When I first heard about the Envoy Institute's Catholic Apologetics Summer Camp, I immediately wanted to know more. It sounded like a unique opportunity for teens to strengthen their knowledge of the Faith before the tumultuous college years, but a bunch of questions came to mind, too: Do kids do anything else at the camp other than learn theology? Are modern teens even interested in this kind of thing? Fortunately I had the opportunity to post these questions to author, speaker, and apologist extraordinaire Patrick Madrid, who is also one of the camp's organizers.
Q: Walk us through a typical day at the Envoy Institute's Catholic Apologetics Summer Camp. What kind of activities do the kids do?
I'll start by saying that each day is a full day for the young people. Full of God, full of fellowship with their peers, full of great teaching, and full of good, old-fashion summer fun.
We start each morning with Holy Mass celebrated in the camp chapel (this happens to be a Catholic-owned camp, so we're delighted to have Mass together each day in a thoroughly Catholic chapel), then a hearty breakfast followed by our morning session of an apologetics talk followed by a lively Q&A session. Everyone gets involved. It's great to see the young people open up and get excited as the Catholic Faith is systematically unfolded for them at a level they can understand.
Then, after the morning apologetics session, they split into groups for any of a variety of outdoor activities: the high-ropes course, hiking, archery, swimming, etc., and on one of the days, we all head for the river for an exhilarating day-long whitewater rafting expedition. Most everyone says that (apart from the apologetics courses), the rafting is the fun-activity pinnacle of the week.
Depending on what activities the campers have decided to take part in on any given day, lunch will be served in the dining hall or picnic-style, out in a picturesque meadow or clearing in the surrounding Pisgah National Forest. The scenery is truly spectacular.
Then, in the evening, after dinner, there is another dynamic apologetics session involving another talk by myself or one of our other speakers followed by another extended Q&A session. We've noticed that the young people tend to ask a bit fewer questions during the morning session because they're anxious to get out of doors! But during the evening sessions, it's like the floodgates open and they ask many excellent questions. Needless to say, our evening group discussions and occasional apologetics role-play activities are very popular with them.
Immediately following the evening session, we have our night prayer devotions and a blessing from the priest, if one is present.
When the evening apologetics session wraps up, the night is still (somewhat) young, and the campers usually head up the hill to the gym for a high-energy team game of "bombardment" (a close cousin to Dodge Ball) or over to the campfire for songs, Smores, and conversation. Some decide to relax in the dining hall over a game of ping pong, or checkers, or just hanging out in small groups until it's time to head to bed.
Q: How did your own experience as a father of 11 (and grandfather of many more) inspire you to start this camp?
Actually, Jen, rather well, in that raising all those teenagers (not all at once, of course!) gave me a lot of trial-and-error insights into teen psychology: what's important to them, both boys and girls, what they are thinking and wondering about, and what kinds of societal pressures and challenges they face -- and will face, once they leave home for college or the working world. Teens this age are about to go out on their own, so:
- A) They need to be well-prepared to understand and cope with the real and often dangerous ideological, spiritual, and moral challenges to their Faith which they'll certainly encounter out in "the real world." These take the form of everything from the secular expectations and pressures rampant in American culture today to questioning from their peers and even from antagonistic adults, such as some college professors; and
- B) They need to be equipped to live their Catholic Faith in the face of challenges. But in order to do that, they need to really understand the Faith, to be able to explain and shar and, yes, when necessary, to defend it. Where are our Catholic young people going to find that kind of comprehensive preparation these days? Truth is, most of them won't. Which is why I started the Envoy Institute in the first place: To help equip Catholics of all ages to explain their beliefs more intelligently, defend them more charitably, and share them more effectively.
Those three things are, in a nutshell, what the Envoy Institute Apologetics Summer Camps are all about. That, and trying to show the young people the solid reasons why they should claim the Catholic Faith for their own, and not just passively receive it without truly understanding and loving it.
Through these camps we strive to do this for them, plus we aim to do something else very important: to help them see that, as Catholic young people, they are not alone, that there are other like-minded teens out there, just like themselves, and that there are people who are ready, willing, and able to assist their parents in providing good, solid reasons for their Faith. In other words, good solid, biblical, historical, and logical apologetics. Believe me. When they get to college, they are going to need that.
