Idaho youth attend summer camp in Ohio

A group of friends from north Idaho parishes take time to pose for a picture while traveling to Centergurg, Ohio for the Damascus Summer Camp for youth last summer. About 35 north Idaho youth attended the camp. (Courtesy photo)

By Bryan Saye

For the ICR

How do 35 Catholic youth from northern Idaho end up together in the Midwest, more than 2,000 miles from home?

With the help of a few key players, involvement across several parishes and one northern Idaho apostolate, they were able to organize a weeklong trip this summer to Centerburg, Ohio, near Columbus, for the annual Damascus Summer Camp for youth.

Launched in 2001 as a parish-based initiative in the Diocese of Columbus, Ohio, Damascus is described as an ongoing mission to bring youth closer to their Catholic faith. It is named after the experience of St. Paul the Apostle, who underwent a dramatic and profound conversion to Christianity while traveling to Damascus.

“Our mission is to awaken, empower and equip a generation to live the adventure of the Catholic faith through world-class programs and an environment of encounter,” the organization states on its website.

The trip to Damascus all started with Jeff Zember, a member of both Saint Thomas the Apostle and Saint Pius X parishes in northern Idaho. He’s attended the Damascus camp privately the last few years, taking his children and a few of their friends. He describes the camp as “absolutely ‘best in class’ Catholic on all accounts.”

The camp’s mix of adventure, spirituality and encounter environment leads to transformational experiences, he said.

The camp

“[It’s] situated on about 500 acres,” Zember told the [ITAL./] Idaho Catholic Register (ICR). “They have a bunch of high-adventure stuff … like rock climbing, swimming in the pool, a huge swing and paintball. They buckle it with a deep spiritual connection and all things Catholic – engaging in the sacrament, adoration, processions and confessions.”

Still, a campus full of activities wouldn’t be enough without devout and energetic Catholic men and women to engage the youth.

As Zember pointed out, “The missionaries are at the heart of it. The campus would be hollow if it weren’t for the missionaries … They have a very intentional faith formation in the way they serve these youth every week.”

And by “every week,” Zember referred to the nine groups of 500 youth that come through the camp every summer. That’s 4,500 people – not counting chaperones – who visit Damascus over a stretch of nine weeks.

Through simple word-of-mouth communication from Catholic youth who had experienced the excitement and spirituality at Damascus in years past, the tri-parish youth of northern Idaho, which includes Saint Thomas the Apostle, Saint Pius X and Saint Joan of Arc parishes, all jumped on board.

The trip

But organizing a trip across country is a little different from just taking a few family friends. Thankfully, Zember didn’t have to do it on his own. He approached Wes Miller, coordinator for youth ministry at Saint Pius X Parish, who had also been to Damascus a few years prior.

Miller spent two and a half days at the camp, rather than the whole week, though his trip was anything but accidental. Wanting to improve as a youth minister, he’d heard about Damascus and decided to see what it was all about.

He asked himself, “Within youth ministry, how can we improve?”

“As a church, we’re trying to respond to the needs of our youth in the year 2025. I caught wind of what Damascus is doing. They’re doing it really well,” he said.

During his visit, he was able to see both the physical and spiritual elements that made Damascus work. On the physical level, he saw “the nuts and bolts behind what [they] do,” he said. “It’s a lot of high-energy activities during the day, [like] rope courses and all the water activities. [The missionaries are] trying to build relationships with the kids and have a good time.”

Miller continued by describing the more spiritual aspects he witnessed during his second day at Damascus:

“[I was] seeing the spiritual component of it and getting to know the leaders, getting to pray with the different missionaries and having them pray for me,” he explained. “I’m getting to the heart of what they’re doing there. The culture that they’ve built at Damascus is so palpable – it’s the air that you breathe while you’re there. Every single person that you talk to carries a genuine love for Christ.”

While Miller didn’t act in any official capacity as coordinator of youth ministry, he was able to provide some space for Zember to speak during the youth groups. Zember introduced them to Damascus and started gathering contact information from young people and their parents who might be interested in attending.

With 35 youth signed up, the next step would be to address the logistics.

Enter Jason Chavez and his apostolate, CommunioCDA. He’d been on the trip to Damascus with Miller two years ago and shared the same desire to give the area’s youth a chance to visit the camp.

Chavez cited the communal nature of the youth of northern Idaho while planning the trip.

“It wasn’t just [one parish]; it was all these kids in north Idaho,” he explained. “It wasn’t about the parishes; it was about these kids coming together … [kids] who wanted to encounter Christ.”

With his apostolate focused on serving all Catholic youth in northern Idaho rather than any single parish, he was able to organize a fundraising event to help cover expenses. Hosted by Saint Pius X Parish, the evening featured food, fellowship, and faith formation. Youth were invited and encouraged to bring their friends along.

Despite raising nearly $2,000, Chavez wanted to highlight the communal nature of the event.

“I think the greater thing was everybody showing up, the community [coming] together, the kids talking, [and] the parents . . . kind of breaking down those walls of parishes and being there for the kids,” he said.

The team decided to choose the ninth and final week of Damascus’s summer camp schedule, Aug. 3-8. It was good timing since there were no northern Idaho sports going on to otherwise conflict with the camp.

The trip was just as successful as the organizers had hoped, the youth coming back spiritually on fire. They didn’t simply take the experience and let it settle; they came back ready to bring that spirit of evangelization and encounter.

“We had a great turnout,” Miller said, recalling the first youth group night following the camp. “These young adults and older teens came back to the youth group with a different mindset of being on mission. That’s the fruit that I’m seeing.”

He specifically recalled one young man, Joseph Girard, a 16-year-old high school student who credits the Damascus trip with a deepening of his faith. While he enjoyed the activities – specifically the “ropes course, having fun at the lake and doing paintball” – he felt an especially powerful connection to the counselors and missionaries who made it all possible.

“[I loved] being surrounded by God-fearing campers and counselors,” he said. “I don’t think I experienced such a powerful adoration in my life before.”

When asked what made the adoration so memorable, his words returned immediately to the community around him.

“It was just the people [who] were on fire for the Lord,” he said. “We were doing praise and worship while the Eucharist was being shown up close. The counselors there were really outgoing, really easy to get along with. You wanted to be friends with them and get to know them. Doing activities with your brothers and sisters in Christ made the spiritual times even more powerful, I think.”

After Damascus, he’s noticed profound changes in his personal and spiritual life, inspiring him to switch from a public high school in Coeur d’Alene to Coeur du Christ Academy.

He’s already applied to return to Damascus next summer as a volunteer. He’s excited even to work in a behind-the-scenes capacity, whether it’s cooking or cleaning, just to have a chance to get back.

On the spiritual side, he’s seen an increase in his appreciation for the Mass and prayer.

“I was still a practicing Catholic before, but it felt like I was going through the motions,” he explained. “When I was at Mass or when I was saying the rosary, sometimes it felt more like a burden than something I did devoutly. After Damascus, it’s made me appreciate the Mass more and appreciate my prayer life more.”

He finished with some words of wisdom: “I don’t go to Mass because it ‘feels good.’ I go because I love God, and I love my Creator. Damascus helped me realize that.”