During the day, camp is all about fun: high ropes courses, archery tag, paintball, giant inflatables on the beach and attacking people with shaving cream.

“One of my favorite memories was... [playing] color wars. You get drenched in paint and then [play] capture the flag,” shared Grace Osborn, a member of the Cathedral of Mary of the Assumption in Saginaw and an incoming freshman at Nouvel Catholic Central High School.

In the evening, camp shifts into a high-level retreat, where youth encounter Jesus through powerful testimonies, Mass, Eucharistic adoration, Confession and worship.

During the evening retreat, Grace’s life changed.  

“I really felt Jesus’ love for the first time— a super overpowering love,” she said, describing her experience being prayed over by her small group. “I just started sobbing, and I knew he was real, that I was loved and seen.”

For Sylvie Long, another incoming freshman at Nouvel from St. Agnes Parish in Freeland, camp changed her perspective on what it means to have a relationship with God.

“I learned how to pray to God and actually listen to his voice,” she explained. “During adoration, I had a personal experience in which it was obvious that God had heard me and was actually responding.

Claire, Sylvie’s older sister, also experienced God’s presence while in Eucharistic adoration.  

“Jesus wants to pursue and save me because he loves me,” she said.

Grace strongly encourages any young person considering attending CYSC to take a leap of faith.

“It will change your life for the better, and you’ll never want to go back to the way you used to live,” she said.

At camp, Grace felt a call to become a missionary, potentially joining several other young adults from our Diocese currently serving as missionaries at CYSC.

Due to your support with Christ Mission Appeal, the Diocese has been able to subsidize $150 of the cost for each camper, making it more affordable for families.