This Catholic Camp Gives Boys Holy Role Models
What signs of hope do you find among the youth in our troubled world? Not many. However, at the Florida Call to Chivalry spring camp, hope abounded.
Discovering America’s Catholic Roots
In April 2025, Catholic boys gathered for several days to answer the Call to Chivalry in Ocala, Florida.
The theme of the camp, Spain in the New World, focused on Christopher Columbus’ bold venture to the Americas, Our Lady of Guadalupe, and Pedro Menendez’s founding of the first city in the United States, among other topics. The talks offered a Catholic perspective on the discovery of the Americas.
The boys enjoyed various games, such as shield ball and French football. Battles with foam swords and foam-tipped arrows were a favorite, challenging the strength and wit of camp participants.
Daily rosary processions provided spiritual fortitude for the soul, especially the more solemn torch-lit procession with Stations of the Cross. Adding to the solemnity, the young men took turns carrying a cross made from the charred wooden doors of a local Catholic Church firebombed in Ocala, Florida, in 2020.
Pilgrimage to Saint Augustine
The highlight of the camp was a pilgrimage to America’s first city, Saint Augustine. Campers stopped at the statue of Pedro Menendez de Aviles and learned about his venture to conquer Florida for the Cross. The pilgrimage then went to the Cathedral, where the boys venerated a first-class relic of the Doctor of the Church, whose name the city bears.
Within the Cathedral, the boys sang the Salve Regina in front of the pilgrim statue of Saint James the Apostle. This statue is a newly marked pilgrimage stop of the famous Camino de Santiago route to Compostela, Spain.
The next stop was the Castillo de San Marcos, the Spanish fort that is the most recognizable landmark in Saint Augustine. Here, the boys climbed the walls built by the Catholic conquistadors and explored different rooms and ramparts of the colonial Spanish fortress.
In the Castillo chapel, the boys sang a song dedicated to the heroes who crossed the Atlantic to conquer the New World. A crowd of curious tourists gathered to listen as their voices echoed in the Castillo’s stone chambers. They applauded the beautiful song.
The pilgrimage continued to the oldest Marian shrine in the United States: Our Lady of La Leche. The whole camp prayed the rosary at the feet of the marvelous statue in the rustic chapel. This shrine is also the location of the first Mass in the United States. On this holy ground, too, the young men prayed.
Defending the Right to Life
From the shrine, the boys sallied forth, this time to stand up for the God-given right to life. They stood with flags, banners, and signs invoking the holy crusades of old. Their banner urged everyone on the busy street to “Pray and Act to End the Sin of Abortion.”
From the ramparts, they descended to the famous Bridge of Lions and prayed a rosary for America’s most innocent: the preborn infants in the womb.
A Feast Fit for Crusaders
The camp ended with medieval games, an obstacle course, and a formal banquet. But this camp had a Floridian touch: Two roasted alligators “fighting” for a roasted chicken cooked on an open wood-fired rotisserie. The savory reptiles made for a delicious feast for ravenous young appetites.
The pinnacle of the feast was a marvelous cake: Two (delicious) ships dueled on buttercream waves. The Huguenot's invading ship (all edible) was swept away by graham cracker figurine sharks, and the Spanish dulce de leche ship was the obvious victor in the naval contest. In minutes, however, both ships lost the battle to a host of young, hungry men.
A Call to Holy Leaders
In conclusion, Mr. Norman Fulkerson, head of the TFP Florida chapter, offered inspiring words about the need for young, bold, and holy leaders in today’s corrupt world. “You young men are the hope for the future,” he said. “The world is looking for influencers. Be those who influence for the good.”
The camp memento featured Godfrey de Boillion leading the charge over the walls of Jerusalem to save the Holy Sepulchre of Christ. On the picture was a quote from the great Catholic thinker and founder of the TFP, Plinio Correa de Oliveira: “Of the many types of courage a man needs, one of the greatest or the greatest, is the courage to decide to be pure.”
May God inspire more young souls to answer the call to chivalry and help restore Christian Civilization, the best hope for a forlorn world.