“Jesus isn’t boring. His Church isn’t either.”

This caption appears on the Damascus Catholic Mission Campus website and this is how kids, teenagers, university students, and adult men and women experience Christ at Catholic Youth Summer Camp.

A unique blend of enthusiasm for the Catholic faith in the staff and volunteers is felt everywhere during the weeklong camps on the Damascus campus, located within the Diocese of Columbus in rural Knox County.

The official chaplain for Damascus, appointed by the Diocese of Columbus, is Father William J. Slattery. He is a friend and classmate of Bishop Earl Fernandes from the time that both were studying for their doctorates in Rome at the Pontifical North American College.

Born in Ireland, Father Slattery was ordained by St. Pope John Paul II at St. Peter’s Basilica in 1991. He has a Ph.D. in alethic logic from the Gregorian University and an STL in theology from the Lateran University. Starting this academic year, he will also be professor at the Franciscan University of Steubenville as well as the chaplain at Denison University. 

He has appeared on EWTN and is the author of Heroism and Genius (Ignatius Press), The Logic of Truth (Leonardo da Vinci Press) and other books. His next book Ultramodern Catholicism: How to Re-Enchant the Modern Lifestyle (Our Sunday Visitor Press) will be published next spring with a foreword by Mark Wahlberg. The movie star endorsed it with these words: “This book slam dunks why I’m proud to be Catholic.” It will be followed by Men Wildly Alive: Why Chivalry is Manhood’s Greatest Coach. Another book, Mystical Mass, will follow these.

“At the end of every school retreat at Damascus, there are teenagers who go on stage to tell hundreds of their fellow students in the auditorium that they have decided either to convert to the Catholic faith or to return to it,” Father Slattery told The Catholic Times.

“The secret to the success of Damascus is the eternal secret to successful evangelization: enthusiastic Catholics bringing people closer to the Mass, confession, Our Lady, the angels and the saints.

“In the summertime, each morning, you see about 600 teenagers and kids sitting on the lawns of Damascus or beside ‘Lake Joy’ doing ‘Prayer Labs’ where they learn how to pray and even to take the first steps in contemplative prayer.” 

Aiden Abshire, an Ohio State University student from Plainfield, Illinois, is one of the young adult counselors, returning for the second straight year.

"I really like the authenticity and confidence of everyone there," he said. "I started getting involved because I belong to the Buckeye Catholic community at the (St. Thomas More) Newman Center. This really allowed me to pursue, and take ownership, of my faith. And a few of them had worked here (CYSC) through some summers and said how transformational it was in their lives.

"And I knew I wanted to give something to God for once in my life, so I said ‘yes’ last summer, and I began to see my life really become transformed."”

Lydia Gilchrist, a member of Columbus St. Catharine of Siena Church entering her junior year of high school, has attended the summer camp for six years and offered a heartfelt testimony on the transformative experience.

"This week at camp has helped me decide that the only thing I want for my life is Jesus, to give my life to Jesus,” she said.

Damascus began in 2001 with Catholic Youth Summer Camp. In 2015, the property near Centerburg was purchased and Damascus is now a year-round apostolate forming young adult missionaries, hosting retreats and running events throughout the year both on campus and nationally for youth and adults.

This summer, Damascus will serve approximately 6,100 campers between its Ohio and Michigan locations. Throughout the academic year, an additional 6,800 are served on school retreats and more than 2,500 through conferences such as adult retreats and winter camps.

Additionally, offsite events reached more than 35,000 across the nation last year. 

For more information, visit damascus.net.