Penza, 9 June 2015. PenzaNews. The first Orthodox Christian session in the Penza children’s summer camp “Orlenok” opened with a celebratory assembly held on Tuesday, June 9.

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The event began with reports of camp unit leaders, after which the children received the blessing of the Archbishop Serafim of Penza and Nizhny Lomov.

An Orthodox Christian summer camp session is the time for the school students to have rest, meet new friends and regain their strength for the upcoming school year, His Grace said.

In his turn, the head of the Penza city administration Yuri Krivov held a welcoming speech and wished the children to learn how to work as a team.

“Those who understand the life is granted to a man to serve the others find happiness. I wish you to gain this experience and such motivation here, at ‘Orlenok’,” the mayor stressed.

At the end of the official event, the summer camp workers and the school students received commemorative T-shirts and guidebooks with information about the summer camp provided by the Archbishop Serafim of Penza and Nizhny Lomov.

The Orthodox Christian session of the children’s summer camp “Orlenok” will last 27 days.

The timetable of this session will largely resemble one in a regular children’s summer camp. The usual schedule is accompanied by the morning common prayer, the prayers before and after meals, as well as the vespers held separately by each camp unit.

Throughout the camp session, the teenagers will learn more about the traditions of celebration for all Orthodox Christian dates, and take part in various religious ceremonies, such as a crucession and a morning liturgy.