Bosco Ministries: An Expanded Mission

St. John Bosco Camps (SJBC) was founded to continue the summer camps formerly run by Our Lady of Guadalupe Seminary and adopted Camp St. Peter and Camp St. Isaac Jogues. Within two years it had doubled the impact of these camps, opening up a second session of Camp St. Peter as well as a new backcountry camping program, Sursum Corda.

But there continued, and continues to be greater demand. What will the boys do when they are older? Can we provide for the future of our camps and offer programs for young adults as well?

Answering these questions led to two important decisions.  The first was a home for the camps.  On January 31st, 2024, the feast day of St. John Bosco, SJBC closed on a 140 acre property in Hermosa, SD to build a home for future programs. A year later foundations are poured and the beams are ready to go up on our new campsite facilities.

The second decision was to begin running mission trips and to expand the reach of SJBC beyond boys summer camps.  While the core mission is the same, the website and brand of St. John Bosco Camps was not broad enough to for these expanded operations. Considering these two moves, St. John Bosco Camps decided to reposition its brand to ensure the successful execution of these programs. This became Bosco Ministries.

One way to think of Bosco Ministries is that it will be a sort of constellation of Catholic programs for boys and men that are staffed by FSSP priests and seminarians. Bosco Ministries will host not only boys camps, but also wilderness excursions, retreats, mission trips, and pilgrimages for boys and men from around the country.  With this in mind we want you to know that St. John Bosco Camps is rebranding as Bosco Ministries and is announcing its new website and 2025 line-up of programs, which includes:

1. Guadalajara, MX Men’s Mission Trip: complete (Jan. 2-10)

2. In Montem Sanctum Men’s Winter Excursion: complete  (Jan. 5-10)

3. Camp St. Isaac Jogues

• Dates: June 13th – June 24th
• 801 Snow Rd. Cresco, PA
• Boys, 13-15 years old
• 48 spots
• Cost: $550.00

4. Sursum Corda

• Dates: June 30th – July 12, 2025
• Boys, 15-17 years old
• 32 spots
• Cost: $1,750.00

5. Camp St. Peter Session One

• Dates: July 25th – August 5th
• Boys, 13-15 years old
• 48 spots
• Cost: $550.00

6. Camp St. Peter Session Two

• Dates: August 8th – 19th
• Boys, 13-15 years old
• 48 spots
• Cost: $550.00

7. Peru Mission Trip

• Dates: August 7th – 22nd
• Young Men, 17-21 years old
• 28 Spots
• Cost: $2,500.00

8. Ecuador Mission Trip

• Dates: July 15th – July 26th
• Men, 18-24 years old
• Details TBD: check website

In just a few years Bosco Ministries has grown from 2 programs to offering 96 spots to 8 programs offering 257 spots in four different countries and expanding its reach from summer camps for youth, to a host of programs for boys and men as well as developing 140 acre property as the future home of many more programs to come. To sign up to receive email updates and newsletters as well as to apply or learn more please visit boscoministries.org.