As one of the speakers at our first camp put it, "There is no one so alone as a college freshman."
We don't want them to feel like they are stepping out alone into life. We show them that they have abundant, ready resources and friends and mentors they can reach out to for help when challenges arise.
Q: Do you find that kids respond well to the idea, or does a camp where you learn about religion sound boring to modern teens?
It might sound counter-intuitive, but I'm here to tell you, they love it! We have had some kids come back every single year since we've started the Envoy Institute Apologetics Summer Camps. Some, of course, have come with reservations, but the experience is so fun, so relaxing, and so spiritually energizing that more than a few parents have e-mailed us afterward to say that their children might have been dropped off at camp knowing or apparently caring little about their Faith, but they came home on fire with enthusiasm, ready to engage in discussions with their peers, sibling, and teachers. That's what we mean about the camps being "life-changing." That really does happen.
Q: The 2013 Envoy Institute Camp features an impressive list of speakers: Fr. Mitchell Pacwa, Jim Burnham, Melanie Pritchard, Fr. Dwight Longenecker, Ken Davidson, and yourself. What kinds of subjects will you all be addressing?
Thanks. The presentations are designed to span a wide spectrum of potential challenges. We teach them standard biblical apologetics topics, such as showing Catholic doctrines from the Bible, answering common Protestant objections, plus responding to the culture of militant atheism that is growing more aggressive all around us. We teach them how to think more critically and recognize the errors when someone comes along pushing an ideology, world-view, or religious agenda that is at odds with authentic Catholic teaching.
The camp teaches them how to analyze and critique the many subtle (and not-so-subtle) forms of moral relativism inherent in most secular arguments and catch-phrases today, and we show them how to deal with and navigate through the primary cultural challenges all young people face today: peer pressure to be sexually promiscuous, the drug and alcohol binging sub-culture that is everywhere these days, the "pro-choice" anti-life agendas pushing abortion and contraception, the challenges posed by militant Islam, and so on.
Q: This is the camp's fourth year. What are some changes you've made based on lessons you learned in previous years?
Several things, in fact. First, we launched CatholicApologeticsCamp.com as a way to get the maximum amount of pre-camp information out to parents and prospective campers. The intro video really helps us share the vibe of the experience with families who are interested.
Also, we've extended the length of the camp by a couple of days, both to add more time for talks and discussion and also to help the campers get away from the pressures and expectations of their day-to-day lives so they can become more open to thoughtful discussions, thinking about Christ and His Church, and especially having a peaceful environment in which to hear the Lord speaking to them.
We've also added a wider variety of activities (such as apologetics role-plays and skits — which they really enjoy planning and participating in) that will help carry them beyond just listening to lectures and enable them to apply what they've learned at the Envoy Institute Apologetics Camp.
Q: What about families who might be interested in such a camp but don't have a way to pay? Is assistance available?
Depending on the donations we receive (we ask that pastors, grandparents, aunts & uncles, and other concerned folks who would like to help sponsor part or all of a young person's camp experience please go to catholicapologeticscamp.com/donations). We hope to be able to provide as much scholarship assistance as possible. Individuals and some Catholic organizations have stepped up in the past to provide such tuition assistance in the form of "scholarships" of all amounts, small and large. Those made a huge difference.
Q: Do you have any favorite "success stories" from kids who have attended the camp?
Yes, several pretty spectacular ones and many that, while not necessarily "spectacular," still really encouraged us when the parents shared with us afterward what a deeply positive the camp experience was for their kids.
Happily, and for this we must give all the credit to God and the grace of His loving providence, we've even had two campers (that we know of) who told us they discovered that they might have vocations, though they had never previously imagined that. One, a young man, has entered the seminary, and the other, a young lady, is now a postulant at a convent, exploring religious life.
Another camper had to miss the 2nd camp because she decided (much to her mother's surprise) after the first camp that God was calling her to do some missionary pro-life work! Another began engaging in online apologetics discussions with high school classmates.
Perhaps the thing that most indicates that we're on the right track with these Envoy Institute Catholic Apologetics Summer Camps is that many campers from previous summers return — with their siblings and friends with them, as well.
* * *
Thanks to Patrick Madrid for taking the time to answer these questions. Below is a video that offers more information, and you can visit the camp's website as well.
