Does OSV produce their own VBS or do they adapt Protestant ones?

[kerkvliet]

Our church uses the VBS programs from OSV but I’m wondering if they produce this themselves or if they borrow it from a Protestant production and just make sure there are no contradictory messages in it, and then throw in a few saints cards? It seems to me to be the latter, b/c the only obvious Catholic parts are the Saint cards. Other than that, most of the material and songs could just as easily be used in a Protestant VBS. The songs are mostly praise and worship type songs, and there is nothing particularly Catholic about them. It would be nice if we had a song about the Eucharist, at least.

My kids have attended VBS for quite a few years, and I have volunteered for the past 2 years. One of my responsibilities is discussing the saints’ cards, which end up getting only about 3-5 mins of discussion time due to the packed schedule. I asked the DRE if we could try and incorporate something about the saint of the day in the end of day song and discussion and she said there just wasn’t enough time.

So back to the question–does anyone know if OSV produces their own VBS or borrows it?

Thanks.

 

[pensmama87]

My initial thought is that if it’s about Jesus, the Bible, etc, it’s Catholic, even if our Protestant brothers and sisters don’t think so.

 

[AnnArbor]

It appears that this year’s VBS from OSV is a Catholic adaptation of the popular Group VBS series. In the past, Group simply offered two versions – one of which was Catholic.

I’ve used the Group Catholic product, and really liked it. Not only that, but kids in the program remembered Scripture stories from the experience months later – it was very effective!

 

[pianistclare]

One of the reasons I loathe VBS is because people think you have to buy one of those pre-packaged programs.
Anyone who is a good DRE or Catechist can write up a plan for 3-4 hours a day for 5 days, based on things like:
lives of the Saints, Sacraments, miracles of Christ, various Bible stories, Liturgy of the Word, the Real Presence, what is Adoration, Rosary & Marian devotions etc. Just because it’s not May anymore doesn’t mean you still can’t crown Mary as Queen of your parish.
All of it can be presented with games and good music. (Actually, praise and worship music is perfect for VSB. There’s some good Catholic composers out there with lively and easy to sing along songs.)
Maybe spend the long winter months drawing up such a plan, and present it to the DRE next spring. She might be delighted to save the $$$ from her budget. Volunteers can make the sets and environment. Teens can make the souvenirs and help out too. All Confirmation and Catholic High School kids need community service hours. Get creative and make it your own.

Peace.

 

[slh3016]

My initial thought is that if it’s about Jesus, the Bible, etc, it’s Catholic, even if our Protestant brothers and sisters don’t think so.

That’s exactly the reason why I allowed my kids to attend the same {Protestant} VBS this year that they’ve attended every year. I really debated it for a long time, but after researching the material and the theme, I realized that there was nothing contradictory to Catholic teaching in it. My kids get to learn about Jesus, memorize Scripture, play games, make crafts, spend time with their cousins and friends, and I get 2.5 hours of free time each day this week so it’s a win-win situation all around

 

[kerkvliet]

Yes, that’s exactly how I feel about it----there’s not much to distinguish the Catholic VBS from the Protestant VBS other than the saint cards, and whatever Catholic understanding or emphasis the teachers makes in explaining the points, which from my experience, isn’t much. I try to, but many other parent volunteers don’t know how to or don’t feel comfortable doing it. There is such a richness and depth to Catholicism and that’s missing in these VBS programs. And btw, I have viewed the Catholic Chat VBS program and unfortunately I thought it looked cheesy/unprofessional and not very engaging.

So thank you Posters–now I know that OSV does not produce their own Catholic version of VBS.

 

[dconklin]

I am an Asst DRE and responsible for VBS. We use the “Catholic” OSV VBS and love it. There are very Catholic VBS programs out there but they do not seem to be as much fun. There is nothing non-Catholic about this VBS. I have looked at creating my own VBS based on Ignatian Spirituality (we’re a Jesuit parish) but it is a lot of work.

Besides, we plan our VBS in conjunction with some of those Protestant churches in our neighborhood (sharing resources and working together on creating decorations) and the ecumenism is wonderful.

 

[slh3016]

Besides, we plan our VBS in conjunction with some of those Protestant churches in our neighborhood (sharing resources and working together on creating decorations) and the ecumenism is wonderful.

That is awesome!

 

[Lukelion]

There is a company here in Canada that does a Catholic VBS program, called "Cat Chat"catchat.ca/ 1-866-286-5433 (toll free US & Canada)

 

[VivienneJ]

There is a company here in Canada that does a Catholic VBS program, called "Cat Chat"catchat.ca/ 1-866-286-5433 (toll free US & Canada)

Thanks for that link. I got a Cat Chat CD from Lighthouse Catholic Media and presented one of the tracks to my grandchildren in last week’s “catechism” class (we home school). They enjoyed the lesson and I wondered where I could get more songs.

 

[His_helpmeet]

Thanks for that link. I got a Cat Chat CD from Lighthouse Catholic Media and presented one of the tracks to my grandchildren in last week’s “catechism” class (we home school). They enjoyed the lesson and I wondered where I could get more songs.

My DSD LOVES Cat.Chat. If you have a local Christian/Catholic bookstore, you might be able to pick up some of their resources.

Cat.Chat has four separate VBS programs - Cool Kingdom Party (based on CD 1, “Mary Leads Me Closer to Jesus”), A Wilderness Journey Through the Sacraments (based on CD 2, “Jesus in My Heart”), A Radical Ride on the Wings of Prayer (based on CD 3, “Amazing Angels and Super Saints”), and Marvellous Mystery (based on CD 4, “The Mass Comes Alive”). They also have “big books” for the first 2 CDs - these have songs, activities, and scripts. They have a couple of CDs that have just music, too, and I think they have song books. If you’d like to listen to some of their songs (they are AWESOME!) there is a sampler available on the web site.

Cat.Chat also comes to various communities and does concerts, if that’s something your VBS might be interested to have.