SCRANTON – For many Catholic teenagers, living their faith can sometimes feel like a lonely experience.
As they navigate school, sports, and peer groups, they may wonder if anyone else their age shares a love for Jesus Christ and the Church.
For 53 high school students from across the Diocese of Scranton, Quo Vadis and Fiat Days offered a reassuring answer this summer: You are not alone.
Held June 29 – July 1, 2026, at Marywood University, the Diocese’s annual vocation camps brought together 34 young men for Quo Vadis Days and 19 young women for Fiat Days to pray, build friendships and reflect on how God may be calling them to serve Him.
Through daily Mass, Eucharistic Adoration, talks, games, small-group discussions and time with priests, seminarians and religious sisters, participants were invited to listen more closely for God’s voice while discovering a community of young Catholics striving to do the same.
“It feels great because, number one, I’m not alone out there,” Jake Sanchez of Saint Matthew Parish in East Stroudsburg, said. “I have other people to share my thoughts and ideas with. It’s nice to know that there are other people with a strong faith in God.”
Sanchez attended Quo Vadis Days for the second consecutive year. He said returning for a second summer was an easy decision.
“Everything about it, the experience, making friends, Mass, everything about it is amazing. I think everyone should try it out, even if they think they won’t like it, you never know until you try it,” Sanchez said.
Throughout the three-day experience, students learned about the many vocations within the Church, including marriage, priesthood, diaconate, and religious life, while also reflecting on how God is calling them to holiness today.
For Eddie Scavone of Our Lady of the Snows Parish in Clarks Summit, one of the most meaningful moments was Eucharistic Adoration.
“I really enjoy the Holy Hour,” he said. “It’s really nice to just sit in the Chapel during Adoration and enjoy the presence of God and have confessions at the same time.”
Still discerning what his future holds, Scavone said the camp has helped him approach that process with greater confidence.
“They’re definitely giving me good tips and ideas for how to correctly discern what God is calling me to do,” he added.
For the young women attending Fiat Days, the opportunity to spend time with religious sisters offered a unique perspective on vocational discernment.
Emily Lopez of Saint Teresa of Calcutta Parish in Scranton returned for her third year because she says each experience has drawn her closer to Christ.
“I think I look forward to it because the connection I feel each year toward God gets deeper,” Lopez explained. “I just learn more. I learn how to connect with Jesus and learn more about the Holy Spirit. It’s really nice and you feel peaceful.”
Lopez said one of the greatest blessings of Fiat Days is realizing there are many other teenagers striving to grow in faith.
“When you feel like you’re alone, it’s hard because you think you’re the only teenager who believes in God,” she said. “But when you surround yourself with people who are just like you and are also sinners but at the same time trying to get closer to God, it feels more relieving. You realize, ‘I’m not the only one.’”
First-time participant Emily Barrett from Saint Carlo Acutis Parish in Olyphant echoed that sentiment.
“I think it’s pretty awesome to spend time with other girls my age who share the same faith,” Barrett said. “It’s good to talk to them and get excited about it and just have fun with it.”
She described the opening Mass of Fiat Days as one of the highlights of the camp.
“I just felt like that was the closest I’ve felt to God in a while,” she said. “I go to church often, but I really felt something different that time.”