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Why do these camps have to be so expensive? That is one of my “issues” with catholic education in general these days. It affords little chance for the catholic kids who don’t have super rich parents to engage in these types of events. I hope that one day somebody find a way to make these camps affordable so that apologists and educated catholics can come from every economic class.
Re:costs—I think this is actually pretty reasonable, and the website says that scholarships are available, as well. Think of what the cost covers: feeding and housing kids in a camp in the mountains for a week (think of what a hotel and food costs these days), then you have to fly in the speakers and feed and house them, plus they are due in justice payment for their work so they can support their families, then you have to cover insurance and costs to take the kids whitewater rafting (that’s not cheap!), etc.—and all for about $100 a day. I’d say, send them an email and see about a scholarship to help! Looks like with speakers like they have, this could be an investment that would change a child’s life.
Jessie, I really understand what you’re saying. It can be so discouraging when money seems to keep us from events that are supposed to bring us closer to God and our faith.
What I learned from spending 3 years planning a Catholic women’s conference is how much things cost. Locations, speakers, flights for speakers, stipends, meals for everyone, insurance that you HAVE to have, mircophones, website needs… Just to pay everyone’s just wage, from the janitor to the cooks to the speaker, really adds up. I’m really grateful that Patrick and his team try to raise scholarship funds- hopefully your kids will be able to use them.
This looks absolutely wonderful—now where’s the camp for adults?!
Wow! this looks amazing! Do they have a married couple’s version? Sounds like a great place for a 2nd honeymoon (literally for us, since we honeymooned in the Blue Ridge Mts)/grow in your faith/get out in God’s creation! (I’m sure my kids would love it too, but the oldest has another 10 years before he could go!)
I was just going to ask about the camp for grownups!
The Envoy Institute is planning a long apologetics weekend for adults in late June—details will be released in the next month as we nail them down. We’re working on what we can do given limited funds (we rely on donations), so stay tuned. Send us a note via the contact form on the catholicapologeticscamp.com website with your email, and we’ll add you to our list to receive information. We’re very excited for this camp, and thank you, Jennifer, for spreading the word for us!
I think this type of thing should spread in many other countries, especially traditionally Catholic countries, like Italy, Spain, France and Germany (I live in Europe myself) or Mexico and South American countries
Kenneth- We don’t want to send our 15 year old far away without family nearby. He has some health issues and he needs a parent available. Could he go to the adults weekend with my husband or will that be adults only?
“the solid reasons why they should claim the Catholic Faith for their own”
It’s a wonderful social group?
“cope with the real and often dangerous ideological, spiritual, and moral challenges to their Faith”
Place head firmly in the sand?
Thanks.It’s a great idea.
Guess I shouldn’t even go there, because it’s opening a can of worms, but- my sons absolutely loved the Legionaries of Christ camps they attended.I know all the stories & fallout, but our experiences were good.The priests were great & it was really oriented towards boy-stuff.I asked one of my sons what they did over the weekend.He described playing outside games at night in the mud & rain, getting cold, wet, & filthy dirty,spartan camp conditions, hardly having time to use the bathroom,etc. “And we had a GREAT time.” He seriously did.
I’m glad there are other Catholic camp opportunities out there.I guess the good-and bad-about the Legionaries camp is that it was free for those low income families like us.Of course, there was a reason.
Christendom College has a good summer highschool program, too.Plus most colleges will let teens visit during the schoolyear if they’re contemplating future enrollment.
Thanks to all who’ve given thoughtful comments here. In answer to a few questions that have come up, 1) Yes, we are about ready to launch our special intensive apologetics programs for working adults. One of them will take place in Newark, CA, in late June. Please see http://patrickmadrid.com/speaking/calendar of details. 2) We DO seek to offer scholarships for those who can’t afford full tuition. Please read Jennifer’s interview in which I speak specifically to that point, and 3) Just to clarify for anyone who might wonder, neither I nor any of the presenters, nor the Envoy Institute, nor our Catholic Apologetics Camps, nor the camp itself, its owners, etc., are affiliated in any way with the Legion of Christ or Regnum Christi. There is no connection whatsoever.
Patrick Madrid,
Sorry.I shouldn’t have even mentioned it.Must be the cold medication keeping me from prudent,well thought comments.
My apologies.
Where can I get more information?
