September 2023

We were led by guest speaker Karen Hanna who spoke about "Overcoming struggles through the Faith", our campers competed in Olympics (congratulations Blue team!), and we learned how to dance the Virginia Reel while hearing our campers' many musical talents. Thank you to all the adult campers who joined us for an amazing weekend filled with dancing, fellowship, and spiritual growth!

Fort Ligonier Days!

This October 13-15, we will once again be making noise on the Diamond while we yell, "Gyroooo, Gyroooo!" - raising money to support our campers. If you'd like to sign up to volunteer for Fort Ligonier Days, please email cat@avcamp.org ASAP! You must be 18 or older to volunteer. We hope to see you there!

St. Raphael Pilgrimage

Join us on November 3-4 for a pilgrimage to St. Raphael of Brooklyn who is buried on camp grounds. Join us for Vespers on Friday, November 3 at 6pm, and Orthros & Liturgy on November 4 at 9am to celebrate his feast day. We hope to see you there! Click here for more information!

Upcoming Programs

Stay tuned for registration opening for our programs!

NAMIE HALL!

A few days ago, work started on renovating the Old Dining Hall into Namie Hall and the external renovation of the Sports Shed (old Office)! Thank you to all who have supported this project. Stay tuned for more updates and pictures to come!

PAVILION

The Pavilion got a new look last week!

Outdoor Chapel

We've removed several trees that were becoming dangerous and leaning towards the chapel.

SHRINES UPDATES

Work continues on replacing the shrines of St. Raphael, St. Thekla, and St. Artemius!

MEET THE NEW MEMBERS OF OUR TEAM!

Ella Powers - Program Director

Ella was raised in Oklahoma but grew fond of the mountain landscape at AV. She is a proud owner of 10 fanny packs and can always be spotted sporting one around camp. Ella also loves spending time outside biking, running, or visiting farmers markets. Her all-time favorite activity is eating ice cream with friends while wearing her favorite ice cream shirt.

Nick Dujmovic - Intern

Nick grew up just outside Washington DC and has returned to the Village as an intern after many years as a camper. Beside getting coffee for Cade, he works on fundraising and office management. Nick loves meeting new people at the Village and spending time with Fr. Chris' dogs.

James Jabbour - Interim Director of Communications

James grew up just outside of Boston, and has been attending The Village since he was 10 years old. He graduated from Curry College with a degree in Communications, and he currently works as a behavioral therapist. He served 6 summers on staff, spanning from 2017-2023. James loves his dog, Ollie, photography/videography, Boston sports, spending quality time with his friends, and going for walks. He is working as the Communications Director from home, and he is so excited for what this new journey will bring!

With so many programs and guest groups throughout the year, we are in need of someone to join our year-round team and run the AV Camp kitchen. If you or someone you know are interested please email frchris@avcamp.org.

Each month, you will have the opportunity to hear directly from campers and staff members about their experiences at camp this past summer. For the month of September, meet Oscar, Randa, John and Katerina!

Oscar Medders | Session 3 | Cabin 48

Hi I’m Oscar Medders, I live in Alaska and am currently a senior at Chugiak high school. I went to camp for 3 years and just recently hiked and then did CIT after. It was an incredible experience."

Randa Ibrahim | Session 3 | Cabin 1

"My name is Randa Ibrahim and I attended camp for the first time this summer. I’m from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and I’m fully Lebanese. I’m currently in 12th grade applying to college as a Biology major. The Antiochian village added such an amazing experience to my journey of faith and I’m hoping to return next summer as a CIT."

John Kallaur | Counselor

Hi! My name is John Kallaur and I was a first year challenge course counselor at the Village this past summer. I’m from just north of Baltimore, MD, and go to St. Andrews downtown. I am now attending the University of Maryland College Park and go to church at St. Marks in Bethesda while I’m here. My first year as a camper was in 2019 when I was 15, and the rest is history. I loved the Village so much I knew I wanted to come back as many years as I could, and that eventually led to me having a rather unorthodox CIT experience. I spent 4 weeks at the Village over the summer of 2022 CITing first and then hiking and it was one of the best summers of my life. The only summer that surpasses 2022 was this past summer. I was incredibly blessed to have amazing campers who helped me to grow in my faith and I can only pray I helped them to do the same. I formed lifelong bonds with campers and staff alike, and felt truly at peace living a life centered around Christ all summer. I miss everyone dearly, but I’m so excited for Liggy days and Winter Camp. See you all there!

Katerina Landino | Counselor

Hello AV! My name is Katerina Landino and I am 19 years old. I am from Allentown, Pennsylvania and I attend St. Paul’s Antiochian Orthodox Church in Emmaus. I am currently studying Psychology and Speech Communication in my third year at the University of Pittsburgh-Bradford. I plan to continue my studies in Speech-Language Pathology once I receive my undergraduate degree. After this past summer of 2023, my entire family has finally experienced life at the Antiochian Village. My mom attended AV as a camper and Special Olympic Coach when she was a teenager. My four siblings and I have grown up attending the Village as campers. This past summer, I was given the blessing to serve as an Antiochian Village camp counselor for the first time. My dad, Fr. Joseph Landino, was even given the opportunity to serve as a first time session priest (4th session) this summer. AV has not just impacted my life, but the life of my entire family. The Antiochian Village truly emulates an eternal life with Christ; a life many strive for. From my experience at the Village, I have come to understand that one is never too old or too young to learn about and spread the Faith. I have grown in my faith through my family, my friends, my counselors, my campers, parishioners, clergy, and especially the Saints. We learn from and through each other’s experiences, no matter how old. I am eternally grateful for all I have learned from the Antiochian Village!

We're always dreaming about the future here at AV...from projects, to programs, to staffing...and we want to share those dreams with you! Click the link below to check out our Updated Dream Board, which now includes program and staffing dreams, as well as completed dreams over the past 3 years...and feel free to send us your ideas of what you'd love to see here in the future!

As we renovate the Old Dining Hall we are getting rid of our old wooden tables. Want one for your home? They're free for the taking! Come and get as many as you want!

Our Nookstore is online - check out all the merchandise from sweatshirts to Christmas ornaments. AV swag makes great Christmas gifts!

Hey AV Alumni! Do you love flipping through our photo albums when you come to visit? Well our intern Constantine Kallaur has spent the last year scanning all of our photos from our photo collection going all the way back to 1981! In an effort to preserve the history of The Antiochian Village, we are in the process of digitizing as much content as we have. God willing, we'll have every session video going back to the 1990's online in the near future as well.

Check out our SmugMug photo-site below to re-live the AV memories!