During a hot and sunny week in June, Clongowes Wood College in Co. Kildare was packed with energy, friendship and prayer for Camp Veritas’ week-long Irish summer camp experience. Accompanied by founders Ryan and Elizabeth Young and 100 volunteers, the 150 campers enjoyed sports, crafts, and activities along with robust catechetical sessions and daily Adoration.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic during the week of the camp, founder Ryan Young, who hails from New York, addressed the trend he sees regarding the increase of faith in young adults, both in the US and Ireland.
The growing desire in young people for finding meaning and purpose was evident in the campers’ fervent desire to attend Eucharistic Adoration morning and night”
“I think across the board for the past four to seven years, especially through COVID and other things, young people felt the emptiness of what the world is offering,” said Mr Young. “We had two years where there wasn’t Mass. You know, we had two years where there was nothing going on with the Church or faith, and people recognised how they felt.”
“As horrible as it was, that emptiness spurred them on to say, no, I want something more,” he continued. The growing desire in young people for finding meaning and purpose was evident in the campers’ fervent desire to attend Eucharistic Adoration morning and night, whether it was compulsory or not, and engagement in the daily catechetical sessions.
These catechetical sessions, which last around 35 minutes and range from topics like identity to relationships, are led by local religious who also act as volunteers/counselors, and are present at the camp throughout the week. The presence of the brothers and sisters allows for the young campers to not only seek advice and knowledge from those in religious life, but gives them the chance to see what their life might be like if they walked down the same path.
Presence
Referencing the presence of these religious brothers and sisters, Mr Young said Camp Veritas is “extremely blessed to have religious orders helping us in the education of these kids.”
“In not just the education of our faith, but in their immersion of themselves, including the diocesan priests and the bishops as well, to have a closer look and think, ‘I can imagine being a religious or priest or a sister because they’re normal people too, and I admire that light that is shining from them and I want it’.”
When asked about why it’s so important to expose the campers to those in religious life, Mr Young spoke about the lack of vocations that many Irish Catholics are familiar with. He said he sees many children with priests who are “aging out.”
“They’re either retiring or becoming deceased, and it’s hard for them to imagine becoming one one day. It’s not like they’re eating with them regularly or being around them…a lot of people have not had exposure to those in religious life at all.” Camp Veritas encourages this exposure by having volunteers lead games and crafts with the campers and eat meals with them as well as praying with them.
“It’s not talking about swimming, they’re swimming here,” said the Camp Veritas founder. “It’s not talking about religious life, they get to live the life to some extent with the amount of prayer they’re doing.”
“They see God best in the example of those here, in the priests and religious that have donated their time,” he continued.
Speaking on the catechetical sessions that the religious lead, camp volunteer Justin Harkin of the Diocese of Elphin said the talks usually consist of a presentation to the young adults but are “very much pitched to their age and understanding.”
During the week of camp, the 150 campers are split into same-sex groups of around 8 or 10, usually based on age, to foster friendship and community. Throughout the days, campers could be seen on the lawns or in the gym during their free time, practising for the end of week talent show with their groups, which volunteers said was one of the highlights of the camp.
They realise that they don’t need cellphones and noise, that they hear God best in the silence”
Mr Harkin noted that campers are especially present during the week because of the absence of their phones, which are not permitted at Camp Veritas. “It changes the experience,” he said, “because we all hide behind our phones socially.”
Mr Young agreed, explaining that the choice to take away the campers’ phones leads them to confront the quiet, something that many of us hardly ever experience without the absence of our phones. “They realise that they don’t need cellphones and noise, that they hear God best in the silence,” the founder said.
This silence is often found during Adoration, which campers attend during the evening and morning. Although morning Adoration is not compulsory, Mr Harkin said that by the end of the week, a majority of campers are praying instead of in bed.
Recalling a recent survey that was run after one of the summer camps, Mr Young said he was impressed with the responses to a question asking “what’s your favourite thing to do at camp?” He said 80% of the campers answered, “Adoration.”
