Damascus Mission / Facebook
A Catholic youth summer camp that began 25 years ago with 63 students has since grown to serve nearly 7,000 students in Ohio and Michigan and maintain a continuous waitlist, prompting it to open a location in Emmitsburg, Maryland, a place rich with Catholic history.
Started as a parish-based effort in Centerburg, Ohio, the Damascus camp is now a national evangelization movement that spearheads youths’ encounters with Jesus through summer camps, retreats, and conferences, according to an emailed Damascus press release.
“Young people deserve a faith that’s alive and attractive,” said Damascus Co-Founder and Executive Director Dan DeMatte in the release. “They deserve to know the truth and have it presented with beauty and enthusiasm.”
The Centerburg campsite is nearly 500 acres and includes a lake, high ropes course, and zip line that create an atmosphere conducive for students to encounter the Holy Spirit, according to DeMatte.
“The focus of the camp is to help kids encounter the person of Jesus, but I really believe the environment of fun and adventure allows the Holy Spirit to enter in and leave these kids radically transformed,” DeMatte said. “We often hear kids say they came for the paintball or climbing wall, but they left with their favorite experience being Adoration.”
For the past nine years, Damascus’ camps have had waitlists, according to the release. Damascus’ next expansion was to a campsite in Brighton, Michigan. Now, they’ve purchased a third campsite in Emmitsburg that’s set to open in 2026.
Emmitsburg is home to the St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Shrine, where the saint is buried. The little town is also encompassed by a small mountain range where Mount St. Mary’s University and Seminary, as well as the National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes, are located. The university and seminary were founded in 1808, making them the second-oldest historically Catholic seminary and university in the country. The seminary is also the largest in the US.
According to the release, operating the Emmitsburg campsite will further Damascus’ mission “to awaken, empower, and equip a generation to live the adventure of the Catholic faith through world-class programs and an environment of encounter.”
