The place where faith is formed

For youth across the archdiocese, Camp St. Martin is where their faith comes to flourish

Whether going canoeing, playing games or praying the Rosary – there’s much for youth to do at Camp St. Martin.

But the objective of Camp St. Martin goes far beyond fun and games. It’s a chance for youth to make faith front and center in their lives. It also helps ensure the future of our archdiocese – as these campers will one day become the leaders, volunteers and parents that fill the pews of our churches.

For Grace Collins, a Manning youth now heading into Grade 5, Camp St. Martin has been much more than a fun getaway for the summer. It’s the place where she discovered other young people who share her Catholic faith, creating friendships she did not have until Camp St. Martin became a part of her life.

“For me camp is just a bunch of people that are also Catholic that I can make friends with; it’s people I can relate to,” she said. “Before camp not all of my friends were Catholic, but now I have a lot who are.”

Particularly when “desert time” comes up on the camp schedule, Grace cherishes it as a way to have intimate, silent time with God. Desert time is the campers’ opportunity to spend time alone in silent prayer, to walk in nature and be with their own thoughts and their Creator. Stereotypes may suggest that this would be the most boring and difficult-to-endure part of camp for today’s youth, but growing up in a world as busy and riddled with distractions as our own, it is often cited as the part of camp they most cherish and look forward to.

“I just like everything being quiet, so that I can listen to everything around me,” 10-year-old Grace reflected. “I believed in God before I went to camp, but I just feel closer to Him now.”

This year’s Camp St. Martin took place from August 5th to 21st, with over 100 youth from across the archdiocese, all gathered together on the grounds of Camp Artaban for a few days of faith and fellowship amidst the beauty of God’s creation.

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That sentiment of coming back to camp as long as they possibly can is a common one. If there’s any one whose lived out that aspiration and qualifies as a “Camp St. Martin veteran”, it’s Anastasia Ibach. This summer represents the Grande Prairie native’s 7th year at camp. This summer she once again took part in all three weeks of camp, although 2024 represents her first year as solely a team lead and counsellor.

As can be expected from such a CSM devotee, Anastasia has many cherished memories through her summers on the grounds of Camp Artaban. While she admits she could go paddle boarding for hours if she was able to, the most important experience over her years at camp has been adoration. It was the central formative moment in her own faith journey, for it was during adoration at Camp St. Matin that she first felt and discovered the love of God.

“Camp is really where I found my faith. My first adoration at camp was special to me. It just kickstarted my relationship with Jesus,” Ananastasia recalled. “Adoration at Camp St. Martin is the best. It’s full of emotion; the music is amazing; the environment is beautiful.”

Camp typically consists of a variety of activities for the campers: daily Mass and prayers, activities including canoeing/water games, axe throwing, survival workshops, water balloon fights, night games and more. All of these encompass what Anastasia calls the ‘four F’s’ of camp: faith, food, fun and friends. More than these four guarantees, however, what keeps Ibach coming back to camp each year is the unknown – the unique experiences and unexpected blessings that come each summer.

“You never know what new adventure lies in store. So I think it’sthat anticipation of ‘what’s going to happen this year’ that also keeps me coming back,” she said. “And it’s an ongoing journey. Every year I learn something new, and every time I leave camp, I leave with a full spiritual battery.

“Just yesterday we were about to play a game out in the field, and right when we were about to start the unexpected happened and mother nature sent rain and hail just pouring down. And despite the crazy weather, the campers and counsellors had an amazing time. We were filling rain buckets and dumping it on each other. Everybody was laughing. It’s honestly those unexpected moments that are some of the best moments.”

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Given the secular nature of the world youth grow up in today, for many campers Camp St. Martin may be their only time of the year where they get to experience what it’s like to make faith the number one priority in every part of daily life and their daily interactions. It’s what makes this camp so pivotal to many.

“Camp has affected me hugely in my faith,” said camper and counsellor Sarah Bourke. “I’m a cradle Catholic, and I’ve been a Catholic all my life. But I didn’t really fully experience it until I came to camp…”

This is only an excerpt. Read the full story in the September 2024 edition of Northern Light