You can get more information at the camp website: www.CatholicApologeticsCamp.com.
Mary - for more information see the website: http://catholicapologeticscamp.com/
God will bless you, I am from Hermosillo , México, And I wish to help you with a little donation and my praires for the success of your activities I have 8 childrens (4 and 4) and I came from a family of 11 , my older a Priest (lawyer) (Princeton, S.M.U) with scolarships and Gregorian University in Rome,my FATHER was a Dr. He passaway poor but as a saint ,he teach me the value of generosity, God always will win us in generosity,
Thanks for the greetings from Mexico. We DO need donations so we can provide scholarships for those who need financial help to attend, so donations can be made on our website at http://catholicapologeticscamp.com/donations. Thanks for your help.
Hi All, I feel the same way. It is important to educate our children. My family has been blessed to attend Holy Family Fests for the past 7 summers with the Apostolate for Family Consecration. We all have the opportunity to grow in holiness with other Catholic Families. As for the cost of programs, the internet has many opportunities for free presentations on the faith by such groups as Lighthouse Ministries and WordonFire.
Does this camp exist on the west coast for kids? I understand how expensive it is to run retreats, and I do appreciate the donations for those who can’t afford it. I think that kids who are poor would benefit as much from the christian fellowship and witness of practical catholicism as they would from the apologetics! And God bless you guys and your retreat! It is much needed in todays world.
We don’t have a west coast camp at this time—sorry!
Wow I am just drooling. I would love for our almost 17 year old son to attend. Planned Parenthood made a surprise visit to his health class and he felt so tongue tied, the idea of equipping our youth is our best weapon against the culture of death.
Our one issue is the date of the camps. Here in the Midwest, most high schools resume in mid August, so the early weeks of August are band camps, cheer-leading. Just offering that as an FYI.
I hope to see the Catholic Apologetics Camp thrive and multiply. Thanks for the article NCR.
Jenny,
You might want to look at the site for Camp Joshua, a pro-life camp for highschool age & up young folk:http://www.campjoshua.net/
We have that where I live & from the link, it appears that it’s offered in Oregon & other states, too.I don’t know that it’s specifically Catholic, but our state Right to Life group here supports it & locally, the kids who’ve attended are Catholic & so our the camp leaders.So, at least young people are trained in prolife apologetics & can share those the next time Planned Parenthood pays a visit to school.Good luck!
Hey thanks Kathleen - wow that is fantastic especially in Oregon.
I read about previous Envoy Institute Catholic Apologetics Summer Camps many months ago and I have been eagerly searching all over the internet for months, trying to find out if and when there would be one for this summer. I was listening to the “Right Here Right Now” program as I do daily, and Patrick mentioned that he would have information up on his website soon. I was so worried that I would miss it when Patrick posted it, I checked constantly but could never find any information. I stumbled across it tonight and, with trembling fingers, hurriedly signed up my 15-year old daughter! I had horrible visions of a screen popping up during the registration, reading “Unfortunately, this event is full”. Well, happy to share—she’s registered! She attends a non-catholic, college prep school and I have seen signs of the rampant moral relativism that she is exposed to daily, rubbing off on her and I am very concerned for my child. I prayed that she would be able to attend and God has answered my prayers! Sorry post is so long, but I am really happy and just had to share:)
“I stumbled across it tonight and, with trembling fingers, hurriedly signed up my 15-year old daughter!”
I assume you got her consent. Some would consider this a form of abuse if she doesn’t want to go and you are forcing her like I did to my kids making them go to CCD. They both resent it to this day.
Bill S,
I hope your day is going well.
If one believes that education’s optional for 15 year olds, then I think you have a valid point.And there comes a time when older teens need to be active in decision making.But if parents consider education as a non-negotiable through highschool, then they may still make those choices for their kids.Learning isn’t confined to the classroom or school calendar.
Hi Kathleen. From where I stand as an atheist, this just seems like brainwashing or indoctrination. Of course, a Christian would see a secular education as possibly the same in reverse and look at that curriculum as atheistic. I’m definitely against sending kids to Jesus Camp against their wills. They do need to be educated. They do not need to be religious. My kids aren’t and they have matured into fine men.
