The Road to Damascus

After twenty years in youth ministry, I don't get surprised very often.

I've attended countless retreats, conferences, mission trips, and summer camps. I've watched thousands of young people laugh, worship, pray, and encounter Jesus Christ. I've seen incredible ministries led by extraordinary people.

But two weeks ago, I witnessed something different.

God is doing something remarkable through Damascus Catholic Youth Summer Camp.

I accompanied my son and 135 middle and high school students from Colorado to a week-long camp in central Ohio. Five years ago, this same group consisted of just five teenagers. Since then it has grown almost entirely by word of mouth—to 9, then 30, then 115, and now 135. We expect more than 200 next year.

I had heard great things about Damascus for years. More recently, I began conversations with their leadership about a significant collaboration between Damascus and Andrew Ministries. Seeing the camp firsthand only increased my excitement.

I left convinced that God is moving powerfully through this apostolate.

The Road to Damascus

The story of St. Paul's conversion is one of the most dramatic moments in Scripture. While traveling to Damascus to persecute Christians, Saul encountered the risen Jesus Christ. In a single moment, everything changed. The persecutor became a disciple. The disciple became a missionary. His encounter with Christ redirected the entire course of his life.

That story captures the heart of Damascus Catholic Youth Summer Camp.

Founded in 2001 by two parish youth ministers, Dan DeMatte and Aaron Richards, along with several families, Damascus began as a camp for about sixty middle school students. Twenty-five years later, it serves more than 7,000 young people each summer across Ohio, Michigan, and Maryland.

Its mission is beautifully simple: lead young people into a life-changing encounter with Jesus Christ.

And from what I witnessed, that is exactly what happens.

Why Is It So Fruitful?

People naturally ask what makes Damascus different.

The activities are outstanding. The programming is engaging. The liturgies are reverent. The worship is inspiring. But many Catholic camps offer excellent programming.

That's not what impressed me most.

What struck me was the community of more than ninety summer missionaries.

Most were college-aged young adults whose lives clearly revolved around prayer, the sacraments, and authentic Christian community. Their joy wasn't manufactured. Their enthusiasm wasn't performative. It seemed to flow naturally from a deep friendship with Jesus Christ.

Their work ethic was extraordinary.

More importantly, their lives were worth imitating.

Jesus formed disciples by inviting people to live alongside Him. They learned not simply by listening to His teaching but by sharing His life. In many ways, the missionaries at Damascus do the same. From the moment campers arrive, they begin accompanying them—not merely through activities, but by inviting them into their own rhythm of prayer, worship, friendship, service, and joyful Catholic life.

Young people become like the people they spend time with.

By the end of the first day, you could already see the campers beginning to reflect the joy and freedom of the missionaries around them. As the week progressed, they entered more deeply into prayer, the sacraments, and worship. By the end of camp, I witnessed young people encountering Jesus Christ in profound ways.

I heard testimony after testimony of lives being changed. Some shared stories of supernatural revelation. Others spoke about discovering a deeper love for the Eucharist, or sensing the Lord calling them to a new way of life. Some even testified to Eucharistic miracles during Adoration. While each story was unique, they all pointed to the same reality: they had encountered Jesus Christ.

When I later mentioned one particularly remarkable testimony to Damascus co-founder Dan DeMatte, he replied,

"Yeah... we've been hearing that one a lot this summer."

He said it so casually that it almost caught me off guard.

It reminded me that when God is moving powerfully, extraordinary things eventually begin to seem ordinary.

A wise priest once told me, "There is a big difference between doing things for God that we think we should be doing and cooperating with what God is, in fact, doing."

That sentence has stayed with me for years.

When I see God consistently changing lives through a particular ministry, I pay attention—not because any organization is perfect, but because I want to cooperate with what the Holy Spirit is already doing.

What Happens After Damascus?

The road to Damascus was never meant to be the destination.

After his encounter with Christ, Paul didn't simply return home inspired. He entered into the life of the Church. He was formed by the Christian community. He grew in holiness. Over time, he became one of the greatest missionaries in history.

The same is true for every young person who encounters Christ today.

Summer camp is an extraordinary beginning, but it cannot be the whole journey. Every encounter with Jesus is an invitation into lifelong discipleship. Without a community that continues to encourage, challenge, and accompany them, even genuine spiritual experiences can slowly fade beneath the routines and pressures of everyday life.

This is where I believe God is opening an exciting new chapter.

This summer and fall, Damascus and Andrew Ministries are collaborating to test a pilot program involving 500 young people and more than 100 adult leaders. Our hope is simple: teenagers who return home from Damascus will have the opportunity to join a discipleship group in their family or parish, where the encounter they experienced at camp can mature into a lifelong relationship with Jesus Christ.

For years, youth ministry has often treated “encounter experiences” as the finish line.

I believe it should be the starting line.

If Damascus helps young people meet Jesus on the road, then together our hope is to help them continue walking with Him for the rest of their lives.

EVERETT FRITZ is a leading expert in small group discipleship and an advocate for quality youth ministry. He is the author of 4 books, including The Art of Forming Young Disciples (Sophia Institute Press) and One Disciple at a Time (Ave Maria Press). Everett has been serving in the trenches of youth ministry for over 18 years and is the founder and President of Andrew Ministries. He helps ministries all over the world to stop spinning their wheels in order to build youth ministries that get results.