown out on that one.

My youngest son, 13, and I just finished being assistants at our parish VBS which featured the Pandamania program.  Pandamania was just a small part of the nightly activities, so I was not bothered by any of the Pandamania materials, but it seemed that something much more creative and Catholic could have been shared with the children.

“My 5yr. old son just completed this Pandamania program. In our home, his bad manners are often corrected with, “Stop acting wild”. Great, now I hear from a Pandamania song that “God is wild about us”. Should I correct this God ? “

I agree with Charlotte—sounds like he just needs and explanation about different definitions.  My husband is wild about me and it is a good thing:)

As a Totus Tuus missionary, I can vouch for just how amazing the Totus Tuus program is, and how tremendous of an impact it has, not only on the younger kids at parishes, but also on the middle school and high school kids who participate in Totus Tuus’s teen program.  Going into this summer I had only limited knowledge of and experience with Totus Tuus, but after serving as a missionary this summer, I have grown to love this program more than I ever thought I would.
There are many good VBS programs and I know many of them produce great fruits in kids, but there is something about the uniquely Catholic nature of Totus Tuus and it’s emphasis on the Eucharist and Mary that really affects kids and gets them excited about the beauty of our faith as Catholics.  Unfortunately, the importance of the Eucharist and of our mother Mary can sometimes be lost in VBS programs. 
When a child attends Totus Tuus, not only do they get to be taught by young college students/seminarians who are on fire for their faith, but they also attend daily Mass, have an opportunity to receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, pray the rosary, learn about the Eucharist and Mary, and have a ton of fun.
One of the things I have learned this summer is how much kids really do thirst to learn more about the truth of our faith.  We have a duty to show them the full truth and beauty of the Catholic faith that they yearn for so much, and Totus Tuus does exactly that.  I would highly recommend this program to anyone who would like to see their children not only grow in knowledge of the faith, but also grow in their love or God and His Church.

God Bless you, Phillip and all the T.T. missionaries!
I think my original comment was a little harsh.  It was a reaction to my parish VBS leader, who doesn’t want Totus Tuus (we go to a neighboring parish) because it’s “too Catholic”.  My experience with the canned VBS last year was (as they followed the protestant script in the skits) they were misleading.  I think several commenters are right, it’s morally positive, better than nothing, and certainly presents a loving God who wants a relationship with them.  Those are admirable things to teach our children.  I just want my kids to have everything available, in the richness of our faith and with the Sacraments.

It seems like most of this has come in the Catholic translation.  We are doing Pandamania and I had never heard of the aspects you’re discussing.  Also, the mission we are working through is Kid 2 Kid, through Compassion International, rich has nothin to do with climate change or abortion.  It’s a relief organization for children that works globally and is faith based.  While I share your concern, I think that I would look at who did the translation and why they chose to include these elements.  In my estimation, the best way you can assure your kids are learning things you want them to, is to be involved in the proccess of the selection and teaching of the materials.  The Bible, Catholic and Protestant, encourages the fellowship of believers.  This means that we are participants, not really joiners, in the church.  I’d you aren’t there to raise the issue, then the program cannot benefit from your counsel.

We used it in our parish. If it was the only catechesis offered all year long it would be terrible. But a vast majority of the participants go to regular catechesis and/or Catholic school. VBS is a fun week for kids to see their friends and play games and maybe learn a little. I have volunteered in the past. We eliminate anything that is not in line with the Church. We add to or modify the lessons to include more Catholicism. Sure it could be better. But it is not awful either. But maybe I am failing to see how important it is or something.

At our Pandamania the entire Catholic Climate part was a trading card that was handed out to the kids.  Many of them were promptly lost and the card basically just said something about St. Francis loving nature.  I had to look up the organization.  There’s no way that any kid at our program had anything approaching a pro-abortion agenda.  The kids like the music and the dancing and I love seeing children in bear ear headbands.

I have not read all of the comments, but my old parish ( we moved a few weeks ago) used K4J VBS.  It is specially Catholoc, with focus ranging from saints to sacraments.  The music was written by a friend of ours, whomis a strong Catholic man.

I just want to comment to whomever mentioned that 4-8 yr olds do not think deeply.

I believe that on occassion deep topics can be discussed with all of the children. The youngers (as I call them) may just overhear a “deep topic” conversation and follow up with a few questions.
I have had the most incredibly deep questions on such core basics of our Catholic faith from my younger children. My children are presently 15,12,9,6 and 3.
It is beyond amazing the questions about our core beliefs that have come from the 6 and 9 yr old. But for the past 3 or 4 years, my 9 yr old has been curious and wanting to be a part of the conversations that we are all having. Or at least try to understand what he heard.

  Children at very young ages can be insightful and can be trusted with trying to understand the fullness of our faith and with topics that we both strongly support or strongly oppose.

My kids (Catholic) participated in the regular Protestant version of Pandamania at the local Lutheran church.  Great memories, excellent teen role models, scripture quotes stuck in their minds…I mean, my kids are the un-jaded kind who enjoy cute songs and fun crafts and dramatized bible stories, and we’re joiners (I helped out all week with the preschool bible stories), and they can’t wait for next year.  Does it all have to be deep and intellectual to be worthwhile? It was a fun time, and there was nothing anti-Catholic about it.