Ben Falk fell in love with Jesus at Gasper River Catholic Youth Camp.
“This is where I fell in love with Jesus,” he said, calling to mind his memories as a kid at camp, during a recent phone interview. “Before I came to Gasper, I didn’t really care about going to Mass.”
Falk, a parishioner of St. Catherine of Alexandria Church in New Haven, Ky., began attending the camp, located in Bowling Green, Ky., in the Diocese of Owensboro, in fourth grade, he said. When his time as a camper came to a close, he knew that he wanted to serve on staff, he said.
So, this summer, Falk joined 24 other young adults to serve on the camp’s staff. The sleepaway camp welcomed 500 campers, from rising third graders to graduated high school seniors, in June and July.
During his time on staff, he’s enjoyed “bringing Jesus to campers,” especially by leading Bible studies for the first time, leading praise and worship music, teaching kids how to pray the Stations of the Cross and talking to kids after their first experience of adoration, he said.
Falk is one of four young adults with ties to the Archdiocese of Louisville who worked at the camp this summer. They found an opportunity to help shape the faith of the children at camp and the means to strengthen their own.
Jason Hatfield, a native of Hart County, decided to join Gasper River’s summer staff as an “opportunity to fully envelop myself in the faith,” he said in a recent phone interview.
Hatfield, a student at Western Kentucky University, came into the Catholic faith at Easter last year and “felt called to share what had been shared with me and get kids closer to Christ,” he said.
Working at camp has helped him “to stay close to the sacraments” and grow in his prayer life, he said.
“I prayed about it and felt like this was what the Lord wanted me to do this summer. It’s helping kids grow in their faith, which is what I want to do with my life”
— Abby Clark, parishioner of St. James Church in Elizabethtown, Ky.
Each member of the staff is scheduled to spend 30 minutes in the chapel each day; they attend adoration weekly, Mass daily and have the opportunity for confession, he said. “I’ve felt the grace in that and more of a desire for holiness.”
He’s been impressed by the faith of the kids, from hearing them pray to listening to their experiences of adoration, Hatfield said. “Their faith is so much more developed than I thought it would be. These kids love Christ so much.”
Abby Clark, a parishioner of St. James Church in Elizabethtown, Ky., was drawn to be a camp counselor by a friend who attended the camp growing up, she said.
“I prayed about it and felt like this was what the Lord wanted me to do this summer,” she said. “It’s helping kids grow in their faith, which is what I want to do with my life.”
Clark is studying to be a Catholic school teacher at Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio.
Serving on staff taught her skills that she will use as a teacher, she said, noting that it’s also helped her grow closer to Jesus.
“I love the fact that we go to Mass every day. That’s helped me make time for Jesus every day,” she said. “I’ve seen the way it can impact me and make my day better.”
She’s also enjoyed working alongside other Catholic young adults, she said. “Working with other Catholics has been amazing because not only do we get to work together to help the kids grow in their faith, but we help each other to grow in our faith.”
Sam Rhodes, a student at the University of Louisville, attended Gasper River as a kid, he said in a recent phone interview. At age 16, he started volunteering at the camp as a counselor, and this summer marks his third year on the summer staff, he said.
The “desire to serve” from “sun up to sun down” has kept him coming back to camp, noting that every year of camp and every week of camp has been different. This year, he’s been able to step into a “greater leadership role” as a returning staff member, he added.
The staff members are headed back to their college campuses with plans to live differently, they said.
Rhodes is heading back to campus for his junior year with a renewed sense of “the sheer necessity of prayer,” he said. “If I’m praying, everything else falls into place.”
As Hatfield enters his senior year this fall, he plans to “schedule prayer time and continue to go to daily Mass,” he said.
Similarly, Clark, who is returning to campus for her sophomore year, said she’s hoping to “go to Mass every day and incorporate time every day to go to the chapel and tell Jesus about my day.”
Falk, who is entering his sophomore year at the University of Kentucky, is hoping to help lead a freshman Bible study, serve on the music ministry team for daily Mass and spend more time in adoration, he said.
The camp is a “sign of hope,” he said, noting that campers have “brought their families back to church.” “If we have young people who care so much about Jesus, our faith is in good hands.”
“It’s been awesome working here. It’s probably the best job I’ll ever have,” said Falk. “Jesus is really working here.”
