EL CENTRO — Dozens of children lined up with their parents, waiting to enter.
The colorfully decorated parish center was lined with picturesque scenes of bears beside a river, seaside boats with campfires, fish and eagles soaring over mountain tops. A row of chibi-esque saints adorned the upper walls as if looking down on the little ones about to embark on their week-long journey.
“Your group is the otters,” Deacon Sergio Hernandez told young Axel Serano. “Yayyy!” the 6-year-old exclaimed, jumping up and down in front of the adults.
This was the scene in the Imperial Valley as Our Lady of the Valley Parish held its first day of Vacation Bible School, which ran from July 6 to July 10 in the St. Mary Church Parish Center.
Vacation Bible School (VBS) is held by churches throughout the Imperial Valley to bring the faith to children while they are on summer vacation from secular school.
Though VBS is held widely throughout the Protestant churches in the Imperial Valley in the summer, it is still relatively new for Catholics in the area. 2025 marks the second year that Our Lady of the Valley Parish will utilize a “Totally Catholic” version of the VBS program, said Faith Formation Co-Directors Eddie and Margie Madueño.
“The packet that we bought has Jesus in it,” said Margie Madueño. “Other things we are introducing are (topics like the) saints, like our Mother Mary, John the Baptist; scapulars; and (Eucharistic) adoration.”
“Unlike our Protestant brothers and sisters, who don’t believe in the real presence of Our Lord in the Holy Eucharist, for us it’s the maximum — the main reason why parents should consider a (Catholic) VBS at Our Lady of the Valley,” she said.
The theme for the parish’s 2025 VBS is “True North: Trusting Jesus in the Wild World,” which is a wildlife and outdoors-themed adventure in Alaska, the Madueños said.
“For them to see that Jesus is in everything and Jesus is with them — it’s trust,” she said. “It’s like Alaska, cold, and creatures of every kind … we’re introducing them to God’s creation.”
The children were divided up into cohort groups of similar ages, in wildlife-themed collectives such as the “otters,” “chipmunks” and “butterflies.”
The co-directors said about 100 volunteers helped administer the Totally Catholic VBS program to almost 150 children from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade.
The groups journeyed to different stations around the parish center to learn different aspects of the faith, while having fun with a variety of games, arts & crafts, “Sticky Scripture” or a children’s version with excerpts from the Gospel of Matthew, Bible stories, dance, and snack stations.
The parish community really seemed to come together to support the children, as groups of high school-aged confirmation students, young adults, and other adults came together to volunteer, Eddie Madueño said.
“It’s a lot of work, and we’re grateful for all the volunteers,” he said. “It goes pretty smooth because we’ve been having meetings for the last few weeks and, you know, the kids really seem to enjoy it. It’s a lot of blessings.”
Even on the first day, parents were pleased by the results and the smiles on their children’s faces.
“I saw it as a good opportunity for (my son) to learn more about the Catholic Church, and I know that they make it fun for his age, so I really wanted him to be in it,” Victoria Fernandez said about the enthusiastic Axel.
“I would say, even though I try to explain to him the sacrifice that Jesus did for us on the cross, and he knows, I think it’s different when he interacts with kids his age,” she said.
For other parents, the parish’s Totally Catholic VBS serves as the all-important first introduction to the faith.
“I figured that VBS can expose my son to the faith, so I enrolled him,” Sharon Burns said of her 3-year-old son, Jared Vincent. “I knew he was ready.”
“I want him to get more interested in the faith, ask more question about it and just develop a curiosity about it,” she said. “VBS, back in my day, was only Protestant … and now, it seems like there are more fun Catholic things – and he thrives on fun.
“Their mind is like a sponge at this age, so I feel it’s a great time to have him at these kinds of things,” she continued. “This is going to help him have fun and thrive at the same time.”
Burns said that, while there is a small cost associated with Our Lady of the Valley’s VBS, “it feels like you’re giving money to a worthy cause.” She encourages parents to “just do it” when it comes to enrolling their children.
“I hope it sticks with him,” she said. “I just hope he gets closer to Jesus.”
