During the last week of July 2019, Donahue Academy in Ave Maria, Florida hosted what they called “Treasures of the Catholic Church Camp.” It was inspired by both the non-fiction book The Last Monks of Skellig Michael as well as the comic book Finnian and the Seven Mountains published by Voyage Comics. The event was sponsored both by the school and the parish church.
Here is how they described it:
The week’s theme is based on Skellig Michael, an island off the coast of Ireland previously inhabited by Catholic monks. The inspiring tale of Skellig Michael stands out as one of the many miracles of the church, a story which was largely unknown until the famous movie “Star Wars: The Last Jedi” featured the island in many of their scenes. The amazing and true story of Skellig Michael recounts the adventures of a group of “warrior-monks” and their self imposed detachment from the world, a path they chose to draw closer to God and help preserve what was left of Western Civilization. Through complete devotion to God and neighbor, they were determined to save many of the instrumental treasures of our Catholic faith so that today we can freely receive them to assist us in deepening our faith and pass them on to future generations.
The week will be filled with the beauty of sacred tradition and the many treasures of our Catholic faith will be explored; art, music, sacred liturgy, and stories and adventure through the eyes of “The Last Monks of Skellig Michael.”
I was able to attend the event and give a few talks to the kids, who thoroughly enjoyed learning about the Irish monks and their connection to Star Wars.
Various other events were planned during the week and it was humbling to see an entire program based off of something I created!
Below is a video that shows highlights of the week and how it was packed with both fun and prayer.
Philip Kosloski
Philip Kosloski is the founder of Voyage Comics & Publishing and the writer and creator of the comic book series, Finnian and the Seven Mountains.