The Diocese of Charlotte organizes vocation discernment camps for young men and women every summer on the campus of Belmont Abbey College. The events are filled with faith, fellowship and fun. (Amy Burger and Troy C. Hull)BELMONT— The past two weeks were filled with laughter, fun and prayerful excitement as the Diocese of Charlotte invited 300 teens and tweens to deepen their faith through three annual summer discernment camps: Quo Vadis Days, Duc in Altum and Talitha Koum.
As Father Brian Becker, vocations promoter for the diocese, explained, “The camps are mostly to come away from the world and spend a week alone with God and ask Him the question: ‘What are you calling me to do?’”
The 11th annual Quo Vadis Days vocation discernment camp for young men June 15-19 saw 100 campers spend a week alongside priests, monks and seminarians at Belmont Abbey College. The following week, at the same location, the Daughters of the Virgin Mary apostolate led the 10th annual Duc in Altum for 108 girls ranging in age from 15 to 19. On June 22, 110 preteen girls gathered for a one-day mini-camp called “Talitha Koum.”
Since 2014, the camps have served as the starting point for many of the diocese’s seminarians, priests and religious.
When the camps were introduced by then-Bishop Peter Jugis, no one could anticipate the wave of vocations the diocese is currently celebrating, with a record number of 10 priests ordained this year. St. Joseph College Seminary, founded in 2016, boasts 27 seminarians, with more receiving advanced formation at Mount St. Mary Seminary in Cincinnati and the Pontifical North American College in Rome, all ready to take their next steps toward the priesthood.
Sharing their calls
Many of the seminarians and sisters volunteering at the camp confirmed their calling during their own stay at Quo Vadis Days or Duc in Altum.
“I went two years before I entered the seminary,” said seminarian Walter Frei. “This was an opportunity to meet with Father Becker and talk to others already in formation. It was a good jump start to my discernment process – a little insight on what life in the seminary was truly like.”
Now Frei is studying at St. Joseph College Seminary, and his brother, Father Max Frei, who also attended, was ordained in May.
Micah Burgess, a fellow seminarian at St. Joseph College Seminary, feels similarly about the head start Quo Vadis Days gave him.
“After my first year of being Catholic, I looked into seminaries and heard about Quo Vadis Days,” Burgess said. “I went three times in high school. My junior year, I didn’t really know if I wanted to go to seminary and told God this was the week to show me. On the last day, I felt called to kneel in front of the Mary statue, and I just knew that I was being called to go to seminary.”
This year, the newly ordained priests and deacons and the seminarians shared their discernment journeys. The new priests gave the talks, were available for confessions, preached homilies and celebrated Masses.
Each day’s activities included Mass, Eucharistic adoration, prayers, quiet reflection and a rosary – practices Father Becker and Duc in Altum organizer Sister Mary Jacinta strongly encouraged attendees to continue long after the camp ends.
Other high notes of the Quo Vadis Days camp were a tour of the college seminary in Mount Holly, a procession through the Belmont Abbey College campus, singing vespers with the Benedictine monks and learning the history of the abbey from Benedictine Abbot Placid Solari. On Thursday, Bishop Michael Martin celebrated Mass and, at the end of each day, they found time for fraternity through competitive sports.
‘God is calling’
For the young women, Sister Mary Elizabeth focused on the details. “We just want these girls to know that God loves them,” she said. “We didn’t just give them bandanas. We gave them beautiful bandanas, because that is what they are – beautiful – and we wanted to show them that in every detail. They are precious, the girls love God and they are having a lot of fun. These girls are beautiful, and we want them to feel beautiful this week because that is how God sees them.”
At the Duc in Altum camp, the girls listened to motivational talks from members of religious orders from across the country, visited the Sisters of Charity of St. Vincent de Paul in High Point, and shared sisterhood fun through crafting and pelting each other with water balloons.
“This is just an awesome way to come together with a bunch of girls who realize that they may have an interest in the religious life,” said 14-year-old Ava Howell. “It is a great way to know your faith better and have some time with God. Realizing there are more vocations than marriage is awesome. I want to be open to God’s plan for me, and that is why I love this retreat.”
Father Becker said he prays the camps will prepare the young people with the discernment tools they need to move forward in their holiness journey – whether it is through the seminary, religious life, marriage or singlehood.
“‘Vocation’ comes from the Latin word ‘Vocare,’ which means to call. God is calling. It is our job to listen,” he said. “Pray consistently and sincerely. Open your heart and allow the Lord to give you His invitation.”
— Lisa M. Geraci