Bill,
I think your view then, might be more against the choice of subject matter than the compulsory attendance itself.Most kids are sent off to school “against their wills” daily(most of mine were not overjoyed at spending 6 hrs behind a desk, 5 days a week) & few will have choice making in core curriculum until they’re preparing for college.
So it comes down to what role parents play in choosing their child’s education.In a free society, we still have choice in the type of education our children may receive whether it’s public, private, or parochial. Or even homeschool.Some states require monitoring & annual testing of homeschool students in Math & Language Arts skills, but do not monitor other curricula such as Religion or Music.Parents & schools, whether, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, etc see religion as an integral part of education. You don’t.And it’s still a free country, so we can each make those choices accordingly.
Younger kids don’t make those choices typically.There used to be a whole children’s rights movement back in the 1960’s &1970;‘s where experimental schools like Summerhill allowed children to learn if they felt like it, or not.I think it was largely unsuccessful.But I agree with a little of that philosophy & think there’s much we can do in education to allow kids to pursue individual interests & learn at their own speed.
As a Catholic parent, there are non-negotiable survival skills that I would be neglectful to not ensure my child was proficient in before going out into the world, one being knowing their Faith, the other,knowing how to swim.Both sound like ideal summer camp activities.
I expect your choices might be different, but I am glad you have great kids, too.
God bless.
Sorry, Bill. My reply must have been to wordy, it was flagged as spam. Hopefully it will appear later.
Hi Bill S,
You assume correctly :) I did indeed get her consent, and she is actually pretty excited about it. No abuse here!
Good. I’m proud of you for doing that.
“I think your view then, might be more against the choice of subject matter than the compulsory attendance itself.”
I only have a problem with compulsory religious indoctrination. It was done to me and I did it to my kids. Voluntarily going to a camp and learning apologetics is awesome. Every kid should get that opportunity. There are also camps where kids can learn how to get along in this predominantly Christian society and still remain atheists. It includes dealing with bullying.
Bill,
I think I’d agree with you if the issue was specifically an apologetics camp for teenagers.It’s hard to imagine the benefit of a parent sending an unmotivated,unwilling adolescent to learn apologetics.
But I’d disagree on catechism.I think our Faith’s the most important thing we can teach our children.
I appreciate we can disagree respectfully. Thanks!
:)
So you are espousing what I did with my kids and what my parents did with me. Force them to attend CCD at least until they are confirmed. That’s pretty much the standard practice with Irish and Italian Catholics. I don’t know how it is with others. The problem is that the kids see confirmation as their graduation from the Church instead of their commitment as adults to practice the faith and pass it on to their children. Parents tell them that they must be confirmed so they can marry in the church. In many cases, they don’t talk to a priest again till marriage preparation.
Bill S,
You make some good points. CCD has it’s strength & weaknesses.If kids have no further formation in their Faith post-Confirmation, that’s sad.Many parishes do have opportunities for older teens to learn about their faith but obviously that varies.
Faith is a gift, we can’t force it on anyone but we can give our children the opportunity to practise & understand it.Beyond that, all we can do is pray.
I have a friend who works with post-confirmation teens. He takes them on camping trips in the winter called snow camp. But they go through a phase when you can’t tell them anything.
What a wonderful camp! I love the idea of a Catholic experience for youth that provides not just an emotional connection to their faith but an intellectual one as well. Prayers for continued success and growth, and that you’ll have one on the West Coast in 10 years when my kids are old enough to attend! I also thought the cost seemed quite reasonable. Keep up the good work!!
Earl, you’ve got a lot of courage even posting here, after the “philosophical” basis of your entire world view has been decimated time and again on these boards. Take for instance:
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jennifer-fulwiler/4-tips-for-placing-yourself-in-the-presence-of-god/
There, you were exposed as a solipsistic nihilist who could not identify any coherent grounds for truth even existing under an atheistic world view.
Also, here:
http://www.ncregister.com/blog/jennifer-fulwiler/why-love-is-the-secret-to-conversion/
In this exchange, your atheism led you to such an extreme form of nihilism that you were forced to deny that basic words have any objective meaning. You announced that there was no “evidence” for the supernatural, but when presented with a legally recognized definition of “evidence” that necessarily encompassed all sorts of support for the supernatural, you arbitrarily redefined the term. If words have no objective meaning, how can there be any objective truth under your world view? Exactly my point….
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