An increasing number of Young Life camps are honoring their Catholic campers and volunteers by providing access to Mass when camp weeks happen to include a Sunday. And Catholics who work for Young Life say this is another example of Young Life creating a culture of belonging for all Christians.
This past summer, Young Life’s camp in Michigan, Timber Wolf Lake, found a way to bus a couple of dozen Catholic campers to a nearby parish for a weekend Mass. Young Life’s camp in Minnesota, Castaway Club, allowed 50 Catholic students and leaders to attend Mass at a parish within walking distance. A camp in New York, Lake Champion, offered Mass on camp property for all Catholic adult guests, staff and campers. And a remote camp in Oregon, Washington Family Ranch, brought in a priest for Catholic volunteers and adult guests to attend Mass.
“Young Life has become more aware and more willing to accommodate Catholics,” said Deb Burns, who is Catholic and who has been involved with Young Life for 25 years, including 15 years on staff. “When I started working for Young Life, I don’t remember a conversation about me being Catholic. It wasn’t on anyone’s radar, and there were some awkward moments when it did come up at staff gatherings.”
Burns, who now volunteers for Young Life College in Minneapolis, hosted Catholic adult guests at Castaway this summer and was pleased to see how camp staff wanted to respect Catholic families by providing a way for Catholic kids to attend Mass.
Protestant parents tend to be more relaxed about their kids missing a Sunday church service while at camp, but attending Mass every week is a high priority for many Catholic families. Some Catholic parents won’t allow their kids to go to a Young Life camp with their friends if camp dates include a Sunday. Some Catholic college students who are interested in summer staff choose not to apply after hearing they may not have access to weekly Mass during their month of service.
When Young Life camps offer access to Mass on or off camp property, there is no camp-wide invitation; instead, an announcement is made during a leader meeting or in a leader group text. There is no way of tracking how many of Young Life’s 313,000 campers each summer are Catholic. Leaders, however, know if the kids they brought to camp are Protestant, Catholic or have no church background. Leaders mention the optional Mass when it’s available to their Catholic campers, and the camp finds a Mass time during free time so Catholic campers, volunteers and staff don’t miss any camp programs or activities.
“We didn’t miss a beat,” said Emily Andes, a Young Life area director in Iowa who is Catholic and who offered the bus ride to Mass to the Catholics in her group at Timber Wolf Lake.
She recalled what it was like to grow up in Young Life as a Catholic teenager. “I was confused by the Young Life language. I already ‘knew Jesus’ coming in, but I didn’t always feel like I belonged in Young Life.”
“There has been a shift,” said Andes, who has been on staff for three years. “The posture in Young Life is more open and curious. There’s a true desire to be ecumenical like we say we are as a mission.”
Andes said the older and smaller congregation at St. Stephen was thrilled to watch a couple of dozen young Catholics walk in the door. “Some in this close-knit community had heard there was a Young Life camp nearby. We filled in all the empty seats.”
