Young adults aged 12-17 at Camp Veritas in Co. Kildare last week. Photo: Justin Harkin. 150 teens and 100 volunteers from Ireland and beyond gathered for a week of catechesis and prayer at Clongowes Wood College SJ in Co. Kildare last week to take part in Camp Veritas, a Catholic summer camp experience founded by Ryan and Elizabeth Young.
The American couple runs five summer camps each year, four in the United States and one in Kildare, focused on evangelisation and Eucharistic-centred worship for teens and young adults aged 12-17.
Speaking to The Irish Catholic during the week of camp, founder Ryan Young said he has observed the youth revival in both Ireland and the US firsthand. Recognising how Covid-19 affected the faith, Mr Young continued, “We had two years of no Mass, we had two years where nothing was going on in the Church or faith, and people recognised how they felt. As horrible as it was, that emptiness spurred their mind to say they want something more.”
“There is a revival across the Catholic spectrum…there are people now interested that were lukewarm before,” said the Camp Veritas founder.
The faithfulness and passion of the 150 students present during the week in Kildare was demonstrated through their commitment to attending morning and evening Adoration, even when it was not compulsory, and their curiosity during catechetical sessions, which were daily and often run by religious from local orders who volunteer at the camp.
Mr Young said the presence of religious sisters and brothers is what makes the camp unique, as it allows campers to observe and visualise what a life dedicated to faith might look like. “It’s not talking about swimming, they’re swimming here. It’s not talking about religious life, they get to live the life to some extent with the amount of prayer they’re doing,” he continued.
Camp Veritas volunteer Justin Harkin of the Diocese of Elphin agreed, noting how special it is to see the teenagers being exposed to religious life, simply by playing games on the pitch with sisters and brothers or making rosary beads together.