With the final bell of the school year soon to ring out, the Archdiocese of Toronto is preparing to head into its biggest summer of Catholic camps to date, with 61 parishes now offering a record 89 weeks of combined programming in July and August. 

The year’s surge marks further growing confidence among parishes throughout the archdiocese to create and lead their own summer camp experiences. While 25 of the weeks will offer the diocesan-led and ever-popular Totus Tuus program, the majority, 64 weeks all told, will be independently designed and run by individual parishes, allowing them to expand offerings and tailor programs to their communities.

Even parishes that once hosted a single week of Totus Tuus are now adding multiple weeks of programming, driven by both proven demand and strong results. Last year alone, upwards of 800 more kids attended summer camps run at parishes than the year prior. 

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As for the reason behind the growth, John MacMullen, the Office of Catholic Youth’s associate director of youth ministry, believes the answer is multifaceted. 

“ A number of parishes who maybe ran Totus Tuus for several years certainly saw the capacity and thought there was no reason why they couldn’t do more to grow it and provide multiple weeks of experience for kids,” he said. 

“ Ultimately, these don’t exhaust financial resources at the parish as well. There is a clear interest, and if parishes know they have got the facilities, space, and know it is consistent with the mission of the Church to proclaim the Gospel, they are unapologetically providing something great through this.”  

MacMullen noted that parish summer camps often provide an excellent tool for parishes to employ and reward their own teenagers and young adults who already volunteer during the year, leading to a unique three-way synergy of growth for the parish, leadership experience for volunteers and fun for the kids. 

While exact 2026 totals are not yet available as the camps prepare, MacMullen does expect attendee numbers to exceed last year’s record. Some parishes are already seeing very strong demand, such as Bolton’s Holy Family, which has sold out all five weeks of programming at 100 kids per week.

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“From what we are seeing (in early stages), we’re looking at a lot. It is a good news story, for sure,” he told The Catholic Register. 

Impacting Catholicity as a whole, the immense rise in summer camp interest in the archdiocese as a whole also goes beyond each year’s water balloon fights and bonfires. Summer camps act as a sort of feeder pipeline directly into parish youth ministry, with kids aged 10 to 11 who experience a positive Catholic camp more likely to join youth programs when they reach 13 or older. As MacMullen attests, some families are not regular church-goers, but parents send their children for an affordable, faith-filled experience, viewing the camp as an accessible entry point to evangelization.

With affordability playing no small part thanks to parishes’ ability to make the experience attainable for most families, the standout reason so many seek out Catholic summer camps is the authentic, Christ-centred relationships that come with each offering. 

“We see kids who want to come to camp or who can't wait to get there because they have such an amazing time with the leaders. The leaders are not pumping in time just to earn a paycheque. Some other camps you'll see leaders are under a tree in the shade with their cell phone out like they're just herding sheep — you go to our camps to find the leaders playing the games with the kids, and the kids feel like they are the centre of our leaders' lives for those hours at camp,” MacMullen said. 

Further testimonies of impact come from the OCY’s associate director having seen parents report their children as preferring parish camps over other more “exciting” secular camps. 

“(Our leaders) are making sure those kids feel loved and they get the experience of a Christ-centred relationship five days in a row. For some of the kids, they just don't get that anywhere else,” he said. 

With many parishes still open for registration, camps are also often welcoming of community involvement through volunteers, snack donations and more. Those interested can contact their desired parish directly. 

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For a full list of this year’s parish summer camp offerings or to register, see https://ocytoronto.org/parish-